Hi

[AJ]

Hi every one,
Andy here from Melbourne.. Just received the LP-1 kit, and must say it looks impressive.
'm an older fella that has always wanted to "learn to play the guitar"... never had the time before, but now have a bit of time on my hands.. and thought, what better way to get back into this than try my hand at building a kit..

I no doubt will probably have dozens of questions along the way.
The first one is .. what is the radius of the neck? Is it a 12 foot radius?
Secondly, is it wise to level the frets before starting on the sanding and painting? ( did not see that there was an available service to have the fretwork done before delivery till well after ordering the kit.. so it was the old "oops to late scenario ") When measuring the scale , is the measurement from the fretboard side of the nut to the "top" of the 12 fret (middle of it)?

Is it worthwhile shielding the pick up and control cavities?

thanks in advance :)

[keloooe]

Hi Andy, welcome to our forums!!! Hang on, we both live in Melbs and we both have an LP-1