# Douglas SR-370 Bevelmod. [In Progress]



## CooleyJr (Nov 11, 2010)

Since I STILL haven't heard about the SR-370s bodies getting.. hacked away at yet.. I figured I'd be the first. 

*EDIT! : I've decided to name it Susan. Aka.. "The Deviled Bevel" The bevels will be stained black, and the top/body and headstock will be stained a dark cherry (not black cherry). The name fits so I'm keepin it. *

BEVELS!!















Sweet curves. Ahem...
I'm not anywhere near done yet. I still have a lot of work on the back of the lower horn and in the cutaway.. plus I'll be making the bevels about 20-30% deeper than they are now. I'd say about another 4-5 hours of work just on grinding on the wood.
Next is to take the finish off of the body and headstock. Then maybe a custom logo for the headstock. I can't wait till it's done!


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## PlagueX1 (Nov 11, 2010)

BEVELS


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## beneharris (Nov 11, 2010)

looks good! post more


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## CooleyJr (Nov 11, 2010)

Thanks! I'll do some more in a few hours.
This is what it looks like put back together right now.














I can't wait to get this done! The vision of what it's gonna look like will be worth the work. Definitely.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 11, 2010)

Couple more pics as of now. 
Underside bevel is now larger and more curvaceous.






And both cutaway bevels are deeper on the front.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 11, 2010)

MOAR PROGRESS!! 






The bevels are a bit bigger this time around. I think this is the final shaping of the front. Just need to sand all the clear off and get ready to stain within the next week or so. \m/





















Sculpting on the back of the lower horn to follow shortly. Arms are sore for the moment so after some food and a smoke.. I'll be back to it!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 11, 2010)

Cutaway fun! About 1/4 finished on this part. After this its time to remove the finish!


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## MapleMan (Nov 11, 2010)

CooleyJr said:


> Next is to take the finish off of the body and headstock, put an ebony or dark amber stain on top after a little naptha to make the grain really pop. Then maybe a custom logo for the headstock. I can't wait till it's done!



Nice work buddy! Looks like some nice changes to an otherwise simple body-shape.

*thumbs up*

little thing though, just so you know. Naptha doesnt actually make the grain pop during the stain process, naptha is just used to show what the wood will look like with some oil/lacquer (without actually applying oil/lacquer). If you are looking to enhance the grain, there are special methods using chemicals to get the stain to saturate further into the grain and give you a deeper effect. But you will find most builders are very protective about their techniques for things like this.

I could be persuaded to give some advice on the secret techniques, hehe.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 11, 2010)

Thanks! I did not know that... I'd.. uh.. really like to know some of those secret techniques 
I still have a lot of filing to do to get the back of this cutaway down to where I'd like. 
That and I hate sanding finishes off... From making the bevels I've noticed that the clear on this guitar is 1/16th inch. That's the thickness of the top on this. Haha!


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## MapleMan (Nov 11, 2010)

use a lacquer stripper and a scraper to take off the finish. It will take a lot less time, and will be a lot less work in the end! There are quite a few strippers that I have used before, just been using an eco-safe one over the past few weeks. Its completely non-toxic and can be used in doors.

In regards to getting the stain to soak further into the woods, I will PM you.

Nothing against anyone on this forum of course, I would just rather not have my special techniques on the internet for all to see. But if anyone else is genuinely interested, drop me a PM and I will fill you in.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 12, 2010)

I'm not sure if I have access to enough cash to get the lacquer stripper though man. Kinda sucks because it would save me about 6 hours of sanding, but I guess I really have no choice unless someone decides to give me $20 more  I think I'll have to bug my mom just to help me get some sandpaper. I have enough for stain and... *insert secret ingredient here* but that's it.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 12, 2010)

This is the coarse file I'm using for base shaping. 






It is.. a monster. About to start up again on the cutaway. I need it finished by the end of the day for some play tests. Once its to where it needs to be, refinishing will follow!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 12, 2010)

More done on the cutaway. This is taking forever


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## CooleyJr (Nov 12, 2010)

Cutaway is almost at it's final shape.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 12, 2010)

I'm gonna raid Lowes tomorrow. Any good names in stain that aren't too expensive? I'm looking for a REALLY black black.. and a deep Dark Cherry that isn't TOO dark. A really nice red is what I'm looking for.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 13, 2010)

Gettin' down to the grimy and gritty!!






SUPPLIES!!!






I'll give it another 2-3 days and Susan will be completed! Look for more progress soon!


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## JamesM (Nov 13, 2010)

Keep it up!


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## Mordacain (Nov 13, 2010)

Looks nice man! I've been toying with doing some Petrucci-esque contours kinda like that on cheap strat bodies.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 13, 2010)

Thanks man  Work like this is really fun. Lots of labor involved.. but it's fun.
As of now I have about 90% of the finish off the top sanded off, about 10% of the sides, and about 40% of the back. I was REALLY bored of sanding the body so I started on the headstock and neck. 60 grit to take the finish off the headstock, and 220 to rough up the neck and back of the headstock to be able to absorb the stain  I can't take pics of it at the moment but I have a strip of tape going down the center of the neck to make like a faux skunk stripe the length of the neck. Outsides of the neck and sides of the headstock will be stained Ebony, and the stripe will be stained Red Mahogany. If I can get my webcam to work tomorrow I'll take some pics.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 14, 2010)

I got my webcam working again. Dunno wtf was wrong with it in the first place but here's the prepped neck! The bare parts you see in this pic will be stained ebony. First coat probably within the next hour or so. It includes around the headstock. Second coat when I wake up tomorrow. More updates as they come!
Pics.


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## xiphoscesar (Nov 14, 2010)

this is entertaining to watch cause i also own a sr370,i would do the same to mine but i like the blue color on mine, might buy a black one and do some heavy modding on it


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## CooleyJr (Nov 14, 2010)

xiphoscesar said:


> this is entertaining to watch cause i also own a sr370,i would do the same to mine but i like the blue color on mine, might buy a black one and do some heavy modding on it



Do it! More of these need to get modded. It's like.. the 7 string canvas for $200. 

By the way..






UPDATE!

Coat 1 of the Ebony stain is on the neck!


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## OrsusMetal (Nov 14, 2010)

I'm interested to see how this turns out. I've been working on mine for awhile now and am in the process of turning it into a headless. It has been changed so much from when I got it.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 14, 2010)

OrsusMetal said:


> I'm interested to see how this turns out. I've been working on mine for awhile now and am in the process of turning it into a headless. It has been changed so much from when I got it.



I must see this.


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## Metalus (Nov 14, 2010)

Sick work dude . Im loving that ebony coat


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## Mindcrime1204 (Nov 14, 2010)

Vury nyce mod-eeng gowing on, Camuelson!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 14, 2010)

Thanks guys!!  More sanding today. A lot more.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 14, 2010)

UPDATE! 2 coats of stain is on the neck where there wasn't any tape. Now the 2nd coat is gonna have about 6-8 hours to dry before I start with the red mahogany. BUT! This is what it looks like without the tape, and the rest stained Ebony.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 14, 2010)

Just some more shots of the neck since its pretty much dry.


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## MetalBuddah (Nov 14, 2010)

Cam, this thing is gunna be beautiful. But be careful and sleep with ur eyes open, I might steal it....

But, as I said on FB...MAKE IT DARKER!!


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## vhmetalx (Nov 14, 2010)

Shit thats legit, I kinda wanna do that now.....


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## CooleyJr (Nov 14, 2010)

You steal it and I'll steal your SOUL!!!!!!!!!!!.....

Yeah.. I'm not sure if I'm gonna make it darker or not. I'm tempted but probably not. There might not be any pic updates till probably tomorrow night or Tuesday. Just a bunch of sanding on the body now. HANDSANDING. Not with a palm sander or anything. Not having access to one is kinda shitty but hey. It's gettin done!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 14, 2010)

Sanding sanding sanding. Trying not to go through the veneer top. It's paper thin so as soon as I see the natural shinyness of the wood.. I stop and 220 it and continue along the line. I'm about 50% of the way through actually getting the entire top down to the wood. I need new ways to do this. It's taking far too long.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 14, 2010)

UPDATE! 

Coat 1 of Red Mahogany stain is on the center strip of the neck.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 14, 2010)

Messed with the exposure on my webcam. Better shots of the color.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 15, 2010)

Pics without the tape!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 15, 2010)

Random pic of the neck before I go to bed. I think I'll start the satin poly on the neck when I wake up. Anyone up for an ebony stained fretboard?  (possibly)


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## cerfew (Nov 15, 2010)

That looks quite awesome. 

So you prefer the feel of a poly neck? I haven't decided if I'm going to poly coat my guitar after I oil it.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 15, 2010)

Thanks man! I like a satin poly honestly. Bare necks are the shit but having a super smooth satin neck is just as good to me. Since I stained it I figured I'd put a satin poly on it along with the body.


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## Metalus (Nov 15, 2010)

Dude that guitar is gonna look nice as fuck when its done. You should send the finished pic to Kurt from Rondo and see if he would make it a production guitar


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## CooleyJr (Nov 15, 2010)

Metalus said:


> Dude that guitar is gonna look nice as fuck when its done. You should send the finished pic to Kurt from Rondo and see if he would make it a production guitar



What a great idea!! He could give me the first of the entire run since it would be my design  Sell for around $400 which would include better pickups and a better trem lol. Possibly a modified neck joint..
I'm actually gonna do that now that you mentioned it.
I'll keep up with the updates even though I have an assload of sanding to do before anything exciting happens.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 15, 2010)

Just for reference, this is what the guitar looked like straight out of the box.


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 15, 2010)

that neck looks like sex... wild sex


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## dudeskin (Nov 15, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> that neck looks like sex... wild sex


 

let me see if i get what your saying, that neck is sooo nice, its like sex? the wildest? i agree my hard rockin ameego


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## PlagueX1 (Nov 15, 2010)

That red stain is orgasmic.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 15, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> that neck looks like sex... wild sex





dudeskin said:


> let me see if i get what your saying, that neck is sooo nice, its like sex? the wildest? i agree my hard rockin ameego



Now.. by wild sex, you mean like... animals gettin at it? Or do you mean like.. those scenes in some of those uh... SUPER hardcore pornos? 
Thanks guys. The red stain on the neck is almost completely dry so depending on my thought process throughout the day I MIGHT dye the fretboard black. Really not sure yet.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 15, 2010)

RANDOM UPDATE!!! 

SKALLUPINGZ ENNYWON?!?


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## CooleyJr (Nov 15, 2010)

Scalloping is done.


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## Deathbringer769 (Nov 15, 2010)

Susan is looking wonderful Cameron. I do enjoy teh scallops.


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 15, 2010)

CooleyJr said:


> Now.. by wild sex, you mean like... animals gettin at it? Or do you mean like.. those scenes in some of those uh... SUPER hardcore pornos?
> Thanks guys. The red stain on the neck is almost completely dry so depending on my thought process throughout the day I MIGHT dye the fretboard black. Really not sure yet.


I think it's fair to say that with something that cool it can be any kind you can think of.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 15, 2010)

scherzo1928 said:


> I think it's fair to say that with something that cool it can be any kind you can think of.



HAH! I really like that response.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 15, 2010)

Probably won't be any updates until I get this body all sanded and shit. Might take me another 2 days or so.


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## beneharris (Nov 16, 2010)

ha, that scalloping looks so much better than anything i have been able to do. this thing is looking way slick, i can't wait to see the finished product. and i wish rondo had a lefty of these instead of just the 6 string version


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## CooleyJr (Nov 16, 2010)

Scalloping isn't really too hard man. The hardest part about it is taping the frets  It took me about 7-8 minutes to tape up the 5 frets that had a risk of getting scratched, used a razor to go along the fretwire and take the extra tape off.. Then I just wrapped a piece of 60 grit around a pen and went at it for a bit. I used 60 grit, 220 grit, and 320 grit and after sandpaper I wrapped a terry cloth around the pen to kinda buff it. Took me 10 minutes to do those 4 frets. Just imagine scalloping an entire fretboard with a pen


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## beneharris (Nov 16, 2010)

ha, thats a good idea. when i did my board, i bought a file, then went over it with sandpaper to smooth it out. i think i took it up to somewhere around 1000 grit to make it real smooth. i just coudln't keep the scallops even from fret to fret


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## CooleyJr (Nov 16, 2010)

You have to feel out the radius and mark with tape how deep you wanna go. An even strip of tape along the sides of the fretboard helps immensely.


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## JaeSwift (Nov 16, 2010)

Nice bevels, EXCELLENT looking neck


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## CooleyJr (Nov 16, 2010)

JaeSwift said:


> Nice bevels, EXCELLENT looking neck



Thanks a lot man. I might make the bevels a little more.. pronounced by filing on them some more. I love the look of this neck. When I had the idea of two toning the stain I didn't think it was gonna come out THIS good.


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## JaeSwift (Nov 16, 2010)

CooleyJr said:


> Thanks a lot man. I might make the bevels a little more.. pronounced by filing on them some more. I love the look of this neck. When I had the idea of two toning the stain I didn't think it was gonna come out THIS good.



No probs, kudos for buying a guitar and truly making it your own. It will feel much nicer when it's completed and your playing on it than it would if you had left it stock! Added emotional value 

Anycase, regarding the bevels; I'de really leave it to how far you want to go. When I did my replacement body I wanted to make the bevels that I had spent quite a while designing on paper and in my head, but they didn't start taking shape until I started carving and saw where I could go further and where I needed to stop. I wanted to do something that really came from my own imagination, I encourage you to do the same. If you're happy with the bevels the way they are, then don't touch them anymore, but if you want to make something more even more unique/personal than it is currently you should go for it!

One thing _I would_ do regardless though; on the long upper left horn bevel (the contour from the neck pocket, front of the body, into the horn itself) I'de take the most circular point down a bit. Right now it's a little too square in my eyes.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 16, 2010)

Dude!! I see what you mean! I didn't even notice that. I'm glad you gave some input on this man. I need to make it look more like the lower cutaway. Everything else is pretty damn good lookin to me at the moment. Like I said I MIGHT make the bevels more pronounced but I kinda doubt it at this point. All I'm worried about is getting this fucking DURABLE ass finish off right now. I'm just about done getting the finish off the top (day 3) and it's already killing me. The sides are gonna be the biggest pain in the ass but the back I can just go at with a vengeance since there's no paper thin veneer that you can sand through in seconds if you aren't careful.


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 16, 2010)

wow, that is a pro looking scallop! Most attempts Ive seen have failed miserably, but thats quite good.

As for the bevels and carves etc. The axe I'm building is going to be quite flat. Both the back and front are going to be completely flat, really, only the neck will be curve . I want this particular axe to feel a bit like I'm playing my classical. For the 2nd build tho... I've got some really REALLY deep cutaways planned, for teh shreds. 

So yeah, I guess I'm trying to say: "go with whatever you want"


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## CooleyJr (Nov 16, 2010)

Yeah, plus this guitar isn't expensive so I can get another one. Just do something different with the next one. On that note.. I figured I'd go a little deeper with the cutaway, and go a little deeper on the bevels. It'll help with the contrast since they'll be stained ebony.


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## exo (Nov 16, 2010)

can't wait to see this finished and reassembled......


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## CooleyJr (Nov 16, 2010)

exo said:


> can't wait to see this finished and reassembled......


Soon man. I'm gonna start haulin ass on it tomorrow. I want it done NAO! 
Shouldn't be too much longer though.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 17, 2010)

I got the finish off the top without going through the paperthin veneer. 
Sides will be fully sanded tomorrow. May work more on it tonight. I also made the bevels slightly more pronounced. More pics soon.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 18, 2010)

I had the idea of flipping the color scheme. Keeping the ebony neck with red stripe, but sanding and re-staining the headstock ebony. Then stain the top, back and sides ebony, with the red mahogany bevels. Any input?


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## DevourTheDamned (Nov 18, 2010)

dude the thing looks badASS!
i was totally thinking about getting one of these just to mod it as well lol


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## CooleyJr (Nov 18, 2010)

DevourTheDamned said:


> dude the thing looks badASS!
> i was totally thinking about getting one of these just to mod it as well lol



Thanks man! Do it! These are easy to mod since they don't cost much and it's a fairly basic guitar. You should seriously do it.  There should be a club that mods these!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 18, 2010)

UPDATE!! 

Color of the headstock has been changed...


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## MapleMan (Nov 18, 2010)

looks nice!

But me'thinks you need a better camera. Can hardly see the color.

Having said that, its nice to see peoples projects turn out well! Great work.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 18, 2010)

Another update!

Ebonized fretboard!!!!!


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## techcoreriffman (Nov 18, 2010)

So sexy. I approve


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## CooleyJr (Nov 18, 2010)

techcoreriffman said:


> So sexy. I approve



Thanks! I also approve lol. I'm already having ideas for the next übermod on one of these. Once I get another one.. it'll go through just about the same amount of changes.


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## JamesM (Nov 18, 2010)

Step by step of how you ebonized the fretboard?


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## CooleyJr (Nov 18, 2010)

The Armada said:


> Step by step of how you ebonized the fretboard?



I taped off the frets with some blue tape.
Taped along the binding (but still ended up getting some stain on it)
Made sure the fretboard was nice and clean.
1 Coat of this ebony stain I have.
Let it sit for 20 minutes and I wiped it off.

Depending on what kind of fretboard you have you should only need 1 coat of this stuff. If its a lighter wood maybe 3-4.
This rosewood was really dark from the beginning but now its BLACK!!!


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## ascender (Nov 18, 2010)

Wow man! That thing is looking gorgeous. I'm really wanting to bevel my 7321, but honestly wouldn't know where to begin with doing so.


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## Sofos (Nov 18, 2010)

did you have to do anything to the fretboard to prep it? i am getting a LTD FM 408, and am considering doing this to it.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 19, 2010)

I just roughed the whole fretboard surface up a little bit with some steel wool. I'm not really sure if this is the method but it worked pretty well for me. This board is soo black now.


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## ZackP3750 (Nov 19, 2010)

Wow, you have definitely got me on the Douglas kick now, Cooley. Awesome post so far, I cannot wait to see the finished product. I'm probably going to go with this one for my first 7, but at that low of a price (and the mod-ability) I'll probably end up with a few and just remodding them all different. Are you planning to block the trem or replace it? I've heard so-so reviews on the Rondo Licensed Floyds, and me being a fixed bridge fan would do either once I get one.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 19, 2010)

ZackP3750 said:


> Wow, you have definitely got me on the Douglas kick now, Cooley. Awesome post so far, I cannot wait to see the finished product. I'm probably going to go with this one for my first 7, but at that low of a price (and the mod-ability) I'll probably end up with a few and just remodding them all different. Are you planning to block the trem or replace it? I've heard so-so reviews on the Rondo Licensed Floyds, and me being a fixed bridge fan would do either once I get one.



Honestly bro the trem isn't bad. I use it all the time. I may have to retune a string here and there every few hours but it doesn't bother me at all. The Douglas kick is a good kick!  Kinda like the Malmsteen power kick!


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## Rick (Nov 19, 2010)

This looks badass.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 19, 2010)

Rick said:


> This looks badass.



Thank you muchly Rick!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 19, 2010)

Kinda making progress on the sides. Running out of 60 grit  If I can get lucky and score a palm sander for the back everything will be fine


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## xiphoscesar (Nov 21, 2010)

moar pics!!!!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 21, 2010)

xiphoscesar said:


> moar pics!!!!



Soon man. Still lots of sanding to do to get this damn finish off. I'm running out of sandpaper too which isn't a good thing at all. May have to borrow $5 from the mom to get some more but I'm goin nuts on it tomorrow. I need at least the sides and half the back done by tomorrow night. I'm slackin lol.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 21, 2010)

Sides are sanded. Time for the back!!


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## JPhoenix19 (Nov 21, 2010)

Just so you know, this thread is making me consider getting an SR-307 just for the heck of it.


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## Prydogga (Nov 21, 2010)

The neck looks so sexy with all the new stains, I preferred the headstock when it was red rather than black though, anyways, this is all awesome!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 21, 2010)

JPhoenix19 said:


> Just so you know, this thread is making me consider getting an SR-307 just for the heck of it.



Go for it dude! Great for the price (playing and quality wise) and easy to mod. The natural one has an ash veneer, the other two-three colors (black, blue, red) are 3 piece mahogany body. The natural one that I have has the ash veneer and a 3 piece mahogany body. Every fretboard I've seen on these have been super dark rosewood so just a little bit of black stain or fretboard dye and it looks damn close to ebony. The thing I like about my fretboard on this one is the pores are nice and tight unlike a lot of cheap rosewood fretboards you see on $500 and under guitars. So I say get one and add to the modded SR-370 family!  (I'm #1!!!! )


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## CooleyJr (Nov 22, 2010)

Alright, here's the deal. Since I've been spending a lot of time sanding this guitar, that also means I've had a lot of time to think about the finished product. My latest idea was to abandon the red bevel idea.. and make more of a.. melted stain finish?
The top will have ebony and red mahogany stain, but in a melted fashion like a Conklin melted top, but with stain instead. If I can manage it, I'll keep a curvy strip of the natural wood showing as a separator of the black and red. The rest of the guitar will be stained ebony, but just the top will be melted. 

Example.







Feedback?


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## ascender (Nov 22, 2010)

I vote to stick with the red bevels. I, personally, have always been a fan of colored bevels offsetting the body color!


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## Hollowway (Nov 22, 2010)

I vote for the bevels, too. But it is REALLY weird that I was just looking at this: CONKLIN 7 STRING GUITAR. Mint Custom Shop. Melted Top - eBay (item 190467874256 end time Nov-22-10 21:07:36 PST) right before I checked your progress in here!


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## jwatso89 (Nov 22, 2010)

For what it's worth, I think the red bevels will look pretty sick so i would stick to that idea  this thread has got me thinking more and more about a douglas and if i do eventually get one, ill likely do something close to yours so thanks for the ideas!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 22, 2010)

Yeah I'm sticking with red bevels. I can't bring myself to stray from that idea.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 24, 2010)

Sorry for the lack of updates. Hand sanding takes forever. Almost done though! Stain soon! Possibly Thursday night if I can manage getting the rest of the back sanded by tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for the kind words from everyone!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 25, 2010)

I'm about finished sanding the back. Get ready for update pics tomorrow!


