# A Variation on the Offset Theme



## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I just received two very nice bodies from Nieman Guitars, and is it just me or does this neck that landed on my lap (didn't order it) kind of match the colouring of this body?

Hmmmm, weird.

Anyway, as you can see, Strat style neck. This will be a hardtail (Hipshot bridge) with ferrules for backloading. It will have two humbuckers. I have an NOS DiMarzio Super Distortion so I'll likely use that in the bridge position. Neck pup TBD.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Amanda, sit this one out. Don't you DARE paint that.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

mhammer said:


> Amanda, sit this one out. Don't you DARE paint that.


Damn...... I want to "like" this post, but as an Amandacaster owner..... damn..... I'm conflicted.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

The flame on that neck is wild. As always, the Nieman body seems superb. Can’t wait to see this one put together.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Hey, nothing against Amandacasters. I just think you respect some things for what they can be, and other things for what they are. And this wood deserves respect for what it is.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

This is one I do intend to finish in a more conventional natural manner.

Amanda is working on the Thunderbolt Grease Slapper right now. That one will be really cool too.

I'll start sanding and filling this one tomorrow.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

An oil finish would look freaking amazing on that. Gorgeous neck!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Milkman said:


> This is one I do intend to finish in a more conventional natural manner.
> 
> Amanda is working on the Thunderbolt Grease Slapper right now. That one will be really cool too.
> 
> I'll start sanding and filling this one tomorrow.


Dude, from you "more conventional" could still mean just about anything 

Have fun man!


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## Syskajane (4 mo ago)

Nice article 
Have fun Man


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Oh, and I will probably go with a master volume and a Gibson style toggle switch.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

That's going to look awesome! Fine looking wood. Where is that neck from? That's my favourite look in a flamed maple neck.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

zztomato said:


> That's going to look awesome! Fine looking wood. Where is that neck from? That's my favourite look in a flamed maple neck.


Well, that's a bit of a mystery. A few weeks ago I received a package containing two necks from somewhere in China.

I did _look _at necks on a Chinese site, but never pulled the trigger and certainly didn't select any of the tinting that the two necks had applied. I checked, and no payment was made. So, the necks were....free?

Another member here grabbed one from me and I kept this one.

So, long story short, it's a Chinese made fender styled neck, poly finished. The fretwork looks and feels fine and the truss rod works perfectly. it's worth a try.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Milkman said:


> So, long story short, it's a Chinese made fender styled neck, poly finished. The fretwork looks and feels fine and the truss rod works perfectly. it's worth a try.


Well, they found a nice looking piece of maple. Nice when free stuff shows up in the mail. 😁


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

zztomato said:


> Well, they found a nice looking piece of maple. Nice when free stuff shows up in the mail. 😁


It was pretty weird, but serendipidous I guess.


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## zztomato (Nov 19, 2010)

Milkman said:


> It was pretty weird, but serendipidous I guess.


Have you checked it for any monitoring devices? The CCP might be watching your every move. 😨


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

zztomato said:


> Have you checked it for any monitoring devices? The CCP might be watching your every move. 😨


Have you seen the system Milk has? I don’t think they can outdo his monitoring. Ha, ha… 
And, I grabbed the other one. Monitoring me will be a very boring affair!


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

The artist style is built into the wood for that project, a little enhancement and it should turn out superb with your skills.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Paul Running said:


> The artist style is built into the wood for that project, a little enhancement and it should turn out superb with your skills.


Nice of you to say, thank you.

My "skills" are meager at best, but I have the wealth of resources from much more experienced builders here, not to mention my own set up man (Steve Blundon) to draw from.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Sanded to 400 grit. I have a couple of little spots to fill with grain filler, but the grain on this (presumably most poplar as well) is pretty closed so I'm just using a little water to bring up the furry spots and sanding them smooth. I don't see a need to grain fill the whole body.

Feels pretty smooth already, but I'll go up to 600 grit next and probably up to 1000 ~ 1500 grit ultimately.

The new Hipshot bridge should arrive today.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Simple, but highly functional and well made.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Installing the Wilkinson Mini-Bean tuners. I still need to allign them and drill the pilot holes for the anti-rotation screws (yes, I will be soaping the screws).


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I’ve decided on an oil and will spray nitro over that.
Still need to fill the grain, then oil, then nitro.


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## The Kicker Of Elves (Jul 20, 2006)

It looks like Jupiter.

