The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    I'm starting on what will probably be my last Tele build - chambered mahogany with an 'as yet to be determined' top - could be anything from quilted maple to cocobolo, to western red cedar. I've built a bunch of these guitars over the years but have never been happy with my final finish. I live in Florida with pretty high humidity and no way to control it in my garage/shop so nitro is pretty much out. I've tried various clear 'lacquers' from the big box stores with less than satisfactory results and have finally (at least on the last few) settled on shellac as a finish. I spray on a few coats then rub it in after that. I've tried Tru Oil and seen some decent finishes but it didn't work so well for me as it seemed to dry too quickly and got gummy. I'd like this last one to be a real showpiece so I'd like the best finish I can get with my limited possibilities. I use the StewMac water based wood filler for the mahogany and usually don't fill the maple.

    Any suggestions from those of you who do a lot of finish work?

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  3. #2

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    I finished the body you sold me about 10 years ago with a hand rubbed boiled linseed oil finish. Using successive grades of sandpaper to do the rubbing ended up self-filling the mahogany as well as providing a very nice finish on the maple. It's a rather matte finish, however, so if you're looking for shiny you'd have to put something else on top of it such as shellac that could be rubbed out with finishing compound. It's also been an amazingly durable finish over the years.

    Finishing Question-0fb8759f-6af4-4642-a939-572a626cc99d-jpgFinishing Question-cd8f7492-77f9-4f58-b220-d18d82ca4acd-jpg

  4. #3

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    That came out really nice. Not even sure why I'm building another one except I had the mahogany sitting in the corner. Having trouble deciding on a top wood - I've done a bunch of maple but would like to try something different - maybe even cedar this time. Your oil finish came out good - might give it a try. I don't remember where I got your body - somewhere in CA, maybe - probably Ebay. How do you like the CC pickup?

  5. #4

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    If you’re looking for a natural finish I‘ve made good experiences with OSMO hardsolid (hardwax) oil, I use it for necks.

    Two coats rubbed on and you‘re done. It dries to a thin yet hard finish and it‘s available in matte, silk or gloss. Very nice stuff and it lacks the gum-like surface you‘ll sometimes get from Truoil.

  6. #5

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    I recently tried Ken Parker’s technique. For a natural no spray finish, it worked a treat. The key was the way he wiped on the epoxy. It fills pores and really pops the grain. I applied 10 coats of TruOil after the epoxy and then buffed it to get a nice gloss. Super easy, and if it’s good enough for $30,000 guitars it’s good enough for my guitars.




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  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
    That came out really nice. Not even sure why I'm building another one except I had the mahogany sitting in the corner. Having trouble deciding on a top wood - I've done a bunch of maple but would like to try something different - maybe even cedar this time. Your oil finish came out good - might give it a try. I don't remember where I got your body - somewhere in CA, maybe - probably Ebay. How do you like the CC pickup?
    For a complete amateur at wood finishing, in the BLO is a good way to go. Pretty fool proof, you don't have to build a vented spray booth or deal with spraying out doors, dust is not an issue, BLO is pretty benign to work with. Occasionally I've had idle thoughts about using some Tru Oil over the top of the BLO to give it a little bit of a sheen.

    I liked the sound of the CC pick up a whole lot, but the hum just drove me nuts. I live in an old house and hum is an issue even with humbucker guitars. I had a bridge pickup opening routed in and installed two Gibson Classic 57s, really liking the sound of that. I think of it as a T-335. Very versatile like an ES-335, but the longer scale gives it a bit more snap.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cunamara
    For a complete amateur at wood finishing, in the BLO is a good way to go. Pretty fool proof, you don't have to build a vented spray booth or deal with spraying out doors, dust is not an issue, BLO is pretty benign to work with. Occasionally I've had idle thoughts about using some Tru Oil over the top of the BLO to give it a little bit of a sheen.

    I liked the sound of the CC pick up a whole lot, but the hum just drove me nuts. I live in an old house and hum is an issue even with humbucker guitars. I had a bridge pickup opening routed in and installed two Gibson Classic 57s, really liking the sound of that. I think of it as a T-335. Very versatile like an ES-335, but the longer scale gives it a bit more snap.
    If you decide to sell the CC, let me know