July GOTM

[Brendan]

July Guitar of the Month (for Guitars and Basses finished in June)

Enter your finished guitar or bass here to be judged for the Pit Bull Guitars July Guitar of the Month.

Please remember:

For Guitars or Basses finished on (or before) the end of June.

One guitar/bass per member per month.
It must be a Pit Bull Guitars kit (mods and upgrades acceptable).
Guitar or Bass must be finished and playable.

We need at least 4 photos:
· full guitar shot from the front;
· close up of the body finish;
· shot of the back of the guitar; and
· close up of the headstock (please, no brand name logos)


Please post your photos in this thread. If you are having issues posting photos on the forum, please email them to brendan (at) pitbullguitars (dot) com

Please note: This competition is open to amateur guitar builders only. If you are making and selling guitars for profit, you are ineligible. Also while there are some stunning guitars around - you never know what the judges are looking for, so we encourage anyone who's built a Pitbull during the month to enter!

Competition for July closes at the end of June (Perth Western Australian time).

The sorts of things we judge on include:
· How well have the body and neck been prepared
· Is the choice of finish for the style of guitar appropriate
· How well has the finish been applied
· How well has all the hardware, pickups, etc, been installed
· Does it have the 'Wow Factor'· Which guitar would you make a beeline for in a guitar shop. That is, which one would you most like to take home.

BTW - remember that the winner is invited to be a guest judge the following month!

[Skynyet]

Here is my entry for GOTM, please go easy it's my first ever build.

I've just completed the Telecaster bass kit and I'm pretty stoked for how my first build went.

My brother who is an automotive painter took care of the paintwork starting with a high fill primer, then 2 pack direct gloss in a custom surf green, cut back to flat with 2 pack clear to finish, and it is shiny as hell!

The neck has been finished with a natural linseed oil and beeswax and is smooth as smooth gets.

And for some extras thump I ordered an Aguilar AG 4P-51 50's Era P-Bass Pickup which has exceeded my expectations for a clear punchy tone!

Really enjoyed my first build and keen for more!



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[JohnH]

That's a very nice looking bass

[Sonic Mountain]

*Eyes username suspiciously*

Cool result, don't think I've seen one of these done before.

[dozymuppet]

Really nice job. I can only hope my first build comes up that pretty.

[fender3x]

That is a really fine looking bass

[RagingBull]

This TL-1HA is my first ever and the build diary is here TL-1HA first build (https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=10527)

I was after the look of a natural finished F tele along the lines of the '72 Deluxe and American Shawbuckers.
I went with a home made recipe of wipe-on Boiled Linseed Oil, Gloss Poly and Turps over a tinted grain filler. The colour turned out to be pretty close to what I was hoping for.

For the neck I just used a few coats of boiled linseed oil, then finally lightly wet sanded with 1200 grit dunked in turps and a few drops of BLO. So nothing fancy but should seal the grain and it feels nice. I can always re-coat as it ages.

All stock parts. Just left off the pup mounts to give it a cleaner look.

I don't take very good photos, so making up for it by posting lots of em!

Regards,
Scott

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[RagingBull]

The rest

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[KiMT]

This is my second build, a thinline strat kit.
Thanks again to Adam and PBG for their great products and awesome service.

Body - alder/maple
Neck - maple/maple
Finish - snakeskin (embossed leather) & brass rivets (front), black Keda dye & tru-oil (back/neck)
Hardware - standard kit hardware, Grover mini locking tuners, Corian nut
Electronics - Alexander Pribora "Custom Hot", Gotoh pots/5-way lever & Sprague orange cap, 1V/1T/1Blender, treble bleed mod

Kit was a joy to build.
Kit neck and fretwork is great (with a little elbow grease), action is 0.2mm at 1st fret and 0.5mm at 12th fret, super-smooth super-fast and no dreaded fret buzz.
Personally, I like to leave the back cavity cover off and let the trem mechanism show - I think it's a nice detail, not unlike the complication of a watch.

Thanks for looking :D

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More images below...

[KiMT]

The remainder of the images...

