the way i do the veniette look is by shading by varying the dye strength, as well as custom mixing colors to match what i want. sanding back the black before applying another color is a step that most people don't seem to do, but it is crucial for certain finishes, such as the prs northern lights finish(which is a redish purple, sanded back, and then overcoated with cyan. some also include black, as a 3-tone finish) the benefit to doing the burst effect with the dye vs sanding it in is you can control where it is bursted a little better, the con is that bursting with dye is regarded as somewhat tricky because it is easy to screw up and create lines or ugly color effects. though, this is avaoidable based upon how concentrated the stuff you apply is, though, in order to deposit a bunch of dye to a spot with very diluted dye, you gotta let the wood dry sometimes because it will reach a certain saturation point, and it will not absorb anymore once it reaches it. you can also use an alcohol base to circumvent this issue, though alcohol makes the dye behave and look differently, especially when used in conjunction with water based dye mixes.
That looks stunning! Looking forward to seeing what you do with this project 👍 I had a similar problem with the tuner holes on a cheep eBay neck I bought. I fixed that by filling the holes by glueing dowels in, covering the front and back with veneers then drilling the holes in the correct place.
Only solution really that makes sense. It's easier though to fill the holes with Polyester PuTTY. Just remember to first use the version with fiberglass, countersink the holes before and wait a day or to before finally filling the small gaps with fine putty. Otherwise the putty will continue to shrink underneath the veneer afterwards and the position of the old holes may be visible
Der Schreiner it's shame I can't post a picture I'm really pleased with how the curly sycamore veneer went on. I used ply clamping cauls, an expanded polystyrene tile to spread the pressure then plastic so only the veneer stuck. G clamps provided the pressure. Trimming the veneer was tricky as it split in random directions not just along the grain lines I expected. In the end I cut it close, (scissors worked better than a new Stanley blade) and sanded it the last bit.
For string staightness from nut to tuners, try anging the string slots to 'aim' for the tuner post. You can also slightly widen the rear end of the slot to minimise string binding in slot. If you are able you could cut a new bone nut, and if you aren't satisifed with the result, put the original nut back in.
Excellent work on the dye job! One little cool trick: After your final coat of dye dries, take some #0000 steel wool and give the project a rub. It really does make everything pop just a little bit more. Especially in the center where you want it just a touch lighter. Great video as always! I dig the yellow over black.
I'd think this to be a misconception. The higher the grit, the darker the color gets. So the effect of rubbing it with fine grit steel wool is legit. The point is though, once it gets laquered, the laquer deepens the color anyway - far more and stronger than the fine sanding So the end effect of this extra step will be close to nothing in the end.
I think the idea here is that the steel removes a little more of the colour from the more closed grain areas to increase contrast. Then of course the clear further accentuates that effect.
Exactly correct Brad. The steel wool removes just the very top layer of color. Once sealed and lacquered, the grain gets highlighted more. You can use 600 grit instead to get a similar effect. I like steel wool here over sand paper, but that's just my preference. There's no right and wrong here Der Schreiner, it's just little tricks that I've learned and employed and continue to employ. Actually it's quite the opposite, using steel wool is removing color and lightening up the color to give more of a contrast, even after the lacquer goes down, and it does make a difference especially in the end result.
While most of this applies, it would be irresponsible to suggest using steel wool without warning of the consequences if you do not thoroughly clean and make sure every miniscule steel wool fragment has been cleaned up immediately after using. Unless you like that bumpy, discolored, Midwest wintered car rust bucket type of look and finish. Seen many a nice dye job take a turn for the worse after steel wool was introduced to the party.
Good day, angling the strings from the nut gives you a better sustain? If you look at yes, Gibson angles there strings and so does Guild, Kramer, Charvel, Jackson, ESP, and even PRS guitars have a 5 to 8 degree angle on there guitars? Thank you...
That color combo really does belong on that quilted maple! It really accentuates the overall design of the guitar as well. I can't wait to see how the project progresses!
Great vid, Brad, you make it seem easay enough so I believ I could do it myself if I wanted to! Can't wait to see how the finished top is going to turn out!
Reversing the string winding is a good idea, other than that you would have to plug the holes and re drill them if that is the case you can put an overlay on the head stock to hide the plugs
Thank you for creating and posting these videos. They are a great wealth of information, especially for a novice such as myself. I am building my first kit, a semi-hollow Les Paul with a flamed maple veneer top. I have two questions; 1, Since dye penetrates the wood and stain sits on top, can I still use dye on a veneer finish? 2, If I can use dye, do I apply black first, sand lightly, then blue to bring out the grain? Or there is no need to apply black first since dye penetrates the wood? Thank you, Ciro
excuse me, that amaizing guitar that you are building, is a solo kit? I really like that guitar, would you tell me where find it to buy it, because I didnt find it in the solo music gear link, thanks
Brad the neck pocket should never be super tight as the neck expands and contracts.Ive seen many instruments crack the treble side due to super snug fit.There should be some room for the neck to expand during high humidity season.Btw the neck pocket on that body you're holding is a little rough.It looks like it was done free hand.For best results he needs to create a template to. Get a clean route.Great finish Brad!
Sorry but that's just not right. Body and neck both expand and contract simultaneously. So a tight fit is not an issue at all in this respect. I made a kit telly with a very tight fit about a year ago. Guess what: still looking good. The reason, why this spot is prone to injury is when that joint gets stressed for some reason. I.e it falls down or something like that. The wood naturally shouldn't be so tight, that it's close to breaking. Apart from that a tight fit is a good thing
Der Schreiner I build guitars from scratch and it happens.you shouldn't make a pocket too tight or spray any finish in there or it will crack the side Thats luthierie 101.
X H4r7 that's exactly what I said. What's your point? By putting a finish on top of a tight joint you naturally make that joint a tighter fit and put too much stress on that joint. So either you don't put finish there - that's what I do - or you have to make that joint looser to allow for the finish thickness. That's not what you were referring to before though. You claimed the movement of the wood would cause these problems and that still is not true.
Hey real nice project you got going, I’m interested in kinda taking on a project, nothing crazy yet, I’m curious what was the brand of stain you’d recommend, I’m a floor sander, so I stain floors with oil stain, and water finish, or oil, I’m somewhat foreign to lacquer, the lacquer finish produces the bar top finish? like piano finish kinda? cheers
Brad Angove thanks for responding! Maybe consider making a video on this? I wasn't happy with any of the other videos out there and your videos are always high quality and informative. I think your video would really stand out
Yes, it's true that Les Pauls don't have straight string-pull. Unfortunately, it's also true that Les Pauls tend to have trouble staying in tune. Worst example to use. Besides, binding at the nut is the single-most prevalent cause of tuning issues. If you've ever had guitars go out of tune upwards on you, it means the strings are binding. They're supposed to go out of tune downwards, if at all (as a result of tuner-slippage and string-stretch).
I don't know if this will get answered but I have a flame maple veneer about as thick as three pieces of a4 printer paper and I'm worried about sanding through it by accident while trying to get the perfect finish any advice?
I Stained with Rit Dye and my grain raised tremendously, are there any precautionary measures for next time to keep the grain flat? Also how would I do a Closed pore finish with a stain?
Coming along nicely. I know that you have set guitar bodies on fire before but have you ever thought of using a torch to create an effect? Like a burst effect or to create a picture. Not necessarily a wood burning kit but to create a quilted pattern on a body that may not have one. Good job as always! "Hey" from Maryland!
I’ve used a torch to accent grain before. I’ve never done the faux flaming technique or anything like that though. Just some either broad or selective burning and accenting.
Up until now it would have been essentially impossible because they were thin and also had a coat of sealer. Solo and I have chatted about this, and they ended up changing things up so there’s no sealer on the veneers for the new ones that come in. It will now be possible, but perhaps a bit risky.
What’s the white spot in the middle where the two halves of the top meet? Glue? Too bad about all that tear out around the holes for the control knobs. Hopefully it will be covered when it’s all done.
What did you do on the sides? Maybe this will come up in the next video. I would have put masking tape around the side to create an edge between the cap and the body, but if you are going to sand it all off again perhaps it doesn't matter.
Question unrelated to this video: I saw your video on how to draw on a guitar but that was an electric. If you wanted to do an acoustic which would obviously have a hollow body, how would the process differ?
The drawing aspect would be the same, but you would aim to use thin coats of nitrocellulose lacquer for all of the actual painting. Finish affects how an acoustic sounds. On a solid body electric you can’t hear any difference.
what he did there is just plain awful. Why the hell did he not do it the conventional way? If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Best way to deal with this? Plug the holes, veneer it and drill new ones.
Maybe a bit radical Brad, but if I was in your shoes, I'd jump on ebay and pick up a new neck....provided of course, that the pocket routing is standard size. Nice top though and it should look great when you're done
Hey Brad. I bought a PitBull PRS guitar kit with a quilted top. If I painted a design on the body with acrylic paint how would I seal it? I'm planning on using a similar green as you've used here, repeat the process with the black base, then green. Would I be able to paint right on top of the completed black/green stain, or should I sand back the general area I want the painting on? Would I be ok to spray the clear coats right on top of the acrylic painting? Or should I use a different method to seal it? Thanks Brad! Jack ~'()'~
You can paint right in the dye usually once it’s fully dry. Then you can use an acrylic clear coat, and if you want more durability, let that dry for a couple weeks and top it with a 2K polyurethane.
I think you've got a typo in the title, lol. As always, nice video! That's looking great. If the fretboard's at an angle, your best bet might be to take it off and glue it back on straighter, otherwise it could make for some interesting intonation. Looking forward to more videos!
Beautiful guitar finish. do you recommend water based or alcohol based dye's? Ive read that alcohol dries quick but has tendancy to look blotchy..any input would be great doing my 1st dye job soon.
Alcohol based can be more difficult to get even because it dries faster. It’s good for some things, but generally water based is the easier choice to work with.
Great job, as always! Quick question, I just applied my two coats of primer, 10 minutes apart for my kit I am spraying with duplicolor. No issues with the costs, however, there was a lot of paint running out, covering the can and my gloves hand. I shook the can for about a minute and I was spraying outside and it was 80 degrees. Any idea why this happened?
