What's on Your Workbench?

In the late eighties, I replaced the dead pickup in my '41 Epiphone Lap Steel with an EMG Select passive Strat pickup. I didn't know much about wiring back then, so a friend of mine wired it up for me. I've never liked the sound of it, so I scrounged through the parts bin and tried some different pots and caps. Tonight, I swapped the cap again, and it is sounding much better. I put in a .047 microfarad RS Guitarworks PIO cap. I still need to change the tone pot. I'll throw a nice one in there, as I have a few in the parts drawer. If I still don't like the sound of it, I do have some more random Strat pickups that I can try.

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Not quite on the bench yet, but very soon I'm going to redo the finish on this Warmoth build I did a few years back, I never liked the way it came out. I did a tea wash and it looked great until I tru-oiled it and the flame washed out. Don't know if I'm going to just do the top or sand the whole thing down and start over.

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Not quite on the bench yet, but very soon I'm going to redo the finish on this Warmoth build I did a few years back, I never liked the way it came out. I did a tea wash and it looked great until I tru-oiled it and the flame washed out. Don't know if I'm going to just do the top or sand the whole thing down and start over.

HXT2q0R.jpg
What is a "tea wash"?
 
What is a "tea wash"?

It's exactly what it says. Brew up some very strong black tea (I used 10 tea bags in just one cup of water) and wet it down with it, then after it dries lightly sand it with some fine sand paper. Then repeat the process about 8 or 10 times or as many times as you like. The grain will start to pop and get slightly darker each time.
 
When I took the Billy Bo out the other night, I realized that I forgot to wipe it down the last time I jammed with it. So, tonight it is getting the complete spa treatment. Polish frets, oil fingerboard, clean and polish the body and neck, and replace the strings. It will be just like new again.



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Thank you very much. I am currently hung up on every pimple that needs sanding...but it will be!!

HAHA @ pimple. I think I know what you are going through. I still remember taking a car polisher to buff a Mahogany finish and clear coat on a piece of Cherry furniture I built for a client to get it shining like glass..
 
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