Deluxe Jazz V Swamp Ash/Zebrawood top. FINISHED!

[Dolando]

Hi, This is my deluxe jazz V build. Swamp ash with zebra wood top(matching peghead), wenge neck and ebony fingerboard with pearl block inlays.

Ive had this for a while because i was waiting on parts from best bass gear. I ordered some Hipshot parts as well as a custom Nordstrand NJ5S with a custom spacing of 17.5mm at the bridge (19mm is standard). It will have a Nordstrand MM5.4 and also a Nordstrand Preamp, so should sound the dogs dangly's.

I have some original pics in the 'Just out of the box' forum here: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=20942.0

I have also attached a couple of pics with the parts attached. I was going for a slight brown burst, but think im going to go for Z epoxy then clear Lacquer buffed to a gloss...not sure, if anyone has any other ideas that would work I'm all ears.

Let me know your thoughts.

 

[Updown]

That'll be real tasty  :toothy10:

Colour  :dontknow:
But something that'll make that Zebra stand out, that's a lovely piece  :icon_thumright:
Love the matching headstock too.

 

[Dolando]

Thanks.

I want something that will make the grain pop. If I can achieve that, I'll leave it natural. Any ideas?

 

[SustainerPlayer]

That headstock deserves to be seen:

Zebrawood looks killer.  :icon_thumright:

 

[Dolando]

Haha thanks!

That's what I keep thinking. Im thinking that Z-poxy should make the grain pop and also give it that slight amber hue, which should look pretty sexy.

 

[tylereot]

Zpoxy should give you a clear, deep shiny finish.  Or satin, depending upon how you finish it.  It will fill, but not accentuate the grain.

Using black timbermate would accentuate the grain visually, while flattening it texturally.
Is that what you mean by 'make the grain pop'?

Ferinstance, this is black timbermate on swamp ash, poorly sanded back...

After a 'burst' of black lacquer around the edge and a little black stain...

 

[Dolando]

Yea, I did mean that I want the grain to stand out out a little more. I thought z-poxy did do this.

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=20285.60

That's a thread I've looked at and z-poxy seems to do the trick there. Not sure about timbermate, I'm just a little put off because its messy and I'm not sure how easy it is to apply.

Thats pretty muchtge kind of thing im after, but with a dark brown. Did you spray that with a gun or with a aerosol?

 

[tylereot]

Yeah, I saw that build, too.  The Zpoxy just acts like a coat of clear, or even just a wetting, to make the colors pop. 

Timbermate is a very fine grit 'putty' that you can thin down with water.  You work it into the grain with a putty knife, or similar (softer so it doesn't scratch the wood, requiring yet more sanding).  Then either rub it off with something like burlap, or let it dry, and sand it back.  Yeah the stuff is kinda nasty when wet, obstinate when hard.  To really fill grain usually takes a couple of passes.  I left the grain pretty open on that build, I just wanted the graphic interest.
Behlen also makes a great grain filler, even finer grit that goes on like heavy cream. 

 

[Dolando]

Right, that makes sense. The more I look into the timbermate the more I think I might go down that rout. I think ill put on the grain filler then see where I'm at and decide if I want to go the burst route. I think the dark grain filler will compliment the zebra wood quite nicely. I might go for a mix of mahogany and ebony to make a medium dark brown. Will need to do some test pieces.

Is it worth a light coat of sanding sealer before the grain filler or go should i go straight in with the grain filler?

 

[tylereot]

Well, I did the sealer first, and I think I'd fill the bare wood next time.  It was just harder to get the filler down into the pores of the wood.

 

[Cagey]

Filling is a pain in the shorts. If you don't seal the wood, you're liable to have to do one or two more passes with the filler, which means more sanding and reapplication. No fun. Adds time and work. If you do seal the wood, the filler doesn't always want to behave. Then, whether you seal or not, fill or not, it changes the way the stain will behave if you're looking to do that rather than an opaque finish.

Be that as it may, the procedure most likely to succeed is to seal, then fill, then stain or put on a color coat. After that, you just have to wrestle with clear coats. That's where the rubber meets the road.

 

[Dolando]

Thanks Cagey, I thik I will spray a light coat of sealer before I fill. Still not sure if I want to fill with a dark colour or a matching colour. Not sure what a dark filler would do to zebrawood?

Could you spray with sealer, them grain fill, then apply a layer of z-poxy or would that be largely pointless? I basically want the ash to have a slight amber to it.

 

[Cagey]

Zebrawood loses some of its character if you fill it with a colored filler, or stain it too heavily. I built a couple amp cabinets a couple years back for Mayfly, and used Zebrawood faceplates. This is the oak unit...

...and there's an identical one made of Claro Walnut. I was never as happy as I could have been with how that Zebra turned out. The dynamic range of the grain streaks gets diminished if you color it at all, so you kinda lose the zebra effect. The light parts get darker, while the dark parts don't change much.

 

[Dolando]

Firstly that amp cabinet is lovely!

Secondly, If darker grain filler takes away the zebra effect then ill go for a light/clear grain filler. Zebra wood isnt for everyone but I like it.

Would it be worth trying to use light filler on the zebra wood and dark on the ash. Could masking it off work, or will I have a massive headache tring to do it. I could take or leave the dark grainin ash to be honest. Just thought I'd try it as I've not done it before.

 

[Cagey]

Outside of some of the pukey colors Fender used to put on Ash, I don't think I've ever seen an Ash body I didn't like. The wood's character has broad appeal for a number of reasons, and finish-wise you can do just about anything to it and it'll look good.

You can fill without affecting the color/grain of most woods by simply using a neutral filler. If you decide you want to color it after that, then by all means, let your freak flag fly. I've seen transparent and translucent blue, green, red, amber, white... the list is long, and they always look good.

If you haven't been there yet, you might want to spend a half hour or so perusing Warmoth's "Gallery" of finished instruments. There's a helluva lotta fine instruments in there and you might get some idea of what to expect from some types of finish or be inspired to take an idea to another level.

 

[Dolando]

Yea, I have had a look, but was mainly looking at types of wood rather than the finish.

I think I might use a neutral filler all over and if I do do anything i think ill be doing a clear to tabacco brown burst, think that would look really nice. I still might just have a simple clear gloss. Im going for something simple. Is the neutral filler a a really light colour or is it clear?

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Cagey]

It's not really clear when you look at it in the can; it has more of a translucent milky appearance. But, when it goes on, it's essentially clear.

 

[Dolando]

Righto,

This is what I want....maybe with a little more defimition in the zebrawood, if that's even possible...

So do you reckon this is just neutral grain filler with a tabacco brown round the edge?

 

[Cagey]

It's probably a neutral filler with a highly diluted color coat over it. Raw Zebra is lighter in the light areas, like this...

 

[Dolando]

A yea I thought it looked a little darker. To me it looks like a diluted tabacco brown. Looks like I've got lots of testing to do.