Saga lc-10

[brianloco]

Starting to build my saga lc-10 had some questions I'm sanding the neck and body so I can stain it and use a tru oil finish in the neck I can't decide wether to go with the stain first or just the tru oil does anyone have any input on what it would look like with just the tru oil I bought a gunstocks kit and I think I'm gonna do the back of the body in walnut stay before the finish I know about the sanding with the sealer saga puts on think I'm gonna do it by hand with a coarse grade first then a finer grade so I don't ruin the veneer also any recommendations on machine heads tusq vs bone nut and the sound I like is somewhere between slash and David gilmour any input on pickups would be great I was thinking of going with bkp VHII for the bridge and humbucker size MQ for the neck

[dnic]

I'm told the Tru-oil is more amber/brown then some of the other wipe on finishes. I'm waiting for some that I just ordered to use on my last build. Color is completely subjective mess with scrap until you find a stain and top coat that works for you. There's also a guy on YouTube "the big guitars" that has a vid or two on different wipe ons and a color chart from some woodworking mag. Subscribe to his channel then scroll through the vids.

For nuts my preference is un bleached bone but tusq is good stuff.

Tuners, I like planet waves locking self trimming, 18:1 ratio. But tuners are rarely a problem, granted kit tuners are rarely quality.

Pickups are also totally subjective. If you have heard or played the ones you mentioned and you like them go for it.

[Deleted]

The Tru oil and Tung oil I use does have an amber look to it. It will make Maple wood look vintage. I like it that way. The amber color to me gives wood a depth that clear does not.
I have been using these kinds of finishes for sometime now. The other thing I like about them is that they don't take weeks or months to cure. They can give you a glass finish to a dull finish. depending on how you want the finish to look.

EB

[brianloco]

I got the back sanded don't think I went through the veneer maybe a little heavy in some spots we'll see how it looks after I start with the tru oil now just to finish sanding the front and sides man it's a lot of sanding


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Attachments:

[dnic]

Wow, I was thinkin the back wouldn't be veneered but after looking at the pic yeah it is. And you didn't sand though because as white as the inside is you would see it.

[brianloco]

Update on the saga I put it on hold for a little while I was working on the squier but now that I'm just doing the tru oil coats on the squier I'm back to the saga I also needed a break from all the sanding trying to get that sealer off anyways I now have the front and back stripped of the sealer just the sides left to go. I've been thinking id like to try to put a hand rubbed sunburst on the top with water based dyes. Since the veneer is so thin my only concern is with sanding down the black undercoat so as not to go through the veneer anybody have any experience with this does it really need the dark undercoat I know it's to make the stripes pop more any input would be great


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dnic]

Gibson didn't use a black stain to pop the grain on their bursts. Of course they sprayed the finish no stain involved everything floated in the lacquer. That grain popping thing is something I think PRS came up with and makes a big difference on non burst finish jobs.

[brianloco]

So I'm still waiting for my dyes from lmi so I've been getting the other parts I want for the guitar I picked up two humbuckers from Stewmac and a piezo tom bridge the bridge came without any wiring instructions so now do I hook it through a toggle switch to the volume or to the output jack? Or do I need a preamp the place I bought it from only has wiring instructions for through their preamp. The bridge itself has a hot and ground wire for connecting. I want it to work with all the pickup positions and I haven't found much online about wiring it at least nothing I understand don't really know how to read schematics


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dnic]

I'd contact the pick up manufacturer for a wiring plan. Plus I think you will want a blender switch to bring the piezo in.

[GuitarAttack Forum]

I concur with Dane -- getting a good balance between piezo and mag pickups - plus adding a preamp or mixer - demands precision and needs a proper schematic!

John

[brianloco]

Finished up my saga today as this was my first attempt at doing a hand rubbed sunburst it didn't come out quite as good as I would like but I'm still pretty satisfied it blended well just didn't get in everywhere I did the finish with tru oil and swapped out all the hardware and electronics put the golden age pickups from stew Mac in and got 1 meg tone and vol pots I'm still waiting for the tone caps though I just couldn't wait any longer to put it together the caps are coming from Russia oil in paper so who knows how long it will take for them to get here it's an easy solder anyway the pickups sound great I'm really glad I got them I wired so I can blend the vol at the middle position and put a tom bridge with roller saddles liked the way it looked better anyways I'm really happy with the end result now it's on to the Jackson style body I got from gfs and I wanted to thank everyone on here for being so helpful with all my questions I think I found a new hobby to keep myself occupied and the best part is I'm really having fun with this and I replaced the nut with a bone nut


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Attachments:

[brianloco]

Some more views


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Attachments:

[Deleted]

Pretty cool! What size cap are you going to use? Like them Russian pio caps. I use the 033 a lot. They work good with humbuckers or single coils.

again Great job!

EB

[GuitarAttack Forum]

Great work..really like the headstock and the finish. Very unique.

Thanks for sharing it with us,
John

[brianloco]

Thanks guys I bought .01 caps anyways it sounds great even without them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk