Soldato
- Joined
- 4 Apr 2003
- Posts
- 8,059
Very nice, I thought you had given up after the lack of updates.
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Permabanned
EVH, you are just awesome.
Deleted member 651465
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Deleted member 651465
OP
Time for more updates. The weather has been kind so I've been back spray painting again.
The satin finish is actually really nice. I'm happy with how it turned out, so I've now bought the white and red.
Here are some links to the paint:
The only part not sprayed black was the neck pocket, and I stuffed some paper down the floyd rose mounting holes, as it will inevitably bugger about with the mounting/fitment of the bridge.
This part took so long, I almost decided to wait until it was finished and keep all the paint updates together.
I found a brilliant template on halen.com, by someone more dedicated than I! Essentially, he has photoshopped a picture of the original guitar, used the lasso tool to map out the lines and done this for the white, black and red layers! All I did was print it off for reference.
That said, it was ideal when trying to position the tape, but my original plan of measuring the original template and going 1-at-a-time to get the positioning on the real thing was cooking my head.
So, plan B.... To make sure some of the unique taping was accurate I lay masking tape on the screen of the laptop, zoomed the template so that the tape was the same size and traced each unique piece on to it.
I didn't want to use masking tape for the main stripes as when I first began there was a lot of trial and error and it loses stickyness very quickly. All the electrical tape was 1 continuous strip.
A closer look at the stripes for the first phase.
Sorry no shots of my ghetto spray booth this time!
I would say, if anyone is attempting to spray white on black, be prepared for the long haul. I lost track of the coats, and it took the better part of a week to get a full coverage
Once that was dry (approx 36hrs after the final coat), I peeled the tape off.
I knew there would be places where I'd have to touch up, but it didn't turn out too bad really. I think what I will do, is use a trick I saw a modeler use - fill the spray cap with black paint and use a small brush to touch up.
..and that's as far as I've gotten.
The satin finish is actually really nice. I'm happy with how it turned out, so I've now bought the white and red.
Here are some links to the paint:
- Primer: http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/paint/...Spray-Primer-Grey-400ml-9254003?skuId=9261702
- Black: http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/paint/...er-Spray-Satin-Black-400ml-9254007?icamp=recs
- White: http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/paint/...Spray-Satin-White-400ml-9253992?skuId=9261691
- Red: http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/paint/...ay-Satin-Real-Red-400ml-9254135?skuId=9261834
The only part not sprayed black was the neck pocket, and I stuffed some paper down the floyd rose mounting holes, as it will inevitably bugger about with the mounting/fitment of the bridge.
This part took so long, I almost decided to wait until it was finished and keep all the paint updates together.
I found a brilliant template on halen.com, by someone more dedicated than I! Essentially, he has photoshopped a picture of the original guitar, used the lasso tool to map out the lines and done this for the white, black and red layers! All I did was print it off for reference.
That said, it was ideal when trying to position the tape, but my original plan of measuring the original template and going 1-at-a-time to get the positioning on the real thing was cooking my head.
So, plan B.... To make sure some of the unique taping was accurate I lay masking tape on the screen of the laptop, zoomed the template so that the tape was the same size and traced each unique piece on to it.
I didn't want to use masking tape for the main stripes as when I first began there was a lot of trial and error and it loses stickyness very quickly. All the electrical tape was 1 continuous strip.
A closer look at the stripes for the first phase.
Sorry no shots of my ghetto spray booth this time!
I would say, if anyone is attempting to spray white on black, be prepared for the long haul. I lost track of the coats, and it took the better part of a week to get a full coverage
Once that was dry (approx 36hrs after the final coat), I peeled the tape off.
I knew there would be places where I'd have to touch up, but it didn't turn out too bad really. I think what I will do, is use a trick I saw a modeler use - fill the spray cap with black paint and use a small brush to touch up.
..and that's as far as I've gotten.
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Soldato
Coming along nicely. My friend had a stab at this same sort of build a few years back and his paint-work left a lot to be desired - yours looks like it'll be a lot better. Looking at the date of the OP you must be itching to get it finished!
Deleted member 651465
D
Deleted member 651465
OP
Sorry for the lack of updates, life gets in the way.. Namely I found a new job, graduated from my distance learning PgC (distinction w00t!) and generally been busy..
