New (and my first) VIP project

Geez33

Newbie
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21
Just got all my parts, all the wood at least, for my first guitar build ever.

The specs:
          BODY
Carved top VIP
2 piece black korina/limba body
Flame maple top
HXH rout
Recessed original floyd rose
PRS control layout (planning to drill 2 more holes for some mini-switches, I'm posting a question in the General Discussion area)
Contoured heel

          NECK
25.5 scale length
warmoth style headstock
flame maple peghead veneer
padouk neck back
brazilian rosewood fretboard
R4 locking nut prep
Gotoh/Grover tuning peg holes

I'm going to take this guitar to college when the summer's done, I'm planning to color it with black then blue dye to give it tigerstriping, then finish it with nitro and polishing compounds for blinding sheen.

I'm considering using Deft gloss lacquer for the body's top, I've read about Deft vs. other clear lacquers fairly extensively but I am still on the fence. I can't decide between going with the ReRanch stuff or using Deft, they both seem good. I'm also hoping to match the korina back to the padouk (their colors are pretty different) by using ReRanches amber lacquer, do you all think that will work to darken the Korina to match the reddish brown of the padouk (I'm not really looking for exact matching, just bringing the colors closer together).

Geez

the pictures are bad because it's night and I had to use flash.
 
Great top on that one!

Regarding the difference between the Deft and the ReRanch clear:  I doubt there is any noticeable difference between the two.
Sounds like you will be ordering some stuff (color) from ReRanch anyway.

Although, the ReRanch "amber" appears quite yellow, so I'm not sure how close it will get the Korina to the color of Padouk.

If I can offer one bit of advice, it's to practice grain filling on a similar open pored wood (mahogany) before you get going.
If you are going for that "blinding sheen" proper wood prep will be critical.  Korina has an endless ability to absorb lacquer.

Good luck,
James

 
Another option you might consider is to get the full set of MEK dyes from LMI and dye the korina the same red as the padok, then cover it all with simple deft spray. Might be a bit more involved than your plan but you'd have a lot of flexibility as to color.
Nice top!
 
If you're going for the black grain filler and blue dye route, you may want to check out Jack's bass.  Its swamp ash, but similar enough in concept for good info.

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=4162.0
 
Gorgeous top. 

Not sure the Reranch amber is the right dye - I would look at a red closer to the Padouk.  :glasses9:
 
Thanks everyone, I'm really happy with the top, it's going to look great when tigerstriped.

I appreciate the advice, given that I'm inexperienced, I'll definitely practice grain filling and dying and such. Thinking about it, dying the korina the padouk's color would really make the guitar look cool, similar I guess to PRS guitars. I'm ordering blue and black dye from ReRanch, so maybe I'll add scarlet dye to the order, do you think dying the korina lightly with scarlet would approximate the padouk?

I've also posted a question about drilling control holes in the General Discussion board.

Geez
 
Order the MEK dyes full set from LMI instead. Any color you want now or in the future. Great dye color too.
 
unless you REALLY want it to yellow...go DEFT.  It is more durable than reRanch nitro, cheaper, and you can pick it up at home depot.

That thing is going to be sweet....keep us posted....LOVE THE NECK
 
Those MEK dyes look really good, and there's lots of colors for fairly cheap. What is an MEK base?

The neck is pretty great huh? I probably go deft because of the price and non-yellowing

Instead of dying the back, I was thinking of using a colored grain filler to darken it. Although matching the back to the neck would be cool, I think just darkening it would be cool. The color dichotomy is kinda intriguing. If I was to forgo matching, do you think a natural color finish would be better than a darker colored one?

Thanks for your advice,

Geez
 
Before you even THINK about using dyes on that wood combo, read the trials and tribulations in this post on a BK Strat with a figured maple top:

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=975.0

Good luck to ya, if you decide to use dyes on this. I would recommend using nitro toner(s) to do the color.
 
I agree.  That's a great looking top and I'd hate to see it not turn out well.

Have you ever played with a Preval unit?
http://www.prevalspraygun.com/
You can get them from Home Depot, they are like $5.00

That will open up a lot of possibilities as far as spraying things.
 
I've never had a chance to use a Preval unit before, but I don't think I'll be needing one for this project, everything that needs spraying I can buy in an aerosol.

After thinking about it a while, I'm probably not going to dye the back, just the flame top. I started looking into colored grain fillers as a means to darken the back and then I realized that I know nothing about grain filling, and it seems to be a process that stymies lots of builders. I'll most likely use Bartley's, either "light" or "dark" colored (I've heard mixed reviews about how dark or light these colors are, so any tips on which to choose would be helpful). Pretty much, I don't know how to grain fill, do I just wipe it on and then wipe it off and sand? or are there more steps?

Geez
 
Geez33 said:
I've never had a chance to use a Preval unit before, but I don't think I'll be needing one for this project, everything that needs spraying I can buy in an aerosol.

Fair enough, just wanted to throw that out there.  I started with aerosols and found that with the Preval, you can make a lot of things happen that you just can't find in aresol.

Anyhow, I think you'll be best off not trying to dye the back for now.
There are many different kinds of grain fillers, and each has their own nuances as far as application.
You have water based, oil based, epoxy, etc.

Many folks here have contributed valuable posts and guides over the years.
I would start with doing a search on grain filling.  I know Tonar had a very good one that helped me out a lot.
There's a bunch of good info here, you just need to weed out the jibberjabber with a search.

Best of luck,
James
 
Thanks James, I plan to build more guitars in the future, so I'll keep the Preval unit in the back of my mind for my next project. I do like Tonar's grain filling topic. I'll do some more research and then get started. Thanks for your help

Geez
 
Geez33 said:
Thanks James, I plan to build more guitars in the future, so I'll keep the Preval unit in the back of my mind for my next project. I do like Tonar's grain filling topic. I'll do some more research and then get started. Thanks for your help

Geez
They sort of are like potato chips....
LOL


I don't mean to scare you off from the stain idea, but matching Korina to the color of Padouk is going to be tough.  I'm going through something similar with a purpleheart neck.
Also, its worth nothing that the color of padouk will likely brown a little over time.  So, even if you nail it right on now, in a few years it probably won't match anymore.

Regarding grainfiller:
In my experience, a colored grainfiller will stain the wood you are filling to some degree.
I did a guitar (Korina) with black grainfiller, and didn't want the wood (especially the super absorbent ends) to be colored at all.
In that case, I sprayed a washcoat of lacquer before applying the grainfiller.
The lacquer is not that hard to sand off, and it prevents the color of the grainfiller from soaking into the wood.
But, if that's what you are after, then no need for the washcoat.

Good Luck,
James
 
Thanks, I didn't realize padouk would darken. That's actually pretty good for me, I decided to forgo the stain and just use the filler to darken the korina a little, the padouk might eventually reach the color of the back one day. I dabbed a little of the filler on the body where the neck plate will go, and I'm very happy with how it looks. I can still see all the nice coloration that gives the korina personality. It also better approximates a PRS back, though that's not necessarily what I'm going for, it looks cool so that's an added bonus.  :glasses10:

Geez
 
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