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GuitarAttack: Great decal. Why don't you make one?
From Christian Larose <clarose5289@rogers.com>
Hi there,
I just wanted to say that GuitarAttack is a fantastic resource for novice
and first-time builders, and it inspired me to have a crack at building my
own T-Style style guitar.
The guitar is completely stock, but I agree with other builders that the
Saga tuners are... troublesome. You have to be very careful installing the
bushings or you run the risk or ruining the clearcoat on the headstock.
As for the build itself, I kept it simple. I found a technical drawing of a
famous Fender headstock and traced it on the back of the headstock. I first
test-ran a couple of pieces of pine through the router table to get
comfortable with the passes and curves. In the end, it turned out very well
and needed minimal sanding.
I decided on black as the color because I'm not exactly an artist when it
comes to spray paint, and I did go too heavy on a couple of passes. I concur
with all the other builders who have recommended light passes. More coats
with less paint is better than fewer thick coats. It's a lesson that I'll
remember for subsequent builds. I used Duplicolor Truck and SUV paint, with
the matching brand clearcoat.
Between coats, I started messing with headstock decals. I decided on a
Banffn font, with my last name and "Skycaster" as the model name. S-K-Y are
my wife's initials. Using decal paper from the hobby shop worked well, but
it's important to seal the wood underneath the decal before applying it. The porous
nature of the wood makes for a poor surface for the decal to adhere to.
The decal was then sealed in under the clearcoat.
For authenticity's sake, I
also did a serial number on the back of the neck. Since it's the first
guitar I've built, this one sports the 001! I also did a bit of graphic work
on the headstock decal. I wasn't happy with the straight font, so I used
Photoshop to put a 3-pixel black outline around the name. I think it turned
out nicely. The people at the local UPS store were happy to run it through
their color laser printer for me.
The assembly was very straightforward. I did not have any hole alignment
problems as other builders seem to have had. Pickguard went on without
difficulty, as did the bridge. I did have to tape one frayed wire from the
bridge pickup where the wire cover had been cut through, but everything else
was fine.
I'm still working on the setup and intonation, but I am very happy with the
result. The bridge pickup has that characteristic twang, and the neck pickup
sounds great. Almost jazzy, in fact, when run through my Marshall Valvestate
80 on the clean channel.
All in all, I'm very pleased with the result. I've also included a picture
of the Skycaster with my other electrics: On the right is a 1995 '62 Reissue
Fender Stratocaster (made in Japan); on the left is a 1992 Gibson Les Paul
Studio (which could use some polish!)
Thank you GuitarAttack for the tips and inspiration!
Cheers,
Christian Larose
Ottawa, Ontario
CANADA
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