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Hi there,

New here seemed like a good place to ask advice. Building a semi hollow with an inset top similar to a Fender Acoustasonic if you've seen one. Body, and top are already cut just to get inlays done then glued. Neck is getting cut this week.

Looking for ways to keep the stain clean as the maple top will be black but don't want to bleed in to the ash body round the sides. I think finishing the ash in someway would protect it but I typically use an oil and wax finish, I don't know if that will give enough protection over some form of lacquer.

Any advice would be appreciated.

PRS does their "faux binding" by putting a couple of coats of what they call "isolator" on the end grain of their maple tops and then staining. There have been some videos showing how but I don't have a link handy. I do the same thing with light purfling lines when I want to stain the top - brush a couple of coats of vinyl sealer then the stain, scrape the sealer and shoot clear.

I would enjoy seeing some pictures of your guitar as you build it. Oh and consider resizing your pictures so they just fill the frame.

A couple more thoughts to add to the above. If I was building that I would approach finish as follows

- pore fill the ash body before gluing the top insert in place, I might even wait to route the channel that it sits in.

- I might consider putting a thin black plasitic purfling line between the top and the body. The would define the end of the black stained area, would keep stain from migrating into the ash and would give a nice line to scrape to

- Brush two coats of sealer on the ash up to the seam with the top, use an artist's brush. I would use vinyl sealer because I finish with lacquer, shellac would also work. Mask over the top of the sealer with pin stripe tape just to be extra sure.

- Apply the stain. When you are happy seal it. As you probably know, stains are tricky. My cardinal rule is always to practice on scraps of the same wood and practice all the steps.

- Pull the mask, scrape the sealer off with a box cutter blade. Go right up to the seam, if you installed the black purfling scrape that with the point of the blade.

- If you didn't pore fill before you could do it now. Seal the entire guitar, shoot the finish as usual.

Good luck, it should be stunning

Cip welcome to the OLF. Cool design on the Tele shape!

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Ben Crowe of Crimson Guitars built one on YouTube using some ancient wood from New Zealand. It’s not a tutorial, but it is a multi-part series that is shot from multiple cameras and professionally edited. It wouldn’t hurt to watch someone scratch make a very similar guitar.

Not directly related to your staining question, I know.


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The body back and top are already cut, just the moon inlays to be glued before they meet. It's a pretty tight fit so far which I like, that and a few other reasons including the all important TIME I probably won't add any purfling, maybe next time. I will probably go with grainfill and maybe shellac, I do try to avoid sprays when possible. Thanks for the advice Freeman!

I've practice on some of the maple scrapes already but still to work out the correct combo of layering purple and black.

Good to be here Hesh.

Thanks for the recommendation rlrhett, I must admit I can't stand that guy/company especially after receiving some crap tools from them and subsequent customer service. I did have a skim of that series though and there isn't much I think I can take away from them or I am already past the point at which our builds diverge.

Hopefully the image isn't as offensive as my first post this time.

It's going well, pickups are sent off to be wound. Body and neck are cut most. Headstock still needs cut, body needs it's round-over on the edge, the forearm contour, neck ferrules, bridge drilling, before it's sanding and finishing. But those aren't major jobs. Luckily the top sits perfectly down the center which was a concern with this inset style top, I thought I was a little slanted one way. Had to flip the moon phase the other direction so to hide some of the internals of the semi hollow. The neck fits but it's very tight so will have to shave it ever so slightly. Balances pretty well so far, so hopefully that continues.

Nearly at the finishing stages, still to carve the neck and drill some holes. Got some nice oak grain fill for the ash that should work well.

Wow looks great there is nothing like a great Tele.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Warmoth 7 string neck?

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

No, just similar shaped headstock.

It's Roasted Flame Maple, with a Wenge Scarf joint, Ebony Fingerboard.

Nearly at the finish line. Oil and wax for a few weeks.

Love the way the neck is coming out. Body looks great too and it should be a beauty.

Nice work!

Brian

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

Thanks, it's a nice pay off after all the carving of that Roasted maple, brittle stuff!