I'm binge watching your videos, I think it's better !! (can't wait between videos, so I prefer wait a bit longer and watch them by group) Really nice project ! Take care
Hey Bob, sounds like a great strategy, and thanks for binge'n with me! I'll keep moving and get more posted so you can gang them together. Take care my friend!
You may find a lot of comments from many luthiers about applying a water slide decal on an oil finished headstock where you need to have a lacquer finished headstock to achieve the best results!! If you have other ideas please feel free to kindly share them with everyone. Thank you and best regards from England 🏴 UK 🇬🇧
drzainnas, thanks for watching! Sorry, I'm not familiar with others process for doing a waterslide decal in oil. I do see potential issues if applying a decal with oil, and the spraying lacquer over the oil decal finish. Sorry if I'm not following your comment exactly. This neck and headstock were completely coated in tru-oil, the decal was given a coat or two of lacquer or urethane before I applied it to the headstock. Let me know if I need to clarify anything. Be safe and take care, US, Florida. (hot and humid Florida 😔)
Years ago, I was doing quite a bit of wood sanding, I really liked it a lot. But I have nor workshop to work on guitars. Don't remember where I've seen it, Insta or YT, I've seen videos or reels of a guy taking away old finish, he did this in sheets of finish. He was going under the old finish with a flat tool, so it flaked off. You could do the same. And then proceed in whatever way you want to with the body. Cool new video once more!
Achim, good to hear from you and thanks for watching! I've seen videos of the paint being scraped off in big sheets too. I think one was a Gibson, heated a bit then a big flat putty knife lifted paint. I've already begun the excavation on the body - plan changed again as I got started. The patient will live, probably be in better health after the operation is complete. There was a lot of sin hidden under what appears to be 3 complete re-paints. Only a guess, but it appears this guitar had trouble getting out of the factory, a couple times. Ah, fun fun. Hope all is well, take care my friend!
Hey Tim, good to hear from you and thanks for watching... all the way through! Glad you're enjoying the series, there will be a lot of big and little things happening. Luckily I had CA on hand and glued my glasses back together. Thanks for joining me, see ya again soon!
Hey Mike, good to hear from you! Yep, this one is unraveling on me. One thing leads to another, or one thing is hiding another. Guess the end result is the same...there is always another something. Hope all is well, take care!
Great to see this project. I'm currently working on a Solo Double-neck (6 & 12 string) kit build. Dealing with wonky electronics now so I will be adding a second A/B/C switch to separate the six string and twelve string circuits to the output jack. It came with incomplete schematics for the electronics so I've been asking for support from Solo and they have been very good at listening to the issues and sending new electronic parts and updated schematics. It's more challenging than the six string and bass guitars I've built from Harley Benton kits in the past. I've already changed the body profile in order to drop some weight from the instrument (2 days of cutting and re-sanding) as well as cut out the electronics area to improve the modified fit of the components. I'm hoping to finish it to the point of stringing and adjusting for string height and intonation (18 strings ARRGGHH) by early June.
Hey Chris, thanks for watching! Sounds like you have a big project going there. Glad Solo is working with you and that they will be updating things. That will really help others down the line. Cutting and re-sanding... soooo time consuming. I've got Cut n Sand thing on my hands too. I do like that part of the process though. It's good to see a pile of wood chips, makes me feel like I've accomplished something. Keep me posted on your progress, and I've been thinking of trying a Solo kit again someday soon. I had one way back it seems, I won't talk about it. Be safe and take care!
Hey, you do a great job of explaining your process on these videos. Kudos! For the body, if the thickness of the trem route is ~.25", I'd consider slicing off the top of the body and installing a drop top. Fixes the trem route, fixes the output jack size issue, and lets you customize the routes for the pickups. Plus you get a chance to be fancy and use quilted maple or something fun that can be stained.
Philip, thanks for watching and glad you're enjoying the videos! A drop top/cap is/was definitely on my radar, and the next video will expose some additional things I've stumbled across, which is pushing the project direction a bit. Stay tuned!
