Another Strat build project

Self built and self assembly ;)

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Molly
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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Molly »

Dharmajester wrote:
Molly wrote:Still want to experiment with a sun lamp to see if I can fade it back a bit. Can't bloody find one anywhere.
Surely Christchurch has some kind of hydroponics supply store you could get a Uv lamp from?
Colour's not that bad though. All looks damn fine to me but as you know I'm more about ears than eyes when it comes to gats.
Whole process (and the projects that've gone before) make me realise you just can't assemble parts and expect it to be great because of the sum of those parts. Some guitars are and some aren't. That paulonia (sp?) bodied Tele I've got is a great guitar for all it's neck heavy. For the most part I think they're just a lucky accident.

I'll put a brass block in this and continue to tweak. So far it's sounding very nice but I've heard a couple of exceptional Strats this past year and I'm not sure it's on a par in terms of resonance. The Wildwood '55 relic (light ash body) and the CS Strat I sold to Steve (also ash now I come to think of it) both had something you noticed instantly. This one I might have to work on a bit.

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Dharmajester
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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Dharmajester »

Molly wrote: the CS Strat I sold to Steve (also ash now I come to think of it) both had something you noticed instantly. This one I might have to work on a bit.
I'm surprised you remember, given you only played it for about 15 mins before moving it on to me. :lol:
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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by olegmcnoleg »

Molly wrote:
Dharmajester wrote:
Molly wrote:Still want to experiment with a sun lamp to see if I can fade it back a bit. Can't bloody find one anywhere.
Surely Christchurch has some kind of hydroponics supply store you could get a Uv lamp from?
Colour's not that bad though. All looks damn fine to me but as you know I'm more about ears than eyes when it comes to gats.
Whole process (and the projects that've gone before) make me realise you just can't assemble parts and expect it to be great because of the sum of those parts. Some guitars are and some aren't. That paulonia (sp?) bodied Tele I've got is a great guitar for all it's neck heavy. For the most part I think they're just a lucky accident.

I'll put a brass block in this and continue to tweak. So far it's sounding very nice but I've heard a couple of exceptional Strats this past year and I'm not sure it's on a par in terms of resonance. The Wildwood '55 relic (light ash body) and the CS Strat I sold to Steve (also ash now I come to think of it) both had something you noticed instantly. This one I might have to work on a bit.
I should probably call dibs on this, so long as I can secure the necessary sun lamp!

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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Molly »

olegmcnoleg wrote:
I should probably call dibs on this, so long as I can secure the necessary sun lamp!
You've not got one?! ;-)

Mini Forklift

Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Mini Forklift »

Michael wrote:Loving the colour.
Ditto.

Mini Forklift

Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Mini Forklift »

Sun lamp sounds cool, I drove past a hydroponics shop last week - funny enough it was next to Linwood Cash Converters.

Watched a few videos where a guy was alternating between putting the guitar body in a freezer overnight and then the whole of the following day blasted it with a sun lamp; result was some lovely natural looking checking (eventually). Took a while mind.

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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by olegmcnoleg »

Mini Forklift Ⓥ wrote:Sun lamp sounds cool, I drove past a hydroponics shop last week - funny enough it was next to Linwood Cash Converters.

Watched a few videos where a guy was alternating between putting the guitar body in a freezer overnight and then the whole of the following day blasted it with a sun lamp; result was some lovely natural looking checking (eventually). Took a while mind.
How many days?

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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Molly »

olegmcnoleg wrote:
Mini Forklift Ⓥ wrote:Sun lamp sounds cool, I drove past a hydroponics shop last week - funny enough it was next to Linwood Cash Converters.

Watched a few videos where a guy was alternating between putting the guitar body in a freezer overnight and then the whole of the following day blasted it with a sun lamp; result was some lovely natural looking checking (eventually). Took a while mind.
How many days?
Sadly the nitro we have access to today is different to the old stuff. Plasticisers (sp?) make it less prone to cracking. I've an article on this stuff and relicing I can flick you.

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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Molly »

Mini Forklift Ⓥ wrote:Sun lamp sounds cool, I drove past a hydroponics shop last week - funny enough it was next to Linwood Cash Converters.

Watched a few videos where a guy was alternating between putting the guitar body in a freezer overnight and then the whole of the following day blasted it with a sun lamp; result was some lovely natural looking checking (eventually). Took a while mind.
Apparently it needs to be a proper tanning UV light rather than just any UV bulb. Defo following up on it though.

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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Mini Forklift »

olegmcnoleg wrote:
Mini Forklift Ⓥ wrote:Sun lamp sounds cool, I drove past a hydroponics shop last week - funny enough it was next to Linwood Cash Converters.

Watched a few videos where a guy was alternating between putting the guitar body in a freezer overnight and then the whole of the following day blasted it with a sun lamp; result was some lovely natural looking checking (eventually). Took a while mind.
How many days?
I’ll have a look for the video, actually looked amazing at the end and probably the best I’ve ever seen. This guy could teach Fender & Gibson a thing or two.

Think it might have been frozen/heated for around a week or so.

Mini Forklift

Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Mini Forklift »

Here you go, there's three more videos that come before this one but this is the video I was referring to :clap:


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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Lostininverness »

Molly wrote:
olegmcnoleg wrote:
Mini Forklift Ⓥ wrote:Sun lamp sounds cool, I drove past a hydroponics shop last week - funny enough it was next to Linwood Cash Converters.

Watched a few videos where a guy was alternating between putting the guitar body in a freezer overnight and then the whole of the following day blasted it with a sun lamp; result was some lovely natural looking checking (eventually). Took a while mind.
How many days?
Sadly the nitro we have access to today is different to the old stuff. Plasticisers (sp?) make it less prone to cracking. I've an article on this stuff and relicing I can flick you.
Would you mind flicking me a copy please?

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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Molly »

Lostininverness wrote:
Molly wrote:
olegmcnoleg wrote:
How many days?
Sadly the nitro we have access to today is different to the old stuff. Plasticisers (sp?) make it less prone to cracking. I've an article on this stuff and relicing I can flick you.
Would you mind flicking me a copy please?
PM me your email.

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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Molly »

Molly wrote:
Image

Image

Put a blender in it. Sounds great. Can't recall the pickups but they're some US hand-wired, extra cork-sniffy jobbies.
Thinking of selling this and just keeping the Wildwood. If I do it'll just be for the sum of the parts. About $1,500. Spendy for a parscaster I suppose but it's assembled from high-quality Reeves-Mortimer items.

Image

Got a UV lamp from the Physics Dept. Going to see if it'll fade back the pink a bit.

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Re: Another Strat build project

Post by Single coil »

Sweet.

Nick some potassium too and have a laugh next time it rains.
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

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