Steve built his first electric in his Boise workshop, and he practised the finish on scrap maple before he let a drop of dye touch the guitar.
He did not rush it. Before staining the body he made a set of maple plywood blanks and tested colours on them, waiting on two more shades to arrive before he started.
I did make several blanks for testing the Angelus dies and patterns. Once I got the first coat on and did the sand back I decided against a burst pattern. Making the blanks was worth the effort.
The finish is Tru Oil, applied by hand. Steve had used it before on rifle stocks, so he knew what it wanted from him.
The TruOil is working out great. It is just a slow process that requires patience and detail.
He left the fretboard natural and finished with paste wax. The neck heel still carries our stamp, which is a good thing to see on a guitar this well finished.
The wiring was the part he was least sure of. He said he was about fifty percent confident working from the manual, lined up a guitar tech friend to help, and then solved it himself before the friend was needed.
I managed to figure everything out. The guitar is complete and dropped off with my guitar tech today for a professional setup.
His own verdict is the best line in the whole thread.
It is definitely a homemade 1 of 1 guitar that I am very proud of.
Beautiful work, Steve. That finish is worth every one of those test blanks.
What are you finishing your build with, and did you practise on scrap first?