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## PhillCantu93 (Nov 25, 2010)

Hey man, I saw your post on my thread, and I gotta say, that guitar looks raw. I think I may so something similar when my SR-370 comes in!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 25, 2010)

Thanks dude!  Can't wait to see what kind of ideas you come up with for yours. I wanna see more SR370 modding going on.


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## PhillCantu93 (Nov 26, 2010)

CooleyJr said:


> Thanks dude!  Can't wait to see what kind of ideas you come up with for yours. I wanna see more SR370 modding going on.




Absolutely! I think I'll put some black bevels on mine, assuming I get the red one...then put those DiMarzios in there and - assuming I can pull it off - scallop the last 6 or so frets.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 26, 2010)

If you do the scalloping man I can give some tips if you need.


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## joaocunha (Nov 26, 2010)

You're such a neck hacker, bro.

Great stain magic, keep up the good work.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 26, 2010)

Neck=h4x0rd. Got some shit to do then I'll be back to sanding. First coat of stain tonight!


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## leandroab (Nov 26, 2010)

So, you didn't have to sand the FB lightly (0000 steel wool) to get the stain absorbed? I tried ebonizing a neck of mine and that shit didn't stick at all... Only when I sanded the FB...


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## CooleyJr (Nov 26, 2010)

I roughed up the surface man. I tried it on a few frets without doing that but it didn't absorb at all. When I used the steel wool I guess it opened the pores more and allowed just the right amount to set in.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 26, 2010)

After days and days and days and days of sanding this uber thick finish off.......
STAIN!!!!!












More to come soon.........................


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## cerfew (Nov 26, 2010)

Oh god. I want it.


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## CooleyJr (Nov 26, 2010)

cerfew said:


> Oh god. I want it.



Get one and I'll do the same thing to it!  lol


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## cerfew (Nov 26, 2010)

Is that really just a stain? It's so black you can't even see the grain... Or maybe it's the lighting/camera?


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## CooleyJr (Nov 26, 2010)

cerfew said:


> Is that really just a stain? It's so black you can't even see the grain... Or maybe it's the lighting/camera?


I took the pics before I wiped off the excess. That's why it was so dark. In these pics you can see more of the grain. The stain on the back is super dark because I guess mahogany absorbs the stain more since the ash is harder.

MOAR!!


















I realize the stain bled into the bevels, but I didn't intend to make it ABSOLUTELY perfect. Yes the bleeding was intentional because it'll look pretty badass with the red bevels. It'll have a touch of brutal darkness on the edges for extra br00tz. Last coat on the top went on after I took these pics. I'll start the bevel staining sometime early afternoon tomorrow. Hope you guys are enjoying the progress since I kept you waiting long enough with all that damn sanding!


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## PlagueX1 (Nov 26, 2010)

OHBBSOBLACKNBEAUTIFUL


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## Hollowway (Nov 26, 2010)

I think you really need to refine the bevels and get that extra stain off. And use a high grit sandpaper on those. I think that's going to make a HUGE difference in the final product. Don't sell yourself short by rationalizing when it's so close to done!


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## CooleyJr (Nov 26, 2010)

There will be a little more refining but it'll have to wait until tomorrow before I do the red stain on the bevels. What do you think of it so far though man?


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## MetalBuddah (Nov 26, 2010)

Schmmmexxxxy cam! I cant wait to see the final product!


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## cerfew (Nov 27, 2010)

That is one sexy guitar. I think I'm gonna do something like that for my next guitar.


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## Hollowway (Nov 27, 2010)

CooleyJr said:


> There will be a little more refining but it'll have to wait until tomorrow before I do the red stain on the bevels. What do you think of it so far though man?



I think it's pretty damn cool! I really like the bevels. But, I see a lot of people do mods and they aren't as smooth or refined as they originally envisioned, so they rationalize it as being more "metal." In your case you've got the hard part done, so I'm sayin don't fall into that trap. Sand off the spillage of the stain on the bevel and get a good clean red there. I think it's gonna be pretty cool.


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## MusicMetalHead (Dec 10, 2010)

I WILL MOD MINE! Will get tools stains and all that crap, new pickups and all that crap, will get all that crap, all that crap, and well you get all that cr... i mean you get the picture. Point is I will mod soon


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## CooleyJr (Dec 10, 2010)

MusicMetalHead said:


> I WILL MOD MINE! Will get tools stains and all that crap, new pickups and all that crap, will get all that crap, all that crap, and well you get all that cr... i mean you get the picture. Point is I will mod soon



When you do.. UBER PICS!!


