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spankdplank · November 22nd, 2008, 11:42 AM

Here are a couple of shots of my new Silver Sparklecaster homebuilt, and one shot of my Sparklecaster family. Please pardon my poor photography. The sparkles are hard to shoot and I have no skill as a photographer. The body I cut from two pieces of poplar and originally it was a blonde 60's style that I made for a friend. He liked a blackguard replica I did better, so I traded him back for it and decided to re-do this one with silver flakes to go with my seafoam and champagne pink sparklecasters. I shot over the blonde with black lacquer and then mixed "Paint with Pearl" silver flakes with Deft and shot that through a Preval sprayer, and then clear coated with more Deft. The neck was a generic neck from Ebay that I cut to shape and shot with tinted Deft through a Preval, and then did a fret level and dress on. A big fat U shape that was cheap but now plays great. The pickups are home made. I wound the neck with extra tall alnico V magnets, wound to 6.9 DC with 42 rather than 43 AWG wire. It is loud, full and very stratty--very similar to the GFS "fatbody" but perhaps a little more output. The bridge pup I wound with flatpole alnico V magnets to 7.45 DC with 42 AWG wire and then wrapped the bobbin with cotton string. Both are potted with a mix of 25 % beeswax and 75 % parafin. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome and love the sound of the homemade pickups.

Buckocaster51 · November 22nd, 2008, 12:19 PM

you got me hooked!

nice job!

musicmatty · November 22nd, 2008, 12:58 PM

Wheres the sound bite??

maestrovert · November 22nd, 2008, 01:03 PM

i love me some sparkledies, yessirree indeedy !
nice work !

jkingma · November 22nd, 2008, 01:15 PM

They look great.

Motor · November 22nd, 2008, 01:57 PM

Nice!

fenderix · November 22nd, 2008, 02:09 PM

I'm impressed, spankdplank!

You have every reason to be proud - your guitars look very nice indeed.

Gary in Boston · November 22nd, 2008, 03:30 PM

Why I'll bet you get sparkling high tones out of those guitars.............

Very nice job.

Gary

rextasy · November 22nd, 2008, 03:38 PM

Those are extra-sparkley!

lostpick · November 22nd, 2008, 03:40 PM

Oh...mannnnnnn...

Here comes sparkle fever....

spankdplank · November 24th, 2008, 12:35 AM

Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind words.

cmatthes · November 24th, 2008, 01:00 AM

Coolest finishes ever. Love the sparkles, man!

tele salivas · November 24th, 2008, 07:12 AM

Great job, compadre, that's got to be one of the most even shootings of sparkle/deft throgh the Preval I've seen, great set you got there!

HOBBSTER01 · November 24th, 2008, 09:39 AM

How hard is the sparkle to shoot with Prevail?

JoeyV · November 24th, 2008, 09:53 AM

1993 Fender CS Gold sparkle tele:

click on this link for more pictures of my guitars: http://joeysguitars.shutterfly.com/

TeleHonk · November 24th, 2008, 10:56 AM

Beyond the sparkles themselves, great colors you chose, spankdplank. Loved them all.

JoeyV, take care of yours — it is on fire!

the guy who invented fire · November 24th, 2008, 10:59 AM

Very nice! The group shot is killer!

Stevil · November 24th, 2008, 11:38 AM

That is amazing.

spankdplank · November 24th, 2008, 03:24 PM

Hobbster01--It is impossible to shoot regular sized flakes with a Preval, as they are too big to fit through the sprayer. It is pretty easy if you use the flakes from "Paint With Pearl". Their flakes a super small (.04 micron if that means anything), but they have an amazing amount of sparkle and reflectivity and they look much bigger under the clear than they actually are. I typically take the plastic filter tip off of the Preval, or else the flakes will clog. Then fill the container about 1/3 with flakes and 2/3 with Deft, thinned enough so it shoots without spitting or clogging. From there on out everything is pretty standard. FYI--there are more photos of the champagne pink and seafoam in my gallery.

JoeyV--that gold sparkle looks killer. I need to make one of those to keep the silver sparkle company.

Cowboyfjt · November 24th, 2008, 03:33 PM

That's HOT

- and we really do need some sound samples...

Cheers,
Cowboy

November 22nd, 2008, 11:42 AM	#1 (permalink)
spankdplank Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Houston, Tx. Posts: 1,022 28 Photos	Silver Sparklecaster Homebuilt Here are a couple of shots of my new Silver Sparklecaster homebuilt, and one shot of my Sparklecaster family. Please pardon my poor photography. The sparkles are hard to shoot and I have no skill as a photographer. The body I cut from two pieces of poplar and originally it was a blonde 60's style that I made for a friend. He liked a blackguard replica I did better, so I traded him back for it and decided to re-do this one with silver flakes to go with my seafoam and champagne pink sparklecasters. I shot over the blonde with black lacquer and then mixed "Paint with Pearl" silver flakes with Deft and shot that through a Preval sprayer, and then clear coated with more Deft. The neck was a generic neck from Ebay that I cut to shape and shot with tinted Deft through a Preval, and then did a fret level and dress on. A big fat U shape that was cheap but now plays great. The pickups are home made. I wound the neck with extra tall alnico V magnets, wound to 6.9 DC with 42 rather than 43 AWG wire. It is loud, full and very stratty--very similar to the GFS "fatbody" but perhaps a little more output. The bridge pup I wound with flatpole alnico V magnets to 7.45 DC with 42 AWG wire and then wrapped the bobbin with cotton string. Both are potted with a mix of 25 % beeswax and 75 % parafin. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome and love the sound of the homemade pickups.

November 22nd, 2008, 12:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
Buckocaster51 Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Iowa USA Age: 57 Posts: 8,398 1 Photos	you got me hooked! nice job! __________________ "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all." - Thumper the Rabbit "An awfully lot of time can be wasted waiting for the right time." - Gunsmoke's Doc Adams

November 22nd, 2008, 01:15 PM	#5 (permalink)
jkingma Friend of Leo's Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: N43° 11.943 ~ W079° 35.285 Posts: 3,078 18 Photos	They look great. __________________ Creator of Fine Sawdust and Expensive Kindling.

November 24th, 2008, 09:39 AM	#14 (permalink)
HOBBSTER01 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: North GA. Age: 47 Posts: 1,625 4 Photos	How hard is the sparkle to shoot with Prevail? __________________ The Hobbster

November 24th, 2008, 03:33 PM	#20 (permalink)
Cowboyfjt Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: SoCal Posts: 203	That's HOT - and we really do need some sound samples... Cheers, Cowboy __________________ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x32rOKnvGCc www.soundclick.com/bigredsky http://www.thebigredsky.com www.myspace.com/bigredsky

November 22nd, 2008, 12:58 PM	#3 (permalink)
musicmatty Tele-Holic Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown Maryland Age: 42 Posts: 871 5 Photos	Wheres the sound bite??

November 22nd, 2008, 01:03 PM	#4 (permalink)
maestrovert Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Somewhere over the rainbow Posts: 8,024	i love me some sparkledies, yessirree indeedy ! nice work !

November 22nd, 2008, 01:57 PM	#6 (permalink)
Motor Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Portland Oregon Posts: 340	Nice!

November 22nd, 2008, 02:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
fenderix Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Europe Posts: 3,780	I'm impressed, spankdplank! You have every reason to be proud - your guitars look very nice indeed.

November 22nd, 2008, 03:30 PM	#8 (permalink)
Gary in Boston Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 1,131	Why I'll bet you get sparkling high tones out of those guitars............. Very nice job. Gary

November 22nd, 2008, 03:38 PM	#9 (permalink)
rextasy Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: nashville Age: 41 Posts: 1,615	Those are extra-sparkley!

November 22nd, 2008, 03:40 PM	#10 (permalink)
lostpick Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Staten Island, NYC Posts: 1,232	Oh...mannnnnnn... Here comes sparkle fever....

November 24th, 2008, 12:35 AM	#11 (permalink)
spankdplank Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Houston, Tx. Posts: 1,022 28 Photos	Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind words.

November 24th, 2008, 01:00 AM	#12 (permalink)
cmatthes Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: DC Metro Posts: 350	Coolest finishes ever. Love the sparkles, man!

November 24th, 2008, 07:12 AM	#13 (permalink)
tele salivas Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: tulsa,ok Age: 40 Posts: 1,015	Great job, compadre, that's got to be one of the most even shootings of sparkle/deft throgh the Preval I've seen, great set you got there!

November 24th, 2008, 10:56 AM	#16 (permalink)
TeleHonk Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Brazil Posts: 218	Beyond the sparkles themselves, great colors you chose, spankdplank. Loved them all. JoeyV, take care of yours — it is on fire!

November 24th, 2008, 10:59 AM	#17 (permalink)
the guy who invented fire Tele-Holic Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: The ATL Posts: 631	Very nice! The group shot is killer!

November 24th, 2008, 11:38 AM	#18 (permalink)
Stevil Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Maine Posts: 103	That is amazing.

November 24th, 2008, 03:24 PM	#19 (permalink)
spankdplank Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Houston, Tx. Posts: 1,022 28 Photos	Hobbster01--It is impossible to shoot regular sized flakes with a Preval, as they are too big to fit through the sprayer. It is pretty easy if you use the flakes from "Paint With Pearl". Their flakes a super small (.04 micron if that means anything), but they have an amazing amount of sparkle and reflectivity and they look much bigger under the clear than they actually are. I typically take the plastic filter tip off of the Preval, or else the flakes will clog. Then fill the container about 1/3 with flakes and 2/3 with Deft, thinned enough so it shoots without spitting or clogging. From there on out everything is pretty standard. FYI--there are more photos of the champagne pink and seafoam in my gallery. JoeyV--that gold sparkle looks killer. I need to make one of those to keep the silver sparkle company.

2009 TDPRI Giveaway Winners List is available HERE

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