Dad's Rickenbacker Project

[Matt_D]

Hi,
My Dad recently passed away and has left me a partially started Rickenbacker kit that he purchased. I can play guitars pretty well but when it comes to building them I'm a complete novice....which is why I'm here.

I thought about taking it to a local luthier but then I figured that this will be the last project that Dad and I will ever work on, so I guess he's left me with a quest to learn new skills.

He has done a fair bit of the wiring (which should be decent as he was an electrical engineer) but I'm going to have to drill a few holes for the pickup and input jack wiring as well as some for the bridge. I don't understand why the kit didn't come with these pre-drilled.

First problem....I don't know where to drill the holes for the bridge and what angle it needs to be on for the intonation to be right.

I know it's going to be difficult for me to do this because I'm a perfectionist and I just hope that I'm not waisting my time building something that is going to sound and feel crap.

Could anyone out there give me a few pointers? Maybe some reliable websites that will help me work this stuff out.

Cheers,
Matt

[Dedman]

What a great way to keep memories of your Dad close by.
Photo's Matt! With some pics we can see where it's at and everyone can chime in with advice.

[wazkelly]

Hi Matt, welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your Dad and yes, this is a gift from the other side and will mean so much to you as you embark on this journey. You are fortunate enough to have landed on this forum as everyone is very supportive and helpful.

To help us help you can you provide some background as to where the kit came from and was it originally from Pit Bull Guitars? If not, no big deal as there is scope for you to start posting under the non pitbull guitars section. If it is a PBG kit then I suggest you start a build diary and post some photos of the progress made thus far. This will allow others to share ideas, tips and encouragement along the way.

I happen to own a genuine Rickenbacker 4003 which these kits are copied from and there are plenty of PBG ones built on this forum too, so plenty of resources to draw from.

Cheers, Waz

[Brendan]

Welcome along Matt. Good places to start from:
StewMac - http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator/ - this should help work out how far back the bridge needs to be. Depending on style of bridge, you'll get a bit of play (couple of mm) so close should be OK. Worst comes to worst, plug and start again.

Check out the Pitbull - how to build your Pitbull Guitar - while this is for Pitbulls, the general techniques are similar across most guitars. That said, Pitbulls have pre drilled bridge posts and holes between pickups and control cavities.

http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...ead.php?t=1895

http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...ead.php?t=3048 (bridge placement - bass, but could be useful for you with a guitar bridge)

After all this, feel free to start a diary here: http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...splay.php?f=53 and I'm sure you'll get plenty of help. Photos do help though, so if you can include some, we'll be able to provide better advice.

All the best with the build - I'm sure that you'll be able to finish the guitar and make a great memory of your Dad.

[Matt_D]

I'm not sure where he got it from but based on my research I think it may have come from Afanti Music (as it seems to have the same pickups). I've tried to post some pics from my phone but apparently the files are too big and I've already cropped them so I'm not sure how I can make them any smaller. I'll try to post them from my work computer tomorrow.

Thanks for the replies.

[Matt_D]

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it.

[billb]

Best wishes with your guitar! My dad used to love working with wood which is one of the reasons I decided to build a bass, that sort of history really does add to the feeling you get from building something nice. & the people here will certainly help you build something nice.
Where do you live? There might be someone nearby who can give you a bit of help too.

[Matt_D]

Here are a couple of pics

[wokkaboy]

nice prep Matt. So is that timbermate you have filled the grain and is the next step primer coats ?

Make sure you sand off all the lumps/bumps in the grain filler and you will end up with a smooth finish

[Matt_D]

Hi Wokka,
That's all Dads work so far. I guess my next step will be drilling the holes for the bridge and wiring, then sanding and priming. I'm not overly confident working with tools (lets just say I'm not a natural) but at the same time I know that I am able to do pretty much anything I put my mind to.

There will be so many firsts for me in this quest - eg, using a soldering iron, following wiring schematics. I really wish I had asked Dad how to do this stuff but I guess he will be with me laughing as I burn myself with solder and encouraging me to keep going.

I think I've figured out the scale length (thanks Brendan) so I'll be able to position the bridge correctly.

Thanks again for your support and advice everyone....I really do appreciate it!