Good luck with the build.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

The Kicker Of Elves said:


> It looks like Jupiter.
> 
> Good luck with the build.


I see that too.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

By the way, I need a neck position humbucker for this one. Anybody have anything interesting they might want to turn into cash?

I checked the for sale section, but not much there.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

I’ve a couple clones in the drawer. But they are open. No covers. Not sure it would go. 
I can snap some pics and readings if you want. Pretty sure they’re both pretty hot too. As in output, not discounted.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

SWLABR said:


> I’ve a couple clones in the drawer. But they are open. No covers. Not sure it would go.
> I can snap some pics and readings if you want. Pretty sure they’re both pretty hot too. As in output, not discounted.


Well, I have probably ten or fifteen random clone humbuckers.

I want to put something like a Pearly Gates or similar in the neck position of this.

But thanks!


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Grain filling.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Ready for nitro.

Wednesday hopefully.

Motor City tomorrow.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

As I haven't used my spray rig in quite a few months, I just ran some thinner through it to make sure it's clear and clean. Ran like a charm.

This is the rig I have by the way.

Works nice.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Milkman said:


> As I haven't used my spray rig in quite a few months, I just ran some thinner through it to make sure it's clear and clean. Ran like a charm.
> 
> This is the rig I have by the way.
> 
> ...


I have the same gun, but I run it through my regular air compressor. Does this dedicated machine make a difference? Assuming you’ve used both… if not, anyone have insight?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

SWLABR said:


> I have the same gun, but I run it through my regular air compressor. Does this dedicated machine make a difference? Assuming you’ve used both… if not, anyone have insight?


Well this is a turbine system and I think the gun is designed for that application.

I haven't tried this gun with a compressor.

I had my mixture set too rich yesterday for my second coat and have some runs to sand out today. I'm a little rusty in using it so I'm sort of relearning my technique. Fortunately nitro is pretty forgiving and can be repaired as you go.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Milkman said:


> Well this is a turbine system and I think the gun is designed for that application.
> 
> I haven't tried this gun with a compressor.
> 
> I had my mixture set too rich yesterday for my second coat and have some runs to sand out today. I'm a little rusty in using it so I'm sort of relearning my technique. Fortunately nitro is pretty forgiving and can be repaired as you go.


Not sure mine is a “Turbine Gun”. I should have said “a similar looking gun”, not “the same gun”.
But it does look incredibly close.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

SWLABR said:


> Not sure mine is a “Turbine Gun”. I should have said “a similar looking gun”, not “the same gun”.
> But it does look incredibly close.


There is no variation on an HVLP gun dependant on if you are using a turbine drive or air compressor. Functionally, they are the same. If your compressor can feed the gun with enough CFM then you are good to go. We know it will have the pressure 

I should add, I would prefer a turbine driven air supply. It is constant, on demand and a whole lot less loud. Depending on your compressor style, it can be hard to get enough volume of air to the sprayer at a low enough PSI to take advantage of an HLVP sprayer. I know my Makita big bore never really did well with it nor could it compare to a good turbine system.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

As I mentioned, fixing nitro just takes a little elbow grease and some sand paper. I'm almost done sanding out my runs and lumps. Just need to zip out and pick up some more 220 sandpaper.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Another coat. This one went on much better.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Thats starting to show some depth in that wood man. Looking slick!


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I gotta ask what kind of wood that body is. Poplar? Ambrosia Maple? White Limba maybe???

Good to see you're still having fun Milkman, keep up the good work


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Lincoln said:


> I gotta ask what kind of wood that body is. Poplar? Ambrosia Maple? White Limba maybe???
> 
> Good to see you're still having fun Milkman, keep up the good work



It's poplar. Typically with poplar I have Amanda do the artwork or maybe I finish it in a solid colour, but the grain on this body seemed unusual and sort of striking so I just applied a light coat of oil and am now applying nitro right over it.

I was a bit worried about my second coat, but my sanding has corrected that and the next wet coat looks much better.

I'll probably do four or five coats.

Fingers crossed.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

By the way, hats off to @nnieman for making such a cool body for me.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)




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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I decided on DiMarzios for this one. Both are uncovered and black. Bridge is a Superdistortion, neck is an Air Norton (just ordered). All other parts are here or inbound.

Buhahahaha


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Sorry, I posted this in another section already, but really this is where it belongs.

I made a fixture to help me do a better job in spraying guitars.

With this I can rotate the body in two planes and pretty much position it where I want it. I'm sure I'll want to tweak it a bit but I think it should work.

The tripod base is for a follow spot so it can hold the weight no problem.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)




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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Wow, that really works well. I'm really happy I did that.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)




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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

Nice twin!


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

You aren’t spraying it in that room are ya Milk? Assuming you spay elsewhere and transport it there to dry…


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

SWLABR said:


> You aren’t spraying it in that room are ya Milk? Assuming you spay elsewhere and transport it there to dry…



No, I spray outside, kind of indoor / outdoor,.

I put my fixture in a nice clean shed. My spray rig is out there as well as the lacquer and thinner and a few tools I need.

Plus, I wear this.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I let them out gas outdoors for a couple of hours and then move them up to the attic to hang for awhile.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Now it can rest for awhile.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Finished installing the tuners. The tusq nut should arrive this week.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I think if this one has a name it would be the Misconception.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Tough room

poplar misconception…..


alrighty then


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

Milkman said:


> Tough room
> 
> poplar misconception…..
> 
> ...


Miss conception..... Sounds like the condom broke, but you got away with it.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)




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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Damn I hate downtime in the middle of a project. I ran out of nitro so I can't spray the Tarasque and I need to let the Misconception cure before I can start buffing.

Patience.......meh, who am I kidding. Never had much of that.

Nitro arrives Friday and by Saturday the Misconception should be ok to start buffing.

I guess I have started buffing other guitars with less cure time (as long as you're gentle), but I've been trying to apply more patience moving forward and it seems to be yielding better results. The Misconception looks better at this stage than most previous projects. 

The stand I made is helping and helping to prevent runs and drips.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Patience is a virtue for a reason. I also come by it in very short supply and infrequently. When it does show up, like yourself, I fine it yields great results. 

That stand seems like a great solution to a pain in the ass of a problem. Simple, effective and not overly cost prohibitive. You gotta get creative when you don't have a dedicated space for this kind of thing.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Mark Brown said:


> Patience is a virtue for a reason. I also come by it in very short supply and infrequently. When it does show up, like yourself, I fine it yields great results.
> 
> That stand seems like a great solution to a pain in the ass of a problem. Simple, effective and not overly cost prohibitive. You gotta get creative when you don't have a dedicated space for this kind of thing.


Well the stand sure made a fundamental improvement in my technique for spraying bodies.

I had to hold the weight of the body and move it while holding it up prior to making the stand (very awkward).

I'm working on the patience, but I don't have a fixture or tool for that....


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Milkman said:


> Well the stand sure made a fundamental improvement in my technique for spraying bodies.
> 
> I had to hold the weight of the body and move it while holding it up prior to making the stand (very awkward).
> 
> I'm working on the patience, but I don't have a fixture or tool for that....


You have a vehicle for it though. Just always make sure you don't have enough Nitro when you start a project 

It is the hardest part of doing things. I get so revved up when I get involved in something that I find the patience to do it properly can often times be lacking and it can severely impact the results. 

Either way, it is nice to know that you feel like you are gaining some better results. It is always rewarding when we can see our efforts over time improve.

It is one sweet looking body!!


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

It's coming along, or, as my Grampa would have said.....

Whale oil beef hooked.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I like to lay the main parts in their basic places to get a preview of how it will eventually look.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

As _ my _ grandfather never said.....Cod, ham, cheese and rice! That's a nice looking piece of wood.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Wiring is next.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

This one became a guitar this weekend. I'm still dialing it in of course and I haven't even adjusted the nut height yet. That will be next.

So far I've done rough action and intonation. It plays well but I think I may back the truss rod off just a touch to gain a little relief. The neck pickup (DiMarzio Air Norton) sounds particularly pleasing to my ear.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

nice looking piece buddy!


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

Wow that turned out fantastic!
Holy fast turnaround too Mike

Nathan


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

You built a real killer there. Congrats!


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

nnieman said:


> Wow that turned out fantastic!
> Holy fast turnaround too Mike
> 
> Nathan


Thanks Nathan,

I started out with a heck of a nice body that's for sure.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

And, it's going to my luthier, Steve Blundon, today.

He generally turns them around fairly quickly for me.

It's good already. My experience is that when I start out like this, Steve's impact turns good into great.


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