Poplar Velocity body, quartersawn maple and macassar neck

bagman67

bagman67

Epic Member
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Well, now, this looks like a project a man can sink his teeth into.  The poplar Velocity body and quartersawn maple/macassar ebony neck (ss6115 frets) that have driven my last two purchases are now on premises here at Castle Bagman, and I can state with confidence that sh*t just got REAL up in here.


Still wrestling with whether to do an opaque paint job or try to make the most of that lovely pale streak up the center of this body.  We'll see...


Anyhoo, here it is: This year's model.



48426567426_4274b97a6c_h.jpg
 
That neck is perfect for that body. You have light wood running up the center of both. Outstanding match-up!
 
Outstanding.
Wouldn’t be surprised if that ends up as a Guitar of the Year when it’s ready.
Woohoo!
 
Whatever you decide, that's going to be exquisite...gorgeous grain in that poplar, though-be a shame to cover that up.
:icon_thumright:
 
Here is a video on youtube where someone changed the color of poplar grain to a more attractive reddish-brown hue using oxcalic acid. Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YetSp8Zy84

That is some nice figuring!

Michael
 
Maybe it's just this particular piece, but I really like the color of the poplar.  It looks so good, why change it?  Plus it's unique.
 
You could wet the surface and take a picture to get an idea what it would look like with a clear coat. The neck and body complement each other really well!
 
HOTNESS!!!!!!!

That is going to look killer when done!  Like the light streak through the middle of the body and the color tone just about matching the neck.  NICE!
 
I've heard a lot about those dreadful "pale-greenish" appearance of the poplar, which requires it to finished in solid color. But I find this particular body, despite being exactly "pale-greenish", very aesthetic. Fit for clear-coating.
 
When you put it all together and spin the guitar around you on its strap, is the sound of it whizzing by your ears called the POPLAR EFFECT?






like doppler effect?
 
stultzies9 said:
That piece of macassar ebony is AMAZING!!
Click to expand...

It's one of those pieces of wood that you feel bad about putting frets on and strings over top of.
 
Rgand said:
That neck is perfect for that body. You have light wood running up the center of both. Outstanding match-up!
Click to expand...

Agreed, wow! For whatever my opinion is worth, I agree with the folks in the “Let The Grain Be Seen” camp...
 
That pale streak in the body will run right into the streak on the neck perfectly! I wouldn't cover it up with a solid color. Either way, it will look fantastic I think!
 
I think this guy would like a nice transparent walnut finish, some gold foil pickups, nickle tom with brass saddles, black top hat knobs, and a small Stratosonic or Cabronita style pickguard in black or tort.
 
I think a walnut-ish color would look cool also, but I'm trying to preserve the light streak in the middle, and a dark stain or toner might obscure it.  I'm doing some experimenting with a piece of poplar lumber to see what I can come up with.  A brown/yellow tobacco-burst or just brown-to-clear might do it.  The pickups I have on hand are chrome-topped Carvin S22's but I'm not above changing my views on that.  I have some nice turned ebony knobs that are a shape somewhere between a Strat-style knob and Gibson bell knobs, but with no numbers.
 
One thing I like is the light streak up the center of the body matching the maple of the neck. Your idea of a brown to clear burst would keep the center strip, or at least the middle of it, light like the neck.

A variation of your idea would be to spray the whole thing with vintage tint then paint the back of the body brown to match the neck and carry that as a burstover onto the front.
 
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