Heavy Tele: Swamp Ash / Mahogany + Wenge / Ebony

[teleme01]

i think this guitar is gonna win something... beautiful neck too

 

[NedRyerson]

In this context what is the meaning of trve, is it a metal genre reference or one of other meanings?

Also there is kind of running joke in extreme metal, especially black, that no group is true, heavy and niche enough, so as soon as you released an album you’re already “a sellout”. Of course is tongue in cheek.

Even in '80s-grade power metal, "true" was thrown around as a tired cliche.  Like Band A is "true metal" while Band B isn't (uh, they both kinda' sound similar to me....oh, right.  One made a video, the other didn't.  Got it).  So when I saw that Battlelore referred to themselves as "true Arctic fantasy metal," I wasn't sure whether they were being serious or not.  They seemed like they were, but I just couldn't get past that tag line and their D&D cosplay promo photos to even give them a listen.

Then Alestorm came around with "true Scottish pirate metal" which they totally meant satirically, so naturally, I had to listen to them!

 

[stratamania]

In this context what is the meaning of trve, is it a metal genre reference or one of other meanings?

Also there is kind of running joke in extreme metal, especially black, that no group is true, heavy and niche enough, so as soon as you released an album you’re already “a sellout”. Of course is tongue in cheek.

Even in '80s-grade power metal, "true" was thrown around as a tired cliche.  Like Band A is "true metal" while Band B isn't (uh, they both kinda' sound similar to me....oh, right.  One made a video, the other didn't.  Got it).  So when I saw that Battlelore referred to themselves as "true Arctic fantasy metal," I wasn't sure whether they were being serious or not.  They seemed like they were, but I just couldn't get past that tag line and their D&D cosplay promo photos to even give them a listen.

Then Alestorm came around with "true Scottish pirate metal" which they totally meant satirically, so naturally, I had to listen to them!

The only genuine Scottish metal I thought was the type that Irn Bru is made from.

 

[teleme01]

i suppose the dog hair works well on ash and mahogony ,  what other woods have deep grains need fillin?

 

[alexreinhold]

i suppose the dog hair works well on ash and mahogony ,  what other woods have deep grains need fillin?

I can only tell you that I tried Zebrano on a test piece - that didn't work at all. That's when I decided to go for swamp ash. To my knowledge, most other common tonewoods, won't absorb grain filling as prominently.

 

[alexreinhold]

Quick updates:

1. my neck plate from TLC Guitar Goods is ready and I really like it

2. I am a couple of coats into the Tru-Oil treatment and it looks promising:

While gloss is always nice, it does not fit the character of the guitar. I am now considering whether to use BC Sheen and Conditioner for a Satin finish or use 0000 steel wool for a matte finish. Does anyone have experience with the latter and any best practices to share?

 

[Rick]

Wow! Looks great.

 

[stratamania]

I am not keen at all on steel wool because it can leave behind bits of metal etc. Scotch Brite or similar may be a better alternative or just use the stock sheen.

 

[alexreinhold]

I am not keen at all on steel wool because it can leave behind bits of metal etc. Scotch Brite or similar may be a better alternative or just use the stock sheen.

I thought about it a bit - I will use stock sheen. It's also more protective of fingerprints than any matte finish would be.

 

[stratamania]

I am not keen at all on steel wool because it can leave behind bits of metal etc. Scotch Brite or similar may be a better alternative or just use the stock sheen.

I thought about it a bit - I will use stock sheen. It's also more protective of fingerprints than any matte finish would be.

Sounds like the right call. Looking good so far.

 

[alexreinhold]

I am not keen at all on steel wool because it can leave behind bits of metal etc. Scotch Brite or similar may be a better alternative or just use the stock sheen.

I thought about it a bit - I will use stock sheen. It's also more protective of fingerprints than any matte finish would be.

Sounds like the right call. Looking good so far.

Stratamania, how many coats of BC sheen and conditioner do you usually apply and do you let it dry between coats? I'm thinking to sand down to 2500, apply one coat, sand down to 3000, apply a second coat and finally buff, all in one go. Then dry for a month. What do you think?

 

[stratamania]

I would use one application of either wax or the conditioner as a final step. But at this time of the year wait about a month after you have finished with the Tru-Oil before doing the last final step.

If you are going for a non gloss look then it probably is a bit of a waste of time going finer than around 1000.

 

[alexreinhold]

I would use one application of either wax or the conditioner as a final step. But at this time of the year wait about a month after you have finished with the Tru-Oil before doing the last final step.

If you are going for a non gloss look then it probably is a bit of a waste of time going finer than around 1000.

Oh, now I'm a bit confused for my last build you advised the opposite - i.e. not to apply the sheen after a month but after 3 days and then dry for a month. How does the time of the year affect that given that I do all my builds inside?

 

[stratamania]

I would use one application of either wax or the conditioner as a final step. But at this time of the year wait about a month after you have finished with the Tru-Oil before doing the last final step.

If you are going for a non gloss look then it probably is a bit of a waste of time going finer than around 1000.

Oh, now I'm a bit confused for my last build you advised the opposite - i.e. not to apply the sheen after a month but after 3 days and then dry for a month. How does the time of the year affect that given that I do all my builds inside?

Do you have a link to that?

Perhaps the context might give me a clue as to why I said that previously.

Time of year can still apply to inside due to the air/humidity etc. But I don't know what your place is like in terms of temperature stability etc.

 

[alexreinhold]

Sure, check your first and third post on this page: https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=32841.45

For what it's worth, that approach worked just fine last time

 

[stratamania]

Sure, check your first and third post on this page: https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=32841.45

For what it's worth, that approach worked just fine last time

Ah, I see I notice I did mention that I like to let things sit around a month overall prior to use. (Not that I always do but try to advise on the side of caution) I am sure I have mentioned before that there isn't always a hard and fast recipe but with more experience as you are gaining you can try things out and see where it lands. Sorry I confused things  :laughing7:

Maybe I should do a Tru-Oil thread?

 

[alexreinhold]

Now I'm wondering if it's better to do sheen and conditioner after the drying month or after a couple of days of drying and then let dry for a month. Or does it even matter?

And yes, i think one centralized tru oil would be really helpful for a lot of people here.

 

[stratamania]

I suppose if you want to get more of a matt result you could use it earlier. Though if done too early it might have more effect than desired which is where the art and judgement comes in.

Will see if I can get some time to write up something on Tru-Oil which might save more time in the end.

 

[alexreinhold]

OK, I need some guidance and advice. When reading please remember, the plan has been to get a satin/matte finish and no maximization of shine.

I let the tru-oil (10 coats) dry for a week. Then I sanded down to 2500 and applied BC Sheen and Conditioner. This created great deal of visible orange peel. So I just spent ~2 hours sanding down from 1200 to 2500. Overall, this worked fine wrt orange peel but got me to a much more subtle doghair look. I've got to be honest, I'm kinda missing popped out doghair with the shine - however, it is not what I had in mind with the guitar in the first place. Curious to hear which look you guys find better (pictures below).

But here's the problem (or is it?). When sanding, I apparently went through the tru-oil on some spots. First I noticed, my fingers getting black. Later, when I buffed with a cloth, it became more than obvious. Now I did get to exactly the look that I wanted - however, after having sanded through some small spots on the guitar, will the guitar still be protected sufficiently or is it more advisable to hit it with another coat of tru-oil - or even start the entire process from scratch?

Before sanding:

After sanding and with BC Sheen and Conditioner:

Buff cloth:

 

[stratamania]

It would probably be a good idea to spot repair the areas of sand through.