any Luther's, woodworkers here?

[marco_1978_spyder]

I just got myself a new guitar... the thing is it's a DIY kit. Raw wood.

I'm looking for some wood finishing tip's. I want to paint it a solid color. It's a piece of mahogany. I can get through sanding. Sealing the wood and getting it paintable is where the questions start. I've been you-tubing a lot.

Also any luther's here know about the measurements involved with installing a new guitar neck? the 12th fret has to be exactly in the middle of the Bridge and Nut correct?

[tonysq]

Marco,

Funny thing, I'm doing almost exactly the same thing except this time I bought the body (almost) fully shaped mahogany. I only had to drill/route some areas so that I could put the controls exactly where I wanted them and I tapered the heel. I've got pictures of the project on Facebook.

Yes, 12th fret exactly 1/2 way between bridge and nut. You'll want to make sure you're measuring from the center of the intonation block travel so you have the adjustment there to get the intonation correct.

Also, I believe the neck joint needs to be very precise. Tight enough to make contact all the way around to help sound transfer.

What are you using to seal the wood? I just primer'd and painted my last one with automotive paint and it turned out really good.

Send me some pictures of what you have, I'd love to check it out.

Chris Squier

[marco_1978_spyder]

Chris, Thanks for the tips! Measuring to the bridge saddles will be a challenge since it's a Floyd Rose trem. Likes to sit floppy But I think maybe I can fashoin up a wood block. I saw a tip that shows using Popsicle stick's,lol..gonna try that.

My Kit is a copy of an Ibanez JEM. Seller stated it was mahogany. Seems kinda soft and light for mahogany.
I saw a build on you-tube and the person used a sealer before painting so that's where I got that idea.

Glad to hear yours came out good with just some basic sanding and painting. The neck fit's in the body nicely, but there's no holes drilled in it.

Going to check out your page now.. which I couldn't find on FB, too many Chris Squier's.

Thanks again for the tips.. I just did some research...what I need to know is the "scale length" mines a 25.5, like a fender so now I know where to place it..

[tonysq]

I'm the chubby one with the yellow shirt and black ball cap in my profile pic...

Here's a picture of how it sits now.

[daan]

Guitar building is fun, I've got 8 build projects in various stages of "stalled out" right now... THese kits are a great way to start off, I personally started with a "Saga" Tele kit and went on to piecing guitars together from Ebay/CL/used parts from the store, etc.
http://www.reranch.com/101.htm Read this a couple times, if you follow all these instructions your guitar will look 100% as good as anything at Guitar center. If I (TOTAL HACK) can do it, so can you. These guys are all a bunch of talented luthiers. I've built a couple guitars (and ruined a whole bunch of others, ha ha) They also sell good "Nitrocelluose Lacquer" paint, in rattle (aerosol) cans. You don't NEED nitro, but lots of people like to use it still because it's what all the big guys used back in the 50-60's. (Most current guitars are painted with Catalyzed Urethane, but you need $$$$$$$ UV curing lights to do that stuff) I did a couple guitars with Nitro, and a couple with whatever Krylon is (enamel?) and honestly they look the same, and the enamel resists wear better and is cheaper. But I've never understood the whole "relic guitar" thing, I want mine to look shiny and new as long as possible.
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/
THese guys are also a big group of really skilled guys, they don't just build Teles and they're really freindly and forthcoming with advice, tips, etc. Especially the mechanics/woodworking part, although they have a separate forum for just the finishing too. THere's lots of good info at both those links above. And really, as long as you don't do a Pete Townsend on your guitar, nothing you do isn't going to be reversible if/when you change your mind.

[daan]

Chris, Thanks for the tips! Measuring to the bridge saddles will be a challenge since it's a Floyd Rose trem. Likes to sit floppy But I think maybe I can fashoin up a wood block. I saw a tip that shows using Popsicle stick's,lol..gonna try that.

My Kit is a copy of an Ibanez JEM. Seller stated it was mahogany. Seems kinda soft and light for mahogany.
I saw a build on you-tube and the person used a sealer before painting so that's where I got that idea.

Glad to hear yours came out good with just some basic sanding and painting. The neck fit's in the body nicely, but there's no holes drilled in it.

Going to check out your page now.. which I couldn't find on FB, too many Chris Squier's.

Thanks again for the tips.. I just did some research...what I need to know is the "scale length" mines a 25.5, like a fender so now I know where to place it..

There's lots of kinds of "mahogany", some are softer than others. If yours seems too soft (like you can dent it with your fingernail easily) you can get "wood hardener" (insert Beavis and BUtthead laugh here) from any hardware store that will keep it from getting damaged. I built a Tele out of Pine and it needed the hardener because it would dent almost from looking at it. And Floyd tremolos are really hard to properly set up, but once you have it, they are pretty much the only trem that will stay in tune so they're worth the aggravation learning how to adjust them.

[marco_1978_spyder]

Here it is assembled and done. Getting the fine tuning done.. floyd rose is dialed in and truss rod is set. Action could be a tic lower but it's still playing well. I'm ready to try another.. next time it'll be a Tele.

I found a great wood filler at the hobby store called"hobby lite"