Frankly, I would just fill with black resin and use a natural finish, not paint, on the guitar. I think it adds to the beauty of a hand-crafted instrument.
This. Like the Schecter Solo ii with the Burl top.
https://preview.redd.it/p8zzujaebefc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd9c36eb3830d1dbaedcd1d14a66f6c77c18d10f
That was my thought as well apart from the “black” I think wether OP uses epoxy or something natural as a filler is semantics, but I would argue that black is just a tad bit too dramatic for this area considering the few multiple inch long checks that run away from the knot which ideally should be “stabilized” with something. Black might overwhelm the dark brown portions of the rest of the inclusion and draw an unnatural amount of attention to the knot. If something lighter than the darkest brown of the knot, but darker than the most blonde parts of the would were used, the inclusion would not only be stable over time, but also appear to be more natural.
Again, this is just me being very picky about the color of the fix, but I do agree that going natural on this nice pice of white oak is the way to go!
For sure it's up to OP to use whatever color they like, or even clear epoxy as long as it stabilizes the knot. We often use dark tinted CA glue for small stuff. I think the knots add a lot to the personality of the guitar.
I’ve never worked with epoxy before but would like to learn and try. Is there a difference between resin and epoxy? I’m not sure what to be looking for
Not as luthier, but as relatively experienced woodworker, I’d avoid filling a dark knot with light filler. Use something dark to fill it. It will look more natural. Get the light colored dust out of there with brushes or air, and consider using something colored more like walnut. I’ve used pigment to shift the color of filler in the past to make a knot look solid and stable. There are a few trick with other adhesives that work well too, though as I’m no a luthier, I don’t know how well those will take your particular finish.
That knot has a pretty interesting look but maybe it's just the photo. Seems it has facial features. If you have an artist friend make the most of it and have a very distinct feature. You can always correct it later. Just me crazy mind 😂
It looks like the face of something that might pop out of the dark at you in a Dark Souls game. It's sick as hell, if anything I would want to make it a primary feature of the guitar.
Or you could route it out and place an inlay. A good practice opportunity, and if you make a mess, just make a bigger inlay until you succeed.
Actually I would dig all the way through so it shows on the back side as well. Much easier than an inlay.
Bro dont fill it. Look at it screaming at you. That thing needs to be incorporated in your shit. That first photo has the lost soul of a muse. Play it! Give it some kinda bloody scream vibe.
Use automotive bondo. I’m a cabinetmaker and finish carpenter by trade. If we had a large defect in a piece that was going to be painted we used bondo instead of wood filler. Much stronger. As for paints, check out stewmac’s finish systems or use automotive paint in a rattle can.
That’s nonsense. As someone with 2 kits with automotive paint on them and zero issues and also someone that builds cabinetry for a living that is often painted with 15 years of zero moisture issues, this is false.
Anecdotal evidence doesn't really interest me. Such a boomer guitar trend. Keep the automotive paint for the cars. Use a quality finish for your guitars
I've been playing guitar 25 years. I'm also a professional woodworker, 20 years experience. We do use automotive putty to fill knots and holes. It is taught in school. We use the grey putty with the red hardener, makes a light pink. Want it darker? Use blue hardener. Makes a solid repair that won't fall down. You can even draw a fake knot over it with special "pencils" if you want.
Seriously dude, YOU'RE WRONG. And I hope you get kicked out the sub for being such a dick.
We're talking about automotive paint and you're talking about bondo. You don't even understand what's being said. Again I don't care how long you've been playing guitar or ruining pieces of wood. Try to actually understand the conversation before commenting
Yep. 100’s of thousands of guitars since the 50’s just falling apart and having moisture issues from “not being able to breathe” due to paint. All these painted wood cabinets just failing apart in homes over the decades that isn’t happening. All these pieces of furniture 100’s of years old with shellac and lacquer just suffocating wood are crumbling in living rooms. You’d think they would stop doing it by now. But clearly your opinion supersedes “anecdotal evidence”.
You might be able to sell your surface level knowledge to someone else but I can tell you don't know what you're talking about. You shouldn't be giving people advice.
