Re-profiling upside down Strat.

[Tonar8352]

Re-profiling the upside down Strat.

Here is the process I use to re-profile the belly and forearm cut on Warmoth Strats.  The profile on this guitar was especially chubby feeling since it is on the short side of the body.  It looks and feels way better now.

It was really short and shallow to start.

Finished it is much longer and deeper.

The first step is to do the back. I use a hard rubber sanding block and 60 grit paper.  

Next I use a sanding sponge and 180 grit paper to remove sanding scratches and round out the edges.

Next I move to the front and use 3M 1/4" tape to mark the area I want to sand.  

I use a pencil to mark it off and then pull the tape.  You get a good idea of how much wood I have to remove.

Now it has much sexier curves!

I'm going to add in pictures as I go.  Here it is with 2 wash coats of white lacquer.  You can see how the alder just sucks up the finish.  I'll let it set overnight, sand it tomorrow and hit it with some more coats

I shot 2 more coats of white today. I’ll let it set over night and level sand it with 320.  If it looks level and solid I’ll move to water white McFadden’s gloss clear.

It’s been a week and now I’m level sanding.  Here is a good shot of what you will see if the finish is cured and ready to sand.

It powders real nice and it does not clog up the paper as you go.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Awesome Greg!

I always thought Warmoth confort contours was small (perhaps my belly that is too big  :laughing3

 

[Alfang]

Hey Tonar, You ever thought of making a " How to finnish Guitars" book?

I have read several so called good books on finnishing wood or guitars, and all the "experts" say you can do this or this or this,

I'd like someone like you to say heres the finnished pic and this is how i did it, When you start letting the uneducated make their own decisions they, (me) screw it up, Most of us, or many of us, want a hard fast recipe on how to apply a good finnish.

I guess what I'm really saying, most books try to teach us how and why it works, we don't care, just show people the way you do it.

 

[stratplayer1]

i find this guitar very interesting what are your plans for it? i cant wait to see it whatever you do.

 

[Tonar8352]

Alfang,
Thank you for the vote of confidence, I appreciate your complements always.

Most of the threads I have done usually have step-by-step information with pictures. If you click on my user profile you can look back through my posts to find the information you are looking for.

When the glossary of DIY finish terms gets completed it should have much of the information that is needed including pictures.  I have the thing done but I need my wife to edit it.  I got the idea for it as I saw many of the same questions being asked over and over again as new members join the board.  I thought it would be easier for us to send the newbies to the glossary.

Fernando,
I get the belly thing, in fact I have the belly thing!!!!!!!!  :laughing7:

 

[Mor Paul]

Will there be pictures on the glossary?
(off topic, I know)

 

[Tonar8352]

Max,
Yes, and links to the manufactures of the supplies.

 

[Mor Paul]

:doh: I see now.

 

[ZGOZZ]

Nice work..

 

[kreig]

Tonar ,

Thank you so much on this insight . . . I was the one who was going to do a Lefty of this !
The way you present the visual aspect of the process is . . . revolutionary !? AMAZING!
Just post 100% clear shots , thou . You don't need to apologize for any mis-steps , if they would ever happen  . . .

Ken Warmoth probably has VOLUMES of mis-steps . . . sorry Ken ! :laughing3:

 

[DangerousR6]

Damn Tonar, I hope you removed most of that belly cut and the forearm contour with some power tools. And not just a sanding block... :dontknow:

 

[Tonar8352]

Gregg,
Could you please move this to the DIY Finishing thread.

Thank you,
Greg

 

[theklanch]

Re-profiling the upside down Strat.

Here is the process I use to re-profile the belly and forearm cut on Warmoth Strats.  The profile on this guitar was especially chubby feeling since it is on the short side of the body.  It looks and feels way better now.

It was really short and shallow to start.

Finished it is much longer and deeper.

The first step is to do the back. I use a hard rubber sanding block and 60 grit paper.  

Next I use a sanding sponge and 180 grit paper to remove sanding scratches and round out the edges.

Next I move to the front and use 3M 1/4" tape to mark the area I want to sand.  

I use a pencil to mark it off and then pull the tape.  You get a good idea of how much wood I have to remove.

Now it has much sexier curves!

I'm going to add in pictures as I go.  Here it is with 2 wash coats of white lacquer.  You can see how the alder just sucks up the finish.  I'll let it set overnight, sand it tomorrow and hit it with some more coats

I shot 2 more coats of white today. I’ll let it set over night and level sand it with 320.  If it looks level and solid I’ll move to water white McFadden’s gloss clear.

It’s been a week and now I’m level sanding.  Here is a good shot of what you will see if the finish is cured and ready to sand.

It powders real nice and it does not clog up the paper as you go.

You do really nice work, too bad you killed a lefty body for a righty.  Now there is one more left handed guitarist that is going to have to wait 6 months for his guitar.  I just don't understand why you would want to do this with all the beautiful right handed choices out there.  I'm sure you have a good excuse oh I mean reason.  Not trying to piss anybody off just some left handed guitar humor.  I like all things left handed, like guitars, basses and cigarettes.  I never understood Jimi Hendrix's logic with the upside down guitar.  Don't you think he had the money to buy a left handed guitar?

 

[RLW]

This is why, on this forum, when questions come up about finishing, and great guitars in general, everybody says "Ask Tonar".

As always, I'm just dumbfounded by your talent. In a good way.

 

[Nando Vallart]

You do really nice work, too bad you killed a lefty body for a righty.  Now there is one more left handed guitarist that is going to have to wait 6 months for his guitar.  I just don't understand why you would want to do this with all the beautiful right handed choices out there.  I'm sure you have a good excuse oh I mean reason.  Not trying to piss anybody off just some left handed guitar humor.  I like all things left handed, like guitars, basses and cigarettes.  I never understood Jimi Hendrix's logic with the upside down guitar.  Don't you think he had the money to buy a left handed guitar?

1st: The body went to Showcase as a Hendrix tribute in that way...
2nd: Leo Fender never got interested in building lefty guitars, if I understand correctly isn't just him, there was NO lefty guitar on 60's... But it's better somebody that actually lived the 60's to tell, I've born in the 80's  :laughing7:

:icon_thumright:
My stuff always got fast, like the minimum time warmoth said (2 weeks when they said 2-4 weeks for neck and bodies about 4 weeks, so you over-longed the time a little  :toothy12