Explorer mockup

I've quickly thrown the Goth Explorer together so I can see what it'll look like if I go with my plan to just refinish the top in natural. It's not got the strings at full tension let alone wired up but it gives me a pretty good idea of the look.

I reckon the black scratchplate works nicely while the treadplate one doesn't. It would probably look great if it was black anodised/painted and it could be tempting to paint it myself but it doesn't quite fit anyway. Whether this is a Gibson/Epiphone difference or on account of this being a copy of a '58 rather than a later model I don't know.

If I'm going to reshape and paint a scratchplate then I may as well look into buying/making one that fits. I can't simply use the existing black one as it's been covered in the same nasty lacquer as the guitar body. I'll have a go at cleaning it up but don't hold out much hope.

By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail

So, after hours of sanding the thick finish off the strat body I got frustrated and didn't spend nearly long enough with the fine paper getting the gouges out. So I've a whole load of sanding whorls showing through when I put the black on.

Oh well, at least I've proved the nitrocellulose goes on well and dries hard quicker than I expected, even if I'll have to sand lots of it back off again. I can see me ordering more cans.

More sanding hell

Sometimes I wonder if I do this for good reasons or if I'm just a total masochist.

Anyway, the top of the Explorer is now stripped and I like the contrast between the top and sides. The wood of the body isn't that nice, it's three piece and the lower section is noticeably darker than the other two. I'm not sure whether to jut put some oil on the top as it stands or to lightly stain it which may hide the difference.

I've also stripped the headstock and it's fairly pink mahogany with a join at the tip.

I may 'mock up' how it'll look before doing anything more with it.

Regardless what I do I still have to deal with the nasty varnish on the back and sides. There's less of it than on the front but I still need to get rid of it. If I can I'll try and maintain the original black satin finish underneath, either as it stands or as a colour base to put some clear lacquer over.

Hello Korina

Anybody would think I like sanding.

So, with the strat paint drying I need something to occupy me otherwise I won't be able to resist going and poking at it.

The Goth Explorer has been kicking around downstairs for ages waiting for me to do something to it. So I started taking the paint off the top. With it down to the primer there's a lovely transparent black finish if you wipe it with white spirit, but that's not really a finish that can be used, especially as I've now gone through it in a couple of places.

It has made me think that this might actually be nice with a plain natural top and contrasting black back/sides. Especially if I could maintain some 'faux binding' by leaving the black on the edges untouched. Or failing that perhaps fit some binding. Which would be another bit of fun bodgery I've yet to attempt.

This would mean at first glance it's not massively dissimilar to my '58 Korina Explorer but if I stick with the original black hardware, use the aluminium tread scratchplate I have and fit some Seymour Duncan Blackouts you'd have quite a \m/ guitar.

All without me having to think of a design I want painted on it. Which I'm still struggling with.

Playing with toxic chemicals

So, after a load more boring as hell sanding, I had a go at spraying the strat body. As I'm using some nitrocellulose spray cans I bought ages ago I was a good boy and used a proper organic solvent absorbing breath mask.

Although when I went and sprayed it I'm pretty sure they smelled like the spray cans of my youth that I cheerfully used indoors with no protection.

First I did a light dusting of primer then a few hours later a fairly solid coat of black. As expected I got overenthusiastic and put a couple of runs in it. So once it's touch dry I'll move it into the shed and it can bake in there until next weekend when I'll flat down the runs and go again.

I'm going with black because that's what the 'Dave Murray' strat comes in. Any colour you like so long as it's black.

The vintage style bridge from the mahogany strat will get transplanted along with the electrics, so I reckon I'm pretty much there with bits I need to complete this project.

It'll leave the mahogany strat gutted so I need to decide what I'll do with that. I suspect I'll fit a modern 2-point tremolo instead of messing around with fitting a Floyd Rose. I've a lot more things with locking tremolos than non-locking.

It also occurred to me that I've a couple of sets of Reflex active pickups I collected ages ago, one HSS, one SSS and it might be nice to use a set of these on it. If I do I'll route the body for a battery box, therein scratching my urge to bodge.

The boring bit

One of these days I'll do the sensible thing and just buy an unpainted body for one of my projects, rather than spend hours sanding a painted one back.

Anyway, I've got the paint off the front and back of this strat body and it's relatively nice wood underneath. Next I've got to do the edges with a palm sander, but it's currently raining.

Spring project review

I was messing about in the shed clearing a space and it got too hot so I came in and decided to review where I am with the various projects I had in the Autumn.

• Mockinbird - plays like shite and that's not in a good way Now fixed by lowering the nut and plays nicely. Still a bit scruffy so may get a refinish.
• Goth Explorer - plays OK, looks like shite, not fully wired up, kind of redundant now I got my DT350X back Stripped for a refinish but now just languishing
• RR2V - plays nicely, tremolo fucked, no locking clamps for nut, looks like shite Following a complete refinish, new tremolo etc. this is now a kick-ass looking guitar.
• MG440TPL - essentially done, but has crackly pots and an uncertain destiny Sold
• MG440PWS - need to lower tremolo by taking a router to it Sold
• Black RS530 - dodgy jack socket Fixed
• Marine Burst RS530 - frets badly worn, but plays OK. Just.
• Rhoads Ex Pro - plays fantastically, looks like shite. May stay like this as it's genuinely 'reliced'
• RS8V - needs more setup I lowered the nut, sorting this
• Red EC29 - need to redo the scratchplate
• Trans gold KC90 - dodgy jack socket Fixed
• Headless thing - plays like shite Sold
• Shape custom semi-hollow - plan to fit a bridge humbucker but otherwise perfect

So despite my habit of buying new projects before finishing the old I'm not doing badly at getting things sorted out.