Guitar Dreamer: Flying V guitar ultra mod!

"Can a really cheap flying-V bolt-on guitar be transformed to a set-neck epiphone style beauty? Let's find out!"

Here 's a new guitar project I just finished! It's a Flying-V style guitar, but the question is: Can it really "fly"?
When I first bought this used guitar for 60euros, I thought it was a great deal. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite true. The guitar was in a pretty bad shape as the frets and strings were very rusty, the fretboard was dirty and completely dry, the tuning keys were very cheap, the nut was a mess, the finish had scratches and dings, there was no sound coming from the pickups and so on...
According to the manufacturer, the guitar had the following specs: e-guitar, basswood body, bolt-on maple neck, rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, 44mm saddle width, 65cm scale, 2 humbuckers, 3-way toggle switch, 2x vol & 2x tone controls, colour: black

BOLT-ON to SET-NECK neck joint conversion!!!
I immediately started thinking about the neck joint as I didn't really like the bolt-on and thick kind of joint this flying-V guitar had. Gibson and Epiphone Flying-Vs sport a smooth and comfortable set-in neck joint. That's the kind of neck joint I 'd like to create.
The idea behind the conversion is simple, we remove the 4 bolts and the neck plate and the glue the neck and body together using strong epoxy glue and clamps. That could work but it is too simple and risky: putting strings on the guitar could snap the neck right off the body... So, there are some improvents one could do.
First, we remove the 4 bolts and neck plate and separate the neck and body. Then, we sand down the internal surface of the neck pocket to remove any wood chips and paint. We also sand down the area of the neck that goes inside the neck pocket. Now, there are all-wooden surfaces at the joint to be glued. We can glue the body and neck together using very strong epoxy glue and clamps to secure a firm joint.

Then, a small piece of wood could be glued underneath the neck(see photos for details) to create a smoother neck to body angle. Now, the joint looks more like a set-in type.
To ensure that the neck will remain attached to the body, it is highly recommended that a large strap-pin bolt is screwed to the body. Then we have a set-in/bolt-on mixed type of joint but it is way safer. We could use one of the four bolts the guitar had for this purpose. We first drill at the proper spot and then we screw the strap-pin bolt (with a strap holder attached to it of course).
Now, it's time to make everything look better! I use wood filler to cover the holes of the old 4 bolts and any joint opening or ding(see photos). I sand down the filler to create a smooth surface and then the guitar's ready to be painted!

Guitar Finish:

There are many methods that could ensure a nice guitar finish. I usually sand down all the guitar surface to remove the old glossy lacquer. It's not necessary to remove all the layers of paint and filler off youe guitar as long as the paint you are going to use is a really tough acrylic spray paint (for industry use). When sanding down, be careful not to ding/scratch the wood. Then, remove all the dust off the guitar using paint thinner(nitro in my case) and a scarf; let it dry. Be sure to tape every spot that you don't want to paint(in my case, the headstock and fretboard area). Next, hang the guitar outdoors, away from walls and other surfaces you don't want to paint... Apply the spray-can paint evenly and carefully as it is recommended on the can's instructions(20-30cm's far from the surface). Let it dry, sand down any spills with a high-grit paper and then apply more coats. Finish the guitar with a spray lacquer. I personally prefer mat(not glossy) paint and lacquer as it's easier to apply and it dries much faster than a glossy one. I also prefer the aged/faded look and feel I can create using a mat paint.

Electrics:

The old stock set of low output pickups and the new "Shadow" ceramic humbuckers installed on the flying-V pickguard.
I had to widen the pickup openings a bit as the metal covers of the new set couldn't fit in there.

I changed all the wiring, the low-output cheap pickups and the input jack to get the guitar ready to rock! I put a set of "Shadow" 9kΩ ceramic P.A.F.'s on the pickguard and a set of metal knobs. Now the guitar sounds amazing!
The wiring schematic is the "Flying-V modern style, stock" of the following link:
http://www.dominocs.com/AshBassGuitar/WireLibrary-Gibson.html

Finally, I reassembled the guitar, put a new set of GFS(guitat fetish USA) set of tuning keys on, a new Graph tech graphite nut and the wired pickguard on. The guitar has a high tuning stability now!
It's a fine Flying-V guitar now and some people couldn't believe it used to be that bolt-on "cheap and nasty" guitar that was sold for 60euros... As I used to say, there is no really "Bad" guitar nowadays. The sloppy assembling and finish, lack of setup and quality control are usually the causes of a "cheaply" made guitar. In most cases, it's just the setup of the guitar... So don't keep on blaming your guitar, just visit a reliable guitar technician!

Here are some pictures of the guitar before, during and after the modification:

Before pics: