# Harley Benton - CST-24 Guitar Kit Build



## ACD (May 14, 2020)

Hi All,

It's been a very long time since I've done a guitar refinish (for anyone who's interested the thread on my last build is here https://www.sevenstring.org/threads/ibanez-sz-refinish.274337/).

This time around I've decided to go with a kit build and landed on the Harley Benton CST-24 kit:

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_electric_guitar_kit_cst_24.htm

There's literally no reviews or posts on this specific kit that I found online so I thought that documenting my process (including any comments I have on the kit in general) might be helpful for someone who is considering one. You guys we're also very helpful last time around and I'm open to any and all comments, criticisms, and suggestions as I move through this process.

For anyone who's wondering why I chose this specific kit, key reasons are as follows:

1. I like the PRS guitar style but did not want a kit that had a rip-off headstock or bird inlays (ie: I was looking for something that had a PRS style but doesn't look like a total PRS Ripoff.
2. I wanted a cheap kit that I can upgrade, learn more about setups etc., without worrying about destroying something more expensive.
3. Recognizing that I'll probably end up having way more into this than its worth, my goal is to end up with a half decent player.

The kit arrived today, more details to follow with my initial impressions in the next post!


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## NickS (May 14, 2020)

Interesting, definitely cheap enough that I would probably not use any of the hardware or electronics and just use the body and neck. Do you know what wood the body is? Last time I checked "Solid Wood" is not actually a real species.....


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## ACD (May 14, 2020)

Some initial off the cuff comments on the kit right out of the box (I have not yet gone through the whole thing in detail so these are my initial impressions only):

1. Overall the kit is well machined. Routing appears to be done well, no divots or deep machining marks, binding looks good. The quality of the workmanship out of the box (as it comes to the wood) exceeded my expectations.
2. Note: this body comes with sanding sealer applied, so if you want to do a dye finish you will need to sand it back. I will be doing a black gloss finish on the top, and natural finish on the sides and back so I will not be sanding the sealer back.
3. The neck comes with a thin layer of satin lacquer applied. This does not require any additional finishing and can be left as-is (as it comes to finishing). I liked the way it felt out of the box and will be leaving it as-is.
4. The neck was straight out of the box, with no sharp frets. Frets will definitely need a polish, fingerboard is a little dry and will need some lemon oil.
5. The fit of the neck into the neck pocked of the body appears to be spot on.
6. The neck is made of maple. The Harley Benton body on the website is described as being made of wood (kind of suspect lol but I took a chance on it). I inquired with Harley Benton and they confirmed that the body is _Poplar_. I'm good with this.
7. If you're planning on really playing this I think much of the hardware is likely throwaway (for a kit of this price this was my expectation). Pickups may be fine for you but at first blush the tuners at least don't seem serviceable. I plan on upgrading tuners (I have an old set from a PRS SE that I'll be using for now), pickups, electronics/pots/jack/wiring, nut (tusq), more on bridge below.
8. The guitar is supposed to come with a one-piece wraparound bridge (non-inotatable). My kit, however, came with only the stoptail piece of a two-piece TOM style bridge (a packing error). I've e-mailed Thomann/Harley Benton about this so I'll see what they come back with. Ultimately I'll likely end up upgrading.
9. The kit was packed well for shipping. This thing got bounced around a fair bit on its way to me in Canada and arrived in good shape.

Other than the bridge issue, I'm pretty happy with the kit overall out of the box. Even with the $100CAD of duties and shipping I paid I would still consider this to be a great deal (and even more of a deal if you're buying one from Thomann in Europe. This is my first time ordering anything from Thomann and their customer service has been good so far so hopefully they will resolve the bridge issue (will let you guys know what happens). Pics right out of the box are attached.


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## ACD (May 14, 2020)

NickS said:


> Interesting, definitely cheap enough that I would probably not use any of the hardware or electronics and just use the body and neck. Do you know what wood the body is? Last time I checked "Solid Wood" is not actually a real species.....



Agreed. The body wood is Poplar. I have no idea why they don't specify on the website, I had to ask customer service.


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## spudmunkey (May 14, 2020)

ACD said:


> Agreed. The body wood is Poplar. I have no idea why they don't specify on the website, I had to ask customer service.



It lets them switch it to something else without having to update anything, and eliminates liability for mis-reporting the wood if they switched to, say, something local and plentiful that shares a lot of poplar's characteristics that the rest of the world may not have heard of. Also, at low price points, margin is slim, so if they can get a good deal on a shipment of alder vs poplar, or basswood, or something similar, they can use it rather than having to re-price, etc etc.


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## ACD (May 14, 2020)

I'm not sure if the images embedded above are showing up. If not (please let me know) and here are the links:


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## lewis (May 15, 2020)

ACD said:


> I'm not sure if the images embedded above are showing up. If not (please let me know) and here are the links:



That looks absolutely fantastic.


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## Ivars V (May 16, 2020)

My mate built their SG kit and was really impressed with it. Good luck on the project!


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## ACD (May 17, 2020)

I'm waiting on some supplies to get delivered to get started on the Body. Since the neck is already finished from the factory (In a way that I am happy with) I decided to get a head start on that today. Here's what I've done so far and a few comments:

1. I replaced the plastic nut with a graphite Tusq nut. I'm a little concerned about buzzing near the nut as the nut slot was very deep. We'll see how things stand once I get the guitar set up and will adjust from there.
2. The fret board was kind of dusty/dirty from the factory and there were some streaks/marks on the binding to clean Up. I've scraped the binding, cleaned/oiled the fret board and polished the frets. There appear to be a few minor blemishes and scratches on the fret board near where some of the inlays were installed. This is barely noticeable unless you're looking for it but I thought I would mention it nonetheless. I've posted before and after pictures.
3. I've installed tuners. I had a set of tuners from a PRS SE leftover from an upgrade on another guitar so I have used those (the ones with the kit do not seem serviceable and I would strongly recommend upgrading them for anyone who is considering this kit). Leaving the truss rod cover off for now. I'm on the fence about replacing this with an aftermarket cover with some type of inlay on it.
4. Once I installed the tuners I had some concerns about where the holes had been drilled as it looked like some of the strings might touch an adjacent tuner! I've sighted down the neck and while its tight I don't think this will be an issue (phew). 

Comments, questions, and suggestions all welcome! I'm still waiting to hear back from Thomann/Harley Benton on the bridge issue.


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## ACD (May 17, 2020)

I double checked. The nut is definitely too low. I am going to shim and re-install.


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## JimF (May 18, 2020)

Following! Their kits are great value if they turn out playable, less than $100 for a bass! Cheaper than building it from scratch!


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## ACD (May 18, 2020)

I think the images aren't working for some reason. Trying again.


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## ACD (May 19, 2020)

I've got some of my paint delivered, and the balance of my finishing supplies should be arriving on Friday. In the interim here's a rundown of what else I'm planning to add achieve here:
- I'm going to go with a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the neck and an Air Norton in the Bridge. I'm usually a Duncan guy but thought I would try these out for this build. I haven't ordered electronics yet but will be including a coil tap as well.
- I ordered a Gotoh wraparound bridge (510UB). Also on the bridge issue I've now heard back from Thomann. Due to the mistake in the order they've offered me a partial credit. Excellent customer service here and I am very happy. I was a little apprehensive originally about ordering from a European supplier but these guys have been awesome to deal with. Would order from them again without hesitation.
- For the finish I'm planning on going with a gloss black top with natural back and neck. Here's an example of what I'm going for (except mine will be gloss instead of satin).






As always any comments are welcome!


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## lewis (May 19, 2020)

ACD said:


> I've got some of my paint delivered, and the balance of my finishing supplies should be arriving on Friday. In the interim here's a rundown of what else I'm planning to add achieve here:
> - I'm going to go with a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the neck and an Air Norton in the Bridge. I'm usually a Duncan guy but thought I would try these out for this build. I haven't ordered electronics yet but will be including a coil tap as well.
> - I ordered a Gotoh wraparound bridge (510UB). Also on the bridge issue I've now heard back from Thomann. Due to the mistake in the order they've offered me a partial credit. Excellent customer service here and I am very happy. I was a little apprehensive originally about ordering from a European supplier but these guys have been awesome to deal with. Would order from them again without hesitation.
> - For the finish I'm planning on going with a gloss black top with natural back and neck. Here's an example of what I'm going for (except mine will be gloss instead of satin).
> ...




Yeah Thomann are stellar. Glad the bridge error got resolved and youre happy.

This direction for the project is killer. I love the black/Natural combo you are aiming for !

Look forward to seeing this progress dude.


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## Merrekof (May 20, 2020)

Cool, I've always been interested in these kits but I was always hesistant because the possibly (or likely) poor qaulity.

Looking forward to see this thing become a guitar.


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## lewis (May 20, 2020)

a heads up too @ACD , I saw on an Harley Benton FB group that someone had an issue with their kit like this one, where the fretboard had been dyed black and it was not only badly done (streaky) but also coming off easy presumably with oil or any other fretboard maintenance product he used.

Might have to somehow how seal the board to keep that stain on there if you too have some issues.


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## JimF (May 20, 2020)

Interestingly, I was researching their basses and people were consistently saying that with both the kits and the other HB instruments, they are significantly better than the price would suggest. 

Also, I LOVE that finish idea. Especially with the binding!


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## ACD (May 20, 2020)

lewis said:


> a heads up too @ACD , I saw on an Harley Benton FB group that someone had an issue with their kit like this one, where the fretboard had been dyed black and it was not only badly done (streaky) but also coming off easy presumably with oil or any other fretboard maintenance product he used.
> 
> Might have to somehow how seal the board to keep that stain on there if you too have some issues.



Thanks for the heads up on here. It's hard to tell but I wouldn't be surprised if the fret board is dyed (If it is dyed they did a pretty decent job on mine). When I cleaned it, I also used lemon oil on the board and didn't have any dye or other residue come off of it. I've also just checked again and rubbed it a few times with my hands and nothing is coming off. For the time being it looks like I'm not having this same issue but it is certainly something I will keep in mind as I move forward.


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## lewis (May 20, 2020)

ACD said:


> Thanks for the heads up on here. It's hard to tell but I wouldn't be surprised if the fret board is dyed (If it is dyed they did a pretty decent job on mine). When I cleaned it, I also used lemon oil on the board and didn't have any dye or other residue come off of it. I've also just checked again and rubbed it a few times with my hands and nothing is coming off. For the time being it looks like I'm not having this same issue but it is certainly something I will keep in mind as I move forward.


no problem mate

glad yours is fine


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## ACD (May 23, 2020)

Some more updates! I've been working on the body this weekend. I've applied a primer coat using automotive filler primer. I applied 5-6 coats and then wet sanded the final coat with 320 grit. This primer did a great job of filling in the grain and providing a solid base for the gloss coat. I'm very happy with how this stage turned out and am hoping to start hitting the top with color tomorrow!

This kit did have some very minor nicks in the top and a couple of very minor gaps in some places between the body and the binding. Again these were very small and easily dealt with for my purposes but may cause an issue for anyone who might be thinking of doing a clear top finish on this guitar kit.

Ready for paint:




Grain filled and primer complete:


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## lewis (May 23, 2020)

were the pickup holes already drilled?
If I grabbed one of these I would want to direct mount pickups so wouldnt want pre drilled ring holes.


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## ACD (May 23, 2020)

lewis said:


> were the pickup holes already drilled?
> If I grabbed one of these I would want to direct mount pickups so wouldnt want pre drilled ring holes.



The pickup holes did come pre-drilled. If you're going with an opaque finish I guess you could fill them but otherwise you may need to look at another option.


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## ACD (May 31, 2020)

Some more updates. This weekend I finished the priming and top paint coats. I have not done any wet sanding or cleanup on the final coat as I want to leave it to dry for a few days (you can still see orange peel in the top coat). Next step will be wet sanding and scraping the binding. I'm quite happy with how this step has gone so far.


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## lewis (May 31, 2020)

ACD said:


> Some more updates. This weekend I finished the priming and top paint coats. I have not done any wet sanding or cleanup on the final coat as I want to leave it to dry for a few days (you can still see orange peel in the top coat). Next step will be wet sanding and scraping the binding. I'm quite happy with how this step has gone so far.



Christ that looks good.

After the touch ups and wet sanding its going to look awesome.
Well done dude


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## JimF (May 31, 2020)

Oh yes that looks good! Definitely a big fan of this!


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## ACD (Jun 1, 2020)

I'm looking for some recommendations on fret filing tools. I was inspecting the neck today and noticed that the fret edges are now slightly protruding as a result of the scraping and clean-up I did to the binding (I would note the fret edges were fine from the factory). The extent of the protrusion is small but its enough that I can feel it all the way down the neck. What tools would you guys recommend for dealing with this? Are there any quick and cheap ways to deal with a minor protrusion without the need for specific tools?

Thanks!


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## ACD (Jun 15, 2020)

After some research online I picked up one of these:

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...75957-hiroshima-yasuri-fret-end-dressing-file

This is basically the same tool as the stewmac fret end dressing file and worked great. Would highly recommend one of these for anyone who is in Canada as it is much cheaper than buying the stewmac file and shipping it. It's a high quality tool, easy to use, and I got great results from it. 

After wet sanding the finish I decided to add a few more coats as I wasn't 100% happy with it. These are currently curing and should have more updates on that process this weekend. My pickups and all my electronics have also arrived as well!


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## Omzig (Jun 15, 2020)

Nice work look forward to seeing the final result,myself and my dad have one each of these as fully built trem models,i think mine is something like cherry/paradise burst his is ocean flame,gotta say apart from a few flaws around the finish/binding and some routing of the cavitiy/covers there as well made as anything upto the £750 mark.


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## ACD (Jun 20, 2020)

Hi Guys,

Looking for some finishing advice. I've got the paint mostly cleaned up and I've got the lines and binding the way I want it. My plan is to finish the body with a clear wipe on poly all over to get a nice gloss all around and some good protection (using wipe on because I don't have a great spot for spray).

My question is with respect to the poly over the painted top. Should I bring the top to a full gloss before applying the poly or should I rough it up with some 320 or 400 grit sandpaper for applying? If I rough it up with sandpaper will it telegraph the sanding scratches or will this disappear after a few layers of poly and subsequent wet sand/buff?


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## ACD (Jul 18, 2020)

Hi All,

Sorry for the lack of updates over the last few weeks, I've spent a fair bit of time fussing over the top finish to get the lines right and I did burn through it once so it took more time than I was expecting. I now have it exactly the way I want it and am now in the process of applying wipe-on poly over the paint. Below is a picture of the painted surface just before starting the poly. If I were to go back and do this again I would either skip using the primer, or use a black primer. The grey primer/filler I used was great for filling in small imperfections to get a good smooth base but it would show at the edges when trying to sand back the black to remove the orange peel leaving a thin grey line around the edges (this wouldn't be an issue if you were just spraying the entire body black). To fix this I re-taped and very slightly over sprayed the black then cleaned up the edges. This took a fair bit of time to get right but I am glad I spent the time and am happy with the results.


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## LiveOVErdrive (Jul 18, 2020)

Dude that black looks so LUSH. I love it. Can't wait to see it all put together.


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## budda (Jul 18, 2020)

Wish the pics worked for me  cool that this kit seems decent though!


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## nedheftyfunk (Jul 20, 2020)

Just wanted to say thanks to ACD for posting about this project. It inspired me to build a kit with my family in the US over the summer. We got it from Bargain Musician and have had great fun. We're nearly done as, unlike you, we have been super sloppy with a lot of "yep, that'll do" remarks. The main learning is that I am now suitably in awe of the finish on even the cheapest of Squires...



budda said:


> Wish the pics worked for me  cool that this kit seems decent though!



They show up for me when I hit "reply".


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## ACD (Jul 20, 2020)

nedheftyfunk said:


> Just wanted to say thanks to ACD for posting about this project. It inspired me to build a kit with my family in the US over the summer. We got it from Bargain Musician and have had great fun. We're nearly done as, unlike you, we have been super sloppy with a lot of "yep, that'll do" remarks. The main learning is that I am now suitably in awe of the finish on even the cheapest of Squires...
> 
> 
> 
> They show up for me when I hit "reply".



Thanks for letting me know, I'm so glad to hear this inspired you to do this project with your family. These are great fun and its so cool to end up owning and instrument that you've built yourself!!

I'm not sure what's up with the pictures. They show up fine for me when I'm on my desktop, but don't show up when I'm on my phone (although I can click through the link to see them). Weird.


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## nedheftyfunk (Jul 22, 2020)

ACD said:


> Thanks for letting me know, I'm so glad to hear this inspired you to do this project with your family. These are great fun and its so cool to end up owning and instrument that you've built yourself!!



Just wanted to say thanks again. It was was (accurately) declared to be the best summer project to date. We got it finished using the "ah, good enough" approach tonight. I doubt it will be the last one we do.


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## ACD (Jul 22, 2020)

nedheftyfunk said:


> Just wanted to say thanks again. It was was (accurately) declared to be the best summer project to date. We got it finished using the "ah, good enough" approach tonight. I doubt it will be the last one we do.



This looks awesome, I love the black hardware. What did you use for the finish?


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## nedheftyfunk (Jul 23, 2020)

ACD said:


> This looks awesome, I love the black hardware. What did you use for the finish?



I'll stop bombing in on your thread after this, but here's the info.

We used Stewmac's colortone liquid stain (cherry) on the back and headstock. We had intended to have the headstock be plain, but we did a bad job masking it and so instead ended up staining it a stronger cherry to cover the mistake. For the finish, we used Stewmac's colortone wipe on poly. On the veneer we just used the poly, which really made it pop. To be clear, the finish is good from far... but far from good. We got stain on the binding and the poly is rough in places. It has character.

Just in case anyone in the US is interested, the kit was from Bargain Musician and, true to their title, cost 199 USD. For that princely sum, unsurprisingly, some of the hardware is super-cheap. In non-COVID19 times, they sell upgraded tuners, pots, pickups etc. Even as a learner-project, I'd have paid for the pots and tuners. The stock bridge has a good heft. The wood, frets, binding, nut, etc. were all excellent. The only other comment was not doing a semi-hollow would have made the wiring less fraught. Worming the wired pots in to place through the f-hole without damaging our soldering was a challenge, and - as a result - the wires are clearly visible through the f-holes. 

It was great fun, and I expect we'll do it again on another cheap kit before considering getting a more expensive one.


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## ACD (Sep 23, 2020)

Hi All,

Just a quick update as it's been a while since I last posted (I have not abandoned this project). I have spent the last few months applying multiple coats of wipe on poly to the build. I'm in the final finishing stages and I'm kind of at an impasse with getting a gloss finish with the wipe on. If I apply a thin final coat its almost impossible for me not to burn through it and end up with witness lines, but if I apply a thick coat, its not even and I end up with witness when trying to sand it back to level. I'm not really sure at this point how I can get a gloss, level, finish with wipe on poly without witness lines. Any tips or suggestions?

I'm 100% going to use spray lacquer on my next build. Dealing with a finish that doesn't "burn in" and chemically bond to the underlying coats is just too much of a headache to get right. I used Tru-oil on my last build (which was super easy to get a wonderful finish with) and wanted to try the poly to get a more durable finish but it just doesn't seem worth the extra effort (especially if you're in an apartment like me and don't have a good area to spray).


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## ACD (Oct 11, 2020)

Hi All,

Quick update. I think I've solved my problem with the finishing.

I've sanded back the wipe on and re-applied the black color coat. I purchased some triple thick spray on poly which I have applied and is now drying. I can't recommend using wipe on polu for a guitar to build any kind of thick finish, the spray is just so much faster. Should have new pics up by end of day tomorrow:

Other updates:

1. Ive started wiring the electronics so that they're ready to go when I'm at the stage where I can install pickups.
2. On this kit I had to enlarge the switch and pot holes in the body to accept the pots I am using. This was actually pretty easy (I bought a T handled reamer off amazon and that made quick work of it). Thought this was worth mentioning for anyone considering this kit.

