I’m refinishing my Jackson, and in the process converting it to a hardtail-bridge, three-single-coil Strat format guitar. I’m doing a real hack job and I’ve documented half the process. Photos…
Before. HSS pickup layout and floyd rose bridge routing a la 90’s wannabe shredder rock. The hardware was cheap and stripped, rendering the guitar nearly useless.
I stripped all the paint by hand using a sanding block and 60-grit. Everything in my apartment got covered in dust.
Down to 120 and then 180.
I called someone I know who has a wood shop in Stevens Square to route out the cavities. I didn’t have a template and I’ve never used a router before, so the edges got fucked up. I just cut blocks of alder to approximate size to fit in the new cavities.
I used a chisel to remove the extra wood to fit the blocks, and accidentally knocked out a huge chunk from the back. I pried it out and glued it back in.
Once the blocks fit (enough) I used a shitload of glue and clamped them in place one at a time, letting each side set for 24 hours. Then I used my dad’s belt sander to get it flush with the body.
I fucked up on the back. It got all wavy from me not holding the belt sander right. This is why I did the back first!
I used lots of wood fill everywhere to get it even. This is my kitchen table. I eat here, pay my bills and shit, and now I sand wood here too. I’m questioning my lifestyle.
Sanded it again by hand with 120, and primed it with cheap rustoleum primer. Maybe it’s time to work on recording again.