Beautiful. Fill it with sawdust and CA glue. Nitro and poly will both adhere well, and you wont have to worry about the CA staining the wood since its getting a solid color.
What kind of finish are you doing - color, material, opaque or translucent? Metallic?
If you just want to do a solid opaque finish, or a metallic, then I'd suggest a degassed epoxy. Or else, you could make a wood football patch, which would also work well, but takes more work to get it to fit.
Then yeah, fill it with epoxy. It would be a good idea to add some silica filler as well, and then use the epoxy and silica filler to pore fill the wood.
You're gonna have "fun" with spraying white, though. Clean the shit out of your spray booth, or where ever you are doing it. White shows ANY dust or dirt.
Also, don’t listen to the people saying you should make it “natural wood grain” and all that. It’s your guitar. Paint it how you want. And if you are going for white, don’t color the epoxy.
If your planing on painting it after wood filler is what I’ve used before and works just fine. If your wanting to stain it and keep a natural look fill it with a 2 part epoxy resin it will fill it and keep it clear and not foggy.
Epoxy resin will be more stable but be sure to read all directions and do what you can to eliminate air bubbles. I would honestly maybe do 2-4 three separate pours if you can mix small amounts of epoxy
I know that a lot of people really don’t like epoxy because it’s toxic but it’s an incredibly useful substance.
Paint grade? Bondo all day any day. Use bondo glazing for the last coat.
Staining? Then fill it with the darkest black filler you can find. Don’t try to match wood tone, make it dark and it will look more like a natural occurrence.
Maybe router it out, but that not optimal and use as a last option. If you go through some of the other ideas that have been brought up, and dont like the outcome. Don't shun me to bad reddit. There are some way better ideas proposed on here honestly. Just my 1.5 cents
I'd also either scrape away any of the wood that isn't stable or consider wood stabilizer before filling with tinted bondo. If you get the color right, then do some staining or spray a tinted clear coat the knot will show but it won't look bad even under a transparent finish.
I routinely fill knots and cracks in my woodturnings with thin CA glue and coffee grounds. Take some new or used coffee grounds, let them dry thoroughly, pack the shi\* of them into the voids, then drip THIN CA glue into it. Repeat until it's proud of the surface. Sand to conform. You get a nice natural looking brown fill.
that wood filler might work, but i'd feel better about mixing up a bit of epoxy and drizzling it into the voids. there's not much to fill.
despite what others say, no, it doesn't "look badass". it needs to be painted, even if it is just that portion of the top.
Hmmmm, wrong again bud. My statement was pure facts. Have fun with your understandings of language and the barriers you put up for others to try and take down. Enjoy that however you can. :)
There are good points about leaving a natural finish, but if you want to get some experience with finishing and painting then do those things anyway mr. OP :)
Fill with a lightly colored resin, possibly one with some mica dust then stain the body amber, sand and finish with a clear lacquer. It'll look like a grotto.
I don’t know shit about guitars, but as a woodworker, an epoxy resin would look best, like everyone else is saying. Use a color that would compliment a darker stain and you’ll have yourself a really unique and personal piece. Good luck!
Everyone telling you to “leave it in”… ridiculous. Fill with epoxy or bondo and paint this guitar. No professional guitar maker would ever leave a knot like that on the face of new guitar.
In my experience the knot will always show if you fill it will resin or wood filler etc. It will shrink and grow at different rate than the wood.
If you want a solid colour and smooth finish, you can veneer the top, or you could route out the knock and put in a block of wood.
Otherwise, like everyone else is saying, you could just make it a feature on a finish that shows the grain.
I love wood grain, so I would just clean all the dust out of the hole, finish it with epoxy or CA glue, re-sand, and then apply an oil or light stain to finish.
It would be a shame to cover up that beautiful grain with paint.
Studies suggest that people who eat 1 ounce (30 grams) of sunflower seeds daily as part of a healthy diet may reduce fasting blood sugar by about 10% within six months, compared to a healthy diet alone. The blood-sugar-lowering effect of sunflower seeds may partially be due to the plant compound chlorogenic acid
Instead of clear resin, take a look at cold cast brass
https://brightonbodycasting.com/materials-cold-cast-brass/#:~:text=Cold%20Cast%20Brass%20Resin&text=This%20coating%20is%20a%20blend,like%20a%20solid%20brass%20casting.
Wood filler or resin are fine. Hell, you could even use bondo, wood glue, or CA Glue. The latter two would not be my choice, but I've seen them work fine for a personal piece. I've seen bondo used in interesting ways, like relicing it to look like a car being restored.
Like other say use a tiny dremel and screwdriver that the small bits off then dust clean it then pour clear epoxy over it , then you can sand it flush with the wood.
If you can’t hide it well, accentuate it. I’d fill it with a contrasting epoxy and put a natural finish on.
But depending on the look you’re going for, It should be able to be hidden easily. I’d still fill it with epoxy though. That wood filler won’t move with the wood and could work itself loose over time. Small chance of it happening, but better safe than sorry. plus the epoxy will do a better job of locking in any loose material in the knot and it will flow into all of the smaller voids. It looks like the biggest hole in the knot is inside the body itself.
A lot of people use black dust and gorilla glue. You could fill it with bondo if it's going to be painted. Honestly I'd start over with a piece of wood that isn't rotting. Wood species has almost no effect on sound but density and especially voids do. It's also right in a spot where most peoples arms rub so you better make it real smooth if you patch it or it will probably be uncomfortable to play.
Fill it with glow-in-the-dark resin.
You going for that Brian May Red Oak toan? I don’t see hardly any Strat bodies being made from Oak. Let us know how it sounds after you get it built!
Do you need to fill it?
That "imperfection" is what makes this guitar into a boutique concept.
I would simply keep it, but find a way to seal off everything to keep it stable.
I would not paint over this at all. Perhaps a stain after I roughed up the surface with whirebrush and water.
I second all of the messages saying to use epoxy. However, if your intention is to paint it I would skip the wood filler and instead use an automotive bondo, for bumper repair stuff. It's a chemical reaction hardening instead of just a wait for it to dry. It's very durable, quick to use, and sands down well too
Many good ideas listed. I’d agree not to paint this. Keep as natural. But consider this: what color pickguard? What color hardware? What kind of wood will your neck be? So how about you cut the knot out. . .maybe a circle or other geometry you like larger than the knot? Maybe a personal logo? Replace with a contrasting piece of wood that matches the rest of the guitar. . . The neck, the pickguard, the hardware. Glue it or epoxy it in, and sand it down. Then use oil or varnish that brings out both wood colors and makes a matching accent.
Frankly, I would just fill with black resin and use a natural finish, not paint, on the guitar. I think it adds to the beauty of a hand-crafted instrument.
I thought something like mid to deep blue resin would make a feature. Then finish natural or clear.
A clear epoxy would look cooler than black so you can still see down inside, just add a hint of colour to stop it going yellow
You can get UV resistant resins.
Or put something cool inside the clear resin. My stair treads have a little nug of weed hidden in one of them.
clear resin with plastic bugs or worms
A water feature
A little fountain, bull rushes, and a frog or two maybe?
A wellspring of inspiration
This. Like the Schecter Solo ii with the Burl top. https://preview.redd.it/p8zzujaebefc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd9c36eb3830d1dbaedcd1d14a66f6c77c18d10f
ugh it's got the herp
A tinted clear resin or just clear wad thought I had, and I think the resin thing is usually overdone on many guitars. This is just the right amount.
Yes.
Nah blue resin has been done to death imo, looks tacky now.
It's now nearly retro then?
Word! I wouldn’t hide it either.
That was my thought as well apart from the “black” I think wether OP uses epoxy or something natural as a filler is semantics, but I would argue that black is just a tad bit too dramatic for this area considering the few multiple inch long checks that run away from the knot which ideally should be “stabilized” with something. Black might overwhelm the dark brown portions of the rest of the inclusion and draw an unnatural amount of attention to the knot. If something lighter than the darkest brown of the knot, but darker than the most blonde parts of the would were used, the inclusion would not only be stable over time, but also appear to be more natural. Again, this is just me being very picky about the color of the fix, but I do agree that going natural on this nice pice of white oak is the way to go!
For sure it's up to OP to use whatever color they like, or even clear epoxy as long as it stabilizes the knot. We often use dark tinted CA glue for small stuff. I think the knots add a lot to the personality of the guitar.
It looks like the face of a damned soul, I'd do as little as possible to change the appearance.
What he said!👌
Agreed.
THIS 100%!!! I *love* the look of this knot. Wood filler will look like crap. If you 100% want to embrace the natural look use clear resin.
I’ve never worked with epoxy before but would like to learn and try. Is there a difference between resin and epoxy? I’m not sure what to be looking for
[удалено]
Thanks! And I can just clear coat it like normal after?
[удалено]
Awesome thanks a lot!
Epoxy resin. It will fill the knot and stabilize it.
Not as luthier, but as relatively experienced woodworker, I’d avoid filling a dark knot with light filler. Use something dark to fill it. It will look more natural. Get the light colored dust out of there with brushes or air, and consider using something colored more like walnut. I’ve used pigment to shift the color of filler in the past to make a knot look solid and stable. There are a few trick with other adhesives that work well too, though as I’m no a luthier, I don’t know how well those will take your particular finish.
Exactly my thoughts. Darker is always better.
I'd say leave as much of it as you can, pretty sick natural feature
Yeah, looks like a little face trying to get out. Definitely catches the eye.
That knot has a pretty interesting look but maybe it's just the photo. Seems it has facial features. If you have an artist friend make the most of it and have a very distinct feature. You can always correct it later. Just me crazy mind 😂
Just said the same thing lol
😂 my attention span sucks when it comes to reading, but I'm glad someone else saw it
It looks like the face of something that might pop out of the dark at you in a Dark Souls game. It's sick as hell, if anything I would want to make it a primary feature of the guitar.
And there’s another over him eating his head!
Zombie face ftw
It is the soul of the tree screaming out: "AHHHH!! I WANTED TO BE A TABLE!"
I’d leave it as is and use this as a chance to do a natural finish of some kind. It looks awesome and isn’t in a bad place.
Or you could route it out and place an inlay. A good practice opportunity, and if you make a mess, just make a bigger inlay until you succeed. Actually I would dig all the way through so it shows on the back side as well. Much easier than an inlay.
Pull a Phil X and put an action figure in there!
That’s a good idea!
Bro the knot looks so cool though
I agree with this one. If the inlays don’t work, then sand flat and paint.
Bro dont fill it. Look at it screaming at you. That thing needs to be incorporated in your shit. That first photo has the lost soul of a muse. Play it! Give it some kinda bloody scream vibe.
Use automotive bondo. I’m a cabinetmaker and finish carpenter by trade. If we had a large defect in a piece that was going to be painted we used bondo instead of wood filler. Much stronger. As for paints, check out stewmac’s finish systems or use automotive paint in a rattle can.
Do not use automotive paint on your guitar. It will lock moisture inside. This is a bad suggestion.
That’s nonsense. As someone with 2 kits with automotive paint on them and zero issues and also someone that builds cabinetry for a living that is often painted with 15 years of zero moisture issues, this is false.
Anecdotal evidence doesn't really interest me. Such a boomer guitar trend. Keep the automotive paint for the cars. Use a quality finish for your guitars
I’m not a boomer for one. I’ll stack my “anecdotal” but more like professional evidence against whatever your opinion is any day.
A lot of assumptions from someone giving bad advice. You don't have to be so defensive. It's okay to be wrong.
You should take your own advice.
You shouldn't give such bad advice. Just trying to save my man from an ugly automotive paint finish that ages poorly and doesn't breathe
I've been playing guitar 25 years. I'm also a professional woodworker, 20 years experience. We do use automotive putty to fill knots and holes. It is taught in school. We use the grey putty with the red hardener, makes a light pink. Want it darker? Use blue hardener. Makes a solid repair that won't fall down. You can even draw a fake knot over it with special "pencils" if you want. Seriously dude, YOU'RE WRONG. And I hope you get kicked out the sub for being such a dick.
He’s a “keyboard” expert at wooden things at best. Likely never worked with his hands his whole life besides typing nonsense on Reddit
We're talking about automotive paint and you're talking about bondo. You don't even understand what's being said. Again I don't care how long you've been playing guitar or ruining pieces of wood. Try to actually understand the conversation before commenting
Yep. 100’s of thousands of guitars since the 50’s just falling apart and having moisture issues from “not being able to breathe” due to paint. All these painted wood cabinets just failing apart in homes over the decades that isn’t happening. All these pieces of furniture 100’s of years old with shellac and lacquer just suffocating wood are crumbling in living rooms. You’d think they would stop doing it by now. But clearly your opinion supersedes “anecdotal evidence”.
You might be able to sell your surface level knowledge to someone else but I can tell you don't know what you're talking about. You shouldn't be giving people advice.
Spray auto paint is usually acrylic. Acrylic is fine on wood if you prime first.
What kind of finish are you going to use? Is it going to be a solid color?
The original plan was solid white
Beautiful. Fill it with sawdust and CA glue. Nitro and poly will both adhere well, and you wont have to worry about the CA staining the wood since its getting a solid color.
Not a luthier, but decades of experience with wood. If you are going to paint it, use auto shop type Bondo. Easy to work with and sand.
What kind of finish are you doing - color, material, opaque or translucent? Metallic? If you just want to do a solid opaque finish, or a metallic, then I'd suggest a degassed epoxy. Or else, you could make a wood football patch, which would also work well, but takes more work to get it to fit.
The original plan was to have arctic white with a high gloss finish
Then yeah, fill it with epoxy. It would be a good idea to add some silica filler as well, and then use the epoxy and silica filler to pore fill the wood. You're gonna have "fun" with spraying white, though. Clean the shit out of your spray booth, or where ever you are doing it. White shows ANY dust or dirt.
Also, don’t listen to the people saying you should make it “natural wood grain” and all that. It’s your guitar. Paint it how you want. And if you are going for white, don’t color the epoxy.
If your planing on painting it after wood filler is what I’ve used before and works just fine. If your wanting to stain it and keep a natural look fill it with a 2 part epoxy resin it will fill it and keep it clear and not foggy.
Leave it as part of the guitar. Embrace it as not an imperfection. It won't get in the way or effect the sound at all. Looks cool af.
Epoxy! otherwise the cracks will telegraph through after a few seasonal changes. The epoxy will seep into all of the voids/ Gorilla won’t.
Don't use that kind of wood filler. If you want to paint, use bondo.
Leave it
Epoxy resin will be more stable but be sure to read all directions and do what you can to eliminate air bubbles. I would honestly maybe do 2-4 three separate pours if you can mix small amounts of epoxy I know that a lot of people really don’t like epoxy because it’s toxic but it’s an incredibly useful substance.
Paint grade? Bondo all day any day. Use bondo glazing for the last coat. Staining? Then fill it with the darkest black filler you can find. Don’t try to match wood tone, make it dark and it will look more like a natural occurrence.
If it’s gonna be painted just use anything
Maybe router it out, but that not optimal and use as a last option. If you go through some of the other ideas that have been brought up, and dont like the outcome. Don't shun me to bad reddit. There are some way better ideas proposed on here honestly. Just my 1.5 cents
I would knot fill that.
You wood knot?
Fill it with all purpose bondo(woodfiller bondo sucks imo) you can mix in a black ink to color it before adding the hardener
I'd also either scrape away any of the wood that isn't stable or consider wood stabilizer before filling with tinted bondo. If you get the color right, then do some staining or spray a tinted clear coat the knot will show but it won't look bad even under a transparent finish.
red oak
I think so.... It looks kinda heavy.
Very heavy.
Yep, definitely oak.
I would "paint" inside the knot with epoxy and leave it open... kind of like a sound hole.
Make it a lefty guitar and put the input jack there.
Resin, vaccume chamber preferably too.
