all Padouk Tele

[Bob Hoover Ross]

Starting the build. Original concept documented here: https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=30311.0

Just Out Of The Box here: https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=32193.0

Last night I did a temporary mock-up, attaching the neck and installing the bridge and tuning machines:

Also drilled for the strap buttons and the output jack plate. I then removed all the hardware and did some selective masking with painter's tape. The plan is to finish the body and the headstock with clear satin MinWax Helmsman's Spar Urethane, and then burnish the back of the neck as per the Burnishing Raw Necks thread https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=19901.0 (Though not necessarily in that order...any thoughts?)

More pics to come as stuff develops.

 

[rgand]

Ah, looking forward to this build. Nice parts like this is a fine way to start.

 

[Ric Moore]

Yeah, can’t wait to see how this turns out, especially with that spar urethane.

 

[dmraco]

any updates?

 

[Steve_Karl]

Nice idea.

Are you going to leave the body unfinished also?

 

[Bob Hoover Ross]

any updates?

Not much. I spent tonight burnishing the neck. This is after the 1500 grit stage:

The plan is to do another 60 minutes with 2000 grit and then call it done...not sure I have the patience to continue tonight though 

 

[Bob Hoover Ross]

Are you going to leave the body unfinished also?

As per OP, "The plan is to finish the body and the headstock with clear satin MinWax Helmsman's Spar Urethane"
but that's really just to have a UV block and hopefully preserve some of that gorgeous orange hue. I'd rather leave it unfinished...I think...but I also don't want it to turn too brown.

 

[dmraco]

Are you going to leave the body unfinished also?

As per OP, "The plan is to finish the body and the headstock with clear satin MinWax Helmsman's Spar Urethane"
but that's really just to have a UV block and hopefully preserve some of that gorgeous orange hue. I'd rather leave it unfinished...I think...but I also don't want it to turn too brown.

That is my plan too.    I just ordered a mooncaster with Padouk top.  I originally wanted lacewood but Warmoth is out and have no idea when they would have it back.  I switched to Padouk because I wanted that red look.    I was considering gloss but I hate the final polish process with poly.  Satin is almost spray and play!!!

Tele looks great.  What color hardware?

 

[Rick]

What I've seen of padouk, after 20 years, it settles into a warm brown with a hint of red, and that's even if it never gets into the sunlight.  If you really want orange, then get maple and dye it orange.  It's just nature, enjoy the orange while you can and 20 years is a long time.  By the way it looks really nice, 20 years on.

 

[Bob Hoover Ross]

Tele looks great.  What color hardware?

Black. See pic in OP, I had temporarily mounted the black bridge and black tuning machines just to get a sense of how it would all go together. Pickups will be Seymour Duncan Vintage Rails (which are mostly black). I guess I need to find some sexy black dome knobs and handle for the pickup selector now.

 

[Bob Hoover Ross]

Did the MinWax Helmsman Spar clear satin urethane finish on the headstock today. I'm not displeased with the results, but it definitely feels like I just don't have the patience nor precision to be applying any kind of finishes. Hopefully finishing the body will be equally uneventful.

 

[teleme01]

Interested in the finished project ... any insight into finishing padouk

 

[Hagwood]

Interested in the finished project ... any insight into finishing padouk

I would be interested in this also. I picked up a scrap piece of Padauk at Rockler years ago just to play around with because it caught my eye. Really pretty wood for the right build. @Bob Hoover Ross , did you ever complete this build ?

 

[Bob Hoover Ross]

Interested in the finished project

did you ever complete this build ?

You guys are reminding me what a pathetic procrastinator I am!
Other than applying the Helmsman Spar Urethane I haven't done anything further in the 4+ years since I started this thread.

Part of the delay is because when I applied the finish it created some blotchy spots that I wasn't able to sand off, and so I was waiting to get a better handle on what my other options might be...and by waiting 4+ years I'm half-seriously thinking that Ignore It And Leave As-Is might be the most viable option.

But the other part of the delay is because between the pandemic and then my wife getting laid off and then us relocating from NYC to Arizona, I just haven't had time to work on any guitar projects. I'm primarily a bass player so anything guitar-oriented is already relegated to "second-class" status, and I own four other perfectly good guitars that work just fine, so the few times I've thought "man, I should complete that Padouk Tele build so I can use it on next week's recording session" it only takes a nanosecond for me to reconsider and just pull the PRS out of its case.

But I did just retire from my day job last summer, and the first thing I did was make a list of Things To Do Post-Retirement. The #1 item on that list is "Complete the Warmoth Padauk guitar!"

I'll definitely keep y'all posted when there is some progress.

 

[Rick]

Welcome to New York .... belatedly.

 

[Hagwood]

But I did just retire from my day job last summer, and the first thing I did was make a list of Things To Do Post-Retirement. The #1 item on that list is "Complete the Warmoth Padauk guitar!"

Ha ha, perfect timing then ! Congrats on retirement, I'm already counting the says and still have 2 years left.......

 

[Bob Hoover Ross]

relocating from NYC to Arizona

Welcome to New York .... belatedly.

 

[Surf n Music n Ski n Bike]

Looks like it's gonna be a real beauty. Coming along nicely.