Old Black

ICBM

WezV said:

i'm not sure that is totally true, but it does have more paint holding on than many of them.. but that paint is heavily gouged and textured in a way few relics are.

I have tried to only add chips where i can see chips or gouges on the original, in at least one of the photos.  I do this when doing most relic work, find an old example to copy.  I did have to add a few to  bring it all together.  Very few of them will show the gold once they are done.

That texture though.  Still not sure how close I will get to that, or even if i should,  but I will get a convincingly old look and feel

That's a very good pic, probably the best I've seen of it. I see what you mean about the texture.

You can also clearly see that the neck pickup cover is not cut off, I always doubted that - it just made no sense.

impmann

ICBM said:

You can also clearly see that the neck pickup cover is not cut off, I always doubted that - it just made no sense.

I'd wondered if it was a cut down Epiphone Casino cover...

DartmoorHedgehog

WezV said:

That texture though.  Still not sure how close I will get to that, or even if i should,  but I will get a convincingly old look and feel

It looks like putting it face down on a gravel path and standing on the back would have a similar effect.

Kittyfrisk

DartmoorHedgehog said:

WezV said:

That texture though.  Still not sure how close I will get to that, or even if i should,  but I will get a convincingly old look and feel

It looks like putting it face down on a gravel path and standing on the back would have a similar effect.

Nah. For authenticity you have to dance on it, while singing 'Keep on rocking in the free world'...

WezV

impmann said:

ICBM said:

You can also clearly see that the neck pickup cover is not cut off, I always doubted that - it just made no sense.

I'd wondered if it was a cut down Epiphone Casino cover...

The theory for the 2 other good replicas linked to in  this thread is that it was a hand made cover done with pressed aluminium, but one end snapped off.

But really it's just a badly cut pickguard.   I left both options open to see what works best

victorludorum

That bridge pickup looks recessed.

WezV

It is.  Think i mentioned that on page 3.   Im not sure i need to replicate that as the ring i have conforms nicely to the carve.   Also, recessing it reduces height adjustment avaliable 

ICBM

WezV said:

It is.  Think i mentioned that on page 3.   Im not sure i need to replicate that as the ring i have conforms nicely to the carve.   Also, recessing it reduces height adjustment avaliable 

I expect it needed to be done on the original because of the flatter neck angle and lower bridge. If you’re starting from a normal LP Standard geometry it probably isn’t necessary.

redrighthand

How much of that texture is sheer grease and dirt. He doesnt like fresh strings - wouldnt be surprised if there was a ban on any kind of cleaning of it.

WezV

Ive no doubt a lot of it is dirt and grease.  Again, probably not something i will go to great lengths to emulate. 

Mine will probably be more like old black after a quick wipe down

impmann

redrighthand said:

How much of that texture is sheer grease and dirt. He doesnt like fresh strings - wouldnt be surprised if there was a ban on any kind of cleaning of it.

Judging the state of his T-shirt earlier, soap of any kind lasts a long time in the Young household... 

WezV

A bit further along just need to get that wear between pickups looking a little better, add some checking, and build up some patina.

Note the heavy wear shown on the last page is toned down here.  It's still there, but dirtied up a bit



Also done some work on the headstock, which i don't think i have shown before.  Just need to drill out for the Schallers 

DartmoorHedgehog

Nice. That's really starting to look a mess

roberty

Yeah it's great. The ageing on the tokai logo is a nice touch

WezV

I needed to drill for the bigsby and tuners, so decided to do a test fit so i can start to see what looks out of place and needs more work

Ddigger

"Look out mama, there's a white boat comin' up the river..."

WezV

At this point I think its mostly little bits to do.

The main toggle switch needs an amber tip and knurled nut. 

Mini switch and a few other screws need ageing so they dont stand out so much.

I think the amber knobs are too dark so might try some aged gold ones instead.

The aluminum plates need a bit of work to get them looking nicely aged.

And I just need to see how the finish develops over the next week or so, but I think it is mostly there.

Kittyfrisk

Looking good, pleased that the Schallers were what you were after  

ICBM

It already looks miles better than some of the more well-known 'replicas' which may be available on the internet...

guitargeek62

That looks utterly superb - amazing work as ever, Wez!