[pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Self built and self assembly ;)

Moderators: Slowy, Capt. Black

User avatar
standardfour
Ashton
Ashton
Posts: 103
meble-kuchenne.warszawa.pl
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2017 12:52 pm
Location: Wellington, NZ
Has liked: 54 times
Been liked: 28 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by standardfour »

I can't wait to see this pop up on Trade Me with 'Mostly original condition, minor headstock repair completed by experienced luthier'.

This really is a freakin' epic thread, I'm almost running to the computer each morning to catch up on progress. I'm not an expert but is there any concern that the headstock will just pull itself apart once it's put under any tension? Who knows right? It could end up like one of those samurai swords made of 20 layers of folded steel and you'll unlock the tone of the gods.

Awesome.

User avatar
Single coil
BANNED
Posts: 10050
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: Public toilet
Has liked: 1110 times
Been liked: 485 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by Single coil »

I doubt it'll come apart. Plywood is strong as hell right? All that is is super thin bits of wood stuck together. Don't see why the same theory wouldn't apply to a headstock.

Little worried about the bridge and tailpiece posts - you'll see why when I get round to posting a bit later on.
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

User avatar
Jay
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 7760
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2010 9:35 pm
Has liked: 1630 times
Been liked: 1297 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by Jay »

Single coil wrote:I doubt it'll come apart. Plywood is strong as hell right? All that is is super thin bits of wood stuck together. Don't see why the same theory wouldn't apply to a headstock.

Little worried about the bridge and tailpiece posts - you'll see why when I get round to posting a bit later on.
You know the bridge and tailpiece go on top of the guitar right? :wink:
When faced with quality, I recognise it every time.

User avatar
Single coil
BANNED
Posts: 10050
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: Public toilet
Has liked: 1110 times
Been liked: 485 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by Single coil »

Yes captain.

Will upload photos shortly; after a quick examination of the subject in the shed.
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

User avatar
Single coil
BANNED
Posts: 10050
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: Public toilet
Has liked: 1110 times
Been liked: 485 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by Single coil »

Kinda short post from today. Didn't get a hell of a lot done, and it rained, and I had to be other places. Ahh well, here we are.

Just as I was gettin' started in the shed, a familiar dirty white van showed up, and the dog went ballistic.

Image

Oh yes. Absolutely yes. Also, inspection.

Image

... Ok, so, this isn't ideal.

Image

... At all.

Image

Image

Nothing that can't be solved with precision use of a loud and potentially destructive power tool.

Image

Just lie down on the operating table. Breathe deeply, and count backwards from 10.

Image

Got to use this drill bit set I forgot I had too.

Image

Masked up to protect my newly dulled finish from rogue pva. Didn't go nuts on the glue for the posts, just enough so they'll set in there well. Plonked the stopbar on there to keep the shape.

Image

One side is [a small enough number] of a millimetre higher than the other. Enough to bother me, but it's there for good now. :lol: Shouldn't be a hindrance; with the chunkiness of the bridge, I don't think I'll ever have the tailpiece wound right down.

Image

Same story with the bridge posts - Some glue but not heaps, and plonked it on to also keep shape. These ones have a wee lip at the top, so they seated nicely.

Image

Wrapped it up in the drop sheet to avoid overspray from primer. Smart!

Image

Something shat on it while I wasn't looking. Looks like the little bubbly bit. Oh well, at least it's easy sanding.

Image

Gave the pickguard a bit of a sand down to get some of the marks out, and hit it with the poly I'll be using on the headstock. Once it's all dry and so on, I'll palm sander it with the scourer and attempt to give it a polish.

Image

Satisfying, drying primer.

Image

My assistant made sure nothing happened to it while I went down the supermarket.

Image

Holy shit that's the postie

Image

No more bits for me today though. Ahh well. They can't be far away.
By now I'd had enough sanding, and I'm sure you're all sick of looking at the same thing over and over with a painfully similar narrative. So, here's one more picture of a primed headstock.

Image

And here's me taking another big step.

Image

Ugh. Something seriously satisfying about brand new paint.

Image

Image

Hit the pickguard with another layer of poly too.

Image

This is where I left it for tonight, just as the paint can propelled its last tint with a final pfffftthhht of hydrocarbons.

Image

Coming up:
More fuckin' sanding - I want the black finish to be just right. Which makes life even more difficult, cuz black is so good at highlighting imperfections.
Tuner holes probably,
Poly-ing the entirety of the headstock (after tuner holes and decal set),
Attempting to deal to the stubborn understain on the underpants of lutherie that is the filler mumps where the volute should be,
Maybe another body polish,

Strings, setup, enjoyment.

Ugh, so close. Hurry up decals!!
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

User avatar
werdna
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 2711
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 8:16 am
Has liked: 590 times
Been liked: 458 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by werdna »

Next you should take on brain surgery.
In life, don't sweat the petty stuff, and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

User avatar
Single coil
BANNED
Posts: 10050
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: Public toilet
Has liked: 1110 times
Been liked: 485 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by Single coil »

All of my patients would end up writing lewd verses in public toilets
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

User avatar
Single coil
BANNED
Posts: 10050
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: Public toilet
Has liked: 1110 times
Been liked: 485 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by Single coil »

Well then. This is how all that went.

Image

Image

Image

It all dried pretty nicely, but disaster struck when I went to thing it with my scouring pad mouse sander thing. Most of the acrylic peeled off, so I did my best at levelling it. Went down the paint shop (yeah we have one of those), and came back with this.

