Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
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fuzzjunkie
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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by fuzzjunkie » Sun Mar 27, 2022 12:00 pm

Why would that matter if it’s going to get covered in glitter and 20 top coats of clear?

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Lost In Autumn
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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Lost In Autumn » Sun Mar 27, 2022 12:44 pm

fuzzjunkie wrote:
Sun Mar 27, 2022 12:00 pm
Why would that matter if it’s going to get covered in glitter and 20 top coats of clear?
it's also getting relic'd to expose the base paint and the wood beneath. it look awesome if it was solid ash, as I'd assumed it was. As it it, this might be better saved for another project.

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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Lost In Autumn » Sun Mar 27, 2022 12:45 pm

Since I was a teen, one of my dream guitars has been a Gretsch White Falcon, as played by Billy Duffy of the Cult. The only problem is that they've always been out of reach for my budget and this has only gotten worse since the mid 80's. While browsing Reverb, I came across an internet legend stating that Arbor J-138 guitars were actually left-over Korean made Gretsch's, from when MusicCorp had licensed the right from Fred Gretsch. As the story goes, when Fender bought the name and distribution rights, they declined to pick up the back stock and MusicCorp simply re-badged them as Arbors. This seemingly checks out, as they share nearly identical shapes with the Gretsch 5128's as currently made, as well as the 90's versions. However, this turns out to be a spurious story concocted by MusicCorp sales reps to push lagging Arbor stock. They're actually made in China, perhaps in the same factories as the Electromatic 5128's, but alas, they're definitely not left over Gretsches. but I digress... the legend is charming enough and stuck in the back of my mind; I'd occasionally search them on Reverb, but I was never compelled to pull the trigger. However, when one popped up on Facebook Marketplace for the low-low of $200, my magic number, I couldn't resist. Worst case scenario, I could set it up and flip it for nearly double my money, but if it checked out, it could make a great mod platform.
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This one was in pretty rough shape, with a ton of corrosion and tarnishing, however, the neck was straight and the finish was in good shape, it just needed a bit of TLC:
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Naturally, since I have an unhealthy affinity for glitter finishes, I started contemplating a refin and stumbled upon this heavy relic Gretsch Custom Shop White Falcon. That was fucking totally the shit. Hell yeah!
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I started by scuffing the finish on the top and headstock with 400 grit, taped it of and sprayed a base coat of shoreline gold metalic:
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then I began laying the gold glitter
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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Lost In Autumn » Sun Mar 27, 2022 12:45 pm

I followed up the glitter with about 25 coats of CrystalLac Brite Tone Instrument Finish waterborne poly:
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It cured for longer than I'd expected, over three months, to be exact, largely because my original pickup vendor canceled the order after shutting down his social media, closing his reverb shop and going radio silence on coms. I had to submit a Reverb inquiry after which he assured me that he was building my pickups next, then suddenly cancelled the order and refunded my money. Weird. Fortunately, Porter Pickups came through in the clutch, delivering a set of their PAF FilterTrons in less than 10 days. We were back in biznitch.
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here it is in all of its golden-glittered glory:
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sadly, the sun wasn't out today and the photos don't do it justice. In addition to the Porter-trons, it got a set of Gretsch reminiscent knobs, gently relic'd with Simichrome, removing 85% of the gold plate from the finish- the pickup plates received the same treatment, as did the new, gold Grover RotoMatic tuning machines and a chrome Wilkinson Locking Roller bridge works intended with a Bigsby B6 that I had in the parts bin, to keep everything in tune. The stock pots and wires were binned and replaced with Emerson CTS Pro pots, 1Meg fir treble bleed volume pots and 500K tone pots, with .33uf capacitors, along with a Switchcraft jack and switch, as well as low capacitance Gavitt wire.
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the video footage does a better job of showing the sparkle, but I really need to shoot it on a sunny day to capture its true effervescent glory:
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it does need a bit of fettling, still. It has a high or loose 2nd fret that's causing a little bit of buzz, and while the Bigsby B6 works adequately well, there's not even remotely enough break angle from the vibrato to the bridge. It doesn't buzz, but aggressive picking might knock strings loose, as there isn't much down tension at the saddles. I think a Bigsby B3 would sit lower on the arch top and provide a better break angle, so that will have to be sourced before we call it done.
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All told, I'm pleased with how this has turned out, I'm looking forward to getting it to 100%!
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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by kifla » Sun Mar 27, 2022 1:29 pm

THIS is effing AWESOME!!!!

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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Lost In Autumn » Fri Apr 01, 2022 1:10 am

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After pulling off the gold & silver DiPinto Belvedere, Chris DiPinto was impressed enough that he asked me to finish a few more guitars for him and asked me to work in the shop part time. This Galaxie II was the first guitar I did for the store. it has some surprisingly nice features, including a rosewood fretboard, bound neck and...
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a tiltback headstock. The angled cuts are CNC side-effect, likely a time and cost saving measure, but it looks really cool, IMHO.
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I began by stripping the body and scuffing it with 400 grit, sandpaper,
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followed by a couple coats of glue and copies amounts of glitter:
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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Lost In Autumn » Fri Apr 01, 2022 1:18 am

It then got about 25 coats of Crystalac Brite Tone Instrument Finish, a non-toxic, water-based poly.
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After polishing:
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It was delivered back to DiPinto Guitars yesterday & will sit in the queue until Chris works through his backlog; it will get a complete fret level, dress & polish, new electronics & switches, possibly new pickups and a new pickguard before going up for sale on DiPinto's Reverb store.

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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Fri Apr 01, 2022 2:56 am

Lost In Autumn wrote:
Fri Apr 01, 2022 1:18 am
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This looks awesome :w00t: I also really like the gap between the pickups. Makes it look really full, if that makes sense.
Pickup Switching Mad Scientist
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Lost In Autumn » Sun Apr 03, 2022 3:25 am

Sun's out, guns out!
https://i.imgur.com/dEfb2PK.mp4
Last edited by Lost In Autumn on Tue Apr 05, 2022 1:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Disasterbot » Mon Apr 04, 2022 12:06 pm

Paint jobs look super, great job!

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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Lost In Autumn » Tue May 17, 2022 5:49 am

It’s been a while since I’ve had any meaningful updates, I’ve been taking time off to get caught up with the rest of my life, taxes, sleep and heavy deadlines in my 9-5. I’ve upgraded my makerspace membership and now have my own studio, with 24-7 access.

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Now, to get on with production.

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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Tue May 17, 2022 9:03 am

That's a lovely makerspace space!!! 10/10 would paint there :D
Pickup Switching Mad Scientist
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Lost In Autumn » Tue May 17, 2022 9:58 am

Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Tue May 17, 2022 9:03 am
That's a lovely makerspace space!!! 10/10 would paint there :D
I’ll have to show the rest of the space, it’s got just about everything.

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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Mechanical Birds » Tue May 17, 2022 1:30 pm

You have plans for that B&B neck on the left side?

Love yr work, seriously all of it is great!

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Re: Sparkle Motion Guitars Custom Builds and Projects

Post by Lost In Autumn » Tue May 17, 2022 4:17 pm

Mechanical Birds wrote:
Tue May 17, 2022 1:30 pm
You have plans for that B&B neck on the left side?

Love yr work, seriously all of it is great!
It belongs to forum member smjenkins, part of his ‘66 Jazzmaster that’s getting re-refinished.

The other b&b neck, center, is going on a full-scale thinline Jaguar.

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