My new build project

[BrianSkeezer]

Got it done today! @tobijohn, and anyone else interested, that 2K clear is awesome! It goes on great, and hardens quick enough to sand within 24 hours. Just like in the video from Brad Angove, I suggest a filtered respirator. I used an N95 mask, since I was spraying outside, and got a terrible headache.

It's not perfect, but it's the best paint job I've ever done. The sanding and buffing went so smooth.

The wiring didn't go so well for me. I don't know what's going on, but when I wire the neck pickup in normal, it seems to ground out. If I wire it in backwards, it works fine, but is out of phase with the bridge pickup. I just wired it backward to be used. Other than that, everything works great.

I'm ecstatic with this guitar! It feels great, plays great, sounds great (except in the middle position), looks great!

[tobijohn]

Looks great, what's not perfect? And that wiring is weird, I've got to give that some thought...

Brad Angove kept stressing in the video that the 2K would kill you, I guess he was serious...

[ID10t]

Got it done today! @tobijohn, and anyone else interested, that 2K clear is awesome! It goes on great, and hardens quick enough to sand within 24 hours. Just like in the video from Brad Angove, I suggest a filtered respirator. I used an N95 mask, since I was spraying outside, and got a terrible headache.

It's not perfect, but it's the best paint job I've ever done. The sanding and buffing went so smooth.

20210719_094633.jpg20210719_094646.jpg

The wiring didn't go so well for me. I don't know what's going on, but when I wire the neck pickup in normal, it seems to ground out. If I wire it in backwards, it works fine, but is out of phase with the bridge pickup. I just wired it backward to be used. Other than that, everything works great.

I'm ecstatic with this guitar! It feels great, plays great, sounds great (except in the middle position), looks great!

20210719_112453.jpg20210719_151825.jpg20210719_151833.jpg20210719_151927.jpg

I'd start by visually checking the switch pin-out and escalating to a multimeter and checking continuity and then resistance. A few alligator clips will help diagnose without solder/desolder/resolder and repeat.
My $0.02
I'm with TJ, I think it looks great.

[BrianSkeezer]

Looks great, what's not perfect? And that wiring is weird, I've got to give that some thought...

Brad Angove kept stressing that the 2K would kill you, I guess he was serious...

. There's a dog hair from my beagles in the clear on the back, and some other small imperfections throughout. Other than that, it really does look great.

[BrianSkeezer]

I'd start by visually checking the switch pin-out and escalating to a multimeter and checking continuity and then resistance. A few alligator clips will help diagnose without solder/desolder/resolder and repeat.
My $0.02
I'm with TJ, I think it looks great.

Thank you for the compliment and suggestion! It's a normal 3-way switch, nothing going on there. I actually had the multimeter out checking everything for about an hour. That was how I found out it worked fine wired backward. As long as the pickup was out of circuit, resistance was the same both ways. I'm certain it's something in the pickup.

[BrianSkeezer]

I figured out my neck pickup issue! It was the shielding wire from the pickup. I took it off of ground, wired the green and black wires back to normal, no issues. Then I touched the shield back to ground and the pickup went dead again, so I left it off and covered it in heat shrink. Thanks again @ID10t for suggesting going back through and checking everything.

[tobijohn]

Now it is perfect!

[Mossman]

Got it done today! @tobijohn, and anyone else interested, that 2K clear is awesome! It goes on great, and hardens quick enough to sand within 24 hours. Just like in the video from Brad Angove, I suggest a filtered respirator. I used an N95 mask, since I was spraying outside, and got a terrible headache.

It's not perfect, but it's the best paint job I've ever done. The sanding and buffing went so smooth.

20210719_094633.jpg20210719_094646.jpg

The wiring didn't go so well for me. I don't know what's going on, but when I wire the neck pickup in normal, it seems to ground out. If I wire it in backwards, it works fine, but is out of phase with the bridge pickup. I just wired it backward to be used. Other than that, everything works great.

I'm ecstatic with this guitar! It feels great, plays great, sounds great (except in the middle position), looks great!

20210719_112453.jpg20210719_151825.jpg20210719_151833.jpg20210719_151927.jpg

That looks awesome!

[BrianSkeezer]

That looks awesome!

Thanks @Mossman! That means a lot, especially with your awesome builds.

[Mossman]

Thanks @Mossman! That means a lot, especially with your awesome builds.

That's a better painted finish than I ever achieved... The first one I did self-destructed within a year, and the second one is sitting in a closet, waiting for me to get the gumption to strip it all off and start over again (for the second time). I also love the color, and the whole look. I would have chosen a pearloid PG for this too.

[sabasgr68]

You guitar builders make it look easy!

Great job, looks killer!

[Mossman]

You guitar builders make it look easy!

You've only seen my successes...

[UrenragK]

What a great build! Thank you for sharing, I really need to get my workshop set up now we have moved and get my scratch build finished!

[Mossman]

What a great build! Thank you for sharing, I really need to get my workshop set up now we have moved and get my scratch build finished!

Crikey, I thought you finished that ages ago.

[Milkman]

That looks great!

Next time, ditch the N95 (good for particulate only), and get an elastomeric half-face respirator with an organic vapor (or combination) cartridge. Also, get it from a safety supply store and ask them to fit test you for a particular brand, model and size respirator… some will do it for free.

[UrenragK]

Crikey, I thought you finished that ages ago.

Moving house got in the way