March Guitar of the Month

[Brendan]

March Guitar of the Month (for Guitars and Basses finished in February)

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

Please remember:

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

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 March closes at the end of February (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!

[eelecurb]

This is the first kit guitar I've ever put together. I chose the TL-1TH because although I don't have any Telecaster body guitars I've always like the shape. In addition, I had a couple of Seymour Duncan humbuckers lying around that I finally figured I could put to good use. There were three things I was going for which I believe I had moderate success doing. First, I wanted a "burst" appearance where the stain is darker towards the outside binding. For the most part I like it. Second, I added a very few specks of glitter to the finish here and there hoping to occasionally catch the light. Unfortunately they look more like artifacts in the finish. Lastly, I tried to give it a bit of a "relic" look which is why I intentionally bled the stain onto the edge of the guitar along with sanding the edge here and there to replicate wear. Again, didn't come out quite like I had envisioned but overall I'm happy and the guitar sounds killer. Way to go Pitbull!

https://imgur.com/yE13WMm
https://imgur.com/Xzi9EYF
https://imgur.com/0EyHBjs
https://imgur.com/xvxQydf
https://imgur.com/ZkQFNV4
https://imgur.com/4WLnds2

[Sonic Mountain]

Fixed the pics, to get them to appear in your post you need to copy the 'bbcode' from imgur.

https://imgur.com/yE13WMm.jpg
https://imgur.com/Xzi9EYF.jpg
https://imgur.com/0EyHBjs.jpg
https://imgur.com/xvxQydf.jpg
https://imgur.com/ZkQFNV4.jpg
https://imgur.com/4WLnds2.jpg

[eelecurb]

Ahh! Thank you so much my friend. I appreciate it!

[Johnbamb]

Here is my SG kit.
This was a returned custom order.
Mahogany body with white binding and no contours.
I have carved in the back contours, stained the top with crimson stunning stains, finished with trueoil, 39154yellowed the binding, moved the output jack to side of the body and popped a switch for coil splitting in.

Trussrod cover, scratch guard and headstock are my own touch.
39155
39156

[Mike.L]

This is my AGM-1F kit that I modified to a stop tail piece, mahogany body and neck, ebony fret board, finished with a stained burst top and a little candy over the top, headstock to match and the back is also stained, all clear coated in 2k clear.

Guyker locking vintage tuners,
Wilkinson roller bridge and tail piece,
Iron gear Blues engine PAF’s with their Alchymist P90 in the middle,
Tusq black XL nut,
Bourns pots,
Orange cap.

Wired so the PAF’s are selectable from the three way switch, and the P90 is constantly live, all three pickups have individual volumes with one master tone.

[Ron M.]

Well done..this is a very nice piece and you should be proud of the work

[Brendan]

Entry from Ron M:

I can not say enough good things about Pitbull...I ordered this mid covid and had the standard shipping nightmares ( I am in Western Canada) The kit itself when it arrived was epic and the grain match is spot on. fitment is very good and any communication with Pitbull and Adam was excellent. Since i posted this guitar up on some of the builder forums i have been overwhelmed with questions and requests so thank you for sending me something I can be proud of... you guys are true legends and ill be ordering again soon.

[PJSprog]

I want so badly to build a zebra strat. That looks awesome.

[Cliff Rogers]

Would be nice to hear how it was finished.

[Eric67]

Finish on this guitar was a homemade wipe-on poly. Pickups upgraded with Warman Deadly Sinners set, direct mounted into the modified cavity. All pots and wiring upgraded. Neck heel modified to better fit the neck pocket.

[Eric67]

a few others...

[kman42]

This is my ATL-1SB kit, and it's my first Pitbull build. It features a stained neck & headstock, and custom plywood pickguard that I made. The finish is a thin satin polyurethane, which is thin enough that you can still feel plenty of grain.
The guitar is built for live gigs, and includes the following upgrades:
- Tonerider Hot Classic pickups
- bone nut
- Grover locking tuners
- converted to string-through setup
- fully shielded internals
- full size Alpha pots, Switchcraft jack and Fender-style selector switch
- shielded pickup wire feed tube for easy maintenance

39321
39322
39323
39324

[arie_shapira]

i wanted a hard rock guitar for a while now, and i really love the mockingburd shape
i did an arm contour before grain filling, my 4 year old helped with that..
after 3 times grain filling with black (ash body requires a lot of work, apparently) i used a tinted shellac as the finish and the paint itself for a blue-green burst
afterwards i did some clear coats with shellac and worked with steel wool for a matte finish
the neck was done with tung oil
pickups are warman zebras

this was my first (hope full out of many!) build

https://i.imgur.com/JPoBWV5.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/iDzD5Qp.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/TPjDh8p.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/uJAAfkE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/X8EeIdx.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6IBvRQM.jpg

[jonwhitear]

Here's my DTL-1, finished in transparent blue nitro.

Upgrades are:

Grover looking tuners
Bone nut
Tonerider Hot Classic pickups
Wilkinson bridge w/ string through
Pearloid pick guard
Strap locks
Oak Grigsby 4-way switch, 0.022uF Orage drop tone cap
Electrosocket


39428

39429

39430

39431

39432

[Brendan]

OK all - comp closed - opening a new one shortly!

[nitroburner1000]

Wow some great axes this month, i love the individuality that's been molded into these music makers, hard choice again.

[DarkMark]

This month is full of serious contenders. So impressed by what I see.

[Ron M.]

This guitar was a pleasure to build...the finish is minwax clear wipe on poly around 6 coats then flat sanded with 400 grit and finish sanded to 1500...then it was polished on the buffing wheel...i get a lot of odd reflections in my shop but the finish is glass smooth

[Brendan]

So judges adjudications are in...

1: Eelecurb's TL-1TH
Classic black and white – nicely done. Sides seem to have picked up stain differently from the back and the front, but otherwise a nice guitar.
I like the combination of the black and white with the blonde maple and perloid pickguard. The washed-out black works well with the grain showing, but I agree that the glitter and burst wasn't entirely successful. Looks like a player. Well done.
Pretty good job. It might have been better to restrain the sides to match the bleed through from the back though.

2: Johnbamb's AG-1
Nice, gentle burst, beautiful figure on the back that has been picked up and a unique headstock. Custom wood pickguard is a great finish. Nice work!
The square edges on the top with the binding messes with your head, it's like a 2D SG. Nice that you added the bevels on the back. The headstock is wild and definitely not something I was expecting, enhanced with the custom TRC and scratchplate.
A very pretty guitar. I would have liked to see more photos of the finished guitar.

3: Mike.L's AGM-1F
Savage burst and high gloss. Finish is amazing. Letdown for me – no real personalisation – logo / etc to make it uniquely yours. But man – love that finish.
Super glossy and shiny, I just wish we had some pics of the body without the shadows across it. Triple pups always look so full on. Nice burst and yeah, super glossy. Excellent upgrades and overall build quality. Very nice.
Finish looks amazing. Burst transition is very smooth and the colours are well chosen.

4: RonM's DSZ-1
Really has an art deco look to it. The striped fretboard / neck is interesting, but possibly a touch too stripey for me. Would also love to have seen a logo somewhere to really own this unique guitar.
Wow that is a really nice zebra. Body, neck and plastics all carrying the striped vibe and do it well. I thought the neck may make it look overwhelming, but it just all works so well together. Excellent.
Little touches like the pinstripeing on the pick guard make this guitar special

5: Eric67's GS-7Q
Nice classic colours and beautiful finish. Hard to fault.
It's a beautiful deep colour on the top and headstock, and the black hardware matches nicely. I really like the more subtle colour of the back and neck too. Is that glue or factory filler in the crack line on the upper horn? Nice mods and build choices. Well done.
Finish looks real clean. I’m not sure the headstock needed the sparkles though.

6: Kman42's ATL-1SB
Very rustic feel with this one. Love the classic styling, which really gives full value to the grain. Nicely done. Can’t believe this doesn’t have a logo to own it.
This is a nice TL. The grain with the natural wood tones and dark neck and pickguard are just fantastic. Topped off with the gold hardware and... wow. Ferrules are aligned well but some minor inconsistency in the spacing. Definitely something I'd pick up and play in a store. Awesome.
The neck colour & pickguard really add something special to this guitar.

7: Arie_Shapira's MBM-1
Nice blue green burst. Overall effect is a well turned out guitar. Looks like it would have been fun to get your 4 year old involved in making a guitar together. Well done!
An interesting asymmetric burst, and nice overall look. I would have liked a more gradual transition on the lower edge and to see the burst carried over to the back. But I like the look. The Zebras are a nice touch.
The finish looks pretty good. The unusual burst pattern confuses me though

8: Johnwhitear's DTL-1
Very nice finish with the blue nitro, matched with the white plastics. The neck has just the right amount of yellow. The string thru looks perfect, great and alignment and spacing. That alone deserves applause. Great upgrades and overall build qulaity.
Love the depth in the blue – not normally a colour I’m a fan of, but when done well, starts the creative juices flowing for a blue guitar to own myself. Nicely done logo and the whole thing comes together well.
A great colour choice which really suits this guitar. Not as flash as some guitars, but very beautiful nonetheless.

[Brendan]

The runner up...
Mike.L's AGM-1F -

https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39206&stc=1&d=1613206003


And the winner - congratulations to:
Kman42's ATL-1SB -

https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39321&d=1614074637

[Wayne.Mumford]

Congratulations Kman, beautiful work. Also a stunning job for second place Mike. Well done to all.

[jonwhitear]

Congratulations Mike and Kman - two beautiful guitars there. Well done.

[grahamjohnston80]

Well done guys. Both guitars look awesome! It's hard to pick between them.

[DarkMark]

Super month everyone! I’m not usually a Tele man but I’d happily own Kman42’s.

[Mike.L]

Thanks for the kind comments, I take all criticism good or bad and try to improve with each build, I’ll be entering the build I’m currently working on when it’s finished, and heres a pic without shadows 😁

[kman42]

Thanks everyone, stoked! and great builds by the others... when I finished the guitar I was sure I had a winner - until I saw some of the other entries...

[Wayne.Mumford]

Hey kman, you might not have won the comp but you’re still a winner because you have that cool guitar.

[nitroburner1000]

This is my AGM-1F kit that I modified to a stop tail piece, mahogany body and neck, ebony fret board, finished with a stained burst top and a little candy over the top, headstock to match and the back is also stained, all clear coated in 2k clear.

Guyker locking vintage tuners,
Wilkinson roller bridge and tail piece,
Iron gear Blues engine PAF’s with their Alchymist P90 in the middle,
Tusq black XL nut,
Bourns pots,
Orange cap.

Wired so the PAF’s are selectable from the three way switch, and the P90 is constantly live, all three pickups have individual volumes with one master tone.

Stunning build and colour scheme.
And huge congrats to the winner and runner up. And to the rest of the contestants......Everyone did an exceptional job, you all should be super proud of yourselves

[fender3x]

This was one heck of a month! Some really unique and beautiful guitars this time around. Wow!