Rosewood Telecaster Kit Project

Rich31k

I ordered a rosewood telecaster kit from @GSPBASSES, which arrived yesterday. It looks great and it’s ideal having everything I need to build the guitar in one box.



I’m going to finish it with Tru Oil, probably using a slurry method. I have no idea how long it’ll be before I have time to sit down and do it, but hopefully it won’t be too long.

Here are a few more photos.

WezV

That looks great

Neilybob

Looks nice! What pups did you go with? 

TTony

Neilybob said:

Looks nice! What pups did you go with? 

I’m guessing BKP Yardbirds?


This should be good ….

CountryDave

Blimey, that is awesome.

andy_k

Really nice, and rosewood is one of those woods that doesn't really NEED a finish, just a bit of oil to prevent it drying out, 50% of fingerboards are made with it.
Should be up and running in no time, good luck.

BillDL

That looks like a fantastic kit, and it will be lovely when finished.  I see a lighter wood line around the perimeter inferring that it's a "pancake" body.  Has it been chambered before bonding the slabs together?  If not I would anticipate it could be quite heavy, but I've got a couple of ash tele bodies on maple necks that are probably just as heavy and I still love them despite the weight.

Rich31k

Thanks everyone. No update yet, but just wanted to add that Graham @GSPBASSES is great to deal with. Everything is top notch, I feel it is good value for money, and Graham’s been happy to answer questions. 

@BillDL it is chambered. The neck and body together are 5lbs 13oz or thereabouts. 

@andy_k Agreed, but I’d like to make it a bit more shiny. 

@TTony is correct - BKP Yardbirds. Graham had a couple of different sets to choose from. 

andy_k

Just a word on the choice of oil for the finish, IMO, Tung is quite hard to work with as it takes a while to set, I preferred to use multiple coats of Danish oil, which is a bit thinner and evaporates quicker. Lots of light coats is the answer, which is a true test of patience.
Another one I quite like is available in Sainsburys, and comes in an aerosol, called Wood Silk, which is just a really thin beeswax.
It protects the finish, and soaks in quite well on something like Ash, and I have had good results on walnut too.
Rosewood is already quite an oily wood ( which is why it is often not finished over- just re-oiled ) so it is pretty difficult to get the same results as a hard nitro finish, as far as shine, I guess a high sheen is the best to expect, but it is easy to maintain.
I have a solid rosewood neck on one of my strats, and I am not sure what to think about the tone of it, certainly something different.

Teyeplayer

Love it, and a perfect gas enabling moment -I’m now thinking about ‘needing’ one of these too which I wasn’t when I woke up this morning. Thank you.

WezV

I'd agree with @andy_k on finish... keep it simple.

Danish oul will be a better bet than tru-oil if you want to keep it feeling its best.   Normally I would say tru-oil, but rosewood doesn't need as much protection as other woods.

The slurry method works great with Danish oil, and a rub down with natural briwax and 0000 liberon steel wool at the end  before a buff with a so ft clothwill leave it feeling amazing and give a nice natural looking  soft semi gloss

Rich31k

@andy_k and @WezV ;;

Thank you. I decided against Tru Oil on your advice, and resolved to buy some Danish oil. 

Then I remembered I had a bottle of this from a project I didn’t end up starting a couple of years ago.

I don’t know what it is beyond the description on the front, but it’s a sort of cloudy white colour. 

Rich31k

It looks okay after two coats. Still need to give it some more coats and buff it. 

Edit: the body looks better in real life than the photo honest

drofluf

Well it looks great in the photos so must be amazing IRL.

elstoof

A water based oil is a new one for me

BillDL

elstoof said:

A water based oil is a new one for me

Same here.  I would have thought that, being "water based", it might have raised the wood grain and required a very fine sanding to remove the "fuzz" before reapplication.

andy_k said:
Another one I quite like is available in Sainsburys, and comes in an aerosol, called Wood Silk, which is just a really thin beeswax.  It protects the finish, and soaks in quite well on something like Ash, and I have had good results on walnut too.

I bought a can of that in Asda a while back to polish up my wooden lounge tables but, after feeling the results, I applied it to a bare mahogany neck and was pleasantly surprised with the nice satiny feel without a trace of waxiness, and not slippery like a silicone based furniture polish.

andy_k

Interesting list of ingredients, none I recognise.
Might be worth giving it a few thin coats, and then trying to forget about it for a couple of weeks before you try to polish it up.
I do recommend looking for Woodsilk in Sainsburys if you get a chance, it is a pretty foolproof finish for all sorts of things.

Rich31k

elstoof said:

A water based oil is a new one for me

Agreed. It looks like they changed the name to “water based wipe on guitar finishing lacquer”. 

Rich31k

Here’s a video showing the finish on the body after four coats. I did one more after and that’ll do. 

https://youtu.be/LLfSbjWSw0I

BillDL

That's looking really nice.  I really like the bookmatching of the top and back.  I'm actually very envious.

SteveRobinson

Rich31k said:

elstoof said:

A water based oil is a new one for me

Agreed. It looks like they changed the name to “water based wipe on guitar finishing lacquer”. 

It's not a lacquer either, unless you can redissolve it in water which wouldn't be good.