Whoops! Squier CV Starcaster project

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8803
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Whoops! Another NGD: Squier CV Starcaster

Post by JSett » Wed Jul 28, 2021 9:10 am

Looking at the weather for the next few days it doesn't look good so I broke a cardinal rule and quickly laid a couple of coats of the headstock paint in the spare room. Already pretty woozy 🤣 hopefully that'll flash off without any bloom now it's in the warm...

Image

Also snagged some UFO knobs that looks at least a little like the proper ones. No way I'm paying the money people want for real ones these days. After dinner I'm going to steal some black nail varnish from the lady of the house and black out the tops

Image
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
mattador
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat May 01, 2021 1:39 pm

Re: Whoops! Another NGD: Squier CV Starcaster

Post by mattador » Wed Jul 28, 2021 1:46 pm

This is looking amazing, that neck really ups the class of the whole guitar. Great job on the pickguard too, really slick.

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8803
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Whoops! Another NGD: Squier CV Starcaster

Post by JSett » Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:47 am

mattador wrote: ↑
Wed Jul 28, 2021 1:46 pm
This is looking amazing, that neck really ups the class of the whole guitar. Great job on the pickguard too, really slick.
Thank you!

Final touches to the neck before I leave it to hang and cure for a few days. Put a decal on there (I know it's not a Fender, but I had a spare already and I wanted something on there. Also, I don't care, there's not going to be much Squier left by the time I'm done either 🤣). A very very light coating of amber clear on the neck instantly went a good orangey tone that'll match the sunburst of the body then a nice heavy coat of clear over the decal to fix it in...

Image

Image

(And yes, I noticed the sagging in the clearcoat after taking this picture so it's now drying flat to level out)
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
mattador
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat May 01, 2021 1:39 pm

Re: Whoops! Another NGD: Squier CV Starcaster

Post by mattador » Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:02 am

What do you use for clear coats? This looks great and I would love to try something like this but am still scarred by the uneven finish I got on the last project..

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8803
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Whoops! Another NGD: Squier CV Starcaster

Post by JSett » Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:48 am

mattador wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:02 am
What do you use for clear coats? This looks great and I would love to try something like this but am still scarred by the uneven finish I got on the last project..
Just plain ol' nitro in a rattlecan really. I'm a terrible sprayer but what I have learned over time is good prep is 90% of the end result. Oh, and once you have a light coat on there that flashes off...go as heavy as possible with each batch of passes (just shy of running). There's a lot of people on here that can give you better and more experienced advice though than me!

Here's what it looks like now. The last heavy coat has flashed off and hardening. You can see the little bit of inconsistency that a wetsand and buff should knock back a bit...

Image
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8803
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Whoops! Squier CV Starcaster project

Post by JSett » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:19 am

How it stands as of tonight...

Image

Image
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
Maggieo
Expat
Expat
Posts: 13446
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:36 am
Location: Nebraska, USA
Contact:

Re: Whoops! Squier CV Starcaster project

Post by Maggieo » Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:30 am

That is EPIC.
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

User avatar
smjenkins
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1547
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 5:45 am
Location: The Emerald Fucking City

Re: Whoops! Squier CV Starcaster project

Post by smjenkins » Thu Jul 29, 2021 10:56 am

Looks amazing. Great work! I love the cream tuners. <chef's kiss>
Last edited by smjenkins on Thu Jul 29, 2021 1:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
RIORIO
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2247
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 9:49 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Contact:

Re: Whoops! Squier CV Starcaster project

Post by RIORIO » Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:53 am

Unbelievably good :w00t:

User avatar
maximee
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 926
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:07 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Whoops! Squier CV Starcaster project

Post by maximee » Thu Jul 29, 2021 1:16 pm

I love how that turned out! Haven’t really caught up with Fender/Squier releases in the last few years, the whole Starcaster reissue somehow slipped by me. When I saw the picture in your private message I thought it was all custom work.
Looking good! Nice vivid burst!

I’m also digging the new trem arm. Did you cut down a fender one?

I have my Les Trem fitted to a Jaguar baritone custom and really prefer the more fendery look on yours. Totally gonna do that, too :)

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8803
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Whoops! Squier CV Starcaster project

Post by JSett » Thu Jul 29, 2021 1:20 pm

maximee wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 29, 2021 1:16 pm
I’m also digging the new trem arm. Did you cut down a fender one or just change the cap on the Les trem? In mine, the stock art deco style one one won’t come off…

I have my Les Trem fitted to a Jaguar baritone custom and really prefer the more fendery look on yours. Totally gonna do that, too :)
I literally just sawed off the angled part of a spare Jazzmaster arm, wrapped a few turns of electrical tape around and stuck it in! The original one I did it with was really chewed up on the tip so I changed it out for a nice fresh one and did the same.
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
maximee
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 926
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2012 2:07 pm
Location: Germany

Re: Whoops! Squier CV Starcaster project

Post by maximee » Thu Jul 29, 2021 1:32 pm

Thanks, I’ll do that, too!
Might even improve the trem action to my taste, the original Les Trem arm is quite heavy and while it’s super buttery, it’s feels a bit more sluggish in comparison to the offset vibrato.

User avatar
JamesSGBrown
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 714
Joined: Fri May 04, 2012 1:36 pm
Location: Birmingham, UK

Re: Whoops! Squier CV Starcaster project

Post by JamesSGBrown » Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:35 pm

Wow! Just check out the flame on that neck!!

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8803
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Whoops! Squier CV Starcaster project

Post by JSett » Thu Jul 29, 2021 8:58 pm

JamesSGBrown wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:35 pm
Wow! Just check out the flame on that neck!!
That was a bit of a surprise to me, actually. I've had that neck on another project for a few years and noticed what I thought was a very subtle flame but it only had a light dusting of satin clear on it so never really showed up. It wasn't until I shot the amber that it finally came out!
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

User avatar
JSett
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 8803
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 1:33 pm
Location: Old Hampshire, Old England

Re: Whoops! Squier CV Starcaster project

Post by JSett » Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:09 pm

smjenkins wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 29, 2021 10:56 am
Looks amazing. Great work! I love the cream tuners. <chef's kiss>
Thank you buddy. I've been forever in love with Butterbean tuners and try to put them on every guitar I own...so much so that metal ones feel weird in the hand now. I've, so far, resisted the urge to change the ones on my CS JM over to them - although it's tough to resist
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

Post Reply