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Fin

[JohnH]

Woah, that leather looks ace. Also I totally agree RE: leaving the back cover off. I'd been thinking about making up a clear cover for that reason - with the little kids around being likely to get gunk in there but I'd still like to be able to see it

[Sonic Mountain]

This is my second build, a thinline strat kit.
Thanks again to Adam and PBG for their great products and awesome service.

Body - alder/maple
Neck - maple/maple
Finish - snakeskin (embossed leather) & copper rivets (front), black Keda dye & tru-oil (back/neck)
Hardware - standard kit hardware, Grover mini locking tuners, Corian nut
Electronics - Alexander Pribora "Custom Hot", Gotoh pots & Sprague orange cap, 1V/1T/1Blender, treble bleed mod

Kit was a joy to build.
Kit neck and fretwork is great (with a little elbow grease), action is 0.2mm at 1st fret and 0.5mm at 12th fret, super-smooth super-fast and no dreaded fret buzz.
Personally, I like to leave the back cavity cover off and let the trem mechanism show - I think it's a nice detail, not unlike the complication of a watch.

Thanks for looking :D

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More images below...

This one is wild! Great work.

[Royami]

Hi guys,

Just finished my first build, a GST-1.

Ash body, Jatoba Fretboard, locking tuners, bone nut, everything else was standard. I wanted to keep the grain and go for a kind of natural look but with some character, ended up with this!
I will maybe look at upgrading the pickups down the track, but for now it plays well and was a very enjoyable build. Off to order another kit now :D

Cheers
Mitch
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[Royami]

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[FrankenWashie]

Daaaaaaaaayuuuummmmm! That’s tasty! Fabulous work!

[dozymuppet]

That looks so warm and creamy

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

[JohnH]

Excellent work, Mitch.

[RagingBull]

Mitch that it stunning. Well done mate.

[KiMT]

That looks like it came straight out of a custom shop catalogue, awesome work!

[Brendan]

Steve200's IB-5 build
My son is 12 and has been learning to play bass for many years. It is time to move up from a 3/4 to a full size Guitar.

So I got him an IB5 kit with black fittings so we could both learn a bit more about instruments.

This is his first attempt at building and painting, and we are really happy with how it has come out.

The paint is a silver with yellow fading to copper fading to red candy over it.

Crystals were then applied over that and black painted over the crystal. The crystals were then washed off to reveal the colour under the black. This was then finished with a 2 pack clear coat.

The neck has a jarrah stain applied with a clear over that also.

The kit went together extremely well, and is a credit to Pit Bull Guitars.

He is already talking about a fretless next….

Thanks for providing a quality product that made this a fun and rewarding experience for us both.

Steve

[Brendan]

And some more photos...

[dozymuppet]

Impressive work on that paint job!

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

[jugglindan]

Glad I am not voting. I would be like "they all win".

Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk

[Jhuntsman]

Here is my TB4 that i finished during June. The body and headstock are painted with Duplicolor Metallic Red with Duplicolor clearcoat. The pickguard is Duplicolor metallic black and the back of the neck was stained with black stain then distressed and finished with satin polyurethane. All parts are from the kit. Really enjoyed building this and I want to do another bass, this time a 5 string. Thank you everyone!!

[vh2580]

Wow some absolutely stunning entries this month - wouldn't want to be a judge.

[stansby40]

I thought I would do a 12 string as the kit I really wanted (a tele thinline) was on backorder. I hadnt done a natural finish before so I got some danish oil and proceeded to coat and wipe off three times. It really brought out the grain on the flame maple veneer. It is good not to wait for a month to finish it off as I had to do with poly and acrylic before.

I did not upgrade much except a new scratch plate from realtone that would fit the tonerider AC2 humbucker with the aim to split the coils using a 250k pot. I ordered a bone nut as an upgrade but the kit actually came with one. A few issues with the bridge that has been documented in other builds but I have got it playing quite well with the lovely jangly sound you expect from a 12 string. Here are the pics.

[stansby40]

A few more pics to finish off.

[DarkMatterResist]

Howdy folks!! Wow, look at the quality and workmanship in this post. So much care has been taken and it is great to see those beautiful pieces of work. This is my first build (more to come!) and my first bass ever, so I am wrapped. I am not a bassist, but I recently wrote an album during lockdown and it needs a bass track. My wife had already decided to get me a bass for my birthday, so the timing was perfect!! Usually I use bass samples or software synths in my music, but this album needs the real deal.

