I am expecting a rather exciting parcel today from
@GSPBASSES containing this:
This will be my first parts-built guitar, but I have been through all the steps involved when rebuilding and refinishing my Strat a couple of years ago.
This one will get a baby blue finish with a matching headstock, probably using milk paint and a coat of oil and wax. I plan to leave the back and sides in a natural finish. PG will be tortoiseshell if I can find one.
Now I need to order lots of bits, probably including a Wilkinson bridge, Gotoh classic style tuners, and a Honky Tonk Angel from @OilCityPickups . The guitar may start its life as an Esquire for ultimate simplicity.
I'll have an extra-careful read of recent threads by @WezV and @ThePrettyDamned to get up to speed with the finishing technique.
Progress will be extra slow because I'm busy and because I haven't even started ordering bits.
Comments
Milk paint looks a bit see-through then it gets solid after a couple of coats. I... Wish I had left mine more translucent! But no matter. Let me know if you want to pick my brains.
I massively recommend the general finishes high performance finish as a clear coat so far, but I don't know long term how it is. Hemp oil is often used on milk paint and would protect it well enough.
Have fun!
oh, and the guitar has actually arrived now. It looks just as in the picture above, and is very light. Looking forward to making a start on this!
By the way, did you say anywhere in your thread where you got the milk paint? I'll have to re-read it anyway, though.
Not looking too bad:
However, looking closely, something isn't quite right:
Things don't quite line up; either the neck pocket sits correctly and the PG extends below the edge of the body, or it lines up with the body but not with the neck pocket.
Unfortunately I haven't got a bridge and control plate yet which would allow me to check alignment more thoroughly but given that this isn't the first Tele body @GSPBASSES has built it's highly likely that the PG hasn't been cut correctly.
Will I have to send it back?
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As a fellow southpaw, I think that body looks awesome, excellent grain - I got an SG from GSPBasses and I loved it... (sent for a finish atm) with that woodwork it's going to be a brilliant guitar 8)
I should add that I strum rather vigorously and sometimes use a pick made of an old 50p piece so a pickguard also serves a practical purpose.
Now, on to paint, and here I could do with some advice from all the friendly people who have looked at this thread so far. I'd like to try a milk paint finish and for a reason unknown even to myself I'm attracted to a sonic blue-ish colour. Unfortunately there's no direct match available, and the colour that comes closest is out of stock.
Any views on this https://www.cornishmilkmineralpaint.co.uk/products/mor or this https://blueberrystoreonline.co.uk/collections/old-fashioned-milk-paint-colours/products/old-fashioned-milk-paint-harbor ?
Do I finish the entire body in milk paint? Or just the front, with the back and sides in oil and wax? Do I go for a matching headstock? This looks very good on @TrentGuitars creations. Or go over the top and paint everything, including the back of the neck (not the fretboard obviously)?
Currently I am leaning towards doing the front face of the body and headstock in milk paint, and the rest in oil and wax. But if more experienced people tell me that masking will be a nightmare I may reconsider and do the entire body in milk paint, and the entire neck in oil and wax.
Any advice and opinions welcome!
Are you going to mask off the sides so the rounded edges are milk-painted?
I've done the oil and wax thing before when I refinished my Strat but never painted anything. Though I'm pleased with the results I don't want another guitar in an all natural finish. When @WezV and @ThePrettyDamned started working with milk paint that looked feasible and promising to me, and there are some examples on here of Gibson style guitars with painted front and natural backs and sides which I liked (I think again by @WezV and also @davros perhaps).
Front of the body and headstock to 240 grit, as per milk paint instructions, and back and sides of the neck and body which will only see oil and wax to 800 which feels smooth enough.
I used pipe insulation as a sanding 'block' for the curved bits.
everything except the pickguard seems to fit perfectly. Now just waiting for paint to arrive.
Realised that the strap buttons weren't the only thing I forgot to order - jack and jack socket also need to go on the list.
Wish me luck!