Gretsch Streamliner modification project

[Sarah93003]

Just a word of caution...that neck looks like it's had a lot of play on that bare wood...a preference of some guitarists with a nasty consequence. The wood could be "punky" now, and a big part of the warping in the fretboard. If you want this one to play up to its potential, consider a new neck.

Personally, I use a light Swedish oil, and seal the back of the neck with a couple coats for people who prefer unfinished necks...they never tell the difference, and the neck survives very nicely. Some of us have very sweaty hands, and the lacquer gets real sticky as we play, whereas the "bare" wood never does...

Thank you. I asked my tech about that and he said the neck was fine. I'll ask him again just to be sure.

[paulramon1962]

Nice project! It's gonna be sweet when it's done. I've never seen the four cat eye holes like that. Can't wait for more pics.

[Sarah93003]

Nice project! It's gonna be sweet when it's done. I've never seen the four cat eye holes like that. Can't wait for more pics.

Thanks. I think of it as evolving from "Cat Eye" to "Claw Mark". Maybe I should call it "Cat Scratch Fever"! This is going to be a signature guitar for me so I wanted to create something that was visually and sonically impressive.

[paulramon1962]

Thanks. I think of it as evolving from "Cat Eye" to "Claw Mark". Maybe I should call it "Cat Scratch Fever"! This is going to be a signature guitar for me so I wanted to create something that was visually and sonically impressive.

Well the visual part is down.

[Sarah93003]

Last night I got the letters rough cut from the turqouise. Let me first say that anyone who does inlay for a living, deserves every cent they charge! I have a whole new level of respect and appreciation for their work!! This is some very tedious, and tiny, work.

I used the jewelers saw to cut out each letter on the bamboo board with the slot. This bamboo board supports the turqoise very well on each side of the slot so the saw can travel up and down.

Since this is my first try and doing inlay I decided to cut away from the line a little bit and use my baby files to then shape to the line. My baby file set consists of 12 little files of various shapes which helps me get in tight spots. The hole in the letter R was a real trick!

The small vise works very well for holding the letters. The inside of the jaws are hard plastic so it doesn't mar the turquoise but gives it good support. Holding the letters with my fingers doesn't work because it flexes too much. The vise works perfectly to support the letter as I file to the line.

So, here are the roughed out letters,



and the letter E in the little vise for filing and shaping. I hope to have all of the letters finish filed today. The letter "T" was actually the scariest one to cut out!




The Mother of Pearl Gretsch block markers are on the way and I should have them next week. I will then start cutting into those and inlaying the turquoise within the MOP.

[Sarah93003]

This is really an education in patience! I certainly have an appreciation for fine inlay. This is my first attempt at the Gretsch logo. I'm happy with all of the letters except the T and C. Both of these broke as I was filing them in shape. The T slipped from my tweezer and fell to the floor. The C broke while I was taking it out of the little vise. Both times I just was not careful enough.

I superglued them back together but being such tiny parts I did not perfectly align them so they dried crooked. I'll make new ones next. I'm going to take a little break for a while as I was at it all day yesterday and all this morning.

I've got to sew some new covers for the cushions on my sailboat so that will be a nice distraction. I've also got a new tailpiece and strings to put on my banjo.

Here is the logo with a black background and a white background. I don't know which displayes it best.

[GattonFan]

I like the white - be sure to reverse that s and c before anything permanent ...
Dennis

[paulramon1962]

Nice job so far. Better than I could've done. Those inlay artists deserve the artist moniker.

[Sarah93003]

This turquoise is only 1/16" thick and pretty dang fragile! Key word = slow. You can't do anything fast with this stuff.

[olrocknroller]

I like the black background; it will more likely hide any slight imperfections. The varied shapes of the letters adds an "art-deco" look that you may not want to discard... I have tried several times to engrave letters into pegheads etc. and agree heartily on the accolades for people who do such beautiful inlay work.