80s Kramer makeover

I bought this Focus 3000 new in '87 or' 88 and quickly put the prewired EMG set in. Got a fret dressing years later that rendered it a fretless wonder that doesn't work for me. So it sat in the case for decades. Neck was way too skinny for me anyway. Finally decided to give it a makeover. Just received the Musikraft Charvel-style neck without neck bolt holes drilled. Nothing fancy, quartersawn 1-pc and unfinished with SS frets. I'm going to give it a Tru Oil treatment of some kind followed by 0000 steel wool. Not really sure which one of the bazillion methods to use. Any input appreciated. I'll post more pics as it progresses. I'm initially trying a Suhr Aldrich in the bridge with Dimarzio Cruiser Bridge pickups in the neck/middle.



Floyd still in good condition


Original Gotoh tuners, they still feel great


Compared to my vintage tint USACG and Chubtone.

Man, that's a nice a guitar and you're nuts for having neglected it for so long. I recently picked up an '82 Pacer and it's fast becoming my favorite guitar. If I didn't have such trouble seeing the fret markers on the side of the neck, it'd be a main gigging guitar. I actually look forward to getting home to look at it.

I should add that I have an old Focus 3000 body laying around and am thinking about doing a Hentor Sportscaster build from it.

Rick Lee":2kpk44wb said:

Man, that's a nice a guitar and you're nuts for having neglected it for so long. I recently picked up an '82 Pacer and it's fast becoming my favorite guitar. If I didn't have such trouble seeing the fret markers on the side of the neck, it'd be a main gigging guitar. I actually look forward to getting home to look at it.

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Yeah, I tried to sell it several times but it seems you have to part it out to get anything for it.

I got a coat of Tru oil drying on it now. This waiting sucks but I've read its important to let each coat fully dry. House smells terrible.

My first guitar was a Kramer Focus 3000, circa 83-84. It was my main guitar up to 92-3, when I went and started getting Ibanez's.
Sat in it's case until 2004, when I scalloped the neck in a fit of Yngwie nostalgia. It has now been the brunt of many pickup experiment's but none have made it as unique as I hear it too be. No matter what heinous trials I put it through, it is one that ill never sell. Although I never had anything but hate for that first amp. A solid state Peavey 50 watt combo that I traded for an Ada Mp1.....still have the ADA.

I remember my first Kramer...A Striker ST200 (2000??)

Can't wait to see it when it's done!

Congrats!

What does the Tru Oil do vs say Dr Stringfellow Lemon Oil that I use (once a year).

I also do the .0000 steel wool at the same time. Love how it cleans up the board and frets.

Guitar looks pretty delish.

311splawndude":ly31oyqq said:

What does the Tru Oil do vs say Dr Stringfellow Lemon Oil that I use (once a year).

I also do the .0000 steel wool at the same time. Love how it cleans up the board and frets.

Guitar looks pretty delish.

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I don't really know. When I was doing research on 'best oil for guitar neck' the Birchwood Casey Tru Oil came out pretty much head and shoulders above everything else. It is gun stock oil and there are lots of methods for applying it. Some don't really apply because this neck is hard maple (no grain to fill) that has been sanded really well. I intend to use Birchwood Casey Gun Stock Wax at the end. Ben Eller has a short video but he only does 2-3 quick coats (he says he likes it raw lol). Chubtone mentioned some tips over the phone but I forgot some of it. My Chubtone neck has great depth to the sheen and feels great, I hope I can get close to that. Especially since Curt can't legally use Tru Oil in CA. I really don't know wtf I'm doing.

I went to give it a once-over with 0000 and another coat last night but the headstock did not look right after the 0000. I ended up going down to 600 grit and I think I basically removed everything I had done. It looked non-uniform/splotchy until I sanded it down. It was a bitch to buff/sand too, I think maybe even after 24 hours it wasn't 100% dry. So I just did the headstock last night (gave it another coat) and will try buffing/sanding the rest today. I'm gonna need more 0000!

Racerxrated":ly31oyqq said:

Can't wait to see it when it's done!

Congrats!

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Thanks bro!

