New Tele Build - My First Paisley Project

[johmica]

I got a paisley t-type body a few years ago that I wasn't really happy with. It sat around in a box for a while, before I decided to just sand it down to wood and try to do my own paisley.

I decided that, to complicate matters, I'd make it a paisley tele custom clone:

... with the period correct three-hole neck plate. ChatGPT told me that the top two screw holes on a three-hole plate should match the four-hole spacing:

ChatGPT lied:

I had great success routing the cavity for the micro-tilt plate:

The next step was primer.

Then the paper, purchased from Rothko & Frost:

Some masking, and the first two coats of clear are on:

That's where I'm at, as of this morning. I'm just going to lay on the nitro, three coats per day, until there is no seam between the paper and the body.

Then I'll add the burst. I've made a telecaster-shaped template that leaves about a quarter of an inch exposed on all sides, because I don't trust myself with a freehand attempt.

I've got silver metallic going on first. Then metallic purple, and then Bob Weir pink. I'm using rattlecans, and I hope that this layered approach will give me a hue that I can live with. I intend for the template to be about 1/4" from the body for the silver and pink coats, and they'll sandwich a purple layer that'll be sprayed with the template about 1/2" from the body. I want just a hint of purple making the transition.

I'll post more photos in days to come, especially once the color starts going on. And I'm flying blind here, so if anyone has any helpful suggestions, I'm all ears.

 

[hopdybob]

is that paper, wall paper?
and if so , what did you use to glue it onto the body?

 

[johmica]

is that paper, wall paper?
and if so , what did you use to glue it onto the body?

The paper is thick, maybe a little thicker than wallpaper. It's made by Luthitec and sold it Rothko & Frost. I just used wood glue to apply it. I rolled a solid coat of wood glue on, using a small paint roller.

 

[hopdybob]

The paper is thick, maybe a little thicker than wallpaper. It's made by Luthitec and sold it Rothko & Frost. I just used wood glue to apply it. I rolled a solid coat of wood glue on, using a small paint roller.

thank you!

 

[NewTimerJH]

Is your clear nitro rattle can? Looks like you’re getting great results already with the clear

 

[johmica]

Is your clear nitro rattle can? Looks like you’re getting great results already with the clear

Yeah, I buy the Colortone clear gloss from StewMac, and I've had fantastic results with it. This is my fourth refinishing project, and I've definitely got the bug. It's a lot of fun. I'm already planning the next one.

 

[NewTimerJH]

Yeah, I buy the Colortone clear gloss from StewMac, and I've had fantastic results with it. This is my fourth refinishing project, and I've definitely got the bug. It's a lot of fun. I'm already planning the next one.

Not to derail your thread at all, but I also use their clear gloss. Can I ask about your process a little bit? On the inside of the curve you’ve already got a fantastic smooth gloss. I’ve been getting a little bit of orange peel, nothing major and once I’m done with coats it should buff out. At this stage how are you getting it so smooth and glossy?

 

[johmica]

Not to derail your thread at all, but I also use their clear gloss. Can I ask about your process a little bit? On the inside of the curve you’ve already got a fantastic smooth gloss. I’ve been getting a little bit of orange peel, nothing major and once I’m done with coats it should buff out. At this stage how are you getting it so smooth and glossy?

Honestly, I don't really know enough to know what I'm doing right. I apply thin coats - I typically get four full coats per can of nitro, and I go three coats per day. I keep the can maybe ten inches or so from the body when I spray.

Other than that, it's just sheer dumb luck.

 

[NewTimerJH]

Honestly, I don't really know enough to know what I'm doing right. I apply thin coats - I typically get four full coats per can of nitro, and I go three coats per day. I keep the can maybe ten inches or so from the body when I spray.

Other than that, it's just sheer dumb luck.

Sounds good!! It’s obviously working for you sir!

 

[johmica]

The first coat of silver was instructive for a couple of reasons: 1) it showed me clearly where the nitro wasn't thick enough yet, and consequently how many more coats of clear that I need before I'm ready to apply in earnest; and 2) it gave me a chance to try out my template, which I think, with a little tweaking, is going to work.

I'm going to apply another can of clear tomorrow, and then on Saturday, I'll start the burst. I'll do silver, then a can of clear, then metallic purple, then a can of clear, and then pink, followed by probably four or five cans of clear.

I'm hoping that by applying a can of clear between colors, it both adds a little depth to the candied effect, and also I'm hoping that it gives me a little bit of leeway, so, for instance, if I mess up on the pink, I can lightly sand out the mistake without having to start over.

 

[johmica]

The purple:

I'll let it dry for several hours, and then sand some of the overspray back, to make it a consistent 1" - 1.25" lip all the way around.

Tomorrow: the pink!

 

[johmica]

Had my first catastrophe. The pink burst went on horribly, and I ran out of paint before the job was done.

I masked and sanded back, and now, in its intermediate stage, it looks HORRIBLE:

I'll get another can of pink on the way - the color actually looks pretty good - and hopefully, with some care and patience, I can get a decent fade. We'll see.

Any helpful hints and suggestions for getting a good burst with a rattlecan would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NewTimerJH]

Can’t say I have any advice, but I have a feeling you’ll recover just fine! Looking forward to seeing how it turns out

 

[guitarbuilder]

I don't think it looks bad at all so far.

 

[johmica]

Taking it back a little further:

I'll put a can of clear on today, and let it cure for a few days before trying my hand at the burst again. If I could get it on as well as the purple went on, I'll be satisfied.

 

[johmica]

Needs some sanding and some touching up, but I'm happy so far.

 

[brookdalebill]

Groovy!

 

[Ted Keane]

Beautiful guitar.Are you going to have a matching headstock?And can you tell me about the micro-tilt.I've never heard of it.

 

[johmica]

Beautiful guitar.Are you going to have a matching headstock?And can you tell me about the micro-tilt.I've never heard of it.

I'll do a standard maple headstock with a rosewood board (bullet trussrod, of course, to match the '70s vibe).

The micro tilt necks use two woodscrews to mount the neck at the top, just like a standard four-screw Fender neck. But the third screw is a machine thread that goes into a threaded disk in the neck. More like a nut-and-bolt situation, rather than a rough, wood thread biting directly into the neck's wood.

The tiny hole is to access a tiny screw with an allen key. This is the "micro tilt." Rather than having to use a shim to adjust your neck's angle (and, consequently, the guitar's action, you adjust the micro tilt screw, and it moves the neck either closer to or further from the body, thus adjusting the neck angle in the same way a shim would.

It's not a bad idea, and some of the newer Fender models have a revised version of the mechanism, but it wasn't really appreciated in the 70s, when it was adopted. Folks prefer solid, wood-to-wood contact between their necks and bodies, and the micro tilt mechanism left a gap, if used to adjust the neck angle.

I'm putting it on this guitar only because I want a faithful recreation of a 70s-style tele custom. I suspect that I will have the set screw completely disengaged, and simply have the neck mounted tight to the body.

 

[johmica]

I think that the burst is done:

I'm really, really happy with it so far.