Image

I'm going to use enamel satin black next time around. Acrylic on wood seems a bit thing now, so let's see how that goes.
The body managed to break out in a whole bunch of blackheads - Somehow the overspray got this far.

Image

Caaaaaarefully notched them off with a craft knife, and gave it a light going over with the real wussy scouring pad on mouse thing and another polish. Think it needed it.
Then it was time to sand the pickguard (cuz I had fuck all else to do).

Image

Oh. That's not gone well.

Image

It looks cool, but it's not what I want.
I got there eventually - Camera wouldn't focus on the dimply bits left in it so you get this instead.

Image

Currently leaving black primer to dry off properly before I even think about going near it with sandpaper. Or a scouring pad. Or a light breeze.


Ugh, what a fuckaround. Got those lovely tuners just sitting on the bench too, arh. Can't wait til those go in. Omgomgomgomgomg
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

User avatar
willow13
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 14558
Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2004 2:36 pm
Location: If less is more then just think how much more more is
Has liked: 372 times
Been liked: 634 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by willow13 »

thinners would have taken the black dots off (just wet a rag with thinners and wipe...just don't let the thinners sit on the finish as it will melt it).....yes I know you have them off already but for future reference :rofl:
If Less is More Then Just Think How Much More More would be

User avatar
willow13
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 14558
Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2004 2:36 pm
Location: If less is more then just think how much more more is
Has liked: 372 times
Been liked: 634 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by willow13 »

Single coil wrote:
My assistant made sure nothing happened to it while I went down the supermarket.

Image
he looks to be thrilled about it to :rofl:
If Less is More Then Just Think How Much More More would be

User avatar
Single coil
BANNED
Posts: 10050
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: Public toilet
Has liked: 1110 times
Been liked: 485 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by Single coil »

Dog noses seem to love smells, so he gets to sniff all the mail.
Edit: he likes his chair too.

There are epoxy thinners on the shelf, but I figured that woulda been too heavy. Eh ok, now I know.

Fuckin just sitting here brooding cuz I know here's nothing for me to do until tomorrow hahahah
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

User avatar
Single coil
BANNED
Posts: 10050
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: Public toilet
Has liked: 1110 times
Been liked: 485 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by Single coil »

Alright. Another short post.
Paint still wasn't quite dry from yesterday, so I sat it in the sun to cure and do whatever it is paint does.

Image

I did something else for a few hours. This included picking up an eye wateringly terrible suit for a dollar, and sampling some more goodies from the bakery that does a dank as fuck pork riblet bun. Holy shit it was good.
Anyway.
Came home to a dry headstock, and promptly got on with it. :wink:

Image

IT'S HOLE TIME :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
No way it's guna go anywhere if I can help it.

Image

Template in place for pilot holes.

Image

Yeah, alright. Not too bloody bad!

Image

[heavy breathing]

Image

The tuners are advertised as 9mm mounting holes.
I played it safe and went with 8.5mm.

How. About. That.

Image

Bang on.
They won't go in properly until the decals are on and the headstock's been poly'd and so on, so they should sit in there very nicely indeed.
However, my ventures were not without a bit of a cloud inside my silver lining. The drill decided it'd rip a bit out of the high e's tuner hole.

Image

Dickhead. Ahh well. I guess if it were a perfect job, it wouldn't match the rest of the guitar. :lol:
Not pictured would be me sanding and scouring the headstock a-fucking-gain, so instead of that, here is a picture of the body sitting on the sawhorse while the headstock dries. I put the pickguard back on, and aw shit - It almost looks like a guitar again.

Image

While I was doing my volunteer slot at the cinema today, the guy who runs it (the aforementioned japanese guitar nerd) had brought in my capacitors. I was expecting some basic ones with a little number on them.
Oh no. He had other ideas.

Image

Image

NOS paper in oil russian jobbies from the 80s - How cool is that!
They are 0.15 micro fa-... Farrads? uF's, you know the thing I'm talking about. Here they are next to whatever the fuck I whacked in there that was free. The big orange jobbies had the hilarious effect of turning the guitar into a fretless bass whenever I rolled the tone right down. :lol:

Image

Plonked the new ones in, and that was that.
Later still, I checked on the headstock.

Image

The two imperfections where the drill skipped (managed to not put the fuckin' 8.5mm bit in straight - what a dickhead) can stay there, along with the other little divots. The script logo will sort of cover them (as should the sheen from the poly coming later), but as I put earlier: If it were a perfect job, it wouldn't match the rest of the guitar.

Image

The ferrule will sit in here nicely, but it won't quite cover the out-of-my-hands fuckup. Ahh well. Who said life was a rose garden!

Image

So once again, it's sitting in the shed drying, and it can stay drying for quite some time before I go near it with the polish. God forbid it doesn't set properly and I have to do it all again, again.
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

User avatar
werdna
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 2711
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 8:16 am
Has liked: 590 times
Been liked: 458 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by werdna »

This thread livened up my Saturday night.
In life, don't sweat the petty stuff, and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

User avatar
Single coil
BANNED
Posts: 10050
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: Public toilet
Has liked: 1110 times
Been liked: 485 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by Single coil »

Dawww.
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

User avatar
telefiend
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 1283
Joined: Tue Jan 16, 2007 11:41 am
Location: Wellington
Has liked: 218 times
Been liked: 109 times

Re: [pic heavy as fuck] James's backyard goldtop day spa

Post by telefiend »

Nice! It's all coming together (half expected a spectacular wreck but glad it isn't :lol: )

Post Reply