Adam, thanks for watching! Wilkinson vintage trem sounds like a great option, probably a lot more affordable too. Hope you're enjoying your guitar. Be safe and take care!
NFaMuSone, thanks for watching! from an old "A-Team" quote by George Peppard (Hannibal Smith): " I love it when a plan comes together ". Honestly, I need a plan, but really glad it's coming together anyway. Be safe, take care!
Well this very timely. I am doing a black affinity strat for a buddy. Starting in a couple of days. I think....my skill set is not as vast as yours so its going be more like a light refresh that anything as in depth as what you can accomplish, but this series will inspire me along the way! I am going to do P-90-Single-Single for the pickups which I think will be pretty awesome. Thanks man!
Sean, thanks for watching! Sounds like you'll have a fun project there, gotta love some P90 action! Everyone starts somewhere, so no worries about skill set. I've been working on things since I was a kid, so I've observed and practiced that kinda stuff for years and I'm still learning everyday. It's all good, just have fun with whatever is at hand. Oh, and that saying "darkest before dawn", it seems to apply to just about every situation. Every project I work on has a "darkest" period, most see the light. It happens. I wish you the best with your project, keep me posted, take care!
@@theNextProject Thanks for the encouragement! I have been watching your channel for a long time now and you have provided me with lots of motivation over the years! I have a couple of project videos of my own on my channel if you ever want to see examples of what NOT to do LOL! My latest was a Flying V built from a kit and I had so much fun doing and learning. I didn't record my drill pressing or routing but I made sure to get some shots of sanding in there. Can't forget all the sanding HAHA! Thanks again. Can't wait to see how this one turns out. You always do fantastic work!
Just checked out your channel - subbed! That V turned out really great. Well done! You got it, have fun and embrace the things that go sideways. That's where/when I learn the most - fixing the things that won't go peacefully. Good luck with the project, hope to see some vids of it soon. Be safe and take care!
Martin, thanks for watching and great question! I should do a short vid on my CA process, as I really do gloss over it in these videos. One main reason I use THIN CA, is that it tends to stay on the flat surface of the fingerboard. I think there may be some surface tension that keeps it from pouring into the slots. Medium or thick CA would likely get pushed into the slots more easily - just a guess. Also, if there is a build up of dust or whatever in the slots, that stuff will wick the CA into the slot. So - I do clear the slots before starting this process, and blow the slots out with air after every light sanding. If I leave that fine sanding dust in the fret slots... it would be a lot of work to clear the slots again. This is a good time to mention that I lightly DRY SAND, not wet sand. If I would wet sand, I'm guessing Id have a lot of mud pushed into the slots, that would be more difficult to clean up. Dry sand only between sets of Thin CA, then clean the slots! If you don't have and air compressor to blow dust from the slots, a good vacuum and a can of compress air for computers will do - been there, done that. Hope that explains what I'm doing a bit better. Great question. Be safe, take care!
wjewell63, thanks for watching! I always think "okay, I'm finally done sanding", then see a small spot, and another and another... Okay, I'm half-done sanding, maybe. Be safe, take care!
FHV, thanks for watching! I honestly hadn't thought of doing a semi-hollow acoustasonic type mod to this guitar. I have a tele-kit acoustasonic and I (attempt to) play that thing nearly every day. It's really nice to have at the couch, no need to plug in to hear what you're playing (wrong). Hmm, maybe I'll try to find another one of these and build a Strat version. Good thinking!
@@theNextProject I was thinking more of a thinline type guitar, something like the Eric Johnson signature. The acoustasonic tele was great, I wouldn’t mind watching an strat version of it
Great project. I have been messing with some cheap strat clones by Spectrum. It’s amazing what a little time in the neck can accomplish. On the neck finish, you’ve got CA only in the fretboard and TruOil everywhere else. Correct? Are you going to add any TO to the fretboard? Is there much difference in color? The TO usually gives just a slight amber. So, I would expect some variation.