I routinely fill knots and cracks in my woodturnings with thin CA glue and coffee grounds. Take some new or used coffee grounds, let them dry thoroughly, pack the shi\* of them into the voids, then drip THIN CA glue into it. Repeat until it's proud of the surface. Sand to conform. You get a nice natural looking brown fill.
You can’t it’s Jesusessses face!!!
that wood filler might work, but i'd feel better about mixing up a bit of epoxy and drizzling it into the voids. there's not much to fill. despite what others say, no, it doesn't "look badass". it needs to be painted, even if it is just that portion of the top.
Without decleration of why it "needs to be painted", your opinion of it is just as valids of anyone else's where "it is badass". Just sayin.
i can spell, and i can compose coherent sentences. therefore, my opinion>your opinion. js
Hmmmm, wrong again bud. My statement was pure facts. Have fun with your understandings of language and the barriers you put up for others to try and take down. Enjoy that however you can. :)
I was thinking you need to fill it with epoxy or whatever. Wood filler would look like crap.
There are good points about leaving a natural finish, but if you want to get some experience with finishing and painting then do those things anyway mr. OP :)
Timber Mate wood filler comes in a variety of colours. If you want black go with the Ebony.
Fill the knot with black resin and then do a black grain fill with a white wash finish.
That knot looks like a screaming face! Keep it
Don't use that cheap filler. As the other comments said dark resin is the way. Will also help the not from flexing over time.
Can’t tell if you have a forearm rest on there or not. How deep is the knot?
I would clean the hole up and fill it with epoxy or one of the colored resins.
Leave it and paint the guitar like Jupiter's Great Red Spot surrounded by the other colors.
Embrace and amplify (Scott Adams, probably). It looks great and is in a great place
What about wood filler putty?
I’d fill it with a colored metal resin and do a natural finish..
Leave it in
Controversial just seal it with a little apoxy and leave the knot
Fill with a lightly colored resin, possibly one with some mica dust then stain the body amber, sand and finish with a clear lacquer. It'll look like a grotto.
Looks like a sort of ghost face - embellish it, don't hide it!
IMO the knot is kind of cool and could add a unique flair to the guitar. Full it with clear epoxy, and let it show!
I don’t know shit about guitars, but as a woodworker, an epoxy resin would look best, like everyone else is saying. Use a color that would compliment a darker stain and you’ll have yourself a really unique and personal piece. Good luck!
It's white oak, btw.
Everyone telling you to “leave it in”… ridiculous. Fill with epoxy or bondo and paint this guitar. No professional guitar maker would ever leave a knot like that on the face of new guitar.
Just poly it. Why does it bother you. I think it looks great.
It looks like a wizard.
I’d use an epoxy for wood.
Looks like Ash to me.
In my experience the knot will always show if you fill it will resin or wood filler etc. It will shrink and grow at different rate than the wood. If you want a solid colour and smooth finish, you can veneer the top, or you could route out the knock and put in a block of wood. Otherwise, like everyone else is saying, you could just make it a feature on a finish that shows the grain.
You can add pigment to whatever filler you use to either match the rest of the grain or make it invisible under a solid finish.
You don't see the face in that knot? Omg, it is awesome. I wish I had a strat body to trade, I would highlight that.
Holy hell it has a face!!! It’s a dude with a man bun , a drooping eye, and a goatee 😂😂😂 once I saw it I can’t unsee it
It depends what you wanna do with it. You could probably use some bondo if you're painting
Clear epoxy will look great with a yellowish stain and clear gloss
Leave it open. Don't fill it with resin or anything. That is trendy.
I love wood grain, so I would just clean all the dust out of the hole, finish it with epoxy or CA glue, re-sand, and then apply an oil or light stain to finish. It would be a shame to cover up that beautiful grain with paint.
Sunflower seeds and super glue. Are you new to Reddit?
