"Off Menu": Black Korina Flying V with Zitricote Ken Lawrence Neck

[alexreinhold]

@stratamania I quickly need your help as I know you've done this before. My plan is to let the tru oil dry for the standard 4 weeks. My questions:

• does it make sense to sand down from 1000 to 2500 before applying the wax (as I would with a normal gloss finish)
• when applying BC wax afterwards, does it need any drying?
• would you apply polish after applying the wax?

 

[Eddie-Applegate]

*trv oil

 

[stratamania]

does it make sense to sand down from 1000 to 2500 before applying the wax (as I would with a normal gloss finish)

Optional, I would say.

when applying BC wax afterwards, does it need any drying?

Not really, it is more of a wipe on and buff approach. But the oil underneath needs to be dry.

would you apply polish after applying the wax?

Buffing is enough not to need polish. Again, it depends on what you are going for. On Black Korina I would not personally use a polish.

Try it out on some of your scrap pieces and go with the approach that feels right.

 

[alexreinhold]

Time to vote! I have a clear favorite: which one do you like better?

 

[PFDarkside]

This is amazing!

Can you put the neck there to really get a feel of which would look better?

 

[vernschrock]

Great job on both, of course. My vote goes to the body on the left. I find it way more interesting and lovely!!!

 

[Rick]

Both look great.

 

[alexreinhold]

This is amazing!

Can you put the neck there to really get a feel of which would look better?

That's the correct answer haha ;-)

Currently traveling. Will post pictures for better comparisons on Sunday.

 

[Eddie-Applegate]

Time to vote! I have a clear favorite: which one do you like better?

View attachment 62082

They’re both fabulous, i slightly favor the one on the right

 

[Spud]

Both great prefer the left one.

 

[stratamania]

Both look good, and I also slightly prefer the one on the left.

 

[alexreinhold]

Update time: I have now put on the tuners on the neck. I went for Black Schallers. Three observations (pics below):

1. getting the alignment of the tuners right with a Ken Lawrence neck was NOT easy
2. I think per se Schaller tuners look very nice
3. But... this is the second guitar I've built where it was impossible to tighten them without breaking the black color on the nut (see neck of an older build). I have not had this problem with Planet Waves. Fender or Sperzel.

Schaller tuner problems after tightening the nut:
This build:


One of my olders builds:

 

[Eddie-Applegate]

looks pretty fabulous to me!

Er, fabvlovs i mean

 

[vernschrock]

Schaller tuner problems after tightening the nut:
This build:

Hmmm. I have black Schaller’s I’ll be putting on my build. I guess I’ll see if mine lose their finish from getting tightened as well. That’d be kinda disappointing for $100 tuners! The finish shouldn’t be that soft.

 

[Spud]

Update time: I have now put on the tuners on the neck. I went for Black Schallers. Three observations (pics below):

1. getting the alignment of the tuners right with a Ken Lawrence neck was NOT easy
2. I think per se Schaller tuners look very nice
3. But... this is the second guitar I've built where it was impossible to tighten them without breaking the black color on the nut (see neck of an older build). I have not had this problem with Planet Waves. Fender or Sperzel.

View attachment 62162
View attachment 62163

Schaller tuner problems after tightening the nut:
This build:
View attachment 62164

One of my olders builds:
View attachment 62165

A dab of black nail laquer/polish will hide the metal.

 

[alexreinhold]

A dab of black nail laquer/polish will hide the metal.

will try. Thanks Spud!

 

[alexreinhold]

Update time. On Saturday, after, 25 days of drying, I will finally wax and assemble the guitar. I am very excited! In the meantime, here are some updates:

Tuners:
Thanks to @Spud 's pro tip to use black nail polish, I managed to "fix" the Schaller locking tuners and make them black again. If you look very closely, it looks a bit DIY but from afar, they look pure black.



Fret Leveling:
I got my file and straight edge ready but after adjusting the truss rod to be straight, I can confirm that I received yet another Warmoth neck with perfectly level frets. Respect!

Neck Plate and Truss Rod Cover:
I named the guitar "Off Menu" and when I designed its logo I was constantly thinking of the word "exotic". So I thought about the most exotic thing I had ever encountered. In 2017, after I broke up with the most toxic woman on this planet, I went to Borneo for 3 weeks where I hiked in the jungle. One night, I saw a Western Tarsier, one of the rarest animals in the world. I was so "starstruck" that I was never able to take a picture. Hence, I thought, it would be good idea to preserve this very vivid memory on this guitar.

Here's a pic of a Western Tarsier:


And here are my neck plate (TLC Guitar Goods) and truss rod cover (Guitarheads):

 

[bagman67]

I realize it's too late to implement, but you can also deal with the exposed metal on black tuners with the great equalizer, the Sharpie marker; or if you are feeling adventurous, cold bluing (available from Birchwood Casey and other makers). Cold bluing won't give the deepest black, but it's permanent in that it actually oxidizes the steel to black. If your parts are brass or zinc, though - no dice.

 

[Spud]

I realize it's too late to implement, but you can also deal with the exposed metal on black tuners with the great equalizer, the Sharpie marker; or if you are feeling adventurous, cold bluing (available from Birchwood Casey and other makers). Cold bluing won't give the deepest black, but it's permanent in that it actually oxidizes the steel to black. If your parts are brass or zinc, though - no dice.

I have done all the above and they work too. I recommended the nail polish I thought it was just for the places where the nuts had been scraped bare.

 

[JacobJames]

Nail Polish also works great for side dots, once I put together an Epiphone with a Warmoth neck.... yes, I know, IT CAN'T BE DONE! This neck didn't have side dots, now it does. Also, smashed the Mahogony body with the neck plate. There are a few flaws with that guitar, but I still like it for what it is. Well done on the KL, this is a fun thread to follow!