Awesome stuff bro thanks I learned a lot. I thought for sure sanding and painting would just leave it flat black. Also I'm following your frankenstrat video I can't wait for that to be done. Good stuff bud . Good for you
@@BradAngove yeah that's the one . That turned out great for mine I found a cheap Stratocaster on guitar canter so o can afford to make a few mistakes lol the guitar in this video turned out great. Good choice of color. Before you started I was hoping you would do yellow,green. The cats eye look lol like I said tho these are awesome videos. I don't have a shop I'm all spray cans. I painted my bikes myself in the BMX days . After a haro would get scraped up it was time for a new color and decals If I make a video covering my paint attempt I'll send you a link and give you the shout out for showing me
I have a question for you Brad. This isn't an issue for me right now, but the time will come, and seeing as you're right on the topic now, I'll ask you now!! I've seen quite a lot of dye effects such as you're doing here, Big D Guitars has a lot of youtube clips about this, and it seems that after the dye is applied, but before Tru Oil is applied (if you're using Tru oil), then sanding sealer must be applied to 'lock in' the colours. All of this makes sense to me...no problem. The problem for me will be that there is no sanding sealer available in NZ that comes in a spray can. I know that Behelns makes a great vinyl sanding sealer spray can, but that cannot be shipped here. So, because I have no spray equipment available, my only option would seem to be the good old paint brush. The plan (and this isn't for right now) would be dye (maybe ink), sanding sealer then Tru Oil. What do you think my options would be for the sanding sealer? Cheers man.....
If you’re gentle in your application, I honestly see no reason why you couldn’t just use the tru-oil to lock in the colours. If you’re willing to apply enough coats to go that route. Option two is you can seal in your colours with clear coat and then sand and move on from there.
Hello Brad, My question is I am staining a basswood body and a maple neck gray and purple like a burst look. What lacquer and a matte finish for the neck would you recommend? Also is there a Tung oil that doesn’t have a yellow tint after it’s cured?
Im so stoked I found your videos! Great stuff thanks for filming these. I just started building guitars and have ran into some issues and have a million questions. I've got a really cool quilted maple top I'm about to stain, and just watched your wipe on poly finish video and think I'm going that route since I don't have a spray booth or anything. My question: Will the wipe on poly ruin the dyed top? I'm using a leather dye, and in your video you say to use high grit sand to apply first coat of poly to get saw dust into the grain for a really smooth finish. Will it bleed? Can't wait to get going- would be awesome to hear your input. Thanks!
Beautiful work.. Ty for all your help Brad with my project. With the PRS style Im doing would you use an orbital sander for the top for the sand back or by hand? I Dont want to put new scratches in the Maple top..
@@BradAngove but I love your videos! I was wondering something I have seen guitars where the white binding goes a gold colour, do you know how to accomplish that?
@@evanfehr3819 I'm not entirely sure what you mean about them mixing. If you're just looking to yellow the binding out a bit you can do so using a simple oil based clear coat.
Brad Angove Yes, using a small locating pin, stud or dowel to retain the nut laterally rather than relying on friction or having to use an excessive amount of glue. Either danelectro style with a small screw or pin set parallel to the strings through the nut into the fretboard, or a stud set into the nut slot perpendicular to the strings that engages with a slot in the underside of the nut. The latter can be invisible if not cut through or in a strat style slot, but works very well with a Gibson style nut using the truss rod cover to obscure the slot. I have also seen injection moulded nuts with a protrusion in the centre that can be fitted to a corresponding notch in the fretboard or even just the truss rod slot. This works if you have a consistent supply of nuts or are big enough to manufacture your own. You could just glue the nut in with more glue than you would use just to stop it falling out, but as a guitar that sees a lot of use is likely to have several nut adjustments over its lifetime I figure that makes things awkward for the next person to work on the guitar.
Haha well this nut is already glued in reasonably solid. I’ll have to see what adjustments may be needed on that front. I didn’t realize there were horizontal studs in some of them. That interesting. Thanks for the info.
This is awesome! How do you get a brighter quilt or curly maple top like on the 2017 Paul Reed Smith PRS Private Stock 408 Signature ~ Charcoal Smoke Burst?
There are a few ways to do that. I would do my initial accent work with the black, sand back, and then add a touch of black dye to some clear and spray a light toner coat. Then clear coat over it.
Brad Angove it’s amazing how you can get the wood almost white on that particular PRS guitar contrasting with the black on the curly maple top. I’m going to do a build soon and that’s the finish I’m going for, along with the dog hair black and white on the back. Thanks for the response, awesome guitar work you do! 🍻
@@BradAngove I just dyed a PRS copy. Does the flamed Maple veneer needs sanding sealer? I will be spraying water based poly and I'm concerned if the water based dye will bleed. Should I mist spray initially?
@@BradAngove I have Aqua Coat Clear Grain filler. I'm making a keyboard tray for my wife out of figured maple I was thinking about doing the dyes first, then the grain filler, and finally using a polyurethane. Sound reasonable?
1:55 "Of course when you look at, for example, a Gibson Les Paul, they don't have ANY straight string pull." That's right. That's why they aren't known for staying in tune. 😂
Man, that turned out really cool!
Awesome job Brad!
Thanks Darrell. I’m glad you like the effect.