David, thanks for watching and great questions! Glad you're enjoying the project, it should be fun and full of oddities. Cheap guitars are a great place to experiment, no worry of ruining a prize possession, and perhaps you'll create a great work of art. It could happen! Yes, I'm using CA only on the fingerboard (only on maple fingerboards), and TO on the headstock and back of the neck. I won't be applying TO to the fingerboard, as I'll do a fine finish sanding and polishing of the CA (in a future video). CA will offer a really hard and durable finish, very thin finish even with 20+ coats of THIN CA applied. You could add TO over the CA, but I don't really see any reason to do so. The TO would likely wear a bit quicker on the fingerboard than is does on the back of the neck too. As for color, yes TO will have a slightly more "amber" color than CA. Since I added some stain to the maple first, you'd have a really hard time seeing any difference. If there will be any difference, it will likely be seen as a wood selection issue of fingerboard and neck. If you were putting CA and TO on a clear maple neck with no added stain, you might see a very slight color shift - slight - if you were looking for it. This fingerboard on this guitar isn't very pretty. It seems more porous then the neck, has a strange knot area... what can we do. Also, if you have some TO that is a bit old, it will be thicker and darker than fresh TO. I only buy small bottles now and usually toss them before empty. Seems the bottom 1/4 of the bottle goes bad before I can use it all. Hope this answers your question. Be safe and take care!
Great Job as always! On a Strat there have to be at least two single coils in neck and middle. If You don't put them in, I will unsubscribe. Not really. Greetings from Germany!
Hueffel, thanks for watching and the compliment too! I wouldn't want to see you go, so I'll see your bet of two single coils in neck and middle, and raise you another single coil in the bridge, with a metal base plate. At least that's what I'm thinking at the moment. Hope all is well in Germany, everything going well in Florida US. Take care!
@@theNextProject I'm glad all is going well in Florida! Everything is fine here in Germany too. Will the single coils be from "The Next Project" brand? Greetings from Rhineland Palatine Jens
Yes, they will be my brand "bird's nest pickups", proudly wound by hand using a machine, carefully placed on my bathroom countertop. I'm pretty high-tech here. :) I gotta look up Rhineland Palatine... OH WOW! Okay, I'm moving again, gotta get my paperwork in order. That area looks beautiful! No need to look up Florida, it's flat, sandy, hot, a lot of ugly oak and palm trees. Oh, Mickey Mouse too. Good times, lol.
Stacey, thanks for watching. Not familiar with Merlon, unless it's basically a scotch-bite type product, in that case I do use scotch-brites on occasion. At this time, I don't have any finer scotch-brite than the green, which I find too coarse for most tru-oil work. But that could just be me. Thanks for the info, and I'll look into the Merlon product. Take care!
KO, thanks for watching! If I recall the original fingerboard was a random mix of 9 to 12 maybe, not conical, just meandering. I re-radius'd this to 12" to correct some issues with the fingerboard shape primarily, followed by 12" radius sanding. Hope that helps. Take care!
I'm binge watching your videos, I think it's better !! (can't wait between videos, so I prefer wait a bit longer and watch them by group)
Really nice project ! Take care
Hey Bob, sounds like a great strategy, and thanks for binge'n with me!
I'll keep moving and get more posted so you can gang them together.
Take care my friend!
You may find a lot of comments from many luthiers about applying a water slide decal on an oil finished headstock where you need to have a lacquer finished headstock to achieve the best results!! If you have other ideas please feel free to kindly share them with everyone. Thank you and best regards from England 🏴 UK 🇬🇧
drzainnas, thanks for watching!
Sorry, I'm not familiar with others process for doing a waterslide decal in oil. I do see potential issues if applying a decal with oil, and the spraying lacquer over the oil decal finish.
Sorry if I'm not following your comment exactly.
This neck and headstock were completely coated in tru-oil, the decal was given a coat or two of lacquer or urethane before I applied it to the headstock.
Let me know if I need to clarify anything.
Be safe and take care, US, Florida.
(hot and humid Florida 😔)
The Neck-X Projet, really cool as always, thank you !
