Smaller ES-335 (ES-337?) build

davros

That does look nice. Sides are a very similar colour

davros

Decision time - Black or Pelham blue...

The pine tester absorbed the blue in places leaving just the silver metallic particles, but it gives an overall idea. I didn't want to waste any more nitro on the testers.

stickyfiddle

The world needs more Blacktop and Bluetop finishes; both will look great.

digitalkettle

I'm always drawn to blue guitars...but, in this case, I'm liking black

davros

This may provide a better representation of the finished look

guitargeek62

As @stickyfiddle said - there’s not enough blacktop guitars out there!

WezV

for all the fancy colours out there you really can't go wrong with black, and black tops are best of all

davros

Yeah, I think black is unanimous, on instagram too. And, most importantly the wife agrees. Thanks Steve for sending the extra can of Pelham Blue though, it will certainly get used in a future project!

Spraying starts tomorrow in the bathroom.

davros

Yesterday I sprayed on 3/4 of a can of sanding sealer and let it dry overnight. This morning I sanded it back with wonderful Mirka goldflex 320 grit pads (got that tip from someone on here). Some remedial work to fill a couple of light gouges and some small gaps between the top and the binding using a combo of normal and thin superglue and some maple dust. The filled bits are darker because of the superglue but the top will be black so they won't be seen. A little more light sanding in a couple of areas and another couple of coats and the can's empty and I'm happy. I think the back is particularly beautiful.

Next up masking for the black top and spraying. That will highlight any dodgy areas quite clearly.

The pictures have been flipped, it's hanging upside down from the strap button!

WezV

That's looking great

davros

Thanks Wez, I'm definitely learning with every build. Finishing is my nemesis, so hopefully slow and steady and fixing issues before moving on will work out!

guitargeek62

Okay, this might well become my favourite build to date on here! There's something incredibly satisfying about watching carve-top being made, I'm going to have to give this a try if/when ever I get back into builds.

davros

I'm only 1 black coat in but I couldn't resist a mockup. The finish looks terrible at the moment, but it's mostly sinkage into the maple grain, not orange peel. I have plenty of black, so I'm not worried about filling it, but will take a few more coats. There are also a couple of defects which I think.are small enough to fill with paint. I'll probably sand with some 600 grit and reassess once I'm 2/3 of the way through the can.

davros

Grain was looking a little deep for my liking, so I sprayed a couple more black coats and flatted it back to get rid of the shiny spots. Looking much flatter now, ready for a couple more coats and a binding scrape.

I quite like the satin look, but not for this build

davros

Colour coats done and binding scraped. Headstock has also been sprayed, flatted and final coated. Will get the decal fitted this weekend and then it's onto 3 cans of clear coat!

Corvus

So nice.. that back is amazing but the whole thing's lovely.

davros

Nothing much of interest to report for a while. The headstock decal is on and the next few days will be loading on 3 coats of clear nitro a day until my 3 cans are used up! 1 day down and already looking nice and glossy!

Andyjr1515

Looking good.  That back and sides set is great!

stickyfiddle

This looks really lovely. Can't wait to see it finished. 

guitargeek62

I’m calling dibs please