Jaguar project build!

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
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wademp
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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by wademp » Wed May 22, 2019 4:51 pm

Here’s a photo of the bare body, and the second photo is of grain filler added. I think I added way too much filler, but it should all sand off tomorrow. I guess it’s better to go overboard than to have too little.
I’ve never grain filled before, so it’s my rookie attempt...
I’m kind of hoping that it only takes one coat so that I can start painting before the temps get around 90° this weekend.

Image
Image

I still think I’m going to go with an aged looking Olympic White. That’s subject to change until I spray the first color coat though :D

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wademp
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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by wademp » Wed May 22, 2019 4:53 pm

El Reclusa wrote:
Wed May 22, 2019 11:34 am
wademp wrote:
Tue May 21, 2019 5:34 pm
El Reclusa wrote:
Mon May 20, 2019 5:46 pm
I have a Jazzmaster to match my Jag that MJT is finishing up this week. I really should document and post that build as well. Looking forward to seeing yours!

Yeah, do a build post!
All my parts are in except for the Rose Pickups and the Spitfire Guard.
I PLAN to start grain filling tomorrow.
I’ll try to post pics as I go through the whole process! ;D
I think I will! MJT is shipping today, the pickguard shield I ordered when I realized I didn't have enough shielding tape and said "eff it, buying the shield" is out for delivery today...aside from a stop at Lowe's for weatherstrip stuff for pickup pads (sorry not sorry, $9 for those plus shipping for the same thing is too much) I should be able to start this weekend! I always have a hell of a time posting pics here but I'll sort it.
Nice! What color did you go with for the MJT?
I’ve got MJT doing me an Ice Blue Metallic Double Bound Tele at the moment and I’m really excited to get it in. It’ll be another month or so, I’d guess.
Great idea on the weather stripping! I’ll have to remember that!

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wademp
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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by wademp » Wed May 22, 2019 4:54 pm

N0_Camping4U wrote:
Wed May 22, 2019 3:05 pm
I am biased as I have an Inca Silver Jaguar........ I vote Inca Silver.
Such a groovy color option!

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jmurph
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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by jmurph » Thu May 23, 2019 6:09 am

wademp wrote:
Wed May 22, 2019 4:51 pm
Here’s a photo of the bare body, and the second photo is of grain filler added. I think I added way too much filler, but it should all sand off tomorrow. I guess it’s better to go overboard than to have too little.
I’ve never grain filled before, so it’s my rookie attempt...
I’m kind of hoping that it only takes one coat so that I can start painting before the temps get around 90° this weekend.

Image
Image

I still think I’m going to go with an aged looking Olympic White. That’s subject to change until I spray the first color coat though :D
That's a really nice body! How much does it weigh? How did you like dealing with Guitar Mill? I'm thinking of order one from them.

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wademp
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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by wademp » Thu May 23, 2019 11:54 am

jmurph wrote:
Thu May 23, 2019 6:09 am
wademp wrote:
Wed May 22, 2019 4:51 pm
Here’s a photo of the bare body, and the second photo is of grain filler added. I think I added way too much filler, but it should all sand off tomorrow. I guess it’s better to go overboard than to have too little.
I’ve never grain filled before, so it’s my rookie attempt...
I’m kind of hoping that it only takes one coat so that I can start painting before the temps get around 90° this weekend.

Image
Image

I still think I’m going to go with an aged looking Olympic White. That’s subject to change until I spray the first color coat though :D

That's a really nice body! How much does it weigh? How did you like dealing with Guitar Mill? I'm thinking of order one from them.
It really is a nice body. I paid a bit extra for extra light weight Ash, and the body is right around 3lbs 9oz.
It should make for a nice light weight Jag!

I enjoyed it. The body got here in id guess maybe two weeks time from the order date.

I’ll for sure order from then again, and recommend them. They also had several different options (pickup routes)
to chose from.

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wademp
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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by wademp » Thu May 23, 2019 2:07 pm

Not much to report yet....
I’ve got the body sanded to 300, and have started the sanding sealer. I hope that the grain got filled. I really can’t tell, so hopefully that’s a good thing. If not, we’ll just roll with it and have a grainy Jaguar! Haha!
I’ll do a few more coats, wait until tomorrow and level sanding with 400 and hopefully get the color coats on!

Image

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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by jmurph » Fri May 24, 2019 4:42 am

wademp wrote:
Thu May 23, 2019 11:54 am
jmurph wrote:
Thu May 23, 2019 6:09 am
That's a really nice body! How much does it weigh? How did you like dealing with Guitar Mill? I'm thinking of order one from them.
It really is a nice body. I paid a bit extra for extra light weight Ash, and the body is right around 3lbs 9oz.
It should make for a nice light weight Jag!

I enjoyed it. The body got here in id guess maybe two weeks time from the order date.

I’ll for sure order from then again, and recommend them. They also had several different options (pickup routes)
to chose from.
Thanks for the response. Wow, that's a light weight body! I can't believe the turnaround time was that fast. Glad to hear that you had a good experience with them. I'm 99% sure I'll be ordering my next body from them. They do have a lot of routing option, but as fate would have it, the routing I want isn't on the list! :fp:

I'm eager to see how your project turns out.