Anyway, I finally got round to sanding down the gradient between the stripes, then "relicing" the body. I warn those with a nervous disposition to look away now
A lot of the wear and tear will be covered with the red paint, and there will be additional relicing to do after the red paint, but I'm trying to maintain an authentic process. The history of the original guitar meant EVH used it in the black and white scheme for a while, and it got ruined through gigging, plus when guitar manufacturers started copying the stripes he just taped it up as-was and sprayed over the existing damaged.
All the marks and scuffs were achieved by using a metal file and some rough sandpaper. In hindsight I shouldn't have used an undercoat, as you can see it where I've not gone far enough. As I said, this is more a preliminary process, so I aim to finalise the relicing after the red paint coat.
I also filled the humbucker pocket with dirt, as that will remain white whilst the other cavities are red, so I didn't see the point in dirtying those up, just to spray over. Plus I didn't want issues with paint adhesion for the red.
Anyway, I finally got round to sanding down the gradient between the stripes, then "relicing" the body. I warn those with a nervous disposition to look away now
A lot of the wear and tear will be covered with the red paint, and there will be additional relicing to do after the red paint, but I'm trying to maintain an authentic process. The history of the original guitar meant EVH used it in the black and white scheme for a while, and it got ruined through gigging, plus when guitar manufacturers started copying the stripes he just taped it up as-was and sprayed over the existing damaged.
All the marks and scuffs were achieved by using a metal file and some rough sandpaper. In hindsight I shouldn't have used an undercoat, as you can see it where I've not gone far enough. As I said, this is more a preliminary process, so I aim to finalise the relicing after the red paint coat.
I also filled the humbucker pocket with dirt, as that will remain white whilst the other cavities are red, so I didn't see the point in dirtying those up, just to spray over. Plus I didn't want issues with paint adhesion for the red.
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Soldato
Lookin' good. 
Soldato
Looking excellent! I can't wait to see the rest of it
Soldato
Not into guitars and if I just saw the end product I wouldn't think anything of it but seeing it being built step by step is quality.
Deleted member 651465
D
Deleted member 651465
OP
It's been a while since I did anything with the project because of a few personal issues, so I thought I would update the thread with some pictures of what I've done since the last update
First off, I started with a masking template. I also have one for the rear, and about 200 reference images to compare to
Then begins the slow process of cutting, sticking and swearing! All the tape was positioned using my eye which is probably half the issue
I used blue electrical tape to mark out the thickest lines, and I also used 3mm and 6mm detailing / pinstripe tape. The craft knife and cutting matt are essential.. a few beers optional!
I used an iPad as my reference material so I could zoom and scroll quickly between reference pictures. To get the odd shapes, I free-handed pieces of tape and layered them on top of each other, to build up the shapes I wanted.
You may wonder why I bothered relicing areas that I intend to spray over... these areas will needed to be re-reliced and masking all the worn areas was scrambling my brain!
I'm just spraying the final coat of red, so I shall update with the finished article soon!
First off, I started with a masking template. I also have one for the rear, and about 200 reference images to compare to
Then begins the slow process of cutting, sticking and swearing! All the tape was positioned using my eye which is probably half the issue
I used blue electrical tape to mark out the thickest lines, and I also used 3mm and 6mm detailing / pinstripe tape. The craft knife and cutting matt are essential.. a few beers optional!
I used an iPad as my reference material so I could zoom and scroll quickly between reference pictures. To get the odd shapes, I free-handed pieces of tape and layered them on top of each other, to build up the shapes I wanted.
You may wonder why I bothered relicing areas that I intend to spray over... these areas will needed to be re-reliced and masking all the worn areas was scrambling my brain!
I'm just spraying the final coat of red, so I shall update with the finished article soon!
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Deleted member 651465
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Deleted member 651465
OP
Ok, so the paint phase is complete!
I have been using the same branded spray paint cans mentioned earlier, and I couldn't be happier with the colour match
Using light coats and large passes with the can, I was able to completely cover and spray the red coat in about two hours. I gave each coat about 10-15 minutes to dry.
I got a bit excited and started peeling the tape off the back, before I took a picture, oops! A trick I've been using throughout the build is to peel the tape off when the paint is still slightly tacky, so that you have a bit of play. Sometimes if you leave the paint dry completely it can flake or actually make the tape harder to remove.
The pinstripe tape is razor sharp, although there are 1 or 2 blemishes near the neck pickup cavity that I will need to tidy up with the craft knife and some light sandpaper.
Here he is.. as I said.. very happy with the final result.
Notice how the black lines still show through under the red. It's subtle, but it makes it.
I still need to relic the body one more time, and add the hardware.
I'm thinking of installing a push-pull pot in the volume knob and having an active neck pickup (unlike the original one EVH had). Still undecided, but it will open the door to a variety of sounds, and ultimately make the guitar more usable.
I have been using the same branded spray paint cans mentioned earlier, and I couldn't be happier with the colour match
Using light coats and large passes with the can, I was able to completely cover and spray the red coat in about two hours. I gave each coat about 10-15 minutes to dry.
I got a bit excited and started peeling the tape off the back, before I took a picture, oops! A trick I've been using throughout the build is to peel the tape off when the paint is still slightly tacky, so that you have a bit of play. Sometimes if you leave the paint dry completely it can flake or actually make the tape harder to remove.
The pinstripe tape is razor sharp, although there are 1 or 2 blemishes near the neck pickup cavity that I will need to tidy up with the craft knife and some light sandpaper.
Here he is.. as I said.. very happy with the final result.
Notice how the black lines still show through under the red. It's subtle, but it makes it.
I still need to relic the body one more time, and add the hardware.
I'm thinking of installing a push-pull pot in the volume knob and having an active neck pickup (unlike the original one EVH had). Still undecided, but it will open the door to a variety of sounds, and ultimately make the guitar more usable.
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Soldato
One of your masking tapes is a few degrees off,...
just kidding.
just kidding.
Associate
Great thread, keep up the good work.
It makes my cry when I catch on of my guitars, id be a nervous wreck doing that to one
It makes my cry when I catch on of my guitars, id be a nervous wreck doing that to one
Deleted member 651465
D
Deleted member 651465
OP
Great thread, keep up the good work.
It makes my cry when I catch on of my guitars, id be a nervous wreck doing that to one
It's for the faint of heart. I've been relicing the red coat today and at one point I thought I'd ruined it
This is epic! What a journey, can't wait to see it continuing progressing into the future (hopefully not another 2.5+ years till the finish line!). Anyway looking great so far
Thanks! I've got a load of the parts waiting here, but I need the Floyd Rose Original locking tremolo and a neck pickup.
The guy that makes the neck pickups is having eye surgery, so he's quoted July as the earliest I could get one (import from USA), but I should be able to make good progress on the rest of the build until then.
The most annoying thing about the build is that nothing is straight forward. You can't just buy a humbucker and whack it in.. you need a long legged baseplate (well for the pickup I've bought, anyway), the input jack and hardware needs to be reliced and there's a load of faffing with the tuners. Not to mention the neck I've got has no mounting holes, so that will need to be drilled before it can go on
I'm seriously considering getting the guitar professionally set up when it's all up and running. Since the last update in 2013 my 5150 MkII amp broke and by luck I ended up finding a guy locally that repaired it, for a tidy fee. He had so many awesome guitars and was in to weird and wonderful setups with sustainers, kill switches etc. We got discussing the build and he was interested in getting involved; in fact he was the one that suggested a push-pull pot so I could utilise a working neck pickup.
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Soldato
Probably trying to 'help' you ruin your perfect replica out of sheer jealousy.
Well, it's a meek possibility...
Soldato
Just read the thread - excellent stuff! Always loved that guitar and although I'd never have the patience to attempt a build like that it's pretty impressive to see your attention to detail!
All good things... and all that!
All good things... and all that!
Deleted member 651465
D
Deleted member 651465
OP
Thanks for the kind words guys, some minor updates
This is the current state of the body. There isn't much work on the front face of the body in terms of relicing, but there's some nonetheless.
The biggest change here was that I've smeared dirt in the pickup cavities. Basically, I went out the garden with a cup, scooped up some dirt and painted it in to the cavity with a small paint brush. Left it to dry and BOOM!
The rear on the other hand.. This required quite a bit of work. I may have taken too much off the bottom edge (the top when you're looking at the picture in this orientation), but honestly, there's so many different "stages" of wear in the reference pictures I'd say you can't really be too picky.
