What's On Your Workbench?

[ctmullins]

Awesome, you’re my hero @Will_White !

 

[Jisch]

View attachment 3487982

whoa, that looks cool!

 

[moonshinegtrs]

View attachment 3487982

Dude.


Moonshine

 

[Axstar]

I have a workbench on my workbench.

It has some issues to iron out, but I've been using it to hold a guitar body while I polish it, so early results are promising.

My old college friend contacted me to get her guitar fixed up:

Ibanez RX20, bought in New Zealand when she was a teenager. The pickups have slumped into their routes (luckily all the screws and springs are intact), the frets are pitted and worn and the action is high.

Some SRV action with the saddles right down. Time for a shim! I've made a plastic shim for this, so I will have to see if it is high enough.

I've polished out the body and pickguard. The pickguard was discoloured and deeply gouged. I wet sanded the pickguard from 500 grit to 2500 grit using a cross-hatch pattern, then polished out with Meguiars Ultimate Compound. It isn't perfect, as the cross hatching is still visible, so I might go back and use small circles instead. I'm fighting a losing battle, either way, as the damage is so deep and I won't be able to get back to the factory gloss of the original pickguard. I've tried using acetone fumes to polish plastic before today, but never got the right results.

The electronics stand to be replaced but I don't want to do that without getting my friend onboard with the idea. They have said 'money no object' basically, but if I can get the stock wiring running again then I will keep it as is.

A nice momento:

My friend didn't know this was in the guitar! I found this under the bridge pickup. Lewis Eady is a NZ musical instrument retailer, so I guess this adds to the mojo.



In other news I have another guitar waiting to go on my bench, and the owner is going to pay me actual money to do the work! My first proper paid guitar repair gig. I'm charging a 1/3 of the cost quoted by the repair guy at the big local guitar store. This next guitar is a bit of a challenge, so talked this guy out of spending 'real' money on getting his guitar working when the results might not be especially good.

 

[Will_White]

Clear coat time, it was a scratch and dent multi peice body with some filler so it's not taking it super evenly, but I like it.

The neck is very pale compared to body, I might have to either oil it or give it a baking soda wash and let it sit in the sun.

 

[Axstar]

Ibanez thingy is all buttoned up and ready to go:

Basically I had to level, crown and polish the frets, polish out the lacquer on the neck and body, polish out the pickguard and get the electronics running. Lots of contact cleaner and knob spinning sorted those out.

Pickguard worked better once I went with small orbital polishing with 2000 grit wet 'n' dry paper, then buffed out using Meguiar's scratch removal stuff on my rotary polisher:

The pickguard and switch screws were all polished up by spinning each one up in a Dremel then running them against a fine sanding block.

Next is this holy terror:

This is an aftermarket Fender Mex neck bolted onto a Vintage (UK brand imported by JHS) Telecaster body. It has Bare Knuckle pickups, but only the neck works at the moment. The electronics are haphazard, and there is a gap on each side of the neck. High action and saddles that won't go any lower.... notice a theme here?

The only time this is acceptable is when it is a Fender guitar made in the '70s.

I'm getting paid for this work at least!

The owner wanted to make a Djent Telecaster, strung in Drop C tuning with some sort of bridge cable for the low C. The strings aren't evenly spaced at the moment, so that will need addressed!

For my own amusement I've picked up a 'Blacktop' Stratocaster:

I plan to convert this back into a normal Strat, at least half the time, by wiring up a pickguard with single coil pickups. Then I can switch back to the HH setup when I want to unleash the fury. Or something. I might end up selling the stock pickguard and pickup set.

 

[Jisch]

Not exactly on my bench, but we got this bad boy today, here's to a cleaner shop! Obviously not in its final configuration. This thing sucks, big time!

 

[wraub]

Solid work on that Ibanez, it definitely looks clean and happy.
Well done.

Ibanez thingy is all buttoned up and ready to go:

Basically I had to level, crown and polish the frets, polish out the lacquer on the neck and body, polish out the pickguard and get the electronics running. Lots of contact cleaner and knob spinning sorted those out.

Pickguard worked better once I went with small orbital polishing with 2000 grit wet 'n' dry paper, then buffed out using Meguiar's scratch removal stuff on my rotary polisher:

The pickguard and switch screws were all polished up by spinning each one up in a Dremel then running them against a fine sanding block.