Darrell Braun Guitar and Brad I always watch your youtube videos... a fan here from philippines :)
Your tips have helped me so much on my first Telecaster build. Can't wait to learn more and produce some great work like you. Cheers
I’m glad you’ve found them helpful. Cheers.
the way i do the veniette look is by shading by varying the dye strength, as well as custom mixing colors to match what i want. sanding back the black before applying another color is a step that most people don't seem to do, but it is crucial for certain finishes, such as the prs northern lights finish(which is a redish purple, sanded back, and then overcoated with cyan. some also include black, as a 3-tone finish)
the benefit to doing the burst effect with the dye vs sanding it in is you can control where it is bursted a little better, the con is that bursting with dye is regarded as somewhat tricky because it is easy to screw up and create lines or ugly color effects. though, this is avaoidable based upon how concentrated the stuff you apply is, though, in order to deposit a bunch of dye to a spot with very diluted dye, you gotta let the wood dry sometimes because it will reach a certain saturation point, and it will not absorb anymore once it reaches it. you can also use an alcohol base to circumvent this issue, though alcohol makes the dye behave and look differently, especially when used in conjunction with water based dye mixes.
Nice flame top, but this body shape...
This one is a quilted top.
@@BradAngove Avoiding criticism 101
Just pointing out the facts haha. He’s not criticizing me. I made it pretty clear that I didn’t design the body.
@@BradAngove are the pickups installed in the back? Is that even possible?
It’s possible. You need strong pickups and your strings need to be close to the top, but it’s possible.
That looks stunning! Looking forward to seeing what you do with this project 👍
I had a similar problem with the tuner holes on a cheep eBay neck I bought. I fixed that by filling the holes by glueing dowels in, covering the front and back with veneers then drilling the holes in the correct place.
Wow, that’s quite the fix haha. That would definitely do it.
Only solution really
that makes sense.
It's easier though to fill the holes with Polyester PuTTY.
Just remember to first use the version with fiberglass, countersink the holes before and wait a day or to before finally filling the small gaps with fine putty.
Otherwise the putty will continue to shrink underneath the veneer afterwards and the position of the old holes may be visible
Doing that veneer thing isn't that hard actually and doesn't take up a lot of time.
It's just as easy as staining:-)
Der Schreiner it's shame I can't post a picture I'm really pleased with how the curly sycamore veneer went on. I used ply clamping cauls, an expanded polystyrene tile to spread the pressure then plastic so only the veneer stuck. G clamps provided the pressure.
Trimming the veneer was tricky as it split in random directions not just along the grain lines I expected. In the end I cut it close, (scissors worked better than a new Stanley blade) and sanded it the last bit.
Biohazard finish. Around about 10 minutes when that final dye went on it really leapt out at me.
I've been waiting for this video! Hell yeah brad.
man this is amazing! I'm a madman and gonna do the same to my rickenbackers. thin coats like this over beautiful maple are what all guitars should be!
Anything except black for a base color. A blue or purple or charcoal brown so dark it is almost black makes a more "live" blend with the top color.
For string staightness from nut to tuners, try anging the string slots to 'aim' for the tuner post.
You can also slightly widen the rear end of the slot to minimise string binding in slot.
If you are able you could cut a new bone nut, and if you aren't satisifed with the result, put the original nut back in.
It really doesn't get better than a dyed cap, in my opinion. Beautiful work!
Excellent work on the dye job! One little cool trick: After your final coat of dye dries, take some #0000 steel wool and give the project a rub. It really does make everything pop just a little bit more. Especially in the center where you want it just a touch lighter. Great video as always! I dig the yellow over black.
Thanks Dave. I’ve never heard of that trick before. I’ll give it a try.
I'd think this to be a misconception.
The higher the grit, the darker the color gets. So the effect of rubbing it with fine grit steel wool is legit.
The point is though, once it gets laquered, the laquer deepens the color anyway - far more and stronger than the fine sanding
So the end effect of this extra step will be close to nothing in the end.
I think the idea here is that the steel removes a little more of the colour from the more closed grain areas to increase contrast. Then of course the clear further accentuates that effect.
Exactly correct Brad. The steel wool removes just the very top layer of color. Once sealed and lacquered, the grain gets highlighted more. You can use 600 grit instead to get a similar effect. I like steel wool here over sand paper, but that's just my preference. There's no right and wrong here Der Schreiner, it's just little tricks that I've learned and employed and continue to employ. Actually it's quite the opposite, using steel wool is removing color and lightening up the color to give more of a contrast, even after the lacquer goes down, and it does make a difference especially in the end result.
While most of this applies, it would be irresponsible to suggest using steel wool without warning of the consequences if you do not thoroughly clean and make sure every miniscule steel wool fragment has been cleaned up immediately after using. Unless you like that bumpy, discolored, Midwest wintered car rust bucket type of look and finish. Seen many a nice dye job take a turn for the worse after steel wool was introduced to the party.
That looks awesome! Can’t wait to see what you put in it!
How come the neck pocket was routed incorrectly? The pickups are routed on the back of the guitar instead of the front. What am I missing here?
Did I not address that in the video?
Good day, angling the strings from the nut gives you a better sustain? If you look at yes, Gibson angles there strings and so does Guild, Kramer, Charvel, Jackson, ESP, and even PRS guitars have a 5 to 8 degree angle on there guitars? Thank you...
I have never seen anything to suggest that that improves sustain.
Maybe you need to reverse string wound at tuning peg to solve that problem
That's what I was thinking also.
Yeah, that might help at least.
That color combo really does belong on that quilted maple! It really accentuates the overall design of the guitar as well. I can't wait to see how the project progresses!
