Daniel, I see this setback with the Phoenix as a reflection of what the project and concept of the guitar is about - rising from adversity, and through perseverance, still achieving triumph in the end. This moment is now a part of Phoenix's origin story - a fitting part. You will find your way over this hurdle and when you do, the legend of the Phoenix will be all the richer for it.
I’m with you Daniel. I faced a lotta difficult times with depression, disappointment and blaming myself that I f**** up. I just advise you: be sweet unto yourself, take extra care. Let your loved ones just care for you. I know how hard self love is when you’re such a perfectionist. You just crawled out of a deep canyon. Just relax a bit more. Take your time. You aren’t a failure, you’re strong and brave. This process is also honest for others that setbacks may occur. You’ll get there!
Like the sign on your shop wall says, "I'm not getting older, I'm getting better". Sometimes, undesirable things happen, but you learn from them and move on. Enjoy the work, whether it be a first attempt or fourth. I think we all appreciate your channel and meticulous approach to everything you do. You are a joy to watch. And remember, when you learn from experience, so do we. All the best to you sir.
For a learning channel, the mishaps and how to overcome them are just as important, if not more important lessons, than when everything goes right. I have a sneaking suspicion that the final guitar will be just as awesome and only the builder (and we voyeurs) will know the journey. I can't imagine having others watch my every move on a build. We're still in there with you!
I love the honesty in your videos. I actually think that if it always went perfectly, then i would not relate to it so much and might not be as enthused. Your reality (in terms of having to address issues in the build) is definitely my reality, and having you go through it and teach us how to resolve it all makes this compulsive viewing. I hope you enjoy a couple of weeks just you and The Phoenix, i look forward to the next video!
I have done this a number of times. I have the tendency to over sand. It is very aggravating. I am working on my technique to avoid this type of issue. You will overcome this!
Have to agree with comments already made. Your work and commitment to guitar building are second to non. As a comment already says, we all make mistakes, though I don't think it's major and you are being overtly hard on yourself. Love watching your uploads and the knowledge you put forward in them. Onwards and upwards. Regards from England
Daniel, your work is always just stunning. I wish I had the money to purchase a Nessa, it's just a phenomenal looking instrument. Hang in there man, you can recover. It's always a headache and stressful to have these things happen in our projects, I do a lot of woodworking and make a lot of mistakes, but it's important to recover and keep moving forward. This project is and will be amazing.
Daniel, you do a great Work. I Like the Style of your Videos and i Hope, you find your way to go ahead. It ist great Pleasure to see you crafting. I Wish you all the best.🍀
Keep up the good work Daniel… you’re an inspiration to me and I have learned so much from you. Finishing, to me, is the most difficult part of guitar building… so I feel your pain. But… take some time, walk away from it for a bit and then get back to the beautiful guitar you have built, and finish it like you know you can do! Cheers Daniel…
Daniel, we all make misstakes, it's a part of the human factor, I know you will fix this. Many years ago I dropped a Bahco quick clamp on the fretboard on one of my customers guitars that I had in for fretleveling, it was a 7000 Euro Gibson Les Paul Custom from 1973. My heart stopped for quite some time and i was in shock. After thinking for a few hours I did find a solution, either try to fill in the fretboard as good as possible to try to blend with the fretboard it self, or making a new fretboard. The customer was not mad at all and he wanted a new fretboard, we did discuss putting in new frets before we decided to just level the frets before my misstake. So that's what I did, of course all free of charge. The customer was very happy with the result and I learned a lesson and did some major changes in my workshop of how I do certain things when working on guitars. This did of course cost me quite some money even more time, because it's not just about finding any Ebony fretboard blank and put it on there, finding really old Ebony from the same era is really expensive and not simple. This is quite extreme compared to your misstake, but I just wanted to share my big big misstake that was caused by me, it just happened. Thanks for the video.. PS I have not made a misstake like that ever again after that.
We’ve all been there Daniel. I think you’re on the right track now. My process is 6-8 coats of primer. 3 a day max as you have said only sanding if necessary. Then a light wet sand with 1000 before applying the gloss. Don’t beat yourself up too much. It’s all part of the journey. It’s going to be a stunning piece when it’s finished. Look forward to seeing and hearing the final product of your hard work.
