Working on my Gretsch Astro Jet

Last night I finally started on my Astro Jet. Previously I had done mock up work, getting it playable to check out how the neck did with string tension, see what I thought of various aspects of it, including the frets, Here is a gallery with some after photos of it to that point.

Grestch Astro Jet

I got this off ebay for about $450....I'm still pinching myself....


So, last night I loosened the strings and started working on her. The binding was completely gone on the treble side of the neck and was deteriorating on the bass side. It was also missing at the heal. I'd ordered some binding and glue from Stew Mac a few weeks ago. I also find a place selling red side dot marker material, which was cool as hell. One pack (around $6) is damn near a lifetime supply too!

http://www.doeringerguitars.com/servlet/the-669/Side-Dot-Rods-RED/Detail

I used a small square file to clean the old glue and other ditrius out of the binding channel. Then I cut a piece of binding to a generous length and used naptha to clean it and the neck well. I ran a generous bead of the WeldOn #16 glue in the channel and fit the binding in place. Lots of masking tape later, it was ready to sit for 24 hours. I hope to do the bass side tonight.

Once I'd finished there, I started on the process for making a pickguard template. Using a stiff piece of construction paper I basically went by eye, loose measurements, clues on the body and a picture to get a starting point for making the pickguard. I brought in those templates to work today, scanned them and using some photos started working one up in Adobe Illustrator. Here's a photo of the first rough draft template:

From Astro Jet work 1

I think clicking that photo will take you to the album where I will store the work photos.