I Tried Fiberglass on a Guitar… What Could Go Wrong? | The Little JAM Guitar Rescue

In this episode of Ted Talks Guitars & Life, I am diving deep into the "Little Jam" marketplace find. I’m working on getting the body ready for finishing, which involves some heavy-duty bodywork using short-strand fiberglass and Bondo. This project is all about the "Rescue" process—filling speaker holes, battery compartments, and old output jack locations to create a clean slate for paint. I walk through the challenges of using fiberglass for the first time, the importance of safety gear like respirators, and the trial-and-error of trying to get a flat surface. Things get a little messy with some paint runs and a missing can of Bondo, but we lean into the "Life" part of the show and keep moving forward. Authenticity is the goal here—showing the mistakes, the "relic" mishaps, and the reality of learning guitar repair as we go. 3M Bondo Short Strand Fiberglass https://amzn.to/48lemnQ Aqua Coat Water-Based Clear Wood Grain Filler https://amzn.to/4mVb5BJ Rust-Oleum 398585 Color Shift Spray Paint, Lime Lagoon https://amzn.to/4czKVko Rustoleum Color Shift Spray Paint, Pink https://amzn.to/3R1koUu Rustoleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Spray Paint, Ultra Matte Black https://amzn.to/4mT1FXi Peavey Nitro Guitar restoration: Before & After https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1tSbDWZ97w&list=PLMhTW3lOIKQ2JAkcP95inZ_vtKT8eZzGi Timestamps 0:00 Welcome back to Guitars and Life 0:10 Intro to the "Little Jam" project 0:38 Pistol Pete update and staying focused 0:50 Using Bondo short strand fiberglass on guitar bodies 1:46 Gaps, blocks, and preparing the back for fill 2:33 Chris from BCG5150’s recommendations 3:04 Mixing the hardener and application plan 4:49 Results of the fiberglass globbing 5:54 Sanding safety: Respirators and 80 grit 6:30 Guitars and Life theme 8:00 Assessing the sanded fiberglass surface 9:26 Lessons learned on grit and safety 10:52 Recap of the filled holes (Speaker and Battery) 12:26 Moving from fiberglass to Bondo filler 14:08 The "Awkward" update: Missing Bondo and paint runs 16:20 Attempting Aqua Coat and grain filler 17:36 Why I don’t edit out the mistakes 19:21 Rustoleum Color Shift (Green/Gold) trial 22:13 The new plan: Matte Black and Pink Champagne 24:16 Cutting the new output jack hole 26:16 Moving the drilling outside for safety 26:29 Final thoughts on using fiberglass for guitar rescue 29:25 Special thanks to "The Jacks" and the Pit Crew The "Little JAM" - Mystery Guitar Rescue (Playlist) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMhTW3lOIKQ3Q4r0RSTZTwCZ2OfixMYVk ____ Shoutouts: @BCG5150GUITARS (Chris) @Jayde-guitar (Jayde) @BradAngove (Brad) Checkout our playlist page for more series and journeys https://www.youtube.com/@TedTalksGuitars/playlists Special Thanks to our channel members "The Jacks" Want to support the channel? Feel free to explore Channel membership options: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBr6kaWeOvldTHvntB3tnMg/join Ted Talks Guitars & Life Merch Store: https://tedtalksguitars-shop.fourthwall.com/ Amazon Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/3W3PZox *If you click on this link to shop at Amazon the channel will receive a modest financial commission from your purchases. Disclaimer: This video is not sponsored. Some links are affiliate links. If you buy something I may make a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Guyker Referral Link: https://www.guyker.com/?ref=tedtalksguitars If you use the link you will save 15% at Guyker Use the coupon code: TEDSMITH #GuitarRepair #GuitarRescue #LuthierTips #DIYGuitar #Bondo #Fiberglass #GuitarRestoration #TedTalksGuitars #TheJacks #ShopTalk #GuitarCommunity #Rustoleum