Next is this holy terror:

This is an aftermarket Fender Mex neck bolted onto a Vintage (UK brand imported by JHS) Telecaster body. It has Bare Knuckle pickups, but only the neck works at the moment. The electronics are haphazard, and there is a gap on each side of the neck. High action and saddles that won't go any lower.... notice a theme here?

The only time this is acceptable is when it is a Fender guitar made in the '70s.

I'm getting paid for this work at least!

The owner wanted to make a Djent Telecaster, strung in Drop C tuning with some sort of bridge cable for the low C. The strings aren't evenly spaced at the moment, so that will need addressed!

For my own amusement I've picked up a 'Blacktop' Stratocaster:

I plan to convert this back into a normal Strat, at least half the time, by wiring up a pickguard with single coil pickups. Then I can switch back to the HH setup when I want to unleash the fury. Or something. I might end up selling the stock pickguard and pickup set.

 

[Manton Customs]

This ones finished now, but here’s a shot from a couple of weeks back. It’s the same guitar as the striped laminated heel I posted earlier in this thread. The inlay is gold MOP for the little bars and white for the M. Ebony/Maple laminate headstock face on top of the Cuban Mahogany neck.

The headstock also has straight string pull tuners, a bit of a rarity on an acoustic!

Pic shows the headstock from 2 angles.

 

[Beej]

This ones finished now, but here’s a shot from a couple of weeks back. It’s the same guitar as the striped laminated heel I posted earlier in this thread. The inlay is gold MOP for the little bars and white for the M. Ebony/Maple laminate headstock face on top of the Cuban Mahogany neck.

The headstock also has straight string pull tuners, a bit of a rarity on an acoustic!

View attachment 3495946

Pic shows the headstock from 2 angles.

That logo looks great! Is that new? Whole thing's looking pretty skookum actually...

 

[wraub]

I agree. That headstock looks great, the logo looks great, together, totally skookum.

Please post a pic of the full guitar if you can. Thanks

That logo looks great! Is that new? Whole thing's looking pretty skookum actually...

 

[Manton Customs]

That logo looks great! Is that new? Whole thing's looking pretty skookum actually...

Thanks...we were going for skookum . The customer and I came up with the M idea for this guitar, though I could see me using it again in the future (was a tad fiddly though!). We were going for an Art Deco look. It's an M for the obvious reason (Manton) and for a couple of other less obvious reasons also. This guitar was a restoration project, where I built a custom neck for an old arch top Melody brand archtop guitar, I also refinished it, plus a few other bits like a new bridge, repairing cracks etc. The customers surname also begins with an M, so three reasons!

I agree. That headstock looks great, the logo looks great, together, totally skookum.

Please post a pic of the full guitar if you can. Thanks

Thank you! I don't think I'm allowed to post finished builds pics here, but maybe as this one was a restoration I might be allowed...so here's a few.

That's a Macassar Ebony fretboard and SS frets.

 

[postalflunkie]

That's one beautiful guitar

 

[wraub]

Stellar.

Thanks...we were going for skookum . The customer and I came up with the M idea for this guitar, though I could see me using it again in the future (was a tad fiddly though!). We were going for an Art Deco look. It's an M for the obvious reason (Manton) and for a couple of other less obvious reasons also. This guitar was a restoration project, where I built a custom neck for an old arch top Melody brand archtop guitar, I also refinished it, plus a few other bits like a new bridge, repairing cracks etc. The customers surname also begins with an M, so three reasons!



Thank you! I don't think I'm allowed to post finished builds pics here, but maybe as this one was a restoration I might be allowed...so here's a few.

That's a Macassar Ebony fretboard and SS frets.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Thanks...we were going for skookum . The customer and I came up with the M idea for this guitar, though I could see me using it again in the future (was a tad fiddly though!). We were going for an Art Deco look. It's an M for the obvious reason (Manton) and for a couple of other less obvious reasons also. This guitar was a restoration project, where I built a custom neck for an old arch top Melody brand archtop guitar, I also refinished it, plus a few other bits like a new bridge, repairing cracks etc. The customers surname also begins with an M, so three reasons!



Thank you! I don't think I'm allowed to post finished builds pics here, but maybe as this one was a restoration I might be allowed...so here's a few.

That's a Macassar Ebony fretboard and SS frets.

Love the laminated neck and the contrasting stripes on the heel. To paraphrase Colonel Potter: there’s not enough O’s in coooooool!

 

[Fat Freddy]

Thanks...we were going for skookum . The customer and I came up with the M idea for this guitar, though I could see me using it again in the future (was a tad fiddly though!). We were going for an Art Deco look. It's an M for the obvious reason (Manton) and for a couple of other less obvious reasons also. This guitar was a restoration project, where I built a custom neck for an old arch top Melody brand archtop guitar, I also refinished it, plus a few other bits like a new bridge, repairing cracks etc. The customers surname also begins with an M, so three reasons!



Thank you! I don't think I'm allowed to post finished builds pics here, but maybe as this one was a restoration I might be allowed...so here's a few.

That's a Macassar Ebony fretboard and SS frets.

 

[Axstar]

Parts Tele is done... it looks much the same as before, but it is working now!

Oddly the bridge pickup was dead out the box. It was a Bare Knuckles pickup so I would expect better.

The inside is a lot more coppery now:

I got back to working on my own Strat, but was let down by an Oak Grigsby switch that decided to explode on me:

Annoying as I spent about an hour soldering it in. I flicked the switch and the terminal thingy popped out and spat out some small chunks of white plastic. I've ordered a CRL switch instead (one of those hunky bois with the spring on the outside).


I've also drop-filled most of the damage on the Strat, and I now have a problem! I've gone up to 2500 grit wet sanding, then hit the body with Meguiar's scratch remover and Ultimate Compound on medium-hard foam pads on my electric car buffer. I've watched a bunch of car detailing videos, so I now know how I should be using the thing. My problem is that a properly leveled, buffed out section of the body now looks better than the factory lacquer. The factory stuff has a subtle orange peel to it, whereas the stuff I've worked on is mirror flat. Do I keep wet sanding the entire body?

 

[wraub]

In your opinion, is the Strat meant to be a looker, a player, or both?

IMO if a looker, buff it to as even consistency as desired-
If the others, just play it already.

Parts Tele is done... it looks much the same as before, but it is working now!

Oddly the bridge pickup was dead out the box. It was a Bare Knuckles pickup so I would expect better.

The inside is a lot more coppery now:

I got back to working on my own Strat, but was let down by an Oak Grigsby switch that decided to explode on me:

Annoying as I spent about an hour soldering it in. I flicked the switch and the terminal thingy popped out and spat out some small chunks of white plastic. I've ordered a CRL switch instead (one of those hunky bois with the spring on the outside).


I've also drop-filled most of the damage on the Strat, and I now have a problem! I've gone up to 2500 grit wet sanding, then hit the body with Meguiar's scratch remover and Ultimate Compound on medium-hard foam pads on my electric car buffer. I've watched a bunch of car detailing videos, so I now know how I should be using the thing. My problem is that a properly leveled, buffed out section of the body now looks better than the factory lacquer. The factory stuff has a subtle orange peel to it, whereas the stuff I've worked on is mirror flat. Do I keep wet sanding the entire body?

 

[dmarino]

Radiused this big ole ebony 6-string fretboard. Sweaty work in a Colorado early august garage.
Time for a neck carve, never carved a 6 before, hope I get it right.
I was dumb, and put the 12/24 dots in the wrong spacing for a 6, but they are just going to have to stay that way.

Tried spraying a yellow-green fade on some scrap with tinted Varathane. Just testing ideas, but I like the color scheme. I plan on skipping the black pre-stain on the figure, it doesn't need it. Testing tinted Varathane on unstained figured maple, I like the way it shows the figure without the stain. I need to work on my technique, finishing is going to be a harder skill to develop than many of the other bass-building skillsets I fear.

 

[ctmullins]

Radiused this big ole ebony 6-string fretboard. Sweaty work in a Colorado early august garage.

I visited Colorado recently, and I will gladly trade my Deep South August climate for your Colorado August climate.

I was dumb, and put the 12/24 dots in the wrong spacing for a 6, but they are just going to have to stay that way.

Not sure what you mean, could you explain what’s wrong?