Next project?

[ZoSo65]

MAN! this one is sweet!!
Neck thru zebra wood and zebra wood wings!

 

[Tone2TheBone]

I have a Winston fly rod with a Zebrawood reelseat and Nickel Silver which looks cherry. That looks....mmmmm pretty cool.....don't know how it would sound though?

 

[Spudman]

That is a cool looking axe. But, doesn't it need strings and stuff? I know...I just couldn't resist.
How does that wood sound by the way? It sure looks groovy.

 

[Katastrophe]

Did you buy this, and if so where? If you don't mind me asking, how much? When is it gonna be completed? How soon before we hear the first recorded track?

MORE INFO, MAN!:R R

Geez, I need to get some sleep.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Glad to see that you've moved outtta the kitchen ZoSo, that ax looks sweet.

 

[ZoSo65]

nah I don't own it, seen it on ebay, it's built by Musikraft and sold as you see it.
But it gave me an idea to do one very similar to it

I'm gonna work on my Ibanez first though, nothings been done to it since I got it, almost 20 years ago,,LOL
I'm thinking of stripping it down, and repainting it, possibly modify the body a little, put a new set of pups in, still haven't decidied if I want to keep the trem in it, replace it with a Floyd Rose or make it a non-trem. :R

 

[Spudman]

Zoso
That Ibanez is getting some collectibility behind it. I'd think twice before altering it.

 

[warren0728]

i was thinking about refinishing my peavey fat strat knockoff but am afraid that once i remove the black finish i will find ugly *** wood under there and then i would have to buy a new body...etc. Of course i really like the neck so maybe a new body wouldn't be such a bad idea....something totally non traditional!

ww

 

[ZoSo65]

Zoso
That Ibanez is getting some collectibility behind it. I'd think twice before altering it.

I thought about that, and looked in to it a little bit. They don't seem to be getting much more then what it was bought for.

For now I'm just going to set it up, and believe me, it needs it LOL, and replace the pups with a couple Rio Grande's (Crunchbox & Punchbox, most likely, or maybe a couple Dimarzio's - Evo2@bridge, Breed@neck)

 

[warren0728]

speaking of refinishing guitars....what products have any of you fretters used to strip the old finish and paint from your guitar....also what sort of finish do you recommend. My guess is the wood is not going to be the best looking if i strip down my old peavey...so i would probably paint it....

ww

 

[ZoSo65]

speaking of refinishing guitars....what products have any of you fretters used to strip the old finish and paint from your guitar....also what sort of finish do you recommend. My guess is the wood is not going to be the best looking if i strip down my old peavey...so i would probably paint it....

ww

A quality stripper should work just fine, just be sure to clean the wood very good before you start the painting process.
If you plan on painting it again you just might want to sand it down to the primer/sealer, other wise, depending on how porous the wood(Rosewood, Mahogany, Ash, Koa, Walnut, etc.), your going to have to use a grain filler to get a smooth finish, that holds even if you plan on staining, just use a clear grain filler.
As far as finish, I used nitrocellulose stringed instrument laquer, but you could use a urethane base too, I just like laquer better.

Here's some steps to follow:
1- clean and prep any imperfections, sand to 220 grit
2- nows the time to stain, if your going to stain
3- for porous woods- washcoat, i used a 50/50 mix of vinyl sealer and laquer thinner. Sand lightly with 220
4- for porous woods- grain filler time. Sand again with 220.
5- sealer, I used the vinyl sealer uncut. 3 to 4 coats max. Sand with 320.
6- Base coat(color) I did 4 coats here and I lightly sanded with 320 starting after 2nd coat, after 4th I sanded with 400 wet then to 600 wet.
7- Clear coat, I did 10 coats here to give it a lot of depth. Sanded with 600 wet every 2 coats, and sanded with 800 wet before last 2 coats.
9- After paint is 100% cured, I waited 5 days, oh yeah forgot to mention that I also waited 24 to 48 hours between coats in the previous steps before sanding. I started wet sanding from 800 to 2500 grit. Then buffed it out with a 2 stage process and a swirl remover, then I put a good coat of Meguires Deep Crystal wax.

This is just a guideline that I used, because I'm used to it, but there are several variations.

The most important thing though is patience! Don't try and rush the process, or it will bight you in the butt, trust me

 

[warren0728]

A quality stripper should work just fine, just be sure to clean the wood very good before you start the painting process.
If you plan on painting it again you just might want to sand it down to the primer/sealer,

wow...thanks for the detailed info....i am definately going to paint the guitar so do i need the stripper or just sand down the existing finish? Does the sanding (before painting) all need to be done by hand?

Any suggestions on where to get the paint?

ww

 

[ZoSo65]

I would sand down to the primer/sealer,,, get the paint off.
I would do it by hand, unless your good with an orbital sander. For the flat areas I would use a flat block of wood with a felt bottom, wrapped with sandpaper, all curved surfaces by hand, and watch when sanding sharp corners, you'll hit wood real fast if not careful!

I bought my sealer, laquer and color dye from Stewart MacDonald, they have everything you would need for a nitrocellulose finish.

 

[warren0728]

just checked their website...did you get a spray gun from them too....or are there better alternatives?

thanks again for your help...

ww

 

[ZoSo65]

I have access to spray equipment at my job.
I actually used this Husky. It works rather well, just have to remember to clean it well between uses, as with any sprayer.

Have you ever sprayed before?

 

[warren0728]

never with a gun....just from a can....i was thinking a guitar would be a nice first project.

ww

 

[ZoSo65]

OK can is a lot different then a gun.
Gun sprays more volume and paint is prepped different. The stuff from Stu-Mac doesn't need no thinning, so that's good, makes it a little easier.

Before you spray your axe, make some practice runs with the gun on some wood blanks and get used to thin/dry coats and wet coats. Basically, if the paint looks like it's going to run, it's perfect for a wet coat. Thin/dry coats obviously are what it means,,hehe

There's some good info, and a lot of it, on the web about using a gun. Take some time and check in to it

 

[warren0728]

i definately will...should be a fun project and learning experience! R

thanks again for your help!

ww

 

[Nelskie]

ww - I've had this link bookmarked, and thought it might be of some use to you. This place is called the Guitar Re-Ranch, and there's a lot of information about re-finishing guitars and such. Of course, it's an obvious connection to their retail sales efforts, but good information none-the-less:

http://home.flash.net/~guitars/index.html