My next project also arrived today so look out for a thread on that one in the next few months!


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## ACD (Oct 11, 2020)

Nevermind. I am sanding back to bare wood and starting all over again with lacquer. Poly is just too unforgiving and I can't get it to a place where I am happy with it. I don't know when I'll have an opportunity to spray lacquer safety so there may not be any updates for a while.


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## ACD (Nov 9, 2020)

Some actual updates!

Thanks to some unseasonably warm weather, I had an unexpected window of opportunity to refinish the guitar, and fix my mistakes. For others benefit, here's some areas where I went wrong and lessons learned:
1. I had tried to patch some of the paint areas where I had sanded through slightly. Don't do this. It will look like crap under your clear.
2. Never assume that you can fix small issues at the paint and clear stages (in fact these will probably get worse when you clear). I don't know how many times I read this online but it took me actually experiencing it to really get it. Surface prep is key, and make sure you are 100% happy with your surface, primer, and base coats before moving to the next stage.
3. Don't sand your color coat. Just don't do it. If you've prepped right you shouldn't need to.
4. Wipe on poly is really tough to get right on a carved top guitar. I'm sure some people can get results but for someone like me with little experience with it I just couldn't get it right. I ultimately went with Minwax Fast Drying spray poly which was so easy to work with. The can has a special fan nozzle which allowed for really really nice even coats. I cant recommend this enough.
5. I used Rustoleum 2x painters acrylic for the color (flat black) instead of the enamel I used last time around. This stuff goes on way more nicely, and dries much faster than the enamel. I would probably never use enamel again for something like this. It was a pain to work with.

Lots of mistakes and lots of lessons learned. You guys probably can't see much of a difference but there were some small glaring issues with the last version of the finish that I just couldn't ignore. I'm so glad I took the time to red-do this. It took me a weekend with the acrylic paint and minwax spray vs almost an entire summer of banging my head off a wall with enamel paint and wipe-on poly. Below is a picture of the paint before clear, and a picture after the clear was applied. I'm going to let this sit for a full week before I do a light sand and buff. I've also started soldering the electronics so everything should start to really come together in the next few weeks. Thanks for bearing with me as I turned this around!


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## ACD (Nov 27, 2020)

Hi All,

I am finished and wanted to close the loop on this one for everyone who was following along. A couple comments on this process and the kit overall:

The Good:
- The neck is awesome, it feels great and the nitro finish they put on it at the factory is really nice.

The Grey:
- The finish really didn't turn out how I had hoped. It was better this time around but really not where i would have liked it. In any event I learned a lot about applying paint/poly and will know what to do better next time (if I do ever use poly again).

The Bad:
- I was just barely able to get the guitar to inotate and had to max out every adjustment on the bridge. This is almost unforgivable. The bridge mounting holes were drilled too far towards the neck.

Overall, this project really didn't turn out how I expected. The guitar is playable but I'm not happy with the finish and due to that fact at the last minute I decided against using the upgraded pickups and electronics I had purchased. With all that said, I learned a lot on this one, especially about properly applying finishes that I was not previously familiar with. I think keeping the better pickups/electronics for a future build was the right call because they will ultimately end up in a guitar that I will actually play. I suspect that this one will eventually get cannibalized for parts, or stripped and refinished (with the bridge in the right place!!). I got to the point where I just had to call this one done and move on, so here it is:






I originally bought this kit with the idea of upgrading parts/electronics and making it into a player. With the inotation issue and some other flaws I think its just not good enough even for that. At the end of the day, I could only recommend one of these if you're looking for a first kit to try your hand at finishing/building/setup without having a ton of money invested.

Thanks to everyone who followed along, and for all the advice and comments. I have already started my next build (with my tried and true stain and tru-oil finish that I am used to!) and will be starting a thread on that one shortly. Hopefully this thread can save someone making some of the mistakes I did!


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