Danish Oil. I recently bought an unfinished Warmoth birdseye/rosewood neck and finished it with Danish oil. I did 3 applications. Whichever oil you choose, you need to make sure that you do each coat lightly and periodically check the wood to wipe away any seepage. It takes several days. Tung oil is a pain in the ass and takes much longer. I bought some Watco Danish oil at Home Depot for $7, and they're cool because they have different shades. I don't recommend boiled Linseed or Tung Oil, nor do I recommend Tung oil finishes like the Fromby's stuff. Danish oil and Tru oil have given me the best results with the best feel, fastest drying, and easiest application. If you use Tung Oil, you'll need to reapply after several months. The Danish oil hardens and seals the wood. Once you finish, get some Carnauba car wax once all is said and done and rub that in for a real nice smooth feel and satin patina.

SavageRiffer":qqq9vrma said:

Danish Oil. I recently bought an unfinished Warmoth birdseye/rosewood neck and finished it with Danish oil. I did 3 applications. Whichever oil you choose, you need to make sure that you do each coat lightly and periodically check the wood to wipe away any seepage. It takes several days. Tung oil is a pain in the ass and takes much longer. I bought some Watco Danish oil at Home Depot for $7, and they're cool because they have different shades. I don't recommend boiled Linseed or Tung Oil, nor do I recommend Tung oil finishes like the Fromby's stuff. Danish oil and Tru oil have given me the best results with the best feel, fastest drying, and easiest application. If you use Tung Oil, you'll need to reapply after several months. The Danish oil hardens and seals the wood. Once you finish, get some Carnauba car wax once all is said and done and rub that in for a real nice smooth feel and satin patina.

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Thanks man. I like that the Danish oil has different shades. I think the bolded part is where I screwed up. Several sources said the first two coats can be heavy/sloppy. That worked fine for the first coat, I assume because the wood just drank it all up. I very lightly buffed it with 0000 about 20 hours after that first coat and it buffed beautifully. But this second coat didn't behave the same at all, even after 24-25 hours. Not uniform and a couple of tiny gummy spots.

I might still have some Carnauba wax...from back when I GAF what my car looked like.

SpiderWars":1922uw6y said:

SavageRiffer":1922uw6y said:

Danish Oil. I recently bought an unfinished Warmoth birdseye/rosewood neck and finished it with Danish oil. I did 3 applications. Whichever oil you choose, you need to make sure that you do each coat lightly and periodically check the wood to wipe away any seepage. It takes several days. Tung oil is a pain in the ass and takes much longer. I bought some Watco Danish oil at Home Depot for $7, and they're cool because they have different shades. I don't recommend boiled Linseed or Tung Oil, nor do I recommend Tung oil finishes like the Fromby's stuff. Danish oil and Tru oil have given me the best results with the best feel, fastest drying, and easiest application. If you use Tung Oil, you'll need to reapply after several months. The Danish oil hardens and seals the wood. Once you finish, get some Carnauba car wax once all is said and done and rub that in for a real nice smooth feel and satin patina.

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Thanks man. I like that the Danish oil has different shades. I think the bolded part is where I screwed up. Several sources said the first two coats can be heavy/sloppy. That worked fine for the first coat, I assume because the wood just drank it all up. I very lightly buffed it with 0000 about 20 hours after that first coat and it buffed beautifully. But this second coat didn't behave the same at all, even after 24-25 hours. Not uniform and a couple of tiny gummy spots.

I might still have some Carnauba wax...from back when I GAF what my car looked like.

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I heard that the last 2 coats should be applied with 600 grit sandpaper and then wiped clean with a paper towel.

SavageRiffer":10147737 said:

I heard that the last 2 coats should be applied with 600 grit sandpaper and then wiped clean with a paper towel.

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This has been very helpful. Basically, now I'm 'wet sanding' every coat with Tru Oil and sandpaper. 1000 grit yesterday, gonna do 1200, 1500, and 2000. It gets better every coat. My second coat was way too thick and I'm slowing fixing it. It's just where the frets meet the wood that have blemishes now. I also found that it's way easier if you use a tiny bit of thinner, this stuff gets gummy pretty quickly. Apparently you can thin it with almost any common thinner, I chose Terpentine just because a couple of folks said it's a little better when used for this purpose.

SpiderWars":1smgwzxp said:

SavageRiffer":1smgwzxp said:

I heard that the last 2 coats should be applied with 600 grit sandpaper and then wiped clean with a paper towel.