I constantly struggle with finding the time to make jewellery and time to play music. So I thought I would combine the two and make an art piece which also plays music. So for someone who doesn’t appreciate music, but does appreciate art, will enjoy it on their wall. But for someone who has no appreciation for art, but loves to play music, can use it as an instrument. Multi-faceted and nimble. Strong, yet soft.

I am stoked with the result and have really enjoyed the process. I've learnt so much. The support I have received from this forum (and from Pitbull) has been incredible and without all of your help I would probably still be building it. So here is a BIG SHOUT OUT to the crew - you know who you are and thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Apologies for the sneaky last-minute entry, it was not intentional, purely coincidental as my strings arrived today - see link to my build below and you will feel the pain I have been enduring haha!! Luckily Perth is 2 hours behind Melbourne so I still have an hour to submit. Classic all-nighter ...

True to my word, this plays really well. No fret buzz, action is great, intonation 99% good (man these floating bridges are tricky!), and all the wiring is 100%. There is an additional button which I installed, which turns the blue LED in the back control box. This serves absolutely no purpose, but the positive emotions it gives me far outweighs that side-thought! I have also custom made the buttons, scratch plates, control panel cover, truss rod cover, tuning pegs and button sleeves. I did not cut the head-stock, but did some resin art instead. The body has approximately 60 coats of shellac, French Polished over a 2 day period. Frets leveled, re-crowned and polished.

Enough of the rant. Now for the grand unveil .... I give you ... "SHteemPnK Classic" DHB-5 Semi Hollow 5 String Bass ...

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[DarkMatterResist]

One more for good measure :)

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[Sonic Mountain]

Gorgeous build. Very stiff competition this month, once again glad I'm not a judge.

[Jasper Blunt]

god that is a great finish

[Brendan]

Sorry - missed closing the comp for the month - judges start your engines and we'll kick off a new comp shortly.

[Brendan]

Sorry for the lateness - I know some have been hanging out for the results so I'll not keep you too much longer - the comments first though...

1. Skynet's TLB-4MF -
A flawless paint job and finish. Extra points for upgraded pickups.
Lacks a personal touch but the overall quality is very good for a standard TL.
I am in love with this bass. Great job. Love the colour and the quality of the finish.
What an amazing colour choice and quality finish, can’t fault it. This would be a welcome addition to any serious bass collection.
Dead keen to build one of these – and yours only makes me jealous – looks awesome and must be great to play. Only thing I’d have liked to see is a personalised logo or something owning the bass!

2. RagingBull's TL-1HA -
Great oil finish on lovely grained ash body. Good selection of finish to highlight the grain.
Shawbuckers and finish on this TL make it stand out from the crowd
Good job. I feel the knobs are too close together to be usable, but as long as it works for you.
Oh yeah!! Timeless classic with a superb finish which lets the grain speak for itself. I want!
Elegant and lovely use of the grain – nice consistent colour and love the simplicity of the overall look. Beautiful job!

3. KiMT's AST-1qb -
Great inspiration and planning have been displayed with this guitar. Just hope it doesn’t wriggle when the sun goes down.
Workmanship is excellent and well thought out
The extras added to this guitar and the attention to detail is sure attract attention at a gig or on stage.
Such an original idea. Almost executed to perfection.
An incredible build; so original and dynamic. Well down for creating such a unique guitar.
While the snakeskin’s not my thing – I can see that it’s been done beautifully and really matches with the overall look of this guitar. Love the redesigned pickguard to maximise the overall effect. Beautifully done.
Looks almost shop ready – just needs the tags – love the finish and overall effect – the colours have come out stunning and all fit together nicely. Great job.

4. Royami's GST-1 -
The spectacular American Ash grain has been very nicely highlighted and goes well with the Jatoba grain in the fretboard.
Royami has overcome some significant issues which always feel worse when it is a first build.
Absolutely love this finish and guitar. Amazing job. I’m envious.
Wow! Stunning! Professional level finish, great choice of stain, cannot find a single fault. Who wouldn’t want to own this.

5. Steve200's IB-5 -
This is a unique finish for a first build. I think there is some other experience there that has been applied very successfully to this guitar. There may even be some tricks employed we have not seen at PitBull before.
I’m sure we will see Steve and his son on again.
This guitar will certainly stand out in in the crowd ( code for “attract the girls”).
The colour transition is done really well. Love it.
Oh man, this is so cool. Another totally unique look this month. Congrats on creating such a distinctive bass.
This has turned out stunning – beautiful work and not something I’ve seen yet on the forum. Extra marks for that! As above – would have loved to see a logo or something to own the build.

6. Jhuntsman's TB-4 -
Nicely finished bright cherry red.
The shaped headstock goes nicely with the flow of the guitar lines.
Impressive job. I might have gone for a solid colour for the back of the neck.
Seeing some really professional finishes this month, this TB-4 included. Faultless and stunning. Well done
Screams play me – would be one I’d head to in a shop – so love it. Great work…

7. Stansby'40's TL-12F -
A unique guitar that has been nicely oil finished to highlight the flame cap and ash body grain.
Well done. The natural finish works well.
Another amazing finish. Looks sensational and would love to add this to my Tele collection. Great work!
Finish has turned out beautifully – and all comes together nicely – only struggle for me is the headstock – but – not sure what you could do with it – then again – the more I look, the more it fits in…


8. DarkMatterResist's DHB-5 -
A highly customised guitar that sure makes you look again to see what you have missed.
Custom knobs, scratchplate, knobs, tuning key knobs etc etc. All very tastefully done making the guitar a real eye catcher.
Good selection of wood finish and french polishing to bring the most out of a basswood body
Displays an external skill that has been applied to guitar building.
Great customisation. The intonation looks weird, but you say it’s right, so I’ll accept that.
Another distinctive build. Well done on thinking outside the box and making this DHB-5 Kit your own.
Love the custom parts in this – has really made this bass stand out.

[Brendan]

And runner up(s)!

This month - two couldn't be split by our panel of judges - so congratulations to Steve200's IB-5 and DarkMatterResist's DHB-5
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=36220&stc=1&d=1593347944

https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=36288&d=1593530688

And the winner -Royami's GST-1 - congratulations in a field that was close enough you could throw a sheet of toilet paper over it, with quite a few stunning builds...

https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=36187&d=1593226487

[Bakersdozen]

Congrats all some lovely builds here and very tough on the judges

[dozymuppet]

Beautiful work. A worthy win. Still drooling.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

[blinddrew]

Another month, another batch of amazing builds. Congratulations to the winners!

[Royami]

Wow thanks guys! Really didn't expect to win this month with some other epic builds. Can't wait to get the next build under way!
Cheers! 🤟

[Andy40]

Brilliant build guys, love them

[PJSprog]

All winners. Just fantastic stuff here.

[DarkMatterResist]

Congratulations to Royami and all the rest too. Must have been a difficult decision. Fantastic finish!

[Fretworn]

Congrats to you all.

[phrozin]

Steve200's IB-5 build
My son is 12 and has been learning to play bass for many years. It is time to move up from a 3/4 to a full size Guitar.

So I got him an IB5 kit with black fittings so we could both learn a bit more about instruments.

This is his first attempt at building and painting, and we are really happy with how it has come out.

The paint is a silver with yellow fading to copper fading to red candy over it.

Crystals were then applied over that and black painted over the crystal. The crystals were then washed off to reveal the colour under the black. This was then finished with a 2 pack clear coat.

The neck has a jarrah stain applied with a clear over that also.

The kit went together extremely well, and is a credit to Pit Bull Guitars.

He is already talking about a fretless next….

Thanks for providing a quality product that made this a fun and rewarding experience for us both.

Steve

I actually quite liked that finish who done it is that your lads work? The fade is nicely done colour blend quite well 👌

[steve200]

I actually quite liked that finish who done it is that your lads work? The fade is nicely done colour blend quite well 👌
Thanks for that, we are really happy how it turned out too.
Yes, my son did all the sanding, primer, colour and effects painting.
I only helped with the equipment setup and the clear coat.