Thanks Mark. I figured something like this would make sense with that body shape.
Brad Angove didn't think so to begin with
But now strangely I agree.
This is the toxic hero!
The shape isn’t exactly classic haha. I figured an aggressive colour due job would fit the bill so to speak.
What kind of stains did you use?
Great vid, Brad, you make it seem easay enough so I believ I could do it myself if I wanted to! Can't wait to see how the finished top is going to turn out!
I’m quite certain you could do it yourself if you wanted to!
Reversing the string winding is a good idea, other than that you would have to plug the holes and re drill them if that is the case you can put an overlay on the head stock to hide the plugs
Yeah, that’s would do it. I think I can get this dealt with just with a possible but replacement hopefully.
I have a guitar that i need to coat. The top is just stained wood and the rest is spray painted. Do you reccomend 2k?
I like the shape that you ended up with, really cool
Thanks David.
Good job man! Love the body shape! Very original!
Thank you.
Yes. Nice shape.
And great work Brad as always.
AWESOME JOB!!! GREAT WAY TO BRING OUT THE GRAIN PATTERN!! THANKS AGAIN , BRAD!
I DID NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH THE TUNNING ,BUT U COULD ALWAYS BUY A LOCKING TUNER NUT; LIKE ON A FLOYD ROSE!!
ONE LAST THING, IF ANYONE HAS QUESTIONS OR INQUIRY; PLEASE TEXT AT THAT NUMBER!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!
Thanks Michael.
Is there a follow up to this video? Would like to see how it was finished.
There isn’t. I had some issues with this one.
Thank you for creating and posting these videos. They are a great wealth of information, especially for a novice such as myself.
I am building my first kit, a semi-hollow Les Paul with a flamed maple veneer top. I have two questions;
1, Since dye penetrates the wood and stain sits on top, can I still use dye on a veneer finish?
2, If I can use dye, do I apply black first, sand lightly, then blue to bring out the grain? Or there is no need to apply black first since dye penetrates the wood?
Thank you,
Ciro
1. I use dye on veneers.
2. It depends on your desired look. Both options work, but they look a bit different.
The black dye bled past the maple top, so how did you deal with the uneven stain on the side?
My plan was simply to paint the sides. If you’re looking for a clean line, tap off the top and seal the sides, the;do your dye work.
I wanna re-stain an old guitar but how would go about removing the clear coat?
Have a look at my video on how to remove the paint from your guitar.
Awesome work. It turned out beautiful.
Thanks Jeff.
That top looks amazing love the toxic yellow! Maybe glue the neck in then you can to a nice comfort carve for the higher frets!
He’s actually got things carved away pretty good in the back. I may yet do that though.
excuse me, that amaizing guitar that you are building, is a solo kit? I really like that guitar, would you tell me where find it to buy it, because I didnt find it in the solo music gear link, thanks
@5:37 what happens if you used a red sanded then used red on top again
You would have a red with accented deep grain.
Was that neck originally intended to be a 7 string but the person making it changed their minds - hence the strange tuner positioning?
I get the sense this was mostly built freehand and that accounts for some of the odd positioning etc.
Brad the neck pocket should never be super tight as the neck expands and contracts.Ive seen many instruments crack the treble side due to super snug fit.There should be some room for the neck to expand during high humidity season.Btw the neck pocket on that body you're holding is a little rough.It looks like it was done free hand.For best results he needs to create a template to. Get a clean route.Great finish Brad!
If you seal the neck that shouldn’t really be an issue, but I take your point.
Yes, a routing template would have been helpful here for sure.
Sorry but that's just not right.
Body and neck both expand and contract simultaneously.
So a tight fit is not an issue at all in this respect.
I made a kit telly with a very tight fit about a year ago.
Guess what: still looking good.
The reason, why this spot is prone to injury is when that joint gets stressed for some reason. I.e it falls down or something like that.
The wood naturally shouldn't be so tight, that it's close to breaking.
Apart from that a tight fit is a good thing
Der Schreiner I build guitars from scratch and it happens.you shouldn't make a pocket too tight or spray any finish in there or it will crack the side Thats luthierie 101.
X H4r7 that's exactly what I said.
What's your point?
By putting a finish on top of a tight joint you naturally make that joint a tighter fit and put too much stress on that joint.
So either you don't put finish there - that's what I do - or you have to make that joint looser to allow for the finish thickness.
That's not what you were referring to before though.
You claimed the movement of the wood would cause these problems and that still is not true.
Looking awesome Brad, bet its a killer by the time you have finished it, Cheers
Thanks again for sharing the info brad & I like your idea for colors on it. :)
Thanks Terry.
Hey real nice project you got going, I’m interested in kinda taking on a project, nothing crazy yet, I’m curious what was the brand of stain you’d recommend, I’m a floor sander, so I stain floors with oil stain, and water finish, or oil, I’m somewhat foreign to lacquer, the lacquer finish produces the bar top finish? like piano finish kinda? cheers
Are you looking to stain first and then lacquer after?
Man That’s sweet 👍👍🎶🎶🎸
Thanks John
Simply awesome
Do you know how to protect sharpie signatures on a pick guard? I've heard poly can make it bleed and I don't know about poly on a pick guard
Start with some adhesion promoter and then clear coat with acrylic.
