Blackguard Telecaster Build - Parts List

[Motor]

Here are some photos of wet sanding and buffing. I played with 600 and 800 grit last week. There was still some residual orange peel that looked like dried soap bubbles. I went back to 400 grit, and that took me to a flat matte. So far so good. Then all the way up (600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000).

Here is what 2000 grit looks like:




Note the white little pinhole finish sinks. I have less than 10 of these total. They filled in with wet sanding nitro residue:



Here is the 10 dollar buffing kit I got from Home Depot (a lot cheaper than the 20 dollar buffer, plus the buffing pads, plus buffing compound):

[Motor]

There are three cotton buffing pads and various buffing compounds (emery red to fine white). I wouldn't mess with the coarser grits. Start with the fine white.

Here is the wheel all hooked up. You have to seriously crank it down with a screwdriver, and even then, it still wants to come flying apart. It did that one time on me, and I put my first dent in the front of the body. Ouch.



Here is what 10 minutes of buffing looks like. Another problem I had is that I melted the finish in the cursed horn trying to get the buffing wheel in there. Dang. Anyway, basically a glassy smooth finish:

[Motor]

Another problem I had is that I then set the guitar on a couch, and the finish wasn't totally cured, and I saw some indentations in the finish. Had to go back to 1000 --> 2000 grit, then buff that spot again. I'm now hanging the body again for a couple of weeks.

The neck looks fine. I lightly sanded to 2000 grit, then buffed it to a semi-gloss. Looks great. Feels smooth.


So basically, for an amateur to do a nitro finish, it cost me about 200 bucks and about 50 hours of very painstaking labor. Professionals obviously do it for cheaper and much quicker.

Take all of that into consideration when you grimace at the expensive price that custom guitar shops charge you for finishing services. It's actually an incredible bargain.

But having said that, I loved the challenge of doing one of the most difficult wood finishes of my life. This is certainly no poly finish. Extremely difficult. It will humble you.

I want to do it again with a colored nitro this time. Maybe Mary Kaye white, or jet black?

Cheers,
Motor

[Motor]

More thoughts:

I would add that you are only as good as the sum of all of the steps.

If you consider 30 coats, plus tons of intermediary sanding and buffing under varied conditions and mental states, the chance for one mistake that will impact the final result is extremely high.

If you slather on 5 coats of poly after only having to sand some stinking table or dresser to 320 grit, you are bound to look like a super hero. There are exponentially fewer steps where you can catastrophically botch your finish job.

Not insurmountable, but it is extremely hard to do a nitro finish.

I don't even want to think about doing a French Polish finish. That would drive me to drink.

[carbonti]

Hey Motor,

Keep on keepin' on...I feel your pain on some of the errors made. The tuition up the learning curve is doing and re-doing the body (or in my case, just a "simple" maple neck) over and over again. Funny thing is, after a mistake the best thing that could happen is getting it back to square which would allow doing the work all over again! Amend that, the best thing would be to get it right on the first shot.

Nitro likes to sleep for 30 days before finish sanding, the waiting is the hardest part.

[Motor]

Cheers carbonti!

You do the best you can. And if your brain isn't broken, the next time you will do better.

It's all about the journey.

I can honestly say that I haven't done anything that will diminish the playability of this guitar. And being honest about my mistakes with my peers who are ripping out their hair doing the same thing is refreshing.

I can't wait to see photos of your projects, carbonti. Let me know when you get those posted.

Cheers,
Motor

[Motor]

Was bored last night, so tried a weird experiment. My girlfriend has an ugly pink hair dryer in the closet for when guests stay with us. I plugged the sucker in and went over the finish for 10 minutes. Obviously, that's not the way to go, so I won't repeat that.

Then I took the bushings for the tuners and tried sliding them into the headstock holes. No go. I read with interest Ron Kirn's warnings about reaming the holes with a drill bit, as it can cause havoc, so I think I'll go looking for a bonified reamer today at Wood Crafters.

It might be odd to go up to the counter and ask someone for a reamer :)

I might have to word it differently.

[dilbone]

Hey Motor,

I had been checking your build but didn't realize that was you commenting on my thread.

I really like the grain on that body you got...and the finish looks fantastic, I hope mine will turn out that good.
That is going to be a real looker once you get it put together.
Can't wait to see it finished up, I hope the finish hardens up over the next couple of weeks.

[Motor]

Thanks dilbone!

I probably won't be done until late November at the very earliest. Getting pretty antsy.

