First post here; I'm looking at doing the RD kit in the next couple of weeks, but just wanted some advice.
1. Where is the best place to put the upper strap button to stop noise diving?
2. I am looking at putting a wraparound bridge on it, but I'm looking at tuning it to open C. Will I have major (pun) issues with tuning?
3. What is the standard nut like? Is it worth getting an upgrade one?
1. If you look at pictures of a real RD, the strap button is on the back by the neck heel. With the kit being a bolt-on rather than a set neck, it's a bit harder to locate but I'd drill a hole in the middle of the neck plate and screw on a strap button there. If you put it in the upper shoulder, it will be quite a lot further back and be more prone to neck diving.
2. It depends on the type of wrap-around bridge. You've got your basic rounded top (very original but never great for intonation), one with pre-set raised sections to give you better intonation, or one with fully adjustable saddles, such as the Gotoh 910 shown here:
This will give you the same adjustability as a tune-o-matic would.
I've got a pre-set wrap-around on my Gibson Music Maker Les Paul and with 10s on the intonation is pretty good. Not out by enough to worry about. No idea how that sort would be on an open C tuning, especially if you used a mixed set of strings to balance the tension.
Of course on an original RD it would have been a Tune-O-Matic plus a TP-6 fine tuning tailpiece.
3. The standard nuts tend to be hollow plastic types (the kits are made in 3 factories so there may be some variations here). But I'd certainly recommend getting an upgrade as almost anything else will sound better. I'd go for bone myself, but there are a lot of other options, such as Tusq or a graphite impregnated nut.
Whatever you decide, then you will either need some nut-files, or take the guitar to a luthier to have the nut slots cut properly for a good action. You can try filing the base of the nut down - but it's quite a slow repetitive process to keep checking the nut slot height and then taking the nut off and filing again. Also, a lot of replacement nuts only have what I'd call 'guide' slots, which aren't deep enough to retain the strings securely, so you'd still need to cut them deeper.
Last edited by Simon Barden; 13-08-2017 at 04:28 AM.
I was thinking of drilling the neck plate and putting the lock strap there. The other thing I thought of is to attach the button to one of the neck bolts.
I really wanted one of the basic wraparound bridges, with just the general/fixed saddles on. The plan was that if the bridge didn't work I could revert back to the TOM style bridge.
Finally, I was looking at a graphite style nut, but I've never cut/filed one before. Would that be a doable job for your average guy?
When using a neck bolt you need to remember that a neck screw is a lot wider then a standard strap button screw, so the button would need to be drilled out. This might leave it quite weak. Also, you'd need a longer neck screw, as you'd lose around 1cm of length when it passed through the button, which is most of it's length in the actual neck.
Cutting the slots in a nut is easy provided you've got the right nut files. You just need to be careful not to cut too deeply so the string buzzes on the first fret. You can fill the slot with superglue + baking powder and then re-cut it, but that's really a temporary fix rather than a long term solution - which is another nut. Unfortunately a good set of nut files (normally Japanese made) is expensive, probably around Aus$170. Pit Bull are planning to offer some lower cost nut files, but they aren't on sale yet.
If you've got several guitars or plan to make a few, then they are a worthwhile investment.
Every neck is different, but in general the PBG necks are pretty player ready. That's not to say that you'll never get one with some sharp fret ends or a high or low fret.
Unfortunately as I've said, nut files are rather expensive. I'm assuming we are talking guitar here (bass is easier as you can simply use the end of a round needle file). If you use 9s or 10s, then this is probably the cheapest decent set of files I've come across: http://www.axecaster.co.uk/index.php...roducts_id=302
They are not quite as good as the individual nut files that Hosco make as you end up with more of a 'v' groove in the nut rather than a straight slot, but they still work OK.
There are also these from Crimson guitars: https://crimsonguitars.com/store/nut...g-file-blades/ I've not used these before, but I did have a similar looking set from the US which were OK, though each one was a bit different in performance - what took two strokes on one might take 10 on another. Whether these would be the same I can't tell, but the benefits are a fairly low cost and you've got more size selection.
This is the set I bought and am really happy with. They cost a bit less a few months ago, but that's the falling £ for you. https://tonetechluthiersupplies.co.u...set-of-10.html
They all seem to have the same level of sharpness, which makes it easier to gauge how much filing is required to achieve a certain depth.
I looked at that Crimson Guitars website...and after talking to James who works there, I think I'm going to go to their 6 day workshop so I can brush up on some basic building techniques.
I'm still going to purchase the RD kit though, as I'd like a go at that first.
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