SBO 22 - Ziricote Dream

[TFM94]

Also consider that most epoxy continues to harden over a period of days to weeks and it seems to clog less when it is harder. I agree, it's not ideal for a buildoff, but if you have more time and can leave it for a week or two after application it might sand better. I find that wet sanding also seems to work better than dry. The water seems to carry away the "dust" so it can't clog the paper so easily.

I was thinking about hardening time as well, but time is of the essence. This was now sanded 48h after applying so that's pretty quick. When I want to try a full epoxy finish I would like to let it fully cure before sanding and buffing. It could be done in a buildoff, but I would have to plan that in advance, not try to do it with only a week left.

I made the same observation with wet sanding, but when sanding down to bare wood I have to switch to dry sanding pretty quick.

 

[TFM94]

Update #23: The last one before finish

The last routing and drilling work is done. I left the pickup cavity routing as the last step to make sure it lines up with the correct string paths. Also the holes for the bridge are drilled, finding a local library that has a free-to-use drill press came in pretty handy for those. I'm always a bit nervous about installing wraparounds, because they have no sideways adjustability. We're good, though, everything lines up properly.

Tomorrow I'll have one more sanding session and apply the first coat of tru oil. My plan is to apply tru oil films until Monday, electronics and hardware on Tuesday, and Wednesday is reserved for setup and last minute panic.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I do appreciate that you’ve reserved time for panic. Smart thinking.

 

[bobdabilder]

One of the four main food groups panic is. Right beside beer on the pyramid.

I do appreciate that you’ve reserved time for panic. Smart thinking.

 

[2groggy]

Update #23: The last one before finish
... finding a local library that has a free-to-use drill press came in pretty handy for those.

Cool. Around here, if you wanted to find a drill press in a library, you'd have to look in an encyclopedia between dill pickle and drum solo.

 

[Flamingo21]

 

[TFM94]

Cool. Around here, if you wanted to find a drill press in a library, you'd have to look in an encyclopedia between dill pickle and drum solo.

Yeah, it's a pretty unique thing here in Finland. Most libraries have not only books, but also areas for crafts and machines that not everybody has access to at home. You can usually find stuff like workbenches, 3d printers, sowing machines, laser cutters, soldering stations etc in the larger libraries. Some even have music rooms and recording studios, including instruments that are free to use.

 

[RichterScale]

That's kinda awesome.

 

[TFM94]

Update #24 It's getting exciting now.

I've now put on 9 coats of tru oil, and the last one went on pretty smooth. I think I'm going to call it good now. The key with tru oil is to know when to stop and while one or two more coats could give a slight improvement, they could also make it much worse. I don't want a thick glossy finish anyways, and 9 coats should give good protection.

Now I'm in the process of making a nut. I'll let it dry overnight before mounting the hardware tomorrow.

 

[definenredefine]

Yeah, it's a pretty unique thing here in Finland. Most libraries have not only books, but also areas for crafts and machines that not everybody has access to at home. You can usually find stuff like workbenches, 3d printers, sowing machines, laser cutters, soldering stations etc in the larger libraries. Some even have music rooms and recording studios, including instruments that are free to use.

And to think we Americans call ourselves civilized...

 

[TFM94]

Update #25 Knobs

In post #68 I mentioned that the Schaller knobs with a 6mm hole don't fit onto the 1/4 shaft of the pots. So I went back to my beloved library drill press and drilled them out in a little clamping caul made from oak. Now they're a good fit.

Yeah, it's a pretty unique thing here in Finland. Most libraries have not only books, but also areas for crafts and machines that not everybody has access to at home.

That's kinda awesome.

Yeah it's a pretty neat thing. I live and build instruments in my small student appartment. Luckily it's well sound-isolated so using power tools within reason is not a problem, but big machines like a full size drill press, band saw, table saw, or jointer etc are out of the question. While I don't have to use them very often, it's great to have something like this availble.

Now I'm filing the nut slots a little deeper and then it's done! Submission post coming very soon.

 

[Slidlow]

I will use a Tatsuta Titanium dual-action trussrod again for this build, similar to the one I used for my twisted sister build. Over there, @Slidlow pointed out possible seizing issues, but at that point the rod was already installed. This time I want to get it right and properly lubricate the Ti threads before installation. Any recommendation what kind of lube/anti-seize I should use for Ti? Would copper anti-seize paste be a good choice?

I too installed my rods before realizing I should have lubricated. I think as long as you "help" the bend when adjusting and go slowly when wrenching, it should be okay. As far as lube any good oil/lube that will not dry out quickly should suffice.

 

[Slidlow]

Cool! A LPJrDC is on my "someday" list as well. Following .

This is turning out nice. A LPJrDC is always a thing of pleasure. I built this one.

 

[TFM94]

I too installed my rods before realizing I should have lubricated. I think as long as you "help" the bend when adjusting and go slowly when wrenching, it should be okay. As far as lube any good oil/lube that will not dry out quickly should suffice.

While it was too late for my twisted sister build, I lubricated this one with gun oil prior to installation. I just did the setup today and it turns nice and smooth.

This is turning out nice. A LPJrDC is always a thing of pleasure. I built this one.
View attachment 4820601

That's a nice one! As you can guess from my avatar, I do like a matching set of guitar and bass. Maybe I'll have to build a LPJrDC bass someday to complete the collection

 

[TFM94]

This is my official submission to the summer bild-off 2022: Ziricote Dream

It's a Les Paul Junior doublecut style guitar and therefore an entry in the non-bass category. I built a fairly traditional LPJrDC from korina and mahogany (described in post #70 SBO 22 - Ziricote Dream) last year and it soon became my main guitar in my current band. This is now the sequel of that guitar, version 2.0 if you will: Not quite as traditional, lighter, with a thinner body, belly and forearm contours, a noiseless pickup etc.

Wood:
Mahogany body with a bent ziricote and maple top
4-piece mahogany multilaminate neck with maple and walnut veneers
Ziricote and maple headstock veneer and backstrap
Ziricote fretboard

Hardware:
Lindy Fralin Hum-cancelling P90 soapbar pickup, 5% overwound, bridge position
Vol and tone control, 500k log pots each
ABM adjustable wraparound bridge
Kluson vintage LPJr-style tuners, 3L+3R
Tatsuta titanium double-action trussrod
Schaller Straplocks

Total weight is 3.25kg or 7lbs, 2.6 oz. It has a 24.75" scale and I tune it to C-standard with a set of Elixir 11-49 strings.

Here's how it turned out:

Neck and body must be a different species of mahogany, look how different they are:

Here it is together with the "original" LPJrDC that I built last year:

3.25kg = 7lbs, 2.6oz. This is 750g or 1lbs, 10oz lighter than the "original".
Here it is in its natural habitat:

On to the most important question, how does it sound? I made some "quick and dirty" demo recordings, nothing fancy really. There's two clean demos, one with tone on full and one with the tone rolled off. A world of a difference! And then, being the guitarist in a stoner metal band, I had to record something heavier as well.

Ziricote Dream Clean Tone Up
Ziricote Dream Clean Tone Down
Ziricote Dream Stoner Metal Demo

Please excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I have to go rock out on my new guitar. Now that's what I call a super happy fun time !

 

[NKBassman]

Looks great! Sounds dope! Sick riffs.

 

[Jeff Siddall]

Ziricote is just such nice wood

That is a seriously beautiful guitar there!

 

[Gary_M]

Beautiful build and it sounds great, nice playing!

 

[Flamingo21]

Like you, I play Stoner. And like you, I downtune to C Standard. We seem to have a lot in common.

I think it's nice that the two guitars turned out so different. Both are lookers in their own right.

 

[Mickey666]

Nice!