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wademp
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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by wademp » Fri May 24, 2019 12:23 pm

jmurph wrote:
Fri May 24, 2019 4:42 am
wademp wrote:
Thu May 23, 2019 11:54 am
jmurph wrote:
Thu May 23, 2019 6:09 am
That's a really nice body! How much does it weigh? How did you like dealing with Guitar Mill? I'm thinking of order one from them.
It really is a nice body. I paid a bit extra for extra light weight Ash, and the body is right around 3lbs 9oz.
It should make for a nice light weight Jag!

I enjoyed it. The body got here in id guess maybe two weeks time from the order date.

I’ll for sure order from then again, and recommend them. They also had several different options (pickup routes)
to chose from.
Thanks for the response. Wow, that's a light weight body! I can't believe the turnaround time was that fast. Glad to hear that you had a good experience with them. I'm 99% sure I'll be ordering my next body from them. They do have a lot of routing option, but as fate would have it, the routing I want isn't on the list! :fp:

I'm eager to see how your project turns out.
Yeah, I was surprised with the speed that they sent it to me, too!
Maybe they could do what you’re looking for if you sent them an email. I’ve seen lots of Guitar Mill/Mario Martin Guitars with several pickup configurations. Best of luck!

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wademp
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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by wademp » Fri May 24, 2019 1:24 pm

Well, I thought that I had the grain filled, but boy was I wrong! I did one coat of primer, and the grain is showing through badly. Dang it!
So, I guess I’ll do more grain filling. Jags need to be smooth and not have grain showing.
That being said...I wonder if I need to strip the primer and sealer that’s already on it, or can I grain fill over scuffed up primer....?

Image

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El Reclusa
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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by El Reclusa » Sun May 26, 2019 10:42 pm

wademp wrote:
Wed May 22, 2019 4:53 pm
El Reclusa wrote:
Wed May 22, 2019 11:34 am
wademp wrote:
Tue May 21, 2019 5:34 pm



Yeah, do a build post!
All my parts are in except for the Rose Pickups and the Spitfire Guard.
I PLAN to start grain filling tomorrow.
I’ll try to post pics as I go through the whole process! ;D
I think I will! MJT is shipping today, the pickguard shield I ordered when I realized I didn't have enough shielding tape and said "eff it, buying the shield" is out for delivery today...aside from a stop at Lowe's for weatherstrip stuff for pickup pads (sorry not sorry, $9 for those plus shipping for the same thing is too much) I should be able to start this weekend! I always have a hell of a time posting pics here but I'll sort it.
Nice! What color did you go with for the MJT?
I’ve got MJT doing me an Ice Blue Metallic Double Bound Tele at the moment and I’m really excited to get it in. It’ll be another month or so, I’d guess.
Great idea on the weather stripping! I’ll have to remember that!
3TSB to match my Jaguar! It's just...classic.

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wademp
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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by wademp » Sat Jun 01, 2019 6:28 pm

After about four attempts with grain filling, I’m finally happy with where it is so I sprayed the first coat of color. I ended up going with an aged Olympic White after all (Duplicolor Whimbeldon White). I’m liking what I’m seeing so far! I’ll put probably two more color coats on tomorrow and maybe start clear coat, too.
Here’s two photos in different lighting to show off the color.

Image

Image

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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by wademp » Sat Jun 01, 2019 6:31 pm

Oh! I also realized where i went wrong with the grain fill...
So, I raised the grain with water, and instead of sanding it back...I went straight to grain filling. Basically I was having to fill canyons instead of valleys.
I guess I was just excited to start and forgot to sand it flat. I won’t be making that mistake again.
It’s a good think to chalk up as a learning experience.

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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by 601210 » Sat Jun 01, 2019 9:47 pm

Did you end up stripping the sealer+primer or did you just fill over it?

In my experience using a water-based filler you really just have to do it more than once cause the stuff shrinks as it dries.

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wademp
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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by wademp » Sun Jun 02, 2019 4:13 am

601210 wrote:
Sat Jun 01, 2019 9:47 pm
Did you end up stripping the sealer+primer or did you just fill over it?

In my experience using a water-based filler you really just have to do it more than once cause the stuff shrinks as it dries.
I just filled over it the existing filler and primer.
I don’t think it’ll be an issue.

Yeah, I’m doing a mahogany Les Paul Junior next, and I think I’m going to try a different type of filler.
This one end up taking a lot of time. Then again, that could totally all be my fault too.

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Re: Jaguar project build!

Post by wademp » Sun Jun 02, 2019 7:54 am

Update: I’m spraying clear as we speak, and it’s looking good!

Since I’ll have all vintage metal control plates, tuners, and neck on this, I’m going to age the paint a bit.
I’m using Watco clear coat which I hear is Nitrocellulose.
I’ll be attempting to get the top coat to check via a hair dryer and keyboard cleaner/compressed air.

If anyone has any tips and tricks on that, feel free to let me know. I’ve tried it on acrylic lacquer before with very mild success.

Also, the Watco doesn’t have any anti-yellowing agent in their paint, so I’ll be randomly hanging this outside over the next month in hopes to get it a bit darker in random spots. Fingers crossed.

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