Hey Daniel, I’m sorry to see that accident. But every obstacle can be a lesson so don’t worry. Your work and your attention to detail is phenomenal (sometimes too much, if there’s such a thing 😀). Can’t wait to see the next steps of the project as I’m sure it’s going to be a stunning guitar!
Daniel, I feel every bit of your pain right now. It seems that all of a sudden, I have an issue come up on every build, whether it's with the finish, or on my latest build, having to completely relocate a floating bridge 1/4" further from the neck for intonation. I want to quit building about once a week. It's oddly comforting knowing that I'm not the only one who has difficulties like this come up. Much love, you'll get past this and I have no doubt that it will turn out beautifully.
I feel the pain sir!!! However, knowing your perfectionist attitude and your absolutely fastidious attention to detail, I have no doubt whatsoever that this instrument, when completed, will be as beautiful and exceptional as you envisaged! Stay cool Daniel, have a beer, go for a walk, listen to some music, take a breath - it will be fine! Look forward to seeing you when you get back! 🥰🥰🍺🍺🎸🎸😊😊
Hi Daniel. No one in this world goes through life without making mistakes. Don't beat yourself up over it. Remember that through mistakes, we learn and that is what our journeys are all about in this life, learning is the bigest part of that journey. You my friend are helping us, your viewers to learn and I thank you for that. Teke care.
What a great and incredibly instructive video! And Uggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh…. I feel your pain. I do that so often I changed the entire aesthetic of the guitars I make to include it in the overall look. Thank God my customers dig relics. lol Take a rest, dust yourself off and go for it again.
Daniel you scared me so bad that i tought you sand through the finish at the front side and that beautifull stain job is damaged. But thankfully its only at the sides and back. I learned a lot of things from you, without your videos i woudnt be able to do many things i am capable of now. You have all my best wishes and support on anything you do. Your current plan about the finish sound perfect. Maybe you might upgrade to a proper paint gun system in future. Take good care od yourself :)
Finish sanding fuckups are the worst. I feel your pain. I'm not screwing around anymore. I finish with Z-Poxy and make it nice and thick. It just makes my life easier.
So far I have never gotton it right the first time. Finishing is by far the hardest part of building guitars. I'm building one right now that has stripes and I'm on my fourth try. With lacquer I would apply at least 25 coats of clear and it needs 30 days to harden before you can level and polish.
a few comments: 1. don't beat yourself up. you can nail the finish sanding 1000 times prior, and screw up at 1001. its the nature of the beast. failures happen, and are invariably inevitable. it is part of the process. learn from the mistakes that were made, and improve from them to minimize their chances of happening in the future. 2. on the StewMac YT channel, there is a 3 part series about guitar finishing by Driftwood Guitars. it may be worth taking a look at that as a refresher course on how to finish the guitar. I want to make it absolutely clear that I mean no disrespect in this suggestion. You are an accomplished guitar builder, and you have significantly more experience than I do in this field. that said, a refresher on the process never hurts, especially in light of this setback. the art of lutherie is a lifelong learning process, and you may pick up on some tips that make the next attempt at finishing easier, or learn something you didn't know that will improve the end result.
I wouldn't bother with primer mate as long as the sand-through areas are smooth, just dump another 2 cans of clear over it and try to avoid level sanding between coats. Realistically a guitar like that is going to take at least 6-7 cans of lacquer to get good coverage all over. People don't realise but there is actually very little paint in those cans. Typically I will get through half a tin (0.5L) of paint before thinning 50/50 so I'm spraying at least 1L of thinned material over a guitar with a spray gun which is a lot better at keeping the material on the work than a rattle can.
Massive bummer Daniel. I've been shooting gloss finishes on guitars for over 25 years and it still happens to me every so often. Just a couple days ago in fact. And it really does just ruin the day. Once I get past thinking about what a massive pain in the butt it will be to touch up, in this case a sun burst, and shoot two more coats of clear on it all. I just do it, it will look great and all will be well. My next project will be a hippy wood guitar or bass with an Osmo finish.
I find lacquer daunting and I’m not as experienced as you. There is a luthier in Canada Fred Gaerzak he is an absolute master ! He recommends up to 20 coats of clear seems like overkill but It worked for me. There’s nothing wrong with staying with hard wax oils hang in there !
I feel/ share your pain - I've had this happen to me before as well. I used to do finish much as you did - a coat per day - but I've moved towards multiple as per your reading. It is more efficient and I think it does end up being a tougher finish. With the mahogany soaking up the finish - have you ever thought about using a sanding sealer prior to the primer? (I'm not familiar with the brand you're using and it may not fill the pores as well as a dedicated sealer)
I hate when this happens. Maybe you should try using 2K Max in a spray can. After this stuff dries, you can take a grinder to the surface and you will not sand through! Dries very fast! Thanks for video!!
I spray 20+ coats on a guitar = at least 10 cans. All that on top of a grain filler. BTW You just need to denibb the surface between coats. Problem with rattlecans is you can't get it on wet enough. It's always going to be a bit of a struggle. Don't think of it as a finish rescue it's just part of finishing process. Happens to me all the time.
I use House of Color polyurethane clear. with a spray gun now. It goes on smoother and with a hardener. it is far superior ! Thinner, shinier It doesn't yellow and is twice as durable . I have had nothing but trouble with lacquer. with spray gun or otherwise. Poly clears come as a water base as well from other manufactures A spray gun is much better.
Sorry man ,my heart aches for you.hang in ,at least it didn’t happen on the burst. You ll figure it out , I know you can ,just go back and do exactly the same spray process to catchup with the top.
So.. I just stained my strat body with a RIT Red dye.. and I was afraid of the same thing.. SOOOOoooo, my first 10 coats of lacquer.. was THICK! I waited a week.. wet sanded.. and ONLY a few little spots. when I went to wipe off with a white paper towel, you could see the slightest red on the towel.. NOT BAD!! So.. I had a few bubbles or low sports.. I scratched them with a little razor blade.. and sprayed another 5 or so coats.. now I am about to finish my finial sand. WE SHALL SEE!! ;-)
Daniel, I see this setback with the Phoenix as a reflection of what the project and concept of the guitar is about - rising from adversity, and through perseverance, still achieving triumph in the end. This moment is now a part of Phoenix's origin story - a fitting part. You will find your way over this hurdle and when you do, the legend of the Phoenix will be all the richer for it.
Daniel, Keep your head up!! The Phoenix will rise!!
Thank you for your continuous posting. Even it went terribly wrong!!Good luck the rescue - it will be worth it! 👍
I’m with you Daniel. I faced a lotta difficult times with depression, disappointment and blaming myself that I f**** up. I just advise you: be sweet unto yourself, take extra care. Let your loved ones just care for you. I know how hard self love is when you’re such a perfectionist. You just crawled out of a deep canyon. Just relax a bit more. Take your time. You aren’t a failure, you’re strong and brave. This process is also honest for others that setbacks may occur. You’ll get there!
Like the sign on your shop wall says, "I'm not getting older, I'm getting better". Sometimes, undesirable things happen, but you learn from them and move on. Enjoy the work, whether it be a first attempt or fourth. I think we all appreciate your channel and meticulous approach to everything you do. You are a joy to watch. And remember, when you learn from experience, so do we. All the best to you sir.
You’re still rising 🙌
For a learning channel, the mishaps and how to overcome them are just as important, if not more important lessons, than when everything goes right. I have a sneaking suspicion that the final guitar will be just as awesome and only the builder (and we voyeurs) will know the journey. I can't imagine having others watch my every move on a build. We're still in there with you!
I love the honesty in your videos. I actually think that if it always went perfectly, then i would not relate to it so much and might not be as enthused. Your reality (in terms of having to address issues in the build) is definitely my reality, and having you go through it and teach us how to resolve it all makes this compulsive viewing. I hope you enjoy a couple of weeks just you and The Phoenix, i look forward to the next video!
I have done this a number of times. I have the tendency to over sand. It is very aggravating. I am working on my technique to avoid this type of issue. You will overcome this!
That is so frustrating. I don't know how many times that has happened to me. Urgle burgle! Beautiful designs.
Every recovery has a setback. 2 steps forward, 1 step back. We love what you do Daniel, keep it up!
Have to agree with comments already made. Your work and commitment to guitar building are second to non. As a comment already says, we all make mistakes, though I don't think it's major and you are being overtly hard on yourself. Love watching your uploads and the knowledge you put forward in them. Onwards and upwards. Regards from England
Daniel, your work is always just stunning. I wish I had the money to purchase a Nessa, it's just a phenomenal looking instrument. Hang in there man, you can recover. It's always a headache and stressful to have these things happen in our projects, I do a lot of woodworking and make a lot of mistakes, but it's important to recover and keep moving forward.
This project is and will be amazing.
Daniel, you do a great Work. I Like the Style of your Videos and i Hope, you find your way to go ahead. It ist great Pleasure to see you crafting. I Wish you all the best.🍀
So sorry this happened to you , Daniel !! I am rooting for you !!
Hi Daniel, please keep going! Don’t be so hard on yourself, the guitar will be perfect in the end! I love your content
Keep up the good work Daniel… you’re an inspiration to me and I have learned so much from you. Finishing, to me, is the most difficult part of guitar building… so I feel your pain. But… take some time, walk away from it for a bit and then get back to the beautiful guitar you have built, and finish it like you know you can do! Cheers Daniel…
Daniel, we all make misstakes, it's a part of the human factor, I know you will fix this. Many years ago I dropped a Bahco quick clamp on the fretboard on one of my customers guitars that I had in for fretleveling, it was a 7000 Euro Gibson Les Paul Custom from 1973. My heart stopped for quite some time and i was in shock. After thinking for a few hours I did find a solution, either try to fill in the fretboard as good as possible to try to blend with the fretboard it self, or making a new fretboard. The customer was not mad at all and he wanted a new fretboard, we did discuss putting in new frets before we decided to just level the frets before my misstake. So that's what I did, of course all free of charge. The customer was very happy with the result and I learned a lesson and did some major changes in my workshop of how I do certain things when working on guitars. This did of course cost me quite some money even more time, because it's not just about finding any Ebony fretboard blank and put it on there, finding really old Ebony from the same era is really expensive and not simple. This is quite extreme compared to your misstake, but I just wanted to share my big big misstake that was caused by me, it just happened. Thanks for the video.. PS I have not made a misstake like that ever again after that.
We’ve all been there Daniel. I think you’re on the right track now. My process is 6-8 coats of primer. 3 a day max as you have said only sanding if necessary. Then a light wet sand with 1000 before applying the gloss.
Don’t beat yourself up too much. It’s all part of the journey. It’s going to be a stunning piece when it’s finished. Look forward to seeing and hearing the final product of your hard work.
I've done exactly this too. Feel for you buddy. Chin up, fate requires the phoenix to have a little more attention, that's all. We live we learn.
Hey Daniel, I’m sorry to see that accident. But every obstacle can be a lesson so don’t worry. Your work and your attention to detail is phenomenal (sometimes too much, if there’s such a thing 😀).
Can’t wait to see the next steps of the project as I’m sure it’s going to be a stunning guitar!
Daniel, I feel every bit of your pain right now. It seems that all of a sudden, I have an issue come up on every build, whether it's with the finish, or on my latest build, having to completely relocate a floating bridge 1/4" further from the neck for intonation. I want to quit building about once a week. It's oddly comforting knowing that I'm not the only one who has difficulties like this come up. Much love, you'll get past this and I have no doubt that it will turn out beautifully.
I feel the pain sir!!!
However, knowing your perfectionist attitude and your absolutely fastidious attention to detail, I have no doubt whatsoever that this instrument, when completed, will be as beautiful and exceptional as you envisaged!
Stay cool Daniel, have a beer, go for a walk, listen to some music, take a breath - it will be fine!
Look forward to seeing you when you get back! 🥰🥰🍺🍺🎸🎸😊😊
Hi Daniel. No one in this world goes through life without making mistakes. Don't beat yourself up over it. Remember that through mistakes, we learn and that is what our journeys are all about in this life, learning is the bigest part of that journey. You my friend are helping us, your viewers to learn and I thank you for that. Teke care.
😊😊
What a great and incredibly instructive video! And Uggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh…. I feel your pain. I do that so often I changed the entire aesthetic of the guitars I make to include it in the overall look. Thank God my customers dig relics. lol Take a rest, dust yourself off and go for it again.
Daniel you scared me so bad that i tought you sand through the finish at the front side and that beautifull stain job is damaged. But thankfully its only at the sides and back. I learned a lot of things from you, without your videos i woudnt be able to do many things i am capable of now. You have all my best wishes and support on anything you do. Your current plan about the finish sound perfect. Maybe you might upgrade to a proper paint gun system in future. Take good care od yourself :)
Finish sanding fuckups are the worst. I feel your pain. I'm not screwing around anymore. I finish with Z-Poxy and make it nice and thick. It just makes my life easier.
How are you doing, my friend? I love your shop.