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## MusicMetalHead (Dec 10, 2010)

CooleyJr said:


> When you do.. UBER PICS!!


 
Will do. Actually thinkin about doing two. One for me and one for my cousin (basically my brother though). His will have seymour duncan pickups or something. He plays metal with no compromises. I need something more flexible for pickups though. I doo jazz flamenco and of course metal. So I need a bit of advice on that.
I know I want two tone knobs as opposed to just one plus an overall volume knob so there will be rewiring and also push/pull so I can switch between humbuckers and single coils would be fantastic. Before I do this though I am going to be doing a garbage dump guitar build, which ammounts to my own version of the Home Depot build. Everything will be homemade which means no store bought pickups, no custom fabricated necks. Just me, a soddering iron, wires, and some sexy sexy wood. Also a dremel. It will most likely sound and play like crap but the experiance will be well worth it and hey, I wont be spending any money on it so nothin to lose.


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## JonnyDeath (Dec 13, 2010)

Not bad but you shouldn't have skipped so many steps such as pulling your electronics and stage sanding everything so your finish would take better. Also should have cleaned up those bevels with a good sanding sponge since they make getting things uniform and symmetrical an easy task. 

Still decent though, hope it shines once you're finished!


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## masterdebradwic (Dec 17, 2010)

Dude it looks so badass!!! I love it! When will you have it assembled and done? BTW you should most definitely do a video with that mother!


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## Prydogga (Dec 17, 2010)

It's already in a NGD thread and he's used it in a video


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## McHeathen (Mar 15, 2011)

just read through this whole thread after being redirected here, thanks man, you've given me some ideas as far as the cutaway with that bevel thing you're doing there. i just wish there's some kind of way to get past that lump that bolt on guitars have where the neck and body meet. this guitar however doesn't seem to be giving that problem anytime soon.

cheers!


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## Jontain (Mar 15, 2011)

Oh missed this one, looks like a realy nice refinish man.


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## phile (May 6, 2011)

Hey man, did you use the Behlen Dye on the body as well?!?! I am about to do the same to a strat body and finishing with tung oil, but I am going for a real dark finish.... 

I also have the whole board scalloped, but I used a dremel  since it's an S&M type deal doing it with a file and sandpaper... btw, pen or anything round is useless for the lower frets so you need to customize something (I made a contour from wood but you can actually go for the Dremel premade contours and just customize them -- the ones for the 6000 sander).
Second neck | Facebook


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## phile (May 6, 2011)

Btw, were you able to remove the ebony dye you used on the fingerboard off the binding?! 

P.S. After doing a bit of "ebonizing" of rosewood FB's, the main advice I can give anybody thinking of doing it is this: 
make sure you get the air out of the tape and also that there are no folds and it's a clean stick --the smallest pocket or fold and the dye will bleed all over.... I usually go with a piece of rubber over the masking take squeezing everything out and out of every little corner... I hope this helps...


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## CooleyJr (May 6, 2011)

Yeah I got all the dye that ran off the binding. It's actually not mine anymore. I'm waiting for payment so I can ship it out to it's new owner.  We had a good run together.. but when push comes to shove, my Agile 8 is miles ahead of it.


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## phile (May 6, 2011)

MusicMetalHead said:


> Will do. Actually thinkin about doing two. One for me and one for my cousin (basically my brother though). His will have seymour duncan pickups or something. He plays metal with no compromises. I need something more flexible for pickups though. I doo jazz flamenco and of course metal. So I need a bit of advice on that.
> I know I want two tone knobs as opposed to just one plus an overall volume knob so there will be rewiring and also push/pull so I can switch between humbuckers and single coils would be fantastic. Before I do this though I am going to be doing a garbage dump guitar build, which ammounts to my own version of the Home Depot build. Everything will be homemade which means no store bought pickups, no custom fabricated necks. Just me, a soddering iron, wires, and some sexy sexy wood. Also a dremel. It will most likely sound and play like crap but the experiance will be well worth it and hey, I wont be spending any money on it so nothin to lose.



Hey man, if it's for a 6 string, I can't recommend the EMG 89XR and the 81TWX enough... They are dual mode so you get the tapping but also increased headroom ... They sound killer for both the heavy sound and a thinner Single Coil type... not cheap but def worth it )) Ohhhh and it's solderless so everything is plug and play and killer for expansion/customization.... X-series is increased headroom and dual -mode is of course for splitting.... The thing is dead quiet even with a lot of distortion and reverbs... ))

Ohhhh and another thing about the dremel -- unless you are confident about your skills (and with that I mean how well you can control the tool itself, how firm your grip on it is) first practice a lot on scrap wood ... The dremel has the tendency to chatter and will do a lot of damage ... oh and get the flex shaft if you're gonna be working with it


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## phile (May 6, 2011)

CooleyJr said:


> Yeah I got all the dye that ran off the binding. It's actually not mine anymore. I'm waiting for payment so I can ship it out to it's new owner.  We had a good run together.. but when push comes to shove, my Agile 8 is miles ahead of it.




Hahahahah I am def jealous... I am going to be placing an order for the Pendulum Pro 82527 soon.... EB and natural, oh and mutli-scale, also 8 strings .... Those are killer instruments , especially for the price... 

EDIT: Actually the first FB I dyed was an Epiphone CUstom with the binding -- the binding was such a bad quality that the dye bled underneath it so no way to get it out ,..... however it turned out amazing -- looks like the board has veins running into the neck and whoever picks it up the first reaction is how well Epiphone did the dye on the binding -- I always get a kick out of that ))) But lucky errors like that don't happen too often...


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## CooleyJr (May 6, 2011)

phile said:


> Hahahahah I am def jealous... I am going to be placing an order for the Pendulum Pro 82527 soon.... EB and natural .... Those are killer instruments , especially for the price...
> 
> EDIT: Actually the first FB I dyed was an Epiphone CUstom with the binding -- the binding was such a bad quality that the dye bled underneath it so no way to get it out ,..... however it turned out amazing -- looks like the board has veins running into the neck and whoever picks it up the first reaction is how well Epiphone did the dye on the binding -- I always get a kick out of that ))) But lucky errors like that don't happen too often...



You did a damn good job man. And I actually have the Pendulum Pro Dual 82527.


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## phile (May 6, 2011)

so did you use Behlen on the body?


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## phile (May 6, 2011)

CooleyJr said:


> You did a damn good job man. And I actually have the Pendulum Pro Dual 82527.


Ohhh please... you can def burn in hell (I am joking of course).... Ohh and if you do decide to get rid of it please let me know -- they are out for this year and have to wait a lot


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## CooleyJr (May 6, 2011)

phile said:


> Ohhh please... you can def burn in hell (I am joking of course).... Ohh and if you do decide to get rid of it please let me know -- they are out for this year and have to wait a lot



Nah I used Minwax woodstain. I also don't think I'll ever get rid of this one though. It's my first fanned fret guitar and I fell in love with it the moment I played it. Especially after I restrung it up with 9-58 with a .007 and tuned it low Bb to high Ab.


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## phile (May 6, 2011)

nice, yea I figured you wouldn't be getting rid of it any time soon . I actually haven't had a chance to play on a multi-scale but the theory is sound and I really want to get my hands on one . Conklin also makes some killer multi-scales but the prices are really restrictive. Actually I used to have a pretty bad opinion about Agile since one was given to me for setup and repairs a couple of years ago and it was actually pretty bad, of course the way it was handled had to do a lot with it but I was still looking at it as a cheapo LP copy. Soooo not the case. I am really glad somebody actually made me check out what Rondo really does and I was simply blown away.... I honestly don't know how the guy makes any profit -- it must be on margins on bulk, coz otherwise I cannot see such instruments at those prices... simply amazing )))) Sooo yea man, Enjoy it as I am sure you do... I am jealous in a good way )))

Btw, if you get a chance to "ebonize" anything in the future and are looking for the real black finish, I would suggest getting the Behlen's Oil Dye, it's a leather dye but this is what Gibson, Martin and all the big names use on their ebony boards (I am sure you know that ebony is anything but universally black, so in fact all ebony boards get that treatment) and I have too a number of times and absolutely love the results. If you're working on a fingerboard I would suggest the ColorTone fretboard finishing oil and on a body Tung (China Wood) Oil. I actually bought a cheapo Squire off Craigslist ($50 for the guitar with a korg tuner and a hartke amp  ) just so I can experiment with scalloping depth and different finishing options... Planning on dying the body with the oil and finishing it with Tung so it does have the real black finish but also you can feel the grain of the wood ))) I can't recommend dyeing the board black enough to people who are into the ebony look but have rosewoods, I am even considering doing it on my RGTHRG1 although it's a limited edition )))) 

Good luck man!!! Good job on the mod. I really wish you had some hi-res pics of the finished product but hey these are good enough to see what is going on... I really liked the bevels, but you should graduate sandpaper grits .... I personally go to 600 or 800 hundred for body work depending on how fine the feel should be.

tim


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