Black Jazzmaster Project

Painting? Routing? Set-up tips? Or just straight-up making a guitar from scratch? Post here, and post pics!

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Rhysyrhys
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Re: Black Jazzmaster Project

Post by Rhysyrhys »

Like all good projects I took a hiatus to dump my girlfriend, move cities and all that other good shit.

WE HAVE SOME PROGRESS THOUGHT U FUCKERS!

I got shit wired up over the weekend, splicing together the GFS harness and the old stuff that was in there before and fitting a new ground wire which was painful.

I tested it by putting one old string on the neck and seeing if I can get a sound out of it, more than just tapping my screwdriver and listening for the pop - pretty confident my solder is good, it's shiny and my switch works and it doesn't hum, so successful so far.

Tonight I'm retouch some damage to the headstock, and I'm either gonna find the old tuners and fit them or nip out tomorrow to a store with the neck and get a set that will fit.

TIME TO GET THIS FUCKER DONEEEEE.
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Pens
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Re: Black Jazzmaster Project

Post by Pens »

Rhysyrhys wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 3:05 am
It dents insanely easy, I'm gonna hit it again with a can of clear coat... but like, it has two cans of clear on it and I'm like how much do I need to do? My Pacifica 112 cost 110GBP in 2003 has done 400 gigs, flown to other countries, has had one pickup replacement and has minimal dents for what it saw, I know my current finish on this guitar would relic extremely quickly but probably look cool.
Sorry, I skimmed the thread and didn't find the answer, what kind of clear coat did you use? Poly or nitro?

Cuz it basically looks to me like you put very, very few clear coats on there, factory guitars have like 15 layers of clear on there to make them extremely hard. If this is still bothering you, sand it flat (but not all the way through the clear) and hit it with more clear coats, let it dry, do it again, etc. I like to lightly sand between coats with like 800 or 1000 grit, which speeds the curing along and gives the next coat something more to cling to. My experience is primarily with nitro, though, and dings/dents are just part of the charm, so I'm used to it. Just saying, if the finish isn't as tough as you expected, put more clear on it. It doesn't hurt it.
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Rhysyrhys
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Re: Black Jazzmaster Project

Post by Rhysyrhys »

Pens wrote: Wed Apr 26, 2023 12:38 am
Rhysyrhys wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 3:05 am
It dents insanely easy, I'm gonna hit it again with a can of clear coat... but like, it has two cans of clear on it and I'm like how much do I need to do? My Pacifica 112 cost 110GBP in 2003 has done 400 gigs, flown to other countries, has had one pickup replacement and has minimal dents for what it saw, I know my current finish on this guitar would relic extremely quickly but probably look cool.
Sorry, I skimmed the thread and didn't find the answer, what kind of clear coat did you use? Poly or nitro?

Cuz it basically looks to me like you put very, very few clear coats on there, factory guitars have like 15 layers of clear on there to make them extremely hard. If this is still bothering you, sand it flat (but not all the way through the clear) and hit it with more clear coats, let it dry, do it again, etc. I like to lightly sand between coats with like 800 or 1000 grit, which speeds the curing along and gives the next coat something more to cling to. My experience is primarily with nitro, though, and dings/dents are just part of the charm, so I'm used to it. Just saying, if the finish isn't as tough as you expected, put more clear on it. It doesn't hurt it.
Yeah dude u so right, I did 4 coats of clear and its fine but it's noooooooooooooo where near what a pro factory built finish feels like. 15 totally feels like the sorta ballapark and though I'm totally not about to restart the paint on this project again cos now the headstock and body are good enough for me (and people I've shown, so it's not emperor's new clothes BS, I do check myself on that shit), defs next respray I'm going to go hard as a motherfucker in the clearcoat stage.
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dots
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Re: Black Jazzmaster Project

Post by dots »

kinda diggin the thin skin look. color scheme is beautiful!
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Nick
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Re: Black Jazzmaster Project

Post by Nick »

Wetsand and buff out that orange peel first and foremost. Looks like good coverage and color, just need to smooth it out
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Rhysyrhys
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Re: Black Jazzmaster Project

Post by Rhysyrhys »

So it transpires that somehow I've lost the decal and the nut I had for it, and going to a guitar store didn't help in the "finding tuners that fit" stakes.

What I did find is a dude with 100s of decent reviews just up the road from me that is going to fit the slightly wider tuners I have and cut a graphite nut for it, then give it a setup (which was graciously included in the price).

I'm maybe slightly miffed, if only slightly, that this isn't a 100% Rhysyrhys creation now I've had someone do the last bit for me, but I've also fitted new tuners and cut a nut before so I'm not going to learn much by doing it again and I'm not going out to buy a drill press just for this job lol.
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Rhysyrhys
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Re: Black Jazzmaster Project

Post by Rhysyrhys »

It was 100 buckaroos also, so I think the whole job cost about $300 overall, with paint and sanders and equipment for the body.
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Thomas
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Re: Black Jazzmaster Project

Post by Thomas »

Amazing for the price!!
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Rhysyrhys
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Re: Black Jazzmaster Project

Post by Rhysyrhys »

Finally, its over. Coinciding with my citizenship, this guitar is fully functional.

Sounds absolutely wonderful, I've been lugging shit around all day so too tired to do any videos, but I've been learning some 70's Soul and Motown, stuff like the Spinners - I'll Be Around. The neck pos really nails the tone I'm going for.

The neck pickup is _fantastic_ really wasn't expecting it to be as charming as it is. Really has that Jazzmaster-y roundness and openness with nice low end. I've never played thru a Wideranger, but I'm totally sold if they all sound like this. I now have my own all time favourite clean tone ever. Through the Mooer Yellow comp which I'm still insanely in love with, it is bar-none my favourite clean sound I've ever heard, no cap frfr.

The humbucker is pretty good but nothing hugely to write home about its decently paired with the neck but I think I like having a bit more grunt from my bridge pos, might swap it out for something a bit more powerful. What I will say is that it's clear and articulate, I'd like it to be hotter and have more low end because I still play a lot of heavier stuff and it's fine, but maybe a little anemic.

It's a working man's guitar, the electrics are solid as fuck all the switches and jack plugs are absolutely rock solid. It feels classy to play, action is super low and I had the guitar that drilled the headstock to roll the fretboard again so it's incredibly comfy and fast.

More pictures to come, I'm gonna take a bath and smoke a doobie or something, today has been insane....
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Pens
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Re: Black Jazzmaster Project

Post by Pens »

Damn man, that looks really pretty. I really love that color combo with the pickguard.
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Re: Black Jazzmaster Project

Post by plopswagon »

Looks seweeet! And Congrats on breaking it in to the spinners! Every guitar should be broken in at the factory to 70s soul music.
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