Kustom Kraft 1830 Tribute Guitar

[B3Guy]

Now that my perfect finish is dry a month and all buffed shiny, it's time to make it look old:

https://flic.kr/p/LG7wcp

 

[B3Guy]

I have to say, I've found the razor blade method of finish checking to be less stressful in the long run. I tried in and out of the freezer, and it just ended up with condensation all over my paint. Under a magnifying glass, this won't fool anyone, but the facade holds up under normal scrutiny:

https://flic.kr/p/LG7wfk

 

[B3Guy]

Practice makes perfect! The key is 1: look at reference photos. 2: imagine the stresses put on each area of the surface... How does it crack? Screw holes, corners, contours. These are all inspiration. 3. There are no mistakes. Mistakes add that random, unexpected crack that keeps the pattern from looking too contrived.

https://flic.kr/p/KK4uAy

 

[Axkoa]

Wonder if the owner is a rhythm player  :laughing7: Awesome looking guitar and that relicing looks pretty good so far.

 

[Cagey]

I was actually quite dismayed to find the other day that my cranberry VIP is turning relic all on its own.
It's only 3 or 4 years old, but the finish is spiderwebbed all to hell. The joys of lacquer, eh? It's never even been out of the house except for pictures, and it's certainly never been cold. On the plus side, if one likes that sort of thing, mine looks quite authentic. Myself, I'm debating stripping it and re-shooting it before I have to move out of here and possibly not have a place I can do that.

 

[dmraco]

Cagey, just curious what brand of lacquer you use.  I have used Behlens stringed instrument lacquer until I got tired of running our and having it buy it online or drive 40 miles to the closest place that stocks it.  It goes on well but it brittle like the Gibson's of years past.

I recently switched to Watco brushing lacquer and mix 3:1 or 4:1 depending on weather.  Seems to hold up well as it may have some extra additives. 

I stay away from DEFT.  I do not  think that stuff every drys completely. 

I was also thinking of trying the StewMac water based stuff but never gave it a shot (no pun intended).  Lacquer is just so easy to spray, tint, and can be sprayed over automotive duplicolor with no reaction so solids are never a issue

 

[B3Guy]

Wonder if the owner is a rhythm player  :laughing7: Awesome looking guitar and that relicing looks pretty good so far.

I like to imagine that the previous owner was  :glasses9:

I just started splurged also on a B-Blender (b-bender for a Bigsby. Look it up they're pretty cool.) I imagine the previous owner was some old country playin' dude that owned the thing since '62 and wasn't averted to changing things out for playability' sake.  :bass:

 

[Cagey]

Cagey, just curious what brand of lacquer you use.  I have used Behlens stringed instrument lacquer until I got tired of running our and having it buy it online or drive 40 miles to the closest place that stocks it.  It goes on well but it brittle like the Gibson's of years past.

I recently switched to Watco brushing lacquer and mix 3:1 or 4:1 depending on weather.  Seems to hold up well as it may have some extra additives. 

I stay away from DEFT.  I do not  think that stuff every drys completely. 

I was also thinking of trying the StewMac water based stuff but never gave it a shot (no pun intended).  Lacquer is just so easy to spray, tint, and can be sprayed over automotive duplicolor with no reaction so solids are never a issue

I use Behlen's Stringed Instrument Lacquer. I used to use something else, but I can't remember the name. Can't get it any more, I know that, which is why I changed. I order the stuff online - it's cheaper, and somebody brings it to me instead of my having to go get it.

I think when I run out of the Behlen's I have now, I'm going to change to the Mohawk stuff. It's reportedly just as good, and I can buy it in gallon cans instead of quarts. Costs less, too. $36/gal. vs. $23/qt. for the Behlen's.

I stay away from the brushing lacquers because they're already loaded with retarder, so it's more difficult to predict how they're going to behave relative to the temp/humidity of the day. It's too easy to get sags and runs if the mix is wrong. I wanna add my own retarder if I think it's necessary, in the ratios I think will work.

I've never tried the water-based stuff. I'm deeply distrustful of environmentalist-driven formulations of anything, as they're usually full of serious compromises. I like my chemicals to be nice and poisonous, so I know they'll work :laughing7:

 

[B3Guy]

All strung up and fully playable! I'm waiting for one more Amazon order to arrive so that I can complete the super secret special part of the build. Then all will be revealed.

https://flic.kr/p/NPrthw

 

[Axkoa]

That's so cool dude. I would totally love one of those.

 

[B3Guy]

Ok, it's time to reveal the secret  :turtle:

https://vimeo.com/192139169

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Ok, I gotta see the "how to" on this.

I know the switch basics from doing the "under the pickup LED's" that I had for years, but getting them to the toggle & the pots like you did is stepping up the game by  :headbang1odles & oodles.!

 

[B3Guy]

See the slightly larger hole in the rear plate? D.C. Charge port for a 12V LiPo. Thing will run for over 12 hours lit. I just gave up testing the runtime after that because it really is irrelevant  :doh:

I honestly just found cutable LED strip lights, and used an LED circuit designer website I found on Google (super easy to find and use) for the 3mm LEDs. It's idiot-proof. Tell it what LEDs you're using, how many, what your power is, and it spits out a circuit and tells you what resistors to use.

I actually wouldn't use the clear shaft pots again. They're circuit mount, whcich I found little backing boards for, but the pots themselves are scratchy. I'm not a guitarist that uses my knobs much, so it doesn't matter really to me. If I do it again, I'll just drill out some regular pot shafts instead like I did with the switch.

 

[B3Guy]

Things I found don't work:

Electroluminescent panels/wire. These run on AC power with a transformer. Alternating Current. Electromagnetic Pickup. I'll let those terms sink in and you can come to your own conclusions  :doh:

Capacitive touch switches. Perhaps there's one that would work if it used a latching relay, but the one I got created a ground loop when the circuit powered on. No Bueno for purity of guitar tone  :bananaguitar:

Vibramate. Ok for trying out a Bigsby, but bulky and not entirely ridged. If you like the Bigsby, just screw it right on that body.

 

[aarontunes]

Beyond cool, B3guy! Just featured it on the Warmoth FB page!

 

[Fat Pete]

As if that guitar wasn't just about the coolest thing anyway!  :yourock:

 

[B3Guy]

It hits all the good spots for me. Comfy, retro, and geek-tricked-out.  :turtle:

Now the true challenge is, how to accurately photograph it for (what I hope is a user-finished category) December GOM submission.

The video makes the Pickguards look much brighter than they really are. I'd describe the overall effect in-person as a "warm glow", but cameras aren't seeing it that way.

 

[bagman67]

Well, damn, I bet you're the only kid on your block with an axe like that!  Very cool!

 

[B3Guy]

Well, damn, I bet you're the only kid on your block with an axe like that!  Very cool!

I live on a dead-end dirt road, so the odds are in my favor. Truthfully, there is one pro guy with an LED axe that I know of (I think it's clear plexiglass body too can't remember who has it though), and the guy I worked with to get the pickguards made (they're custom with translucent white acrylic backing), over at Spitfire Vintage Tort... he has put some on his own axes now. Those are the only light-up guitars I know of other than light up pickup ring stuff.

Go check out Spitfire's Facebook page, he did some really rad experimenting after doing my PGs for me, and made some pickguards that look like space nebula and starscapes. Lit up they're really something.

 

[Axkoa]

Devin Townsend has light up F Holes on some of his guitars as well as inlays. Still. That pickguard is awesome.