You are not logged in. Please login or register.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → New Strat build
I am painting my old strat white and adding all gold hardware and screws these photos are after 3 coats of primer and three coats of top cover
I don't hang the guitar but rather put a small box in the cavity and gravity wont influence the paint I spin it like a lazy Susan and when its dry I flip it over works like a charm 
Russell was that your candy apple red one? Looks good so far,keep us up-dated.
Russell was that your candy apple red one? Looks good so far,keep us up-dated.
yes I used the pickups from the Candy apple for the blue one and the red one I traded for a new set of tires but I removed the hot texas coil pickups and installed some normal ones i will use the texas coils for my new one along with all gold hardware and screws including Wikerson gold tuners and 2 gold barrel string trees so.... it will be White and gold just like heaven
Cool,we should call you the stratman! I looked around your website and it appers your Dad and other relitives were in the music business.
I'll bet it will sound like heaven too Russ. Can't wait to hear your first recording with her!
Dave
Cool,we should call you the stratman! I looked around your website and it appers your Dad and other relitives were in the music business.
I do prefer the strat although my Douglass LP is very nice I come from a musical family I was born on the road my Dad played piano in big swing bands my mom was a very good guitarist and gave me my 1st lessons she was like guitar George she knew all the chords(pun intended)
I'll bet it will sound like heaven too Russ. Can't wait to hear your first recording with her!
Dave
Thanks Dave I am working on a new instrumental I have been playing around with no name yet but I will think of something I will use all three guitars in the video
Russell that's a pretty musical family,I did have a Aunt who had a band it was around your parents time,I think it was the Rose Maddox band,I am not sure as I was very young.
I like the old classics I find them challenging to play and on a strat with effects they sound modern, songs like "Whats it all about Alfee" and newer song like the Beatles Penny Lane instrumentally can be fun
Russell ...
I noticed the bottle of BAN deodorant on the shelves in your pics. Do you prefer that to wax for packing your pickups? Just kidding!
Seriously, you continue to inspire, and I've just to try a build one of these days. I love natural woodgrains, and would love to try something with a Poplar body and perhaps some contrasting Walnut work. ESP and Ibanez do a lot of gorgeous stuff with exotic woods, and I especially like the way ESP uses the same overlay wood on the headstock as the body surface. Looks very classy, IMHO.
One of these days ....
Russell ...
I noticed the bottle of BAN deodorant on the shelves in your pics. Do you prefer that to wax for packing your pickups? Just kidding!
Seriously, you continue to inspire, and I've just to try a build one of these days. I love natural woodgrains, and would love to try something with a Poplar body and perhaps some contrasting Walnut work. ESP and Ibanez do a lot of gorgeous stuff with exotic woods, and I especially like the way ESP uses the same overlay wood on the headstock as the body surface. Looks very classy, IMHO.
One of these days ....
I confess I painted in my bathroom only because it has an exhaust fan 
it is a challenge to build one from the ground up I learned the hard way I failed a few times but kept trying I select the lightest woods that will support the hardware to keep the weight down. you can make a guitar out of several types of wood its a ambitious undertaking but worth a shot just plan and take your time with it
Ahhhh ... a little ventilation to keep the noggin clear ... good call, Russ!
Varathane makes a clear finish called "Diamond Coat", which is water-based and has almost no fumes / smell. I tore out the interior carpeted stairs (split entry home) a few years back, and replaced them with oak. Not a bad job, if I do say so myself! 
I gave them 4 coats with the Diamond Coat, and they are still holding up remarkably well. It comes in aerosol, and I would think it would make an excellent finish for a guitar, even as a clear coat over top of a color. It sure made the grain of the red oak I used jump out.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Ahhhh ... a little ventilation to keep the noggin clear ... good call, Russ!
Varathane makes a clear finish called "Diamond Coat", which is water-based and has almost no fumes / smell. I tore out the interior carpeted stairs (split entry home) a few years back, and replaced them with oak. Not a bad job, if I do say so myself!
Thanks for the encouragement!
Yep gotta have the ventilation I think the Varathane would be a safe choice but I am committed to a Polyurethane only because it has a nice clear hard finish and most important I paid for it but that is good information to consider in the future for other finishes and I think you should follow up on your idea it would be a good summer project
While its on my mind a little tip for mounting string trees if the neck is new and there are no holes to guide you wait till after you mount the neck and tremolo then put the strings on just enough to have tension slide the string trees under the E B and line them up and mark the hole do the same with the G and D and stagger the distance between them in the direction of the nut about 1 inch then loosen the strings and mount the trees
This is after the first coat of polyurethane you can see the mirror image of my hand I will lite sand this with 3000 grit and apply one more coat of poly the its finished and ready for assembly
AARGGG!! Horrors of Horrors I mishandled the body and dropped it after I had put the last coat on Yes I had to strip it again and start over I did manage to restore the damage and am currently waiting to apply the polyurethane around noon(38 min,from now) all the parts have arrived I will mount the texas coil pickups and solder the wiring to the pick guard while i wait hopefully i can finish by tomorrow if the weather cooperates I must spray the poly outside its to toxic for my apartment and i will wear all the protective trappings keep ya posted
Bummer Russell!
Yeah It was but i am back on track i finished the wiring mounted the pickups and am deciding on one more coat of poly I worked most of the day on it and it looks real nice again
sounds like it is close too being done.
sounds like it is close too being done.
Once the coat of poly dries its a half hour job to reassemble already got a tune in mind to test it on
Russell
That is sweet !
This is a guitar I made out of wood scraps in my shop. I didn't really know what I was doing having never made a guitar before - but it came out pretty good. The fret height was toughest for me. Plays fair - would be fine if I filed frets more even.
It was fun to learn about how the electrics are wired and how the guitar works though. There's a lot of stuff that I had no idea about.
Anyway... can't wait to see your completed strat re-do.
JIM
I fixed the image tags for you check it so you can do it in he future
Jim, I gotta tell ya that is a sweeeet looking guitar, I like the look of natural wood grain. You've inspired me, I have a lot of wood laying around my wood shop, because I just can't bring myself to throw stuff away. I'm such a pack rat! By the way I'm an Alvarez fan too.
Jim ... what a beautiful instrument. Just love the natural wood. Looks like some oak, poplar, mahogany, and perhaps walnut in the body? Maybe some stained maple or ash? I looked at an Ibanez BTB670 last Fall but was unable to buy it ... the seller changed his mind:
That one of yours is a work of art!
Russell, hows your build going? The suspense is killing me! can't hardly wait to see and hear it.
Right now as I type the top coat is drying on the front side and sides in a few minutes I will turn it around and apply the top coat to the back and bottom after that dries(in 1 hour) I hit it with polyurethane this has been a difficult job the wood is a composite of several woods and they react different I have had 4 fails by this I mean I had to strip it bare each time this is the 5th attempt and its going very well I switched from gloss to satin not as shiney but still cool I am going to finish it tonight hell or high water
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Electric → New Strat build