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This has been very helpful. Basically, now I'm 'wet sanding' every coat with Tru Oil and sandpaper. 1000 grit yesterday, gonna do 1200, 1500, and 2000. It gets better every coat. My second coat was way too thick and I'm slowing fixing it. It's just where the frets meet the wood that have blemishes now. I also found that it's way easier if you use a tiny bit of thinner, this stuff gets gummy pretty quickly. Apparently you can thin it with almost any common thinner, I chose Terpentine just because a couple of folks said it's a little better when used for this purpose.

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I'll post some pics soon, but I recently finished a new birdseye maple/rosewood neck with Danish oil. I couldn't be happier with the look and feel of it. The maple was very white, and it has some real nice grain in the wood, so the "golden oak" colored Danish oil really brought out the figuring without darkening the wood too much. It leaves a fantastic patina and has a great smooth, natural feel. Tru oil is the only other finish I'd probably use these days that doesn't require so much sanding and refinishing technique. It's easy to apply Tru and Danish oils because they don't build up a lot and you just wipe them off. It doesn't take too much for it to penetrate deep into the wood. Also, unlike other oil finishes, Tru and Danish oil dry to a very hard, durable state. Other finishes don't. You can find a video of this German dude where he puts several kinds of oil finish on a piece of clear plexi to dry and then shows what's left after several days. That's consistent my with experience, so that's why I recommend these two oils. You really don't need to do so much wet sanding or even progress to such fine sandpaper because once that first or second coat dries, it's already sealed into the wood permanently. All you do from there is add finish. Unless you're trying to build up a thick coat and get a high gloss, but for a natural feel that looks like wood instead of varnish, just one wet sand on the 2nd or 3rd coat should do.

Yeah, based on the many methods I've read it does sound like overkill. But there were some threads (on guitar necks) where guys that had done it before had evolved to doing the wet sand with progressively finer paper, going up well above 2000 (I want to say 6K which sounds ridic). It's good to know I don't have to go that far.

I'm not building up a gloss, or at least that's not my intention and it doesn't look like it. I'm actually slowly removing the gloss from my second application. There was a quote from one thread (on gunstocks) that stuck; "You want it IN the wood, not ON it". But each time I do the wet sand and leave a very thin coat on it to dry, it just looks better and more smooth. With a nice satin patina that feels like wood after a light once-over with 0000. I'm still waiting on a fret crowner so I can take the rest of this week...this weekend needs to be assembly/setup.

SpiderWars":chwfyuwi said:

Yeah, based on the many methods I've read it does sound like overkill. But there were some threads (on guitar necks) where guys that had done it before had evolved to doing the wet sand with progressively finer paper, going up well above 2000 (I want to say 6K which sounds ridic). It's good to know I don't have to go that far.

I'm not building up a gloss, or at least that's not my intention and it doesn't look like it. I'm actually slowly removing the gloss from my second application. There was a quote from one thread (on gunstocks) that stuck; "You want it IN the wood, not ON it". But each time I do the wet sand and leave a very thin coat on it to dry, it just looks better and more smooth. With a nice satin patina that feels like wood after a light once-over with 0000. I'm still waiting on a fret crowner so I can take the rest of this week...this weekend needs to be assembly/setup.

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You don't even really need to wet sand. A hard scrub pad will do. Make sure you get inside the tuner holes, truss adjustment hole, and neck screw holes. Those are where moisture can seep in. Also, even if you have a Rosewood fretboard, it doesn't hurt to put a single thin coat of Danish or Tru oil because it keeps sweat and grime out of the pores. Make sure to buff it really good before the Carnauba wax and after. I don't have a buffer, so I used a super soft, plush cloth and wrapped it around one of my sanding bits. It makes it shine and keeps it from feeling too waxy. After a few weeks, it will feel fantastic.

Finally got the neck oiled and waxed. Came out pretty good. Learned alot. Fretboard could look better but I'm pleased with the back and headstock. Compare this top pic to the one above to see the color difference. That's just straight Tru Oil.

All this fretwork is taking forever. Finishing that today. Here's the wiring I'm gonna try. It's a 3 pickup version of what I have in my Warmoth. It requires a Megaswitch. It selects the bridge/neck pickups in the middle position so positions 1/3/5 are like a Les Paul and 2/4 are similar to a Strat. In positions 2 and 4 the center-tap connections (those connections you usually tie together and stow away with heat-shrink/tape) of the corresponding pickups are connected to each other. More twangier.

Still needs some setup but it's assembled. Black knobs and switch tip or chrome?

I think I like chrome. Better pics: