The Piglet guitar build project, part 9

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Finally happy with the brown finish on the rear and sides of the guitar body, it was time to move onto painting the front in a shade of piggy pink. Which meant of course applying a liberal amount of masking tape to the sides (and overlapping onto the rear) so as to keep those areas from getting sprayed pink.

I figured the centre section of the back would be safe from overspray. I daresay some pink paint will bleed into the tape around the top edge of the guitar but I am hoping that I will be able to clean that up later.

Here (above) is the piggy still wet with the first few layers of pink paint applied.

And here it is again, after the first spaying had been allowed to dry for several days, then sanded back to a flat finish, and with the next coat of pink paint applied. It's building up quite a nice finish now, but I expect I'll give it another coat before sanding back to a matt finish and then applying the graphics.

Speaking of the graphics, my plan is to transfer the picture of the cartoon pig from my orignal template to the top of the guitar using carbon paper, and then to make the image permanent using paint pens and possibly also dry rub-off decal paper (for more detailed areas such as the nose, eyes, ears). The above photo shows a piece of scrap wood from the build - you can see where I've already made test drillings in it from earlier on in the build - and which I now have sprayed in the same piggy pink so as to test the set of paint pens that I have. As you can see, some colours work better than others. I have also clear-coated this test piece to ensure that there aren't going to be any issues with paints reacting with one another.

I really do want to crack on with this project now as we'd like to start using it for gigs soon. There's a festival we're playing in August at which we'd really like to have the guitar, so I'm hoping we can finish it within the next month.

G L Wilson

© 2018, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

The Piglet guitar build project, part 8

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Applying the first coat of brown finish to the rear of the guitar

The latest instalment of this project report has been a long time in coming, in part because of the long time it takes during the whole painting and sanding back process, but also because of a number of mishaps which happened when applying the brown finish to the rear and sides of the guitar. One time, some flies got into the freshly painted surface (which otherwise was a nice smooth and even coverage), and another time the paint formed "wrinkles" (maybe because of grease not cleaned away properly). On both occasions the finish had to be stripped back and re-applied.

The finished brown layer, which will still need clear coating

The front of the piglet guitar awaiting its pink paint!

Next up: pink paint!

G L Wilson

© 2018, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Julian Cope's Squier "Fake Fender" Jazz Bass listed for sale on eBay UK

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I'm a big fan of Julian Cope, so when I saw this listing  on eBay UK for his "Fake Fender" Jazz Bass (actually a re-badged Squier circa 2004), it made me sit up and take notice.

To quote from the auction listing:

Here for auction is a bizarre experimental Squier Jazz bass from about 2004/5. The item was inherited by singer/author Julian Cope, who removed the original pick-ups and added several different types during his years of ownership. Why? The body of the bass is so heavy that it works well as a platform for whatever is installed. Cope recorded the bass with its variety of pick-ups, then also added genuine Fender 50’s-style anodyzed gold aluminium scratch-plate, plus genuine Fender pick-up covers.

Thereafter, the bass was abandoned as a musical instrument and the pick-ups were removed. The item became a focal point for Cope’s press photos during 2008 (see main photo). A genuine Fender waterslide decal was added to the newly painted gold headstock, and the body was coated with the kind of hellish glitter (in the style of the mid-60s Irish Showbands) that sparkles in the sun, whilst a chrome iron cross was installed in place of the original neck plate.

I'll post the final price when it sells. Note, it's for UK bidders only.

EDIT: It eventually sold for  £313.36. I was so tempted to bid myself, but had to ask myself, realistically do I need another bass right now?

G L Wilson

© 2018, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

The Piglet guitar build project, part 7

guitarz.blogspot.com:

After much filling in and sanding, on Sunday I thought I was ready to begin spray painting.

However, no sooner had I attached a piece of wood into the neck pocket to act as a handle and something to hang the guitar body from while spray painting, than I noticed a deep saw line on the side of the body near the neck pocket which I had somehow missed (see above photo).

I had to fill it in with woodfiller and sand it back three times before I was happy with the smoothness of that area, but at last today - a couple of days later than intended - I was ready to begin spray painting.

 I'm using rattle cans for the whole finishing process, beginning here with a white primer.

First coat done, front and back. Having let it dry I noticed that the initial coat had brought up the grain in the plywood forming both front and back, so I sanded the whole thing again until getting a silky smooth finish and after cleaning away the dust I have re-sprayed.

We'll see what it looks like in the morning.

G L Wilson

© 2018, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Hoyer shortscale bass, a genuine relic from the late 1960s/1970s

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Ah, damn! I think I would have bid on this eBay UK listing for a vintage Hoyer solidbody shortscale bass had I seen the auction in time. It's a German-made instrument with one of those laminated necks which seemed to be popular on lower priced instruments of that era, and with a nice P-Bass meets Telecaster vibe going on too.

The seller listed this with a starting price of £100 and it eventually sold for £180

G L Wilson

© 2018, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

The Piglet guitar build project, part 6

guitarz.blogspot.com:

At last it's beginning to look like a guitar boody. Here's the Piglet unclamped after the top has been glued on. I ended up giving it 48 hours in the end, so plenty of time to set and harden and form a tight bond. Because we had cut out the top separately from the rest there was some variance in the outline between the top and the rest of the guitar body, although of only around 1mm.

So, it was out with the wood filler and try to even up the little gaps and differences between the top and the timber of the guitar body.

I also made sure to get wood filler into those tricky angles which with the jigsaw coming from two different directions and where there was an obvious saw line right in the corner.

And of course, lots of sanding to be done. I also decided to round over the top edges so as to give a softer outline

There's still lots more sanding to be done before we can think about applying the finish. But it's coming along very nicely.

Looking good.

G L Wilson

© 2018, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Hamilton Custom Guitars: another example

guitarz.blogspot.com:

There has been a lot of interest in this 2013 post about this Hamilton Custom Guitar. Mark Natola contacted us to say that he is a Hamilton owner too, having recently bought a beaten-up example via Craig's List.

Mark has very kindly emailed the several photos of his Hamilton Custom Guitar that you see here. He tells us that:

...the head stock was broken when I bought it. In addition, the fret board was splitting away from the neck and the pick guard was broken in several places. Other than that, it was in fine shape, 😊.

I brought it to a luthier who removed the fret board, cleaned up the neck, glued the fret board back on and replaced the frets. He repaired the head stock based on the “Made for Raymond” photo posted on the blog. In the mean time, I had a new pick guard made based on the metal shielding found below the original pick guard. We decided to stick with the original pickup and pots as they could not be replaced. I took the bridge apart and soaked and scrubbed the chrome parts with naval jelly. They cleaned up very well. The tuning keys were also soaked and cleaned in the same manner. Finally, I made a conscious decision to keep the original laquer finish, which is checked from age. Consequently, when the head stock was repaired it was necessary to stain it using a stain similar to the body color. My guitar had a “Made for Corinne” signature, however part of the name was missing due to the damage to the headstock. We decided to remove that and leave the Hamilton Custom intact.

I have now seen several guitars and it looks like there are subtle variations in the plate below the bridge. I can send more images later if you are interested.

Mark goes on add:

...it would seem as there are at least five of these floating around including mine.

• There is "Made for Raymond".

• Mine, formerly "Made for Corrine"

• A white one I saw posted on Pintrest a while back, without an inscription as far as I can tell

• One mentioned on this blog that was bought in Boston, with case and mid 60's sheet music

• One mentioned in recent post by guy from Long Island whose father chromed the hardware.

Am I missing any?

I wonder if the white one on Pinterest is the same one as owned by the father of Thomas who commented on our original blog post?

If anyone else has any more information or photos of Hamilton Custom guitars, please contact us!

G L Wilson

© 2018, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

The Piglet guitar build project, part 5

guitarz.blogspot.com:

The above photo shows the piglet guitar body with the access panels cut into the rear side. The small round hole will be for the guitar's electrics, just a single volume pot in this instance, and which also allows access to the output jack on the side of the body. The larger rectangular hole will be for access to the LEDs and battery pack, as this little piggy is going to have illuminated eyes!

Gluing and clamping down small blocks of wood where screw holes for the rear covers would otherwise be penetrating only a single layer of plywood. I wanted something a little more substantial for the screw threads to get a grip upon.

A day later and the guitar's top is glued into position. To make sure it was aligned correctly, I mounted the neck into the neck pocket (a snug fit with no bolts needed at this stage), having first wrapped clingfilm around the base of the neck to protect it from glue. Then after clamping all around the body (why do there never seem to be enough clamps?), I removed the neck.

After a few hours I removed the clamps, so I could remove the piece of scrap backing and ensure it wasn't going to be permanently glued to the guitar body seeing as glue had been dripping down onto it. Having cleared away excess glue, I re-clamped the body and will leave it for another day.

G L Wilson

© 2018, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

The Piglet guitar build project, part 4

guitarz.blogspot.com:

(Above): Because this guitar is going to be such an unusual shape, I drilled holes in key places outside of the perimeter to aid the jigsawing process, especially where the blade needs to change direction.

 And after much careful jigsawing, here (above) is the cut-out body shape.

Hole drilled for the output jack.

The reverse of the body, sanding having commenced. Note I wanted to smooth certain pointy areas that may otherwise cause discomfort.

To give a better idea of the final product, here (above and below) we see the body with top in place (not yet glued) plus the neck, pickup and bridge in position.

Next job: Much more sanding! And then we can think about painting.

G L Wilson

© 2018, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

The Piglet guitar build project, part 3

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Just a very quick update this time. Here's the Piglet body all glued and clamped up on the bench and with a couple of heavy weights on top for good measure. Going to leave it for 24 hours before unclamping.

G L Wilson

© 2018, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.