Rikki_Sixx Posted February 26, 2019 Posted February 26, 2019 Can't believe how that brass bridge has come out, it looks better-than-new! Amazing what can be done with elbow grease (and petrol 😆) 3 Quote
BassTool Posted March 1, 2019 Author Posted March 1, 2019 Glad folks are enjoying watching this as much as I am doing it 😊 Heading towards the finale in the next few days everyone. The body went two weeks ago... 1 Quote
BassTool Posted March 2, 2019 Author Posted March 2, 2019 (edited) Although I was happy with the back of the neck, the front was bugging the life out of me with it's OTT laquered fingerboard. I bit the bullet and rubbed it down with 2000 grit wet and dry to make it more usable and dull the finish down. I'd seen this brilliant vid on youtube and after checking the frets with a straightedge, it confirmed that the frets were all perfectly level, but I still wanted to clean off any remaining lacquer that remained up the sides and give them a final polish. This is part two, the frets on this Fender were really bad from the factory, and these two videos cover pretty much everything you need to know about checking your frets. It gave me the confidence to simply clean mine up using the taped up fretboard method this guy does. First though, after covering the back of the neck with masking tape up to the edge of the fretboard, I rubbed the board down. Then taped up using electricians tape - it's timetaking but necessary.. Edited March 2, 2019 by BassTool Quote
BassTool Posted March 2, 2019 Author Posted March 2, 2019 I used a combination of Mrs BT's nail file/polisher and wet and dry on the frets.. Followed by some polish Quote
BassTool Posted March 2, 2019 Author Posted March 2, 2019 (edited) Then stripped off the protection mmmm shiny 😃 Much happier now 😎 Edited March 2, 2019 by BassTool 6 Quote
BassTool Posted March 2, 2019 Author Posted March 2, 2019 I finished the fretboard off with a coat of Lord Sheraton Caretaker Beeswax formula. I've used it for years on my Warwick Thumb body and it gives a lovely finish to wood. Quote
BassTool Posted March 2, 2019 Author Posted March 2, 2019 On 26/02/2019 at 08:13, Rikki_Sixx said: Can't believe how that brass bridge has come out, it looks better-than-new! Amazing what can be done with elbow grease (and petrol 😆) Cheers Rikki, brass is great stuff because it can almost always be saved in the same way this bridge has been 👍 I meant to say, there's been a huge amount of elbow grease involved in this whole revamp, I really did not imagine I would sand stuff down - not just wood - as much as I have over the last two months 😆 It's all coming together rather nicely now though Quote
BassTool Posted March 2, 2019 Author Posted March 2, 2019 Time to start putting stuff back together... 2 Quote
BassTool Posted March 2, 2019 Author Posted March 2, 2019 (edited) On 01/03/2019 at 16:00, BassTool said: The body went two weeks ago... ....and came back looking quite differently to when it went away After reading all the horror stories and failed attempts at rattle can finishes on here I thought, 'nyeh bollocks', hang the expense, I'm dropping this off with Rigga, my mate the car paint expert 😎 I've invested too much time and effort in this bad boy to mess up at the final hurdle, and... at the end of my efforts in transforming this guitar, I wanted it to look the real deal... Edited February 28, 2021 by BassTool Photo added 1 Quote
Rikki_Sixx Posted March 3, 2019 Posted March 3, 2019 Have you now taken that maple fretboard down to bare wood? Or just taken the shine off that lacquer? Quote
BassTool Posted March 3, 2019 Author Posted March 3, 2019 15 minutes ago, Rikki_Sixx said: Have you now taken that maple fretboard down to bare wood? Or just taken the shine off that lacquer? Just taken the shine off 😎 1 Quote
BassTool Posted March 4, 2019 Author Posted March 4, 2019 The nut needed finishing off in situ so I masked off the neck and headstock and it was then out with the big file and some needle files.. Quote
BassTool Posted March 4, 2019 Author Posted March 4, 2019 Then onto the string guide - I deliberated briefly over where to put this, some early Rays are between the G and D, I've just gone middle for diddle. 2 Quote
BassTool Posted March 4, 2019 Author Posted March 4, 2019 I'd used the copper tape everyone advocates using in both the pickup cavity as well as the control cavity. It's quite therapeutic putting this stuff in and smoothing it down! You can see where I built up the areas for the control plate screw holes, as well as a glimpse of the final colour 😎 Quote
BassTool Posted March 4, 2019 Author Posted March 4, 2019 Well the rest of the job was connecting up wires and installing the control plate and jack socket, no pics necessary really. After two months, my project was finally finished. Quote
BassTool Posted March 4, 2019 Author Posted March 4, 2019 Ladies and gentlemen, I give you.... The BlazerRay 😊 12 Quote
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