The Brazillian......Strat

[Dasher]

Here is a look at my latest build a Brazillian Walnut hard tail Strat.

I cut the neck and body from the same piece of Walnut. I picked up the slab from Trend Timbers at Windsor. I was actually looking for a piece of Mahogany but they only had walnut blanks. So I ended up forking out twice as much as I'd planned, and the Les Paul build turned into this walnut Strat!

I was going to use Queensland Maple for the neck but had enough walnut to do it this way.

I cut the belly and arm contours today. The neck has pearl dots and the fingerboard is Ebony. I've got Fender custom shop 69 pups which I can't wait to hear.

Gotoh tuners. This is a lovely piece of Walnut. Really nice grain in the neck.

I shape the neck with a rasp, and the belly and arm contours are also shaped using rasps. I created quite a bit of dust today.

I'm still trying to work out how to finish it. Any suggestions?

[Dasher]

Also, thought I'd ask what people prefer. The black fixtures or the white? I know the Fender rosewood strat used the black plate with white knobs and pup covers.

What do people prefer. All black or black and white?

Can walnut grain be filled with shellac? Or is it better to use a filler like Timbermate.

I'm thinking of using shellac and then a thin coat of nitro???

[tklaavo]

Very very nice, that's a Strat even I would like to have!
I like black&white just a bit more than all black.

[oramac7891]

White fixtures.

[Tonetele]

+1 White

[dazzaman]

There will be no problem with shellac adhering to the walnut properly, but if the pores are deep it will take some time to get a perfectly flat surface. I have some Brazilian walnut and personally I would use medium superglue rather than shellac to grain fill based on the pores on the stuff I have. However, given the choice of shellac OR Timbermate then I would choose shellac.
Another vote for the white fixtures.

[stinkey]

So nice!!!!!

[Roy72]

+1 on the white. Very nice indeed. Ebony timber mate under clear nitro maybe?

[Fatcat211]

I would suggest aged white or cream knobs and covers. I think it would compliment the browns very nicely. Beautiful build. Love the gold!

[crazydave911]

Well, I always like white pup covers & knobs on a black guard, but that's me . As for a finish on walnut? I wouldn't go beyond Danish oil or Tru-Oil. Either way you can fill the pores with Birchwood-Casey's (makers of Tru-Oil) gunstock sealer & filler (this is what this product was designed for)


LINK.


If you have a local sporting goods dealer that carries firearms, they should have it, but if not click that link and order directly . Once filled I couldn't think of anything other than an oil finish. It's easy to do, looks and feels delicious , and is very easy to clean an touch up. Win ,win!

[tiskit86]

Grain fill it and clear gloss nitro. It'll be stunning.

[fretman_2]

Only Tru Oil would do that justice!!

[crazydave911]

Originally Posted by fretman_2

Only Tru Oil would do that justice!!

Preach it brother!

[hemingway]

Another one for Tru oil. What a beauty. If I ever do another partscaster I'm going nuts - walnut, that is.

[Dasher]

Thanks to everyone for your comments.

OK, so where do I get tru oil in Sydney? I have no idea where the nearest gun shop is here. Probably out in the bush somewhere where there are too many Kangaroos!

I'm going to go with the white fixtures. Thanks for the help making that decision!

The pores on this timber are a lot more closed than the mahogany builds I've done. I've got some ebony timbermate but not convinced about that.

I love this timber! It was well worth the extra cash. And I'm glad I used ebony for the board as well. A better contrast to the walnut.

Now time for a lot of sanding!

[trev333]

what about Danish Oil?.. that's what I use on most things...

you could try a marine chandlery for a good range of finish oils for timber if the hardware stores don't have the range....

there's a lot of boats/boatbuilding going on around Sydney area...;)

[crazydave911]

Originally Posted by Dasher

OK, so where do I get tru oil in Sydney? I have no idea where the nearest gun shop is here. Probably out in the bush somewhere where there are too many Kangaroos!

I'd look in the phonebook or just Google it Click here. They are all over Sydney. I also gave you the direct link to Birchwood-Casey (next to the pic) if you need to order it directly from them. They do sell it online

[Bentley]

That is a sick guitar!

[Crafty Fox]

Do we have guns in Australia???
Love the build; +1 for shellac sealer with nitro finish, black guard with white knobs etc.

[crazydave911]

Originally Posted by Crafty Fox

Do we have guns in Australia???

Just using Google I found 12 gun shops in Sydney.............with the maps and phone numbers thereof