Rob, thanks for watching!
Glad you're enjoying the project
Take care!
Years ago, I was doing quite a bit of wood sanding, I really liked it a lot. But I have nor workshop to work on guitars.
Don't remember where I've seen it, Insta or YT, I've seen videos or reels of a guy taking away old finish, he did this in sheets of finish. He was going under the old finish with a flat tool, so it flaked off. You could do the same.
And then proceed in whatever way you want to with the body.
Cool new video once more!
Achim, good to hear from you and thanks for watching!
I've seen videos of the paint being scraped off in big sheets too.
I think one was a Gibson, heated a bit then a big flat putty knife lifted paint.
I've already begun the excavation on the body - plan changed again as I got started.
The patient will live, probably be in better health after the operation is complete.
There was a lot of sin hidden under what appears to be 3 complete re-paints.
Only a guess, but it appears this guitar had trouble getting out of the factory, a couple times.
Ah, fun fun.
Hope all is well, take care my friend!
“Awww, man! Another thing to fix”
Love it.
I am enjoying the series, as I usually do. Thanks for the show!
Hey Tim, good to hear from you and thanks for watching... all the way through!
Glad you're enjoying the series, there will be a lot of big and little things happening.
Luckily I had CA on hand and glued my glasses back together.
Thanks for joining me, see ya again soon!
You’ve taken on quite a project there ole buddy! Looking good 👍
Hey Mike, good to hear from you!
Yep, this one is unraveling on me.
One thing leads to another, or one thing is hiding another. Guess the end result is the same...there is always another something.
Hope all is well, take care!
the neck is coming along nicely! great work
Andrew, thanks for watching!
I'm pretty happy with it so far, fingers crossed.
Take care!
As always, great content!
Hans, thanks for watching and I appreciate the compliment.
Take care!
Great to see this project. I'm currently working on a Solo Double-neck (6 & 12 string) kit build. Dealing with wonky electronics now so I will be adding a second A/B/C switch to separate the six string and twelve string circuits to the output jack. It came with incomplete schematics for the electronics so I've been asking for support from Solo and they have been very good at listening to the issues and sending new electronic parts and updated schematics. It's more challenging than the six string and bass guitars I've built from Harley Benton kits in the past. I've already changed the body profile in order to drop some weight from the instrument (2 days of cutting and re-sanding) as well as cut out the electronics area to improve the modified fit of the components. I'm hoping to finish it to the point of stringing and adjusting for string height and intonation (18 strings ARRGGHH) by early June.
Hey Chris, thanks for watching!
Sounds like you have a big project going there. Glad Solo is working with you and that they will be updating things. That will really help others down the line.
Cutting and re-sanding... soooo time consuming. I've got Cut n Sand thing on my hands too. I do like that part of the process though. It's good to see a pile of wood chips, makes me feel like I've accomplished something.
Keep me posted on your progress, and I've been thinking of trying a Solo kit again someday soon. I had one way back it seems, I won't talk about it.
Be safe and take care!
Hey, you do a great job of explaining your process on these videos. Kudos!
For the body, if the thickness of the trem route is ~.25", I'd consider slicing off the top of the body and installing a drop top. Fixes the trem route, fixes the output jack size issue, and lets you customize the routes for the pickups. Plus you get a chance to be fancy and use quilted maple or something fun that can be stained.
Philip, thanks for watching and glad you're enjoying the videos!
A drop top/cap is/was definitely on my radar, and the next video will expose some additional things I've stumbled across, which is pushing the project direction a bit.
Stay tuned!
Great channel and content, thanks!
59 Apache, many thanks!
I appreciate you taking the time to join me, take care!
Good stuff as always
Steve, good to hear from you and thanks for watching!
Take care!
I had to fix the routing in mine. I put in a Wilkinson vintage trem.
Adam, thanks for watching!
Wilkinson vintage trem sounds like a great option, probably a lot more affordable too. Hope you're enjoying your guitar.
Be safe and take care!
fantastic. coming together quite nicely.
NFaMuSone, thanks for watching!
from an old "A-Team" quote by George Peppard (Hannibal Smith): " I love it when a plan comes together ".
Honestly, I need a plan, but really glad it's coming together anyway.
Be safe, take care!
Next project: modded glasses with binding to keep the lenses in.
LOL, I like that
Thanks for watching all the way through,
Take care!
🤣
Well this very timely. I am doing a black affinity strat for a buddy. Starting in a couple of days. I think....my skill set is not as vast as yours so its going be more like a light refresh that anything as in depth as what you can accomplish, but this series will inspire me along the way! I am going to do P-90-Single-Single for the pickups which I think will be pretty awesome. Thanks man!
Sean, thanks for watching!
Sounds like you'll have a fun project there, gotta love some P90 action!
Everyone starts somewhere, so no worries about skill set. I've been working on things since I was a kid, so I've observed and practiced that kinda stuff for years and I'm still learning everyday.
It's all good, just have fun with whatever is at hand.
Oh, and that saying "darkest before dawn", it seems to apply to just about every situation.
Every project I work on has a "darkest" period, most see the light. It happens.
I wish you the best with your project, keep me posted, take care!
@@theNextProject Thanks for the encouragement! I have been watching your channel for a long time now and you have provided me with lots of motivation over the years! I have a couple of project videos of my own on my channel if you ever want to see examples of what NOT to do LOL! My latest was a Flying V built from a kit and I had so much fun doing and learning. I didn't record my drill pressing or routing but I made sure to get some shots of sanding in there. Can't forget all the sanding HAHA! Thanks again. Can't wait to see how this one turns out. You always do fantastic work!
Just checked out your channel - subbed!
That V turned out really great.
Well done!
You got it, have fun and embrace the things that go sideways.
That's where/when I learn the most - fixing the things that won't go peacefully.
Good luck with the project, hope to see some vids of it soon.
Be safe and take care!
@@theNextProject Hey thanks man! I wasn't expecting that! Really appreciate it!
Take care, yourself!
Great progress John and that colour is beautiful. Will the fret slots have a load of superglue in them?
Martin, thanks for watching and great question!
I should do a short vid on my CA process, as I really do gloss over it in these videos.
One main reason I use THIN CA, is that it tends to stay on the flat surface of the fingerboard. I think there may be some surface tension that keeps it from pouring into the slots.
Medium or thick CA would likely get pushed into the slots more easily - just a guess.
Also, if there is a build up of dust or whatever in the slots, that stuff will wick the CA into the slot.
So - I do clear the slots before starting this process, and blow the slots out with air after every light sanding. If I leave that fine sanding dust in the fret slots... it would be a lot of work to clear the slots again.
This is a good time to mention that I lightly DRY SAND, not wet sand. If I would wet sand, I'm guessing Id have a lot of mud pushed into the slots, that would be more difficult to clean up.
Dry sand only between sets of Thin CA, then clean the slots!
If you don't have and air compressor to blow dust from the slots, a good vacuum and a can of compress air for computers will do - been there, done that.
Hope that explains what I'm doing a bit better.
Great question.
Be safe, take care!
Ok. It is official now.
You suffer from OCNP (Obsessive Compulsive Need for Perfection) 😁
Dimitar, thanks for watching!
I think I need to get a t-shirt with OCNP on it.
TNP / OCNP
Sounds good to me!
:)
I agree about the sanding., it's my least fav.part..👍
wjewell63, thanks for watching!
I always think "okay, I'm finally done sanding", then see a small spot, and another and another...
Okay, I'm half-done sanding, maybe.
Be safe, take care!
@@theNextProject exactly...
You could make it semi hollow. There aren’t a lot of semi hollow strats and it could be fun
FHV, thanks for watching!
I honestly hadn't thought of doing a semi-hollow acoustasonic type mod to this guitar.
I have a tele-kit acoustasonic and I (attempt to) play that thing nearly every day. It's really nice to have at the couch, no need to plug in to hear what you're playing (wrong).
