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By Vic, On 1 February, 2014 14:35

Having taken up the guitar again, some thirty odd years after I put my last one down, I got my hands on a relatively cheap ESP Like this one from GAK in Brighton, which sounds the mutt’s nuts. I also needed a project to keep me busy in my spare time, as I’ve been unable to get out fishing regularly due to sever back problems (another story). I actually started this back towards the end of October but kept forgetting to update here on the progress. So this first installment includes everything from unpacking through, priming and painting.

I decided to build my own electric guitar, after having spoken to a work colleague who had done the same for a project for the students in his DT class.

After a bit of searching, I opted for an SG style flat top kit from Thomann’s which had all the components needed for a complete build. Apart from the rosewood fret board, the rest of the kit is blank pale natural bass wood.

I was originally going to go for a plain un-coloured wood finish, with maybe a dark lacquer but having seen that there was no particularly attractive grain pattern, I decided to go for paint. Anyway, here’s a step by step of how we got on.

As it is out of the box on unpacking:

After doing a test fit to make sure everything was there and all holes etc. lined up, I Prepared the surface with a light rub down with medium grade wet and dry. A couple of coats of primer were laid down all over, with a light rubbing in between. Primed surface then prepped with a finer wet and dry ready for first colour.

First colour – deep cherry red pearlescent applied to body front and headstock front:

Second colour – black metal flake applied to back and edges of body:

In total, three coats of the black were applied to the back of the body with a fine sanding in between. A further two coats of the red were applied to the front of the body and headstock, with sanding in between. I’d made sure that there was plenty of overspray onto the black of the body edges.

Everything was then left in a warm environment for a couple of weeks to ensure that the paint had fully hardened. I then went over the body front with a very fine cutting compound taking particular time towards and over the edges to give a very faint worn and aged appearance in those areas.

I know that this would not be to everyone’s taste but I was quite pleased with the final result. The following picture doesn’t really show up the full effect, you’ll just have to trust me that it looks better in real life! The rear of the body and the headstock were also given the cutting compound treatment but without the blending.

Once happy that the paint was all nicely flatted, I set about with the lacquer to give a lovely lustrous deep shine. All has now been left for a while to ensure lacquer is completely dry, before buffing with a decent quality polish and onto final assembly.

The final chapters in the build will be updated as soon as I start work on the final assembly and set up.

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By Vic, On 1 January, 2014 11:56

Just wishing everyone a happy, prosperous and fish filled 2014.

With luck, I should be up and about within the next few weeks and weather willing, I’m hoping to be on the shingle by the end of January or maybe mid February, so may see some of you out there then.

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By Vic, On 13 December, 2013 15:46

Okay, so I’ve had the surgery done at Sussex Orthopaedic Treatment Centre. Am now back at home with six weeks of recuperation to look forward to.

I have along list of exercises to complete but no driving until January at the earliest, so no excursions anywhere. No sitting for extended periods and take things easy – this could be boring to say the least.

Luckily though, I do have some projects to complete and this may be the chance I get to do it.

Project 1. To finish the guitar build I’m doing. I bought the kit from Thomann and is basically a copy of the Gibson SG. Most of the paint job is done but needs a final rub down before lacquering. Once that’s sorted, it’s onto the elctrics, final assembly and then set up. Having spent so much time on it, I do hope the sound quality is good – we shall see.

Project 2. An update to this site and hopefully, the inclusion of some new features. Not saying what they are yet until I can confirm that they work.

That should see me up to about the six week mark. I should then find out if I’m declared fit for a return to work. If not, find something else to fill the time.

The start of the new season should be here by then and it’ll be my start to the year, with some light work on the plaice and herrings down at Brighton Marina. There’s no way I’m going to tempted out onto the beach before that, slinging leads around – way too much to lose and too much pain if it goes tits up.

So until then, Have a happy Xmas and a great new year.

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By Vic, On 22 November, 2013 08:39

Well, after what feels like a year but is in fact only 318 days of waiting, phoning, waiting, phoning and pleading, I now have a date for my back surgery – woohoo! So, on 6th December, I go under the knife again in an attempt to get me back on the beach and fishing. Really it’s to get rid of this damn pain that has been plaguing me for what seems like eternity – but I like to think of it as aiding my return to an activity that has been sadly lacking this past year.

If all goes smoothly, I should be well on my way to normality by xmas be able to pull some crackers (or maybe just Doris along the road). Hopefully, by the time the spring squiddies appear, I should be back out there in amongst it all

I have to say, I’ve missed all my fishing buddies, I even stopped going into my favourite shops regularly (no, not those ones) because it made me miss fishing even more. No doubt they’ll be scraping for cash remnants in my already empty pockets but hey that’s part of the enjoyment.

At least my time off work will allow me to further my career as a forecaster in beach weather, weed, nets and shingle shifter situation – maybe even get that IPcam set up.

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By Vic, On 19 November, 2013 15:22

As I’ve now moved to Seaford and overlook the bay, I’m lucky enough to be in a position to answer any queries regarding conditions. If you want to know what it’s like before making the journey, drop me a line on an email via the site, or text if you have my mobile number and If I’m home, I’ll have a quick look and get back to you asap.

I’m looking to get an ip cam set up and have a live feed on the site, so you can see what the conditions are like for yourself. I’ve got a few other commitments at the moment but I’m hoping to get it up and running pretty soon.