Two new projects and a product disappointment

[Newc]

Finished these two up this weekend:

White DiMarzio body with a black p-guard, H-S, OFR, and a maple/maple neck by Ebay seller customwoods.
The bridge pickup is a Gibson Dirty Fingers and the neck is an Armstrong Rails from a Warrior Pro.





Not the best player - may have to lower the nut platform and do some other tweaking. Plays good as it is, but the action's higher than I wanted it. Good neck, good body, just not as good together as if they had been made for each other, y'know?
The neck profile is fat but comfy. 1 5/8" nut width.



Next up is a Predator body routed for a neck hum. Here's where I was disappointed:



I found this new masking tape at WalMart that is designed to go around curves and such more smoothly than normal masking tape, which it does very well. The problem is that it's fairly porous, which left me with a pretty good amount of bleedthrough where the tape was curved the most - at the ends. It also peeled some of the paint off, leaving thin strips in the rings.
Too late now, of course - I'd hafta strip it and start over.
Black paint is Krylon, of course. I put on 3 or 4 coats on top of the existing/unprepped paint/clearcoat.

Newc

[Rhmsc8]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

The white one looks nice, hope you get the playability worked out in the end. As for the disapointment.... Looks better than mine does currently. I can't get rid of the grain after 24oz of primer, 16oz. of base coat and 10oz of mid coat (errr) http://tinypic.com/av5gp

Hope that at least helps make you feel a little better.

[LouSiffer]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

Rhmsc8.....the grain is coming through because you did not use sealer on it before you primed and painted. You can get a can of this for a few bucks at any hardware store. Seal it....sand it...then prime and paint.-Lou

[LouSiffer]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

Newc.....the pink and black is about a few steps away from total coolness in my opinion. I know the masking did not come out like you wanted...but, in my opinion....give it the been abused from years of being a workhorse look with a sander.-Lou

[mulder1966]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

Are those strathead necks similar to the GMW profile? Add some more drips to the bullseye, and you will have a bloodbull.... or something. They both look cool! [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[Chuckracer]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

All I'm seein is red X's...

[jazzman]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

Oh no! The red X's again. lol

Hey newc the paint job looks cool. Too bad about the tape cause it looks like it was a bit of work.

[toejam]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

Very cool. Interesting toggle switch placement on the Strat, too. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Jim Shine]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

I always use a coat or two of clear on the tape just before painting with the color coat to minimize color finish bleeding under the tape.

[nonamemx]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

Wow, Im planning a white strat JUST like that, except with a full size humbucker in the neck, most likely, but everything else = exactly the same. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I have a control combo like that on my peavey, except I have 2 separate LARGE mini toggles. and a Giant radio shack knob. Its cool stuff [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Newc]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

Thanks. The rings were kinda hard to get round enough, even with the curving tape. Obviously the center parts aren't as round as they should be.
The center of the bullseye was the easiest part to do - I used a CD label [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
I prolly shoulda took the center sticker out to get a black dot in the middle, but oh well.

And that pickguard came with the body and was already drilled/cut. I may route the middle of the body (H-S-S) and cut the 'guard for a P-bass pickup [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Can't say if the neck profile or radius compares to anything else (GMW, etc).

If I redo the bullseye, I might see about getting a heat lamp to dry the paint faster.

Newc

[dg]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

I like that Strat! [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img] Newc, if you decide to redo the bullseye, I've had good success with Scotch 471 vinyl masking tape. I've used it for masking sharply curved areas (non-guitar related) with good success with no bleeding at all. I'm positive that you could get the 1/2" and probably the 3/4" to do a good tight circle. I just picked some of the 1/4" up for masking the binding on my project. Not cheap, about $8 for 36 yds, but it's good stuff. Any good automotive paint supplier should carry it. I've also heard of latex tape for complex jobs, but I haven't seen it or used it. I just tried to Google "latex tape" & you should see some of the links that came up. [img]/images/graemlins/what.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[LouSiffer]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

For the bullseye....just go to any sign shop with vinyl lettering and have them cut you up a bullseye.....take out the rings you dont want......adhere to body...spray....peel and done.....and since vinyl is not porous like tape...you wont have bleed through.-Lou

[Newc]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

Thanks for the tips - anyone know how much a vinyl ring set like that would cost? (Where's that HuntinDoug [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img])

Newc

[Reverend Timmy]

Re: Two new projects and a product disappointment

Newc,Where did you get the pickguard for the strat?