My first guitar project - The Snowstorm SG

Yeah, it's doing alright! Currently nearly applied the first rattlecan of poly on it, and it's starting to shine a bit. Not a very smooth finish though - I'll probably need to rub it down before I polish, but we'll see when can number 2 is done. I'm now applying heavier coats (you can see it's wet, but not enough to run at all), and it has started to smooth out a little. Does anyone know where I might find a replacement epi sg bolt on neck? I really fancy putting a new, maple neck on it with a vintage spec radius (7 or 9 inch), plus refinishing it would be easy - no finish to strip!

Dosn't mention radius , but there's this;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/L-P-Style-...#ht_613wt_1159

Great find! I'll contact them to find out the scale length - I assume it needs to match the original for the 24 3/4", or intonation will go out the window...

Looks like a goodun though! Maybe I can have a marbled neck, too...

Minor update. Put the first can of lacquer on and it's a bit rough and ready, though smoother than it was. It feels a bit rubbery - No doubt I've either put the various coats on too late (over 1 hour between them) or too soon (not left at least until fully cured). As such, I'm going to just leave it for an extended period of time - a couple of days or so, just to hopefully allow the very thin layer of lacquer to fully harden. I'm planning on getting it in the house rather than garage tomorrow for a warmer environment... Then I'll probably rub it down a bit with some ultrafine wet and dry, try and level it out. Then can two will be sprayed on (following the instructions more diligently... Perhaps).

I'll post some pics of the minor mess tomorrow morning. I hope this lacquer cures quickly! I'm desperate to get some Warman HBP90's in it...

P x

Update 3. Poly has been going on in proper layers now. Unfortunately, it has yellowed a little - not a big deal, makes the WHITE look more antique white now. Looks good, and is starting to get a little shiny, though not perfectly level/smooth. Not sure I care too much - I play a Musicman SUB Sterling active, which has a rough, unsmoothed poly finish, and mine is still smoother than that!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8029/8...0006731f_z.jpg
IMAG0308 by Paul has some old cameras, on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8316/8...83ec24ac_z.jpg
IMAG0316 by Paul has some old cameras, on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8034/8...30b6f931_z.jpg
IMAG0311 by Paul has some old cameras, on Flickr

In the above shot, you can see the glitter in the finish. The flash on the rough lacquer has taken away from the effect for the picture, but in real life, it looks... Okay. I really wish there was much more glitter in the finish, but nevermind!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8310/8...965fb384_z.jpg
IMAG0313 by Paul has some old cameras, on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8177/8...ea991457_z.jpg
IMAG0317 by Paul has some old cameras, on Flickr

Still wondering how I could improve the finish in an easy way. The scratchplate and rear plate have just had a final, super duper heavy coat of lacquer which will take a while to dry. I'm hoping, being so thick, it will smooth out the finish by itself to some extent, and if not, it will be thick enough to finely sand (?). Some 2000 grade wet and dry should be fine, so long as I apply polish (good ol autoglym) to lose the scratches.

Still, it looks boss. Maybe. I'm partly hoping that, after a few weeks to fully cure, the finish will wind up completely transparent and not yellowed. But if not, it's only enough to 'age' the white, and has not given a green tinge to the blues. Which is good!

Enjoy my failings, guys.

AAAAAAAAAND fixed the pics.

It's nearly done now! Popped the neck back on (rosewood board and cherry red back - I know, I know...). Still, it looks great, and when I've dipped the headstock, it will look much better. Strung it up, but no electronics, just to check intonation and set up. It's fine! Still doesn't ring like the LTD, but that's a set-thru neck with rock maple, and cost a significant amount of money. So, here is my current line up! I don't have a bass amp right now, because I'm cheap, and because I'll shake the walls. I got the SUB for £250 from a local auction house, because it didn't have a battery, the battery flappy lid is damaged and the fingerboard was caked in black stuff - yuk. Cleaned up nice though.

[IMG]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8450/8...e4678eff_z.jpg IMAG0326 by Paul has some old cameras, on Flickr[/IMG]

ANYWAY, ordering my pickups today. Going for a set of Warman HBP90's I think, or maybe a HBP90 at the neck and some humbucker at the bridge. Probably HBP()'s though, as they'll look cool. Also going to get a set of these in chrome:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-x-NEW-Va...#ht_822wt_1166

for the volume and tone controls.

