Body Build for the P-Yama

[lark_z]

I think I'm done with sanding, yeah! Now waiting on a 60 degree day for painting. Hoping it won't be 5 weeks from now.

In a quandary about truss nut access. With the washers under the nut (this neck has some history), the Yamaha truss deco piece is not long enough. So, I free handed something with the Dremel, but sadly, it looks like it was free handed. I'm committed to no pickguard. I can wait and see how it looks once it's painted.

Maybe a headstock nut cover plate? https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Triangle-HA-1003-Guitar-Replacement/dp/B081SZZMGK/ref=sr_1_8?sr=8-8

Or I could set the Yamaha truss piece back a bit leaving a gap?

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I think I'm done with sanding, yeah! Now waiting on a 60 degree day for painting. Hoping it won't be 5 weeks from now.

In a quandary about truss nut access. With the washers under the nut (this neck has some history), the Yamaha truss deco piece is not long enough. So, I free handed something with the Dremel, but sadly, it looks like it was free handed. I'm committed to no pickguard. I can wait and see how it looks once it's painted.

Maybe a headstock nut cover plate? https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Triangle-HA-1003-Guitar-Replacement/dp/B081SZZMGK/ref=sr_1_8?sr=8-8

Or I could set the Yamaha truss piece back a bit leaving a gap?

Paint the whole recess black then install the Yamaha piece where it should go. It will still be short but with the rest of the recess painted black it will be less noticeable. If there’s an RC model store nearby or even a Hobby Lobby they should have thin, black styrene. Cut a piece to fit the gap and use the smallest possible amount of CA to glue it in. Maybe shave the lip off of the Yamaha piece so it matches.

 

[Gervais Cote]

You could also apply some satin black paint in the truss rod access pit. This would hide the little imperfections and give you a similar look to the Yamaha plastic part.

 

[lark_z]

Thanks @Matt Liebenau and @Gervais Cote! I'm going to clear out the pit a bit so the Yamaha part will fit with a gap. Got to do some wood filler work around it. Then it'll all get painted, gloss black. Then I'll decide whether it's good enough as is (or maybe with some satin black) or if it'll look better with the plastic part.

Thanks for getting me past a mental road block.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Thanks @Matt Liebenau and @Gervais Cote! I'm going to clear out the pit a bit so the Yamaha part will fit with a gap. Got to do some wood filler work around it. Then it'll all get painted, gloss black. Then I'll decide whether it's good enough as is (or maybe with some satin black) or if it'll look better with the plastic part.

Thanks for getting me past a mental road block.

Being mentally blocked is my specialty!

 

[lark_z]

Thanks guys! Looks good. Once it's all black, no one will notice the gap. Ready for paint.

 

[lark_z]

It's time for sanding sealer. Yeah - it arrived today ahead of the big winter storm, giving me something to look forward to tomorrow besides staring out the window and/or snow shoveling.

Now, I know diddly about grain filling and sanding sealer, but after some research, I decided that the pine isn't porous enough to need grain filler and hopefully a few coats of sanding sealer will do the trick. While my other two builds look fine from a few feet away, get close and there's some slop showing, especially with end grain.

I ended up buying the Crystalac Sanding Sealer. Sanding Sealer (Amber Toned) Hopefully it'll work OK.

First coat went on 'like buttah'. Sand it with 320 tomorrow, then another followed up with 400, then a third followed up by 600. That's the plan.

[Edit]
Wow, this stuff really works. After the first coat, there were a few new 'rough' spots. Interestingly, they were the same spots I had noticed and done a lot of hand sanding on earlier, like some end grain in the scallop cuts. Just a minute with the 320 paper and those cleaned right up. Color me happy!

 

[lark_z]

Well, looks like it might be quite awhile before it's warm enough to spray paint here. Did an assembly to test the feel. It's just a tad 'neck-divey'. Oddly, the neck isn't laying quite flat in the pocket. Like it has a reverse shim, Sigh. The 24 fret neck and that transition since I 'buried' the neck deeper in the body is the challenge. More chiseling in my future.

Got to decide if I want a black bridge. We'll see how it looks when it's painted with the existing chrome bridge.

[Edit] Turns out the problem was that the neck is pretty much flat with the neck pocket right down the middle and that wasn't properly cleared. Somehow I missed it earlier. We did the filler 'fix' once that was resolved.

 

[Gervais Cote]

Can’t wait to see the finish on this body………………

 

[lark_z]

Well, it was below zero a couple of nights ago and now it seems that it will be 60 in a few days. Spray painting can start!

Fab'ed up a test piece from offcuts. Primed, painted and clear coated. I needed something to test my light relic'ing plan. All I'm wanting is a tad of wear where the right forearm rests and where my right thumb rests on the pickup edge. And maybe some 'rubbed' areas on a few spots, like the upper horn.

 

[lark_z]

Played with my test piece just now. I went too far with the relic'ing on the flat part, I got carried away. The thumb 'rub' and the arm 'rub' are what I'm after. 1000 grit wasn't quite enough. 600 followed by 1000, 1500, 2000 did the trick. Then a bit of rubbing compound. I think this will work and will look better on the guitar body which has had a LOT more prep work done on it.

 

[lark_z]

Yeah! Primer day. Went well. As is typical, once paint is applied, the defects that weren't that visible before show up now. Right on the front! Amazing after the hours I spent touching and going over and over it. Oh well, nothing some filler and more primer can't fix.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Just think of the first coat of primer as "and now we find the hidden defects" rather than "surely this time there are no hidden defects" and it works out fine.

 

[lark_z]

Arrgh. Been warm and dry here. Decided I could re-prime the few defects on the front. They still telegraph through the paint. The spots felt pristine to me after some thinned filler and sanding at 600. I guess I can do more thinned filler. Either that or build it out with primer. The back is almost perfect. Oh, hindsight. If these were on the back I'd just leave them.

To be honest, my criteria is generally "how does it look from 6 feet away?", meaning I'm getting too anal about it.

 

[Beej]

What are you using for filler? Most filled or repaired things will telegraph through paint without a solid substrate under the paint like epoxy.

 

[lark_z]

What are you using for filler? Most filled or repaired things will telegraph through paint without a solid substrate under the paint like epoxy.

I'm using thinned Gorilla wood filler, mostly because I had it and it was already opened. I normally use Bondo Wood Filler. I was prepared to dislike the Gorilla filler, but's actually working well. It's not telegraphing in other spots. There are very minute low spots in the wood that are telegraphing, IMHO.

Amazon.com

 

[lark_z]

Shielding is done. Wow, the MG Nickel Super Shield spray is so dead simple. I'm happy the can that hasn't been touched in at least two years still sprayed well. Thanks to TB for clueing me in on the awesomeness.

 

[Gervais Cote]

MG Chemical products are usually good generally speaking but it’s always good to get such feedback.

 

[lark_z]

Curious how the rosewood would look with white. Hmm - I'm generally in the "Guitars should be black or sunburst" camp, but a white body with black pickups, black bridge and black control would be interesting.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

...it's an Antarctica sunburst. Hard to tell the difference between the shades of blinding white.