This is the extent of the relicing on the edges. I'm happy with this because from my reference shots, this seems to be pretty accurate. The paintwork was utterly destroyed before the red paint went on and I do wonder how it got so bad.. EVH must have dragged it behind the tour bus or had some seriously questionable guitar techs!
This is the current state of the body. There isn't much work on the front face of the body in terms of relicing, but there's some nonetheless.
The biggest change here was that I've smeared dirt in the pickup cavities. Basically, I went out the garden with a cup, scooped up some dirt and painted it in to the cavity with a small paint brush. Left it to dry and BOOM!
The rear on the other hand.. This required quite a bit of work. I may have taken too much off the bottom edge (the top when you're looking at the picture in this orientation), but honestly, there's so many different "stages" of wear in the reference pictures I'd say you can't really be too picky.
This is the extent of the relicing on the edges. I'm happy with this because from my reference shots, this seems to be pretty accurate. The paintwork was utterly destroyed before the red paint went on and I do wonder how it got so bad.. EVH must have dragged it behind the tour bus or had some seriously questionable guitar techs!
Deleted member 651465
D
Deleted member 651465
OP
This is the volume control and what's left of the scratchguard. Notice the signature "Tone" knob. A bit of dremel action, some wet and dry sandpaper and some boot polish and you've got yourself some aged hardware.
For anyone wondering, the volume pot is a 500k.
Other hardware has begun arriving this week, such as the Shaller mini m6 inline tuners. So shiny! It's a shame they're going to have to be aged too!
The guitar was infamous for having only 1 working pickup (in the bridge position). To throw copy=cat builders and manufacturers out, EVH put some weird hardware on show. A 5-way CRL switch is present in the middle pickup position.
I picked up this switch from eBay.
Of course, I couldn't have a shiny switch in the guitar. I dunked the switch in a cup of bleach for 10hrs and left salt on it whilst I went to work. This basically rusts the switch beyond all recognition.
I will still need to remove the salt and paint the circuit board part of the switch, but the metalwork has aged well. Sorry no pictures of the "finished" switch, as I need to solder some wires on.
I decided to go with the official EVH humbucker because, by all accounts, it's a pretty awesome pickup. I also considered the Bareknuckles VHII pickup but I am after an early VH1 tone.
Of course, I also aged this. The story behind the wear marks is that the Gibson PAF pickup EVH installed sat so close to the strings they actually worn away the pickup cover.
I can't stress how scary this was to do to a new pickup. Somewhere a baby kitten died as I did this!
The final piece of hardware to arrive (and to suffer the wrath of the sandpaper) was this Original Floyd Rose tremolo.
Look how pretty it is...
10 years wear in 10 minutes. Also a very scary process destroying a brand new Floyd Rose. Possibly more dead kittens.
For anyone wondering, the volume pot is a 500k.
Other hardware has begun arriving this week, such as the Shaller mini m6 inline tuners. So shiny! It's a shame they're going to have to be aged too!
The guitar was infamous for having only 1 working pickup (in the bridge position). To throw copy=cat builders and manufacturers out, EVH put some weird hardware on show. A 5-way CRL switch is present in the middle pickup position.
I picked up this switch from eBay.
Of course, I couldn't have a shiny switch in the guitar. I dunked the switch in a cup of bleach for 10hrs and left salt on it whilst I went to work. This basically rusts the switch beyond all recognition.
I will still need to remove the salt and paint the circuit board part of the switch, but the metalwork has aged well. Sorry no pictures of the "finished" switch, as I need to solder some wires on.
I decided to go with the official EVH humbucker because, by all accounts, it's a pretty awesome pickup. I also considered the Bareknuckles VHII pickup but I am after an early VH1 tone.
Of course, I also aged this. The story behind the wear marks is that the Gibson PAF pickup EVH installed sat so close to the strings they actually worn away the pickup cover.
I can't stress how scary this was to do to a new pickup. Somewhere a baby kitten died as I did this!
The final piece of hardware to arrive (and to suffer the wrath of the sandpaper) was this Original Floyd Rose tremolo.
Look how pretty it is...
10 years wear in 10 minutes. Also a very scary process destroying a brand new Floyd Rose. Possibly more dead kittens.