Brad Angove thanks for responding! Maybe consider making a video on this? I wasn't happy with any of the other videos out there and your videos are always high quality and informative. I think your video would really stand out
Good idea. I’ll add it to my list.
Yes, it's true that Les Pauls don't have straight string-pull. Unfortunately, it's also true that Les Pauls tend to have trouble staying in tune. Worst example to use. Besides, binding at the nut is the single-most prevalent cause of tuning issues. If you've ever had guitars go out of tune upwards on you, it means the strings are binding. They're supposed to go out of tune downwards, if at all (as a result of tuner-slippage and string-stretch).
I don't know if this will get answered but I have a flame maple veneer about as thick as three pieces of a4 printer paper and I'm worried about sanding through it by accident while trying to get the perfect finish any advice?
Is it sealed, or raw?
@@BradAngove I haven't glued it on yet if that's what you mean; I can feel the fairly rough grains as I touch it so I assume its raw.
Ok. Have a look through my recent videos. I did a dye job on flamed maple veneer quite recently. The colours turned out quite nice.
I Stained with Rit Dye and my grain raised tremendously, are there any precautionary measures for next time to keep the grain flat? Also how would I do a Closed pore finish with a stain?
You should raise the grain first by misting a bit of water on it, then lightly sand it smooth before using your dye.
Yea I’ve never been big on small body guitars but I guess as long as it plays good
Hey I have a question could you use food coloring to get a burst
You could, but it will probably fade fairly quickly.
Coming along nicely.
I know that you have set guitar bodies on fire before but have you ever thought of using a torch to create an effect? Like a burst effect or to create a picture. Not necessarily a wood burning kit but to create a quilted pattern on a body that may not have one. Good job as always! "Hey" from Maryland!
I’ve used a torch to accent grain before. I’ve never done the faux flaming technique or anything like that though. Just some either broad or selective burning and accenting.
I'm thinking not, but could this technique be used on the Solo guitar kits or are the veneer tops way too thin for that?
Up until now it would have been essentially impossible because they were thin and also had a coat of sealer. Solo and I have chatted about this, and they ended up changing things up so there’s no sealer on the veneers for the new ones that come in. It will now be possible, but perhaps a bit risky.
What’s the white spot in the middle where the two halves of the top meet? Glue?
Too bad about all that tear out around the holes for the control knobs. Hopefully it will be covered when it’s all done.
Yeah, I assume that’s glue. I have a solution in mind which should be interesting.
What kind of paint u used?
What did you do on the sides? Maybe this will come up in the next video. I would have put masking tape around the side to create an edge between the cap and the body, but if you are going to sand it all off again perhaps it doesn't matter.
I’ll be blacking out the back and sides, so there was no need for tape in this case, but it’s often a good idea.
You wiped down the body at the beginning. Using what?
Wax and grease remover
Question unrelated to this video: I saw your video on how to draw on a guitar but that was an electric. If you wanted to do an acoustic which would obviously have a hollow body, how would the process differ?
The drawing aspect would be the same, but you would aim to use thin coats of nitrocellulose lacquer for all of the actual painting. Finish affects how an acoustic sounds. On a solid body electric you can’t hear any difference.
Obviously I'm not looking at the headstock closely but off the cuff, if you reverse wind your strings they may line up much better with the nut slots
That would help to some extent I think.
what he did there is just plain awful.
Why the hell did he not do it the conventional way?
If it ain't broken, don't fix it.
Best way to deal with this?
Plug the holes, veneer it and drill new ones.
Der Schreiner good idea
Maybe a bit radical Brad, but if I was in your shoes, I'd jump on ebay and pick up a new neck....provided of course, that the pocket routing is standard size. Nice top though and it should look great when you're done
The pocket is hand routed with no template haha. Definitely not standard size.
Hey Brad. I bought a PitBull PRS guitar kit with a quilted top.
If I painted a design on the body with acrylic paint how would I seal it? I'm planning on using a similar green as you've used here, repeat the process with the black base, then green.
Would I be able to paint right on top of the completed black/green stain, or should I sand back the general area I want the painting on?
Would I be ok to spray the clear coats right on top of the acrylic painting? Or should I use a different method to seal it?
Thanks Brad!
Jack ~'()'~
You can paint right in the dye usually once it’s fully dry. Then you can use an acrylic clear coat, and if you want more durability, let that dry for a couple weeks and top it with a 2K polyurethane.
@@BradAngove Thanks brother!
Jack ~'()'~
hi brad, what grade sandpaper did you use on this?
400 I think.
tnx, good vid!
I think you've got a typo in the title, lol. As always, nice video! That's looking great. If the fretboard's at an angle, your best bet might be to take it off and glue it back on straighter, otherwise it could make for some interesting intonation. Looking forward to more videos!
Haha thanks. That’s what happens when you upload at 1:30am...
Sounds like he keeps saying "bell end" lol
Beautiful guitar finish. do you recommend water based or alcohol based dye's? Ive read that alcohol dries quick but has tendancy to look blotchy..any input would be great doing my 1st dye job soon.
Alcohol based can be more difficult to get even because it dries faster. It’s good for some things, but generally water based is the easier choice to work with.
