A little update on Esquire #1 after a week of living/playing. I’m still very happy with it! I’m used to my US Std partscaster at 8 1/2 lbs, so I thought the very light Esquire may feel like a toy. Not so. The weight is fantastic, and the guitar is well balanced. Like the US […]
Category: Esquire #1
The main picture was taken in natural light, the detail pictures under artificial daylight bulbs. The detail pictures are a better representation of the colour. Please excuse the fingermarks! So what have I learned? Most importantly, plan ahead. I could easily have finished the entire guitar in 3 weeks if I had been more focused […]
The teaser pic in the previous entry is showing marking the hardware for hole placement. You know the saying “measure twice, cut once”? Well I must have measured and moved and re-taped half a dozen times before marking. In fact I did it in 2 steps – I drilled and fitted the pickguard first, then […]
Major update tomorrow!
So take a wild guess on the delays..yep, I stripped it back and started again. Again. This time however I found the perfect ratio of button polish to meths – 1:2 (double the meths) This gives a very thin solution that is extremely easy to lay on flat. I actually didn’t strip it, I wet […]
A bit of a delay on the build due to a number of things, one of which being a delay in receiving a shipment that includes most of the parts I’m going to be using. It looks like it will arrive after Musik Messe now. I have started on the neck though. I’m using a […]
After a few more thin clear coats I switched to the Button Polish. This dries so much quicker than the transparent that I was able to get a good 6 coats on in one day, top and sides. The colour deepens with each coat, so this is as far as I plan to go. Now […]
To add a little colour I switched to Pure Button Polish. This is shellac with an amber hue. I planned to apply a few coats of this then switch back to the transparent for a few final coats. No change in the application method, and after 2 layers I was happy with the colour, but […]
The shellac I am using is a pre-mix. I chose pre-mix over mixing my own from flakes for pure ease of use. I’m thinning the shellac with methylated spirit (de-natured alcohol for our transatlantic friends) – about 50%. This makes it easier to apply as it doesn’t dry so quickly, and believe me, it dries […]
Mighty Mite bodies come sanded and sealed with a thin oil based sealer. There is no need to do any further prep if you don’t want to, you can just start applying your finish. However, when grain filling it is a good idea to add a sealer coat to hold it in place and make […]
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