Sadly, my own mismanagement has cost me the bottom strap pin and one of the pickup mounting screws :-( any idea where I can find these super duper cheap?

Ho hum. It's all coming along nicely. If it sounds really great, I'll look into better tuners as these ones hold pitch incredibly well but getting them there is tricky - it either won't go at all, or goes too much!

Anyone have any thoughts on the design? Obviously, I'd rather it had a maple neck/fingerboard, as the unplugged tone is a bit muffled (poor bolt on neck join, cheap woods) and it would suit the look a little better.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by paultheoneyoulove

Yeah, it's doing alright! Currently nearly applied the first rattlecan of poly on it, and it's starting to shine a bit. Not a very smooth finish though - I'll probably need to rub it down before I polish, but we'll see when can number 2 is done. I'm now applying heavier coats (you can see it's wet, but not enough to run at all), and it has started to smooth out a little. Does anyone know where I might find a replacement epi sg bolt on neck? I really fancy putting a new, maple neck on it with a vintage spec radius (7 or 9 inch), plus refinishing it would be easy - no finish to strip!

---

Gibson Vintage spec radius is 12 inches. A 7 inch radius will need a new tuneomatic.

Ahh okay, I'll work on this neck then!

Proud does not even begin to sum this up. I've used the super cheap, original Alpha 500k pots for the wiring, and the original caps (though I've no idea what they are). However... It sounds fabulous. I'm warning you - I'm going to sound like I'm sponsored at the end of this post, but I assure you, I'm not!

Anyways, a picture:

[IMG]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8182/8...711df439_z.jpg IMAG0327 by Paul has some old cameras, on Flickr[/IMG]

I know, I know... technically, the neck has not been done and remains red on the back, and the headstock is still black. When I've got a week or two off work (lol) I'll strip the headstock and swirl that. However, for the time being, I LOVE this. The bridge tone pot is not working (a fault in my soldering, or a broken pot - something I might look into fixing tomorrow). Also, the pickups are screwed directly in, rather than spring mounted, because of the spacings from the previous pickups (which were smaller). This doesn't matter though - after much trial and error, I got them to an acceptable height. The bridge pickup is mounted closer to the strings so I can get a reasonable boost when going from the neck.

It sounds stunning. No, really. It sounds stunning. One more time? Okay then. IT SOUNDS STUNNING. Remember, the neck has not got a wonderful bolt on fit (like an Ibanez Wizard), it's just a functional one that isn't perfect. The woods are cheap, and laminated besides. It looks like a cheap Mahogany styled wood. The acoustic sound is still quite dull, despite having a MUCH thinner finish (though it is still a very slight improvement). The Warman HBP90's, however, manage to lift this guitar. They have plenty enough output - after a direct comparison with a bridge mounted Duncan Custom SH-5, it has less than the humbucker, but more than the split humbucker. Yum.

The neck pickup, though mounted lower and having a lower output anyway, still has enough output to get a chimey clean tone, and maintains clarity when some filth is added (even with the Route 66 maxed out). These pickups were 25 quid, but they sound fabulous! The looks are an acquired taste, perhaps, but they have other options should you require them (for a whopping 30 - 40 quid). My ones are matt black with a chrome surround, which is not too clear... Apologies.

[IMG]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8313/8...849e419a_z.jpg IMAG0328 by Paul has some old cameras, on Flickr[/IMG]

The biggest thing that suggests these pickups are of good quality, however, is that noise. Or lack of it. They're not silent, but I've used strats with MUCH more hiss and hum than this, and my cavities (oo la la) have not been copper shielded or anything. Warman claim it's the use of a ceramic magnet. I don't care - they sound good, and even when used with a drive pedal, they don't hiss to complete mayhem.

So, all in all, the project has been a massive success! The strings have been raised a lot, so the action is much more suited to choppy, muted, funky stuff and hard hitting leads, rather than fluid playing, but that helps with those choppy chords and single note lines.

I'll update as to whether I get the bridge tone control working. I also might, in future weeks, replace the pots and wiring with new (these are old, dirty, messy, dry...)

Ciao!