Great job, as always! Quick question, I just applied my two coats of primer, 10 minutes apart for my kit I am spraying with duplicolor. No issues with the costs, however, there was a lot of paint running out, covering the can and my gloves hand. I shook the can for about a minute and I was spraying outside and it was 80 degrees. Any idea why this happened?
Is there any chance your finger was curled around the tip of the nozzle ever so slightly?
Brad Angove Perhaps, I will watch out for that when I apply the paint. Primer went on smooth was just a messy can after :)
Awesome stuff bro thanks I learned a lot. I thought for sure sanding and painting would just leave it flat black. Also I'm following your frankenstrat video I can't wait for that to be done. Good stuff bud . Good for you
Thanks man. I assume you mean the new Stratocaster kit build and not the older frankenstrat paint job series?
@@BradAngove yeah that's the one . That turned out great for mine I found a cheap Stratocaster on guitar canter so o can afford to make a few mistakes lol the guitar in this video turned out great. Good choice of color. Before you started I was hoping you would do yellow,green. The cats eye look lol like I said tho these are awesome videos. I don't have a shop I'm all spray cans. I painted my bikes myself in the BMX days . After a haro would get scraped up it was time for a new color and decals
If I make a video covering my paint attempt I'll send you a link and give you the shout out for showing me
nice.i like this color.very cool..
Hey Brad, am I crazy to think I could use an artist’s Acrylic paint as a dye?
Well, that’s a paint and not a dye. You could certainly use it as a paint haha.
Hey Michael Pay, when's the nex Pranksmorfers movie, eeeyyy?!
Could you also use a very Dark Green with The yellow for the same effect...or is Black best for the Dark first.
It would be a marginally different effect. I’m not sure I’d call it better or worse per se, just a bit different.
Looks great man! Love it!
Thanks man.
Brad Angove happy 4th!
Happy 4th what?
Brad Angove of July! I had to switch devices to reply but I guess Happy 5th now. Cheers!
Oh, I see. It’s the 6th now though haha.
I’m more of a July 1st guy personally.
I like that shape you chose for the body. I'd love to see a black followed by white. Isn't a beignet a type of bread?
beignet? Not sure what part you’re referring to. Was I perhaps saying vignette?
When you did the sand backs, what grit did you use? And did you pre-treat with a grain filler or sealer or anything?
600 grit. No pre-treatment.
@@BradAngove Cool, thanks for the info.
another kick ass video!!!
Glad you like it.
What rotary sander are you using?
It’s a dual action orbital. I forget the name off the top of my head, but there are several similar ones.
I have a question for you Brad. This isn't an issue for me right now, but the time will come, and seeing as you're right on the topic now, I'll ask you now!! I've seen quite a lot of dye effects such as you're doing here, Big D Guitars has a lot of youtube clips about this, and it seems that after the dye is applied, but before Tru Oil is applied (if you're using Tru oil), then sanding sealer must be applied to 'lock in' the colours. All of this makes sense to me...no problem. The problem for me will be that there is no sanding sealer available in NZ that comes in a spray can. I know that Behelns makes a great vinyl sanding sealer spray can, but that cannot be shipped here. So, because I have no spray equipment available, my only option would seem to be the good old paint brush.
The plan (and this isn't for right now) would be dye (maybe ink), sanding sealer then Tru Oil. What do you think my options would be for the sanding sealer?
Cheers man.....
If you’re gentle in your application, I honestly see no reason why you couldn’t just use the tru-oil to lock in the colours. If you’re willing to apply enough coats to go that route. Option two is you can seal in your colours with clear coat and then sand and move on from there.
Great...there's a couple of ideas I can test to see which one would suit best. Perfect. Thank you :)
You’re welcome. Let me know how it goes.
Hello Brad, My question is I am staining a basswood body and a maple neck gray and purple like a burst look. What lacquer and a matte finish for the neck would you recommend? Also is there a Tung oil that doesn’t have a yellow tint after it’s cured?
Tung oil always has some amber to it. There are certainly other finishes that don’t. Are you looking for a spray can lacquer?
Would you know the brand name by chance? I was going to use wipe on lacquer. Is there a difference between the spray on and the wipe on?
I would probably use the matte Watco lacquer. There shouldn’t be any notable difference if done properly.
Cool thanks for all the help and great job on the guitar
Im so stoked I found your videos! Great stuff thanks for filming these. I just started building guitars and have ran into some issues and have a million questions. I've got a really cool quilted maple top I'm about to stain, and just watched your wipe on poly finish video and think I'm going that route since I don't have a spray booth or anything. My question: Will the wipe on poly ruin the dyed top? I'm using a leather dye, and in your video you say to use high grit sand to apply first coat of poly to get saw dust into the grain for a really smooth finish. Will it bleed? Can't wait to get going- would be awesome to hear your input. Thanks!
Using the sandpaper could remove some of your dye. Just apply the wipe on poly with a lint free cotton rag instead.
Thanks man! Just put the dye on it came out pretty cool!
Can this be done using a white stain with your black dye grain accent technique?
Yes
It just won’t have the same level of transparency because you can have white stains, but not white dyes.
@@BradAngove thank you so much for sharing your knowledge
the beginning of an awesome dragon burst
Those are blue around the outside, right?
Brad Angove most of the ones I've seen are black around the edges with green fading into a yellow center.
Intriguing. I still have one more step on the colour work for this top. Should be fun.
