December GOTM

[Brendan]

December Guitar of the Month (for Guitars and Basses finished in November)

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

Please remember:

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

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 December closes at the end of November (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!

[GregLane]

The intention of this project was to build another classic style guitar which leads to some research on the history, what it played and who played it. The Gibson ES style has been very active in the Rock and Roll era I found.

I decided to build a stock guitar out of the box kit and then upgrade it if I think I can do it justice. I did add Grover Vintage tuners and bone nut.

Finish is Black ColorTone and TruOil. (70 coats if you include the stuffups)

I guitar had a few issues during the build (all my fault) except for glue problem. But these were overcome more by good luck than good management. Details are in my build diary in the link in the signature block below.

The guitar assembled well, all fittings in the right spots, set up, tuned and intonated well. It sounds great.

I upgraded my LP1-MQ with Tonerider Classic Blues some time ago so I will be doing a lot of comparing shortly.

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[GregLane]

A couple of extra photos for info

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[PJSprog]

That's a great-looking instrument, Greg. Well done.

[KiMT]

I started with a mock build, checking various alignments and drilling the necessary holes for the hardware. Then I sanded, raised the grain, then sanded again. Next I straightened the neck and leveled/crowned/polished the frets. After all the chores were done, I was quite happy to move onto the fun part!

For the finish I started with some West Systems epoxy stained with black aniline dye to pore-fill and highlight the natural grain, then sanded back to a level finish. Next I stained the body and neck with a basic brown spirit-soluble aniline dye. After many coats of French polish, the surface was buffed to a mirror finish. Then I drilled out the existing fretboard side dots and installed bronze side dots, so it would show up clearer against the brown fretboard. The top is an embossed alligator leather secured with epoxy adhesive and bronze studs.

The hardware is stock with a few exceptions. The pickguard I cut from a sheet of aluminium. The knobs are fashioned from used shotgun shells. The tuners are Grover mini locking tuners. I oxidized the metal hardware to complement the leather top. The electronics are stock - these are perfectly good!

Thanks again PBG and Adam for a fun build.

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[KiMT]

More pics continued below.

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[Sonic Mountain]

Wow, that's a different approach! Nicely done.

[Grug]

PRS -1Q
First build and submission.
Sanding involved infinite fear of sanding through the veneer top, but managed to avoid that.
I then filled with a slurry of Jarrah Timbermate, though it may have been better to do it twice as I missed a couple of spots in the top.
I used Jarrah instead of Ebony to be a little more subtle in the grain highlighting and contribute to the amber look.
I used U-Beaut water dye, red and yellow to achieve the offset sunburst look.
I finished the top of the body with Feast and Watson Wipe On Poly, and used Tru-Oil for the back, neck and headstock.
Equipment upgrades include;
PRS tuners,
Bone nut,
Switchcraft 3 way switch,
Tonerider Alnico IV zebra pickups,
920D Wiring harness with Bourne 500k pots, push/pull tone pots for coil splitting,
Pure Tone output jack

The logo I designed using WMH - Woolly Mammoth Hunter.
The mammoth decal is the design of a good friend. It's meaning is a long and personal story.
Let's just say it has become my totem and embodies the spirit of some personal endeavours.

https://i.imgur.com/7qiGvzql.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Rogn4efl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/FhnoF7Ml.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Ulzv3Gil.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Uv1v4G5l.jpg

[HarmonIser]

Awesome work KiMT! I really dig this one.

[Brendan]

Comp closed - results shortly.

[Brendan]

GregLane's ES-1F.
Clean & unpretentious. Love the G on the headstock. Binding looks really clean.
Nicely put together kit with an emphasis on classic styling. I saw some finishing issues in the diary and these have been overcome quite well, unfortunately some of the definition in the flame has been lost, but it actually works quite well with the overall look and feel of the guitar. Some good upgrades already and sounds like it will continue to grow and be modified. Personally, I’d like to see a more traditional bell shaped truss rod cover as those trapezoid ones really scream ‘kit build’ and it spoils the classic vibes of this build a little. But otherwise a nice guitar that ticks a lot of boxes for me.
I've seen quite a few attempts at a Black Stain that didn't quite work. This one does! Nice work Greg, I think this looks amazing.

KiMT's GTL-1.
Has the ‘70s diner vibe. Probably not a guitar I would pick for myself, but it is eye catching and I admire the unique approach and that the alligator skin pattern extends to the bridge and control plate.
Really impressive and original build with lots of custom touches that have been very nicely executed. Overall cohesiveness and attention to detail makes this a very high quality build. It might not be my taste per se, but it would certainly get my attention in a store.
I think we all like to see a build in the GOTM that is completely unique and you, KiMT, have certtainly delivered. I love this! Won't be everyone's taste, but it's definitely mine. Crocodile skin pickguard, bridge and control panel FTW! Bravo!

Grug's PRS-1Q.
Good burst job. I feel you could have doubled down on the assymetricality of the burst and headstock & made both more overt.
Very nicely executed build with some well thought out upgrades and nice personal touches. The overall finish and assembly looks pretty good, but there are a few small flaws evident. The cut out in the binding doesn’t quite work for me, but all in all a very solid effort, especially for a first build.
Tequila Sunrise? This is a great look... it's different enough to be special but would appeal to a broad range of buyers... nice work Grug!

[Brendan]

And the runner up:
The judges liked the look of Greg Lane's ES-1F
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=38023&d=1605662830

But the winner:
KiMT's GTL-1 - the originality took the win. Well done KiMT!
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=38146&d=1605845829

[DarkMark]

Three eclectic and equally good guitars in my opinion, tough to judge. Well done everyone especially KiMT’s original effort.

[GregLane]

Congratulations KiMT. That's a really nice looking guitar with unique finishing tricks I haven't seen on the forum before.

Thanks to the judges for the excellent constructive comments. Particularly the comment about the bell truss rod cover. I didn't even give it a thought and you a dead right as usual. The guitar is going to get a very quick mini upgrade for Xmas.

[HarmonIser]

Another great comp, with some tasty builds - well done guys, and congratulations KimT - I was certainly cheering this one on!!

[Fretworn]

Congratulations