A recovery of something just about fit for the bin. A bit of a mess really, but I thought I’d see what I could come up with….
Before: in need of quite a lot of work…
The fretboard was coming off so I helped it along it’s way. Next I drilled out the old fret markers…
I had an idea, make some thin markers and put LEDs behind them….
Unfortunately that didn’t work, just not bright enough. So I drilled holes all the way through each marker and glued the LEDs in place….
With that done glue it back on the neck..
Since the frets are badly worn, the fretboard’s filthy and the LEDs are sticking up I’m going to yank the old frets, level the fretboard before putting new frets in.
Out with the old…..
Sand and polish…
Ready for the new frets.
Check the slot depths first..
Put a bit of a curve in the new fret wire…
and just tap them into place…
trim the ends to the rough length.
With the new frets in place, need to file the ends flush with the side of the fretboard.
Once they’re the right length and angled tidy up any sharp edges…
Of course the frets will be a little uneven so I dressed them to a common level..
and re-shaped the tops..
A bit of a polish up and they’re better than ever…
Back to that body.. I had it coated by Wicked Coatings, Have a look at their website or click here to see my custom coatings page for other options available.
I’m using the existing parts, well new pots etc. but existing pickups. However I need a battery box to run the LEDs.
Out with the Dremel.
and a sharp chisel
With it all back together all it needs is a standard 5 point setup and it’s ready to Rock, better than ever!
Just check out the fret markers….