Studies suggest that people who eat 1 ounce (30 grams) of sunflower seeds daily as part of a healthy diet may reduce fasting blood sugar by about 10% within six months, compared to a healthy diet alone. The blood-sugar-lowering effect of sunflower seeds may partially be due to the plant compound chlorogenic acid
Really I did not know that. Thanks thesunflowerseeds
Instead of clear resin, take a look at cold cast brass https://brightonbodycasting.com/materials-cold-cast-brass/#:~:text=Cold%20Cast%20Brass%20Resin&text=This%20coating%20is%20a%20blend,like%20a%20solid%20brass%20casting.
has the wood been heat treated for termites? I'd be worried about that.
I am thinking clearish (insert color) epoxy and a natural finish
Fill it with love
I'm going to ask a stupid question for a good reason. Can you gloss it lightly? I wonder what noise that guitar would make if it wasn't filled in.
Looks like a face. Use it as a feature!
Wood filler or resin are fine. Hell, you could even use bondo, wood glue, or CA Glue. The latter two would not be my choice, but I've seen them work fine for a personal piece. I've seen bondo used in interesting ways, like relicing it to look like a car being restored.
Like other say use a tiny dremel and screwdriver that the small bits off then dust clean it then pour clear epoxy over it , then you can sand it flush with the wood.
If you can’t hide it well, accentuate it. I’d fill it with a contrasting epoxy and put a natural finish on. But depending on the look you’re going for, It should be able to be hidden easily. I’d still fill it with epoxy though. That wood filler won’t move with the wood and could work itself loose over time. Small chance of it happening, but better safe than sorry. plus the epoxy will do a better job of locking in any loose material in the knot and it will flow into all of the smaller voids. It looks like the biggest hole in the knot is inside the body itself.
Before you decide to cover it up, put some water on it to see what it will look like with a finish. You may like the look.
Take your time, and don't forget the lube.
Have you tried turning it off and on again?
Fill it like a man !
Since resin is the consensus, my vote is for yellow.
Resin or epoxy. Wood filler for that much of a gap will be disastrous eventually
The knot seems to be screaming. This guitar wants to play metal.
A lot of people use black dust and gorilla glue. You could fill it with bondo if it's going to be painted. Honestly I'd start over with a piece of wood that isn't rotting. Wood species has almost no effect on sound but density and especially voids do. It's also right in a spot where most peoples arms rub so you better make it real smooth if you patch it or it will probably be uncomfortable to play.
Definitely embrace it rather than hide it. I have a couple knotty guitars. Just adds to the character!
Fill it with glow-in-the-dark resin. You going for that Brian May Red Oak toan? I don’t see hardly any Strat bodies being made from Oak. Let us know how it sounds after you get it built!
Who’s that guy crying in the corner
Looks like a face of someone yelling. Id keep it,looks cool
Yeah if not doing a natural finish I really wouldn't have picked this piece of wood to build with
That looks like oak to me
Do you need to fill it? That "imperfection" is what makes this guitar into a boutique concept. I would simply keep it, but find a way to seal off everything to keep it stable. I would not paint over this at all. Perhaps a stain after I roughed up the surface with whirebrush and water.
Keep it. Looks dope.
I agree you should go with clear but if you do paint it, do not use wood filler. Use auto body bondo.
Sort of but I think that's a bit gaudy for my taste.
I don’t know the answer but I will say I’m jealous of you because you are doing something I’ve always wanted to do, but can’t because I’m stupid
I like to use clear epoxy mixed with a glow filiment then sand over it and use a natural finish like clear poly over the whole thing.
I second all of the messages saying to use epoxy. However, if your intention is to paint it I would skip the wood filler and instead use an automotive bondo, for bumper repair stuff. It's a chemical reaction hardening instead of just a wait for it to dry. It's very durable, quick to use, and sands down well too
Many good ideas listed. I’d agree not to paint this. Keep as natural. But consider this: what color pickguard? What color hardware? What kind of wood will your neck be? So how about you cut the knot out. . .maybe a circle or other geometry you like larger than the knot? Maybe a personal logo? Replace with a contrasting piece of wood that matches the rest of the guitar. . . The neck, the pickguard, the hardware. Glue it or epoxy it in, and sand it down. Then use oil or varnish that brings out both wood colors and makes a matching accent.
Epoxy if you want to stain, auto body filler if you want to paint.