So far I have never gotton it right the first time. Finishing is by far the hardest part of building guitars. I'm building one right now that has stripes and I'm on my fourth try. With lacquer I would apply at least 25 coats of clear and it needs 30 days to harden before you can level and polish.
a few comments:
1. don't beat yourself up. you can nail the finish sanding 1000 times prior, and screw up at 1001. its the nature of the beast. failures happen, and are invariably inevitable. it is part of the process. learn from the mistakes that were made, and improve from them to minimize their chances of happening in the future.
2. on the StewMac YT channel, there is a 3 part series about guitar finishing by Driftwood Guitars. it may be worth taking a look at that as a refresher course on how to finish the guitar. I want to make it absolutely clear that I mean no disrespect in this suggestion. You are an accomplished guitar builder, and you have significantly more experience than I do in this field. that said, a refresher on the process never hurts, especially in light of this setback. the art of lutherie is a lifelong learning process, and you may pick up on some tips that make the next attempt at finishing easier, or learn something you didn't know that will improve the end result.
I wouldn't bother with primer mate as long as the sand-through areas are smooth, just dump another 2 cans of clear over it and try to avoid level sanding between coats. Realistically a guitar like that is going to take at least 6-7 cans of lacquer to get good coverage all over. People don't realise but there is actually very little paint in those cans. Typically I will get through half a tin (0.5L) of paint before thinning 50/50 so I'm spraying at least 1L of thinned material over a guitar with a spray gun which is a lot better at keeping the material on the work than a rattle can.
Using a real spray gun with an air compressor helps too. A lot easier and better results than rattle cans.
Massive bummer Daniel. I've been shooting gloss finishes on guitars for over 25 years and it still happens to me every so often. Just a couple days ago in fact. And it really does just ruin the day. Once I get past thinking about what a massive pain in the butt it will be to touch up, in this case a sun burst, and shoot two more coats of clear on it all. I just do it, it will look great and all will be well. My next project will be a hippy wood guitar or bass with an Osmo finish.
I find lacquer daunting and I’m not as experienced as you.
There is a luthier in Canada Fred Gaerzak he is an absolute master ! He recommends up to 20 coats of clear seems like overkill but It worked for me.
There’s nothing wrong with staying with hard wax oils hang in there !
Oh nee 😢. I think you are taking the right path to re-finish the guitar. Good luck and it will be alright.
I feel/ share your pain - I've had this happen to me before as well.
I used to do finish much as you did - a coat per day - but I've moved towards multiple as per your reading.
It is more efficient and I think it does end up being a tougher finish.
With the mahogany soaking up the finish - have you ever thought about using a sanding sealer prior to the primer? (I'm not familiar with the brand you're using and it may not fill the pores as well as a dedicated sealer)
I hate when this happens. Maybe you should try using 2K Max in a spray can. After this stuff dries, you can take a grinder to the surface and you will not sand through! Dries very fast! Thanks for video!!
I spray 20+ coats on a guitar = at least 10 cans. All that on top of a grain filler. BTW You just need to denibb the surface between coats. Problem with rattlecans is you can't get it on wet enough. It's always going to be a bit of a struggle. Don't think of it as a finish rescue it's just part of finishing process. Happens to me all the time.
I use House of Color polyurethane clear. with a spray gun now. It goes on smoother and with a hardener. it is far superior ! Thinner, shinier It doesn't yellow and is twice as durable . I have had nothing but trouble with lacquer. with spray gun or otherwise. Poly clears come as a water base as well from other manufactures A spray gun is much better.
Opportunity to apply that extra yellow to the centre....
Ánimo, hombre! Siempre se poner peor...
That sucks massively. But I am sure that it will be even better on the next try!
Sorry man ,my heart aches for you.hang in ,at least it didn’t happen on the burst. You ll figure it out , I know you can ,just go back and do exactly the same spray process to catchup with the top.
So.. I just stained my strat body with a RIT Red dye.. and I was afraid of the same thing.. SOOOOoooo, my first 10 coats of lacquer.. was THICK! I waited a week.. wet sanded.. and ONLY a few little spots. when I went to wipe off with a white paper towel, you could see the slightest red on the towel.. NOT BAD!! So.. I had a few bubbles or low sports.. I scratched them with a little razor blade.. and sprayed another 5 or so coats.. now I am about to finish my finial sand. WE SHALL SEE!! ;-)