Hmm, maybe I'll try to find another one of these and build a Strat version.
Good thinking!
@@theNextProject I was thinking more of a thinline type guitar, something like the Eric Johnson signature. The acoustasonic tele was great, I wouldn’t mind watching an strat version of it
Ah yes, a thin line Strat. That would be good too, so many possibilities.
Great project. I have been messing with some cheap strat clones by Spectrum. It’s amazing what a little time in the neck can accomplish. On the neck finish, you’ve got CA only in the fretboard and TruOil everywhere else. Correct? Are you going to add any TO to the fretboard? Is there much difference in color? The TO usually gives just a slight amber. So, I would expect some variation.
David, thanks for watching and great questions!
Glad you're enjoying the project, it should be fun and full of oddities.
Cheap guitars are a great place to experiment, no worry of ruining a prize possession, and perhaps you'll create a great work of art. It could happen!
Yes, I'm using CA only on the fingerboard (only on maple fingerboards), and TO on the headstock and back of the neck.
I won't be applying TO to the fingerboard, as I'll do a fine finish sanding and polishing of the CA (in a future video). CA will offer a really hard and durable finish, very thin finish even with 20+ coats of THIN CA applied.
You could add TO over the CA, but I don't really see any reason to do so. The TO would likely wear a bit quicker on the fingerboard than is does on the back of the neck too.
As for color, yes TO will have a slightly more "amber" color than CA. Since I added some stain to the maple first, you'd have a really hard time seeing any difference. If there will be any difference, it will likely be seen as a wood selection issue of fingerboard and neck.
If you were putting CA and TO on a clear maple neck with no added stain, you might see a very slight color shift - slight - if you were looking for it.
This fingerboard on this guitar isn't very pretty. It seems more porous then the neck, has a strange knot area... what can we do.
Also, if you have some TO that is a bit old, it will be thicker and darker than fresh TO. I only buy small bottles now and usually toss them before empty. Seems the bottom 1/4 of the bottle goes bad before I can use it all.
Hope this answers your question.
Be safe and take care!
Thanks for the detailed response. Much appreciated! I may have to try this recipe soon!
Great Job as always! On a Strat there have to be at least two single coils in neck and middle. If You don't put them in, I will unsubscribe.
Not really.
Greetings from Germany!
Hueffel, thanks for watching and the compliment too!
I wouldn't want to see you go, so I'll see your bet of two single coils in neck and middle, and raise you another single coil in the bridge, with a metal base plate.
At least that's what I'm thinking at the moment.
Hope all is well in Germany, everything going well in Florida US.
Take care!
@@theNextProject
I'm glad all is going well in Florida!
Everything is fine here in Germany too.
Will the single coils be from "The Next Project" brand?
Greetings from Rhineland Palatine
Jens
Yes, they will be my brand "bird's nest pickups", proudly wound by hand using a machine, carefully placed on my bathroom countertop.
I'm pretty high-tech here. :)
I gotta look up Rhineland Palatine... OH WOW!
Okay, I'm moving again, gotta get my paperwork in order.
That area looks beautiful!
No need to look up Florida, it's flat, sandy, hot, a lot of ugly oak and palm trees. Oh, Mickey Mouse too.
Good times, lol.
this is the most fun one can have with clothes on
LOL, glad you're having a good time.
Be safe and take care!
Use Merlon instead of steel wool. Lasts longer and no mess or debris. You'll never use steel wool again....
Stacey, thanks for watching.
Not familiar with Merlon, unless it's basically a scotch-bite type product, in that case I do use scotch-brites on occasion.
At this time, I don't have any finer scotch-brite than the green, which I find too coarse for most tru-oil work. But that could just be me.
Thanks for the info, and I'll look into the Merlon product.
Take care!
what was the radius before sanding?
KO, thanks for watching!
If I recall the original fingerboard was a random mix of 9 to 12 maybe, not conical, just meandering.
I re-radius'd this to 12" to correct some issues with the fingerboard shape primarily, followed by 12" radius sanding.
Hope that helps.
Take care!