Andyjr1515

Wonderful job! Can't wait to see it

And finished! I've wired the electrics '50's style' to give a broader range of tone possibilities if Jane needs them in the future and added magnets for the cover with a thumbnail access: I know guitars - particularly slim guitars and fancy wood guitars - and gold trimmings aren't everyone's taste but, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the 5lbs 4oz Swift Lite Mark 2 As always, many thanks for the encouragement and help along the way - always greatly appreciated!

Absolute work of art

Well, it's getting closer. The last bits always take an age but I'd be surprised if I can't finish it this week. Final weight, putting everything left to fit on the digital scales, is looking like a touch under 5 1/4 lbs

Lovely job - I've just done mine too

Yes - in many ways it's absolutely fine, but for some of the figured woods you get an extra shot of wow from the true glosses. If you didn't see them next to each other, you'd never really think about it.

I don't think it is that, John (although you never know). I'm going by the fact that my wife's pottery glazes do the same thing - again when the bond with itself is stronger than the bond with the fired clay. I think she calls it creep - although she may have just been referring to me generally....

With the old formulation of Ronseal Hardglaze, I used to do the basic build-up at about 30-40% thinners and then, for the final couple of wetting wipes, around 50%. But the new formulation doesn't like that at all. What happens is that the attraction of itself to itself is stronger than the adhesion to the surface - even a roughed up one. The wet varnish literally parts itself in random places, leaving deep streaks all the way down to the untreated surface - not usable. The trouble is, using wipe-on techniques relies on the varnish being thinned. Hence the experiments with the gloss version of Osmo (which is very low volatiles and very easy to apply). Trouble is, it's not a true gloss the way it's come out on my attempts. Here's the Alembicesque with Ronseal: And my own one, using the glossy version of Osmo - everything else being identical .... same wood , same pre-treatment: When I get a break in playing the above one, I'll be taking the bits off and giving it a quick coat of Ronseal, just to get that beautiful figuring to pop out.

Yes - hence the mouse nest material shoved in there while I was varnishing

Actually, with the new Ronseal formulation, miniscule streaks is a problem. It really doesn't self level as it used to and as it ought to and yet it doesn't like being thinned either. But, as Norris says, microfibre cloths don't shed anything.

After a couple of slurry-and-wipe sessions with Tru-oil, I've then given it three wipes with slightly thinned Ronseal Hardglaze applied, as usual, with a budget soft micro-fibre cloth. Although the new formula Ronseal is a bit quirky and doesn't self level quite enough, this is probably the quickest I've got to an acceptable finish at 3 days total from sanded wood: After a week of letting it harden fully, I will polish it up properly with Meguiars Ultimate compound but this is perfectly tough enough for normal handling already so hopefully the build will be finished over the next 2-3 days

It's a bit daft that it doesn't say on the website, but I think, looking at the other samples, that one is on figured, flamed, wood and the other is on straight grain. On the teal one you've chosen, you can just see the green coming out in the parts of the flame that are straight grained... Bear in mind that the samples appear to be on maple - the darker wood of your body will give you a different colour tone. Best way of finding out is to put some on in the bottom of the neck pocket. Apply with a small pad made up of lint free cloth and un-thinned. The colour when it is still wet will be indicative of both the colour tone and the depth of colour once it has been clear coated. The colour will look quite different once it's dried. If it has dried and you want a reminder of what it's going to look like, just wipe it over with a slightly damp cloth. Great job on the body, by the way!

It's another beauty, Jez

On the home straight now - the finishing I've spent a bit of time sanding out rough-sanding lines, smoothing curves and starting to get close to the finished neck profile (I'll finally finish that once it's all strung up and playable) and now started the slurry-filling and preparation for varnishing. The figuring on this amboyna simply HAS to have full gloss, so I'm going to revert to Ronsealing the body and tru-oil slurry and buff for the neck. But, I also slurry and wipe with tru-oil before applying the gloss - I find it shows up any missed sanding marks and also produces a wonderful grain-filled base for the gloss coat. Got a bit more to do on the back, but the top is just drying fully before the first gloss coat: The back is almost there - just a touch of sanding work remaining around the control chamber. I will also deepen the hatch rebate before the gloss goes on: Present weight - 3lbs 10oz

It's ended as good as it started. Stupendous!

And looking at that ad, this wasn't the one I worked on, which was the same body woods and style but was a fretless . They are, as I said earlier, stupendously well made basses!

Solved the mystery. It's Rippled Ash, sometimes called Olive Ash

Hmmm....I worked on that Wal, Mick. I didn't think it was olive wood. It was beautiful, though . One of the best built basses I've ever had my sticky mitts on

By the way, they do an amber tinted version too...

It needs testing to make sure it doesn't react with the decal (although I doubt that it will) but I would strongly recommend Osmo Polyx in Satin - you can get a small 125ml tin (in fact the 5ml sample size would probably do fine if it's just the headstock) from Wood Finishes Direct here Just wipe it on with a soft lint-free cloth or soft brush, let it dry and then give it a second coat. That's all that it will need

To my eye, the white macassar looks nothing like Ash - but they are all pretty decent! I'm sure you'll make the right choice

Oh, OK - most probably you are right. I think it would be odd for them to sell it as a nitro finish and put a poly neck on it. Anyone else confirm?

This ^ Are you sure it's nitro? It looks more like poly to me. Same solutions if it is poly but probably gives you more options of lacquer products you could use.

Looking great! And yes, please - more pics!!!

That white macassar looks splendid!