Beautiful work.. Ty for all your help Brad with my project. With the PRS style Im doing would you use an orbital sander for the top for the sand back or by hand? I Dont want to put new scratches in the Maple top..
Either way should be fine. Just keep it to a high-ish grit. 400 or higher.
@@BradAngove cool thanks once again
@@BradAngove thanks Brad for your help
Sweet!!!
Hey brad if you used a solvent and water based stain would they have contrasted better?
I don’t see any reason why they would have.
@@BradAngove would they not mix as easy?' like a solvent base stain with a water stain on top?
@@BradAngove but I love your videos! I was wondering something I have seen guitars where the white binding goes a gold colour, do you know how to accomplish that?
@@evanfehr3819 I'm not entirely sure what you mean about them mixing.
If you're just looking to yellow the binding out a bit you can do so using a simple oil based clear coat.
I would consider pinning the nut with that level of offset, but for that to work you really need a brass or aluminium nut.
Pinning it?
Brad Angove Yes, using a small locating pin, stud or dowel to retain the nut laterally rather than relying on friction or having to use an excessive amount of glue. Either danelectro style with a small screw or pin set parallel to the strings through the nut into the fretboard, or a stud set into the nut slot perpendicular to the strings that engages with a slot in the underside of the nut. The latter can be invisible if not cut through or in a strat style slot, but works very well with a Gibson style nut using the truss rod cover to obscure the slot.
I have also seen injection moulded nuts with a protrusion in the centre that can be fitted to a corresponding notch in the fretboard or even just the truss rod slot. This works if you have a consistent supply of nuts or are big enough to manufacture your own.
You could just glue the nut in with more glue than you would use just to stop it falling out, but as a guitar that sees a lot of use is likely to have several nut adjustments over its lifetime I figure that makes things awkward for the next person to work on the guitar.
Haha well this nut is already glued in reasonably solid. I’ll have to see what adjustments may be needed on that front.
I didn’t realize there were horizontal studs in some of them. That interesting. Thanks for the info.
wow thats cool
Nice finish brad!
Thanks Charles.
What kind of effect would you get if you use brown for your “accent” color and then apply a red? Love your video dude!!
A nicely complemented accenting effect. Brown is often considered the right choice for accenting ambers and reds.
This is awesome! How do you get a brighter quilt or curly maple top like on the 2017 Paul Reed Smith PRS Private Stock 408 Signature ~ Charcoal Smoke Burst?
There are a few ways to do that. I would do my initial accent work with the black, sand back, and then add a touch of black dye to some clear and spray a light toner coat. Then clear coat over it.
Brad Angove it’s amazing how you can get the wood almost white on that particular PRS guitar contrasting with the black on the curly maple top. I’m going to do a build soon and that’s the finish I’m going for, along with the dog hair black and white on the back. Thanks for the response, awesome guitar work you do! 🍻
yeah but what do you do AFTER you dye it?
Apply a clear coat or other finish.
@@BradAngove I just dyed a PRS copy. Does the flamed Maple veneer needs sanding sealer? I will be spraying water based poly and I'm concerned if the water based dye will bleed. Should I mist spray initially?
Yes mist it first and yes a sanding sealer would be helpful. Flamed maple has a fairly open grain.
What grit(s) sandpaper did you use?
Mostly 220. Going up to 400 wouldn’t hurt though.
Pulled the neck off and scared me so bad haha
Haha yeah, had me a bit nervous too...
Did you start with a sealer?
No. The dye won’t take if you apply sealer first.
Ever use food coloring as a dye? Any reason not to?
I haven’t. Presumably it would fade very rapidly in any type of UV light.
Is the dye water based?
No; it’s alcohol based.
Nice job on the stain, but that neck is firewood. The body shape is kinda fugly too.
Thanks for watching.
The thumbnail looks like you used acid green. I wish you had. It would look HAWT.
The thumbnail is just a screenshot from the video haha.
Have you had a chance to try the dyes I sent you yet Brad.?.....do love the flame pattern
That’s on the list for this weekend Stu. Thanks again for those.
Brad Angove awesome check out Bens new video on crimson guitars.... the bloke is a true maniac
Yes, yes he is haha.
Where about in Canada are you good sir? Looks cool.
I’m in Alberta. Are you in Canada as well.
Brad Angove yup in Ontario a few hours north of Toronto.
Do you ever try a grain filler?
Yes
@@BradAngove Does filling the grain after using the dye affect the appearance of the dye? My grain filler is water based.
It will unless you are using a clear filler like the one from Crystallac.
@@BradAngove I have Aqua Coat Clear Grain filler. I'm making a keyboard tray for my wife out of figured maple I was thinking about doing the dyes first, then the grain filler, and finally using a polyurethane. Sound reasonable?
Yes, that sounds totally reasonable.
That looks sick dude🤘nice slab of wood!
Brad, has anyone every told you how much you look like WCW wrestler The Disco Inferno? Uncanny resemblance.
Hahaha I’ve been told I look like a lot of people, but that’s a new one.
Well you've proved the old saying wrong....you can polish a third.
You can polish absolutely anything haha.
1:55 "Of course when you look at, for example, a Gibson Les Paul, they don't have ANY straight string pull." That's right. That's why they aren't known for staying in tune. 😂
Haha too true.
0:49 thats what she said