- My Glendale order shipped earlier this week.
- Still waiting on Don Mare pickups (ordered two weeks ago, could be 3 more weeks before they ship.)
- Can't afford to order Callaham stuff till next month.

- I had no luck at Wood Crafters yesterday trying to find the elusive "reamer." I think what I'll do is get a variety pack circular file set with fine cutting teeth and carefully widen the tuner holes in the headstock. Yet another trip to Home Desperate.

[Telepatio]

Your guitar is coming along really well!

Can I make one suggestion??!? Those colors are going to look waaaaaaay better with a white pickguard. I know the bakelite is traditional, but a 1 ply white would look really stunning.

Can't wait to see it finished!

[Motor]

Hi Telepatio

Thanks for the kinds words! I am really on the fence about white or black pickguard. Of the people who have commented, 6 like black, two prefer white. I kind of think white would give it a 72 Thinline look. What do others think? Black is classic.

PS - I just received this awesome surprise in my email box today:


From:
buck cannon
To:
Motor
Hi there! This message is to inform you that your order from Don Mare Guitar Pickups was shipped on today 10/17/08.
Thanks and Enjoy!
Don Mare Pickups

[Motor]

My Glendale bridge plate arrived. Based on the recommendation from you fine gentlemen, I got:

Saddles - The "Twang" Cutting Edge set. Aluminum E/A, Brass D/G & B/E.
Bridge - The "Blackguard" double cut cold rolled steel vintage bridge-plate chrome plated

Looks beautiful and well-built. You can really see the workmanship in the saddles. As you can see in the photo, my E/A was missing the spring. Dale has been extremely responsive and helpful, so I'm sure it will arrive in a couple of days.

I read tons of posts on tdpri about bridges and saddles. Since this is my first tele, my entire education about bridges and saddles came from you guys. So big big thanks to everyone. I'm pretty sure this is going to be a twang machine.

Now I'm watching youtube videos on how to install pickups and bridge plates:

pickup installation video 1

Seymour Duncan on installing pickups

[Motor]

Just received a note from Dale that he is shipping the spring on Monday. He's great to do business with.

I told him that I wanted the double cut chrome blackguard magnetic bridge. He didn't have that listed as an option on his Web site. He just said to put that in the instructions on paypal and he would make sure I got what I wanted. That's great customer service. And from the owner of the company, no less.

[Motor]

So, I read Ron Kirn's warning on screwing the pooch if you use a drill bit to remove the built up finish inside the tuner holes. Just to prove it to myself, I did it on a test piece of wood, and you can see the results:



That scared me, so I bought a dremel kit and a small file kit. I even tried an experiment with a piece of sand paper wrapped around a drill bit (the sand paper ripped after a few revolutions of the bit, and the metal started digging in and the wood spun).

In the end, I went with a small round file, and it was a 15 minute job with a small fine file that was rounded on one side:


The bushings fit in snugly, but I didn't have to hammer them in:

[Motor]

I got the tuners lined up with a straight edge and some clamps, then I marked the holes with an awl:


I drilled with a 1/16 inch bit that was marked with some tape so I wouldn't drill through. Then I countersunk a little bit with the next size up, because the screws were thicker nearer the head:


My better half caught me using her 5 dollar bar of French soap to coat the wood screws. Someone on tdpri said that ensures that they don't bind up going into the wood. Tell you what though. It sure gets your woman mad. So use cheap soap boys:

[Motor]

Here you can see the staggered Gotoh Klusons all screwed in (no string tree needed):


One slightly annoying thing is that the two skinny strings (E and B) sit so low that they wiggle slightly inside the bushing. You can see the gap if you look closely. I don't think this will pose a major problem, but it would have been nice if they had included two smaller bushings for these two strings:


OK, so the guitar is supposed to commemorate the damming of Celilo Falls 50 years ago (Spring 1958). I like the idea of a black outline of two salmon on the headstock. What do you guys think? I am leaning towards having Callaham put 1958 on the back of the neck plate:

[Motor]

I'm comparing my last photo to the Glendale neck. Looks like my tuners sit lower in the neck than the <a href="http://www.glendaleguitars.com/PFM10.jpg">photo on the Glendale site</a>.

Carbonti - That must have been what you were talking about? Hopefully that won't cause me trouble. The bottom of the tuner slot on the E and B are above the wood, so there appears to be enough clearance. Time will tell. It will suck if I have to sand the headstock some more.

[Motor]

Kicking myself for not buying calipers yet. I'll try to remember to buy some tomorrow.

[dilbone]

Looking good Motor,

I've been putting off getting my tuners put on because I have a couple of weeks of waiting still on the finish, although I did do some small spot testing of some scratch and swirl remover and it is going to look pretty fine when I get it done.

I was going to get a reamer but they wanted almost $20 for it...couldn't justify it...not sure what I'm going to do yet. A round file crossed my mind as well.

My vote is black guard on this one too, or tortoise shell mabye...but not white...

[Motor]

hi dilbone,

I couldn't find a reamer at the store. Honestly, the 10 dollar knock off file kit from Home Desperate worked pretty well. I was under the impression that I would need to remove wood, but all I needed to get out was 100% of the nitro. The fine tooth file is all you need -- medium or coarse would have been overkill for my USA Custom Guitars neck. Once the residual nitro was gone, the bushings were still snug but I could get them in by pressing hard. It took about 1-3 minutes per tuner hole.

Cheers,
Motor

[Motor]

> My vote is black guard on this one too

I think black will be my choice for this one. It's a practical color. Plus, I think the headstock logo will be black, so that would be the right choice.

[jkingma]

Looks like things are moving along pretty well. I'm looking forward to see how it all comes together in the end.

[WoodyDewar]

Good luck on the neck. That seems to be the most expensive part. A real Fender neck is half the price of the guitar, but worth it! I'm not so sure about Fender pickups though. That's why Seymour Duncan is famous.

[ajgus]

One slightly annoying thing is that the two skinny strings (E and B) sit so low that they wiggle slightly inside the bushing. You can see the gap if you look closely. I don't think this will pose a major problem, but it would have been nice if they had included two smaller bushings for these two strings...

I don't think this will be an issue once you string it up, but I could be wrong.

[Motor]

> Looks like things are moving along pretty well.
Thanks John! I love the work that you do. I appreciate any help you can provide me on shielding.

> Good luck on the neck.
Keep your fingers crossed for me, WoodyDewar. This neck seems pretty good so far.

> I don't think this will be an issue once you string it up
Cool. That's good news, ajgus.

[Motor]

These beauties arrived in the mail yesterday:



Custom set --> 7.0k bridge, 6.1k neck, nickel/silver cover for more transparency. Placed order on October 1st, arrived 2 1/2 weeks later (a couple weeks earlier than expected):

[Motor]

Going nuts waiting for the finish to dry, and for the first of the month ($) so I can order my last round of parts. Are any of you guys also sitting on your hands waiting for something to dry? Waiting is tough.

I did order a roll of 2 inch copper conductive adhesive tape from stew mac today.

Thank you John Kingma for the PMs you sent me answering my questions about the shielding. Much appreciated.

[carbonti]

I have 2 necks in the off-gassing phase now. Both USACG necks:

The writeup on the Strat project is here: http://www.thefenderforum.com/forum/...ad.php?t=39729

the blurb on the Tele project is here: http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaste...tele-neck.html

Both of these not quite as ambitous as the one in this thread. Mine were trial runs to see what's involved in doing these builds. I'll go for a complete build with the next one.

[Old Cane]

Too little too late but Paul @ specialty guitars sells a reamer for I think $8. I went ahead and got one. Its my only "dedicated" tool. I used a soldering iron and AR15 wrench to get the ferrules in flush.

This is looking great. You made some really good choices.

[Motor]

Thanks Old Cane, much appreciated. All of your tips have been solid and have really helped me out.

Cheers,
Motor

[dilbone]

Originally Posted by Motor

Are any of you guys also sitting on your hands waiting for something to dry? Waiting is tough.

yeah, motor,

the waiting was so tough, I had to go ahead and finish my build. 3 weeks was long enough for me with the deft. I used 2 cans and it sure seemed pretty thin but it was pretty hard...hard enough to crack instead of bend, but it's so thin...it's cracking a little too easy...It'll be on its way to a relic soon...

Can't wait to see yours finished up

[Motor]

Dilbone, I'm stoked for you on how great your build turned out. Love the color.

[Motor]

Got the copper Stew Mac copper tape in there. Still pretty rough, not trimmed, and not tucked in around the edges.

I forgot I had ran out of solder, so I have to make a stop by the hardware store before I can go any further. I have the wire, soldering iron, and flux, just no solder.

Many thanks to John Kingma for the closeups of his shielding job on the Macallan's 12 Dread Knot.

[dilbone]

nice job on the shielding...I really debated on whether or not to shield mine, but really it is surprisingly quiet. I think it's substantially quieter than my MIM was before I put the bucker in the bridge and it even has conductive paint in the cavities and grounding wires. Not sure what the deal is with that and if it's the p90 or just dumb luck. I guess you never really know until you fire it up. Your's should be ultra quiet with that shielding for sure...

[Motor]

howdy dilbone,

I've got a question for you. Has your finish started scratching up yet? If I even slightly bump or rub something against mine, it scratches or dents. Oh well. Go nitro.

Thanks for you comments on the shielding. I have heard lots of opinions on the shielding. This is going to be a live bar guitar -- dirty circuits, neon beer signs, and track lighting with fader knobs will be standard. So anything I can do to help that will be a good thing. I'm hoping it won't suck tone, only one person seemed to indicate it might remove high end. Everyone else says - no observable difference or definite improvement.

[Motor]

I have to stop by two stores today for some 3M spray on adhesive, heavy duty aluminum foil, skinny silver solder, and some flux.

I faxed in my order for the following today. That's the end of my purchases.

The Callaham people are responsive and nice. Emailed me twice very quickly when I was having trouble with the fax.

$406.75 - Callaham (381.75 + 25 shipping - I'm going to see if they would be willing to put the little parts inside the guitar case to save on extra shipping costs of sending them separately)

$140 - G&G tweed case with red poodle lining
$45 - pickguard - T Model Black Fiberboard Bakelite 1-ply
$96 - Pre-wired T Model Control Plate Assembly - modern 3 way wiring, Early 50's broadcaster dome knobs, slotted screws
$12 - Electrosocket jack cup (ask for slotted screws)
$11.25 - slotted head stainless steel screw kit
$21 - ferrules (traditional style)
$35 - high luster neck plate (custom number = 1958)
$15 - strap buttons (slotted screw)
$2.50 - Switchcraft pre-wired input jack with washer and nut
$2 - White cloth wire (2 feet)
$2 - Black cloth wire (2 feet)

[carbonti]

Originally Posted by Motor

I'm comparing my last photo to the Glendale neck. Looks like my tuners sit lower in the neck than the <a href="http://www.glendaleguitars.com/PFM10.jpg">photo on the Glendale site</a>.

Carbonti - That must have been what you were talking about? Hopefully that won't cause me trouble. The bottom of the tuner slot on the E and B are above the wood, so there appears to be enough clearance. Time will tell. It will suck if I have to sand the headstock some more.

Hey Motor,

My apologies for not getting back to you on this - I ogle the pictures in this thread and missed this post entirely.

Yes, it looks like the headstock is too thick. I recall Tommy saying something about being on spec for thickness. I say "Trust but verify". Well it won't be a disaster if you need to rework the headstock, just more time to respray and cure. Tough to do when the anticipation of finishing, but IMO you gotta do it. It's just tuition up the learning curve. Good luck, everything else on this project is looking golden.

edit: Can't tell how much of the 2 E & B tuners is beneath the bushing based on the pictures and based on how far off the headstock is from .560" would drive the decision to replane the headstock or not. AFAIAC - I know where every flaw is in my builds so if this were my neck, I'd rework it. At the end of the day, you gotta be happy with the result.

[dilbone]

Originally Posted by Motor

howdy dilbone,

I've got a question for you. Has your finish started scratching up yet? If I even slightly bump or rub something against mine, it scratches or dents. Oh well. Go nitro.

Thanks for you comments on the shielding. I have heard lots of opinions on the shielding. This is going to be a live bar guitar -- dirty circuits, neon beer signs, and track lighting with fader knobs will be standard. So anything I can do to help that will be a good thing. I'm hoping it won't suck tone, only one person seemed to indicate it might remove high end. Everyone else says - no observable difference or definite improvement.

Yes, I even had a button up shirt on at practice the other night and saw some slight marks in the back as a result...I probably didn't let it finish gassing out...oh well...It is certainly going to age quickly. It'll be 4 weeks tomorrow since I finished the clear. I guess I really shouldn't have even been sanding it until now let alone have it finished.

Yeah, I'm taking mine to our gig at Grumpy Dave's Pub tonight...I have had googles of noise in that place from my rig itself guitar aside so it should be interesting tonight with an unshielded guitar...

[ajgus]

Motor, I really like the detail you're putting into your work. With all of the quality parts/materials you're using, this should be a real player. Can't wait to see her all wrapped up. Thanks for sharing!

[mechaman327]

This project is looking great! You really seem to be paying attention to the details. I wish I had the patience to tackle all that sanding.