What's on your work bench?

Self built and self assembly ;)

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by Danger Mouse »

thanks CC, SB and OLMNL (that last abbreviation didn't quite work as well... :D).

Dealing with the humidity of Auckland and living next to a beach mean my guitars are normally all over the show, but this is the first time I've paid this much attention. It's changed since this morning, so lends to the temp variation like oleg says as well.
The older I get, the more disappointed in myself I become.

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by GrantB »

A very cool old short scale Jansen bass neck. Played to buggery, needing careful love and attention. Frets are in and now and utilising a home made jig to add some relief for leveling.
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by Bg »

GrantB wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 4:57 pm A very cool old short scale Jansen bass neck. Played to buggery, needing careful love and attention. Frets are in and now and utilising a home made jig to add some relief for leveling.
pics or it doesn't count :P
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by GrantB »

I’ll need to ask the owner
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by robthemac »

GrantB wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 8:56 pm I’ll need to ask the owner
He might struggle to hear you over the dripping of spring reverb tanks.
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by olegmcnoleg »

Ok, so for years now I've been undertaking a very slow labour of love. Pre COVID, I used to make several trips to the USA each year, and I would always tack on an extra day or two to drive round the local second-hand dealers, junk shops and pawn stores, hunting down parts for this restoration project. I've been fortunate enough to go to some far-flung corners of the States, and I've had some lucky finds. Just as well, because the prices for parts for old Gibsons are now just outrageous. I've also worked hard at it and over the years my diligence has paid off.

During the last couple of lockdowns I've put in some extra time on this project, carefully restoring and refinishing where I can. I realise that a 50's Les Paul that is put together from a bunch of parts is never going to have the value or appeal of an original guitar with provenance, but also that I could never afford to buy such a thing. This is as close as I'm going to get. And for me, it is close enough.

So here is my 1959 Les Paul Standard restoration project as it stands today. I still have a ways to go, but as I'm sure you can see from the photo below, it is taking shape nicely and I can already feel that this will be a special guitar.
























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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by Jay »

That is fantastic progress. Looking forward to the next bit...
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by olegmcnoleg »

Jay wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 10:45 am That is fantastic progress. Looking forward to the next bit...
Thanks Jay!

That means a lot, coming from you :-)

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by Slowy »

olegmcnoleg wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 10:55 am
Jay wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 10:45 am That is fantastic progress. Looking forward to the next bit...
Thanks Jay!

That means a lot, coming from you :-)
You Horrible Man!!!!
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by GrantB »

olegmcnoleg wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 10:25 am Ok, so for years now I've been undertaking a very slow labour of love. Pre COVID, I used to make several trips to the USA each year, and I would always tack on an extra day or two to drive round the local second-hand dealers, junk shops and pawn stores, hunting down parts for this restoration project. I've been fortunate enough to go to some far-flung corners of the States, and I've had some lucky finds. Just as well, because the prices for parts for old Gibsons are now just outrageous. I've also worked hard at it and over the years my diligence has paid off.

During the last couple of lockdowns I've put in some extra time on this project, carefully restoring and refinishing where I can. I realise that a 50's Les Paul that is put together from a bunch of parts is never going to have the value or appeal of an original guitar with provenance, but also that I could never afford to buy such a thing. This is as close as I'm going to get. And for me, it is close enough.

So here is my 1959 Les Paul Standard restoration project as it stands today. I still have a ways to go, but as I'm sure you can see from the photo below, it is taking shape nicely and I can already feel that this will be a special guitar.

























IMG_5144.jpg
I hate to be the one to tell you, but those strings are from 1963. Sorry for your loss.
"Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible god and destroys a visible nature. Unaware that this nature he's destroying is this god he's worshipping." - Hubert Reeves

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by GrantB »

This weather is perfect for grain filling. Doesn't flash off too quickly. I had forgotten to track this one - it's a 2019 SG '61 RI husk...no hardware. I'm putting an old 60's Gibson Maestro on it, some nice hardware I've got lying around doing nothing...maybe ThroBak pickups too. I've converted it to ABR posts.

The finish was awful rubbery/sticky, and a pinky watermelon colour (the mahogany is a very light in colour - only looks darker here as the wash coat was actually amber I had to use up). That peeled off in sheets. I'll be doing a nice thin super hard nitro black. The fretboard and fret work is fantastic though. I've seen some hit and miss form Gibson, but they got this one right.
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by GrantB »

Here's the colour vs vintage SG
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by olegmcnoleg »

GrantB wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 11:30 am

I hate to be the one to tell you, but those strings are from 1963. Sorry for your loss.
There are in fact 1959 strings that were refinished at the original Gibson factory in 1963.

Geez, there's always some smart-arse out there who thinks they know better. :roll:

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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by GrantB »

This is what grain fill looks like on wash coated mahogany, lightly sanded and ready for colour coat. So, if the (less thinned) wash coat happened to be black, and I grain filled with this white, and then did a tinted amber clear coat over top, that would be the Silver Fox, or Dog Hair hair finish that Epi's of old used to do, and some of the more recent Brian Ray stuff. It's also how TV Yellow finishes work.

I want to do a Silver Fox, but not on this guitar. A mahogany Tele would look great in it.

In case you were interested!
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Re: What's on your work bench?

Post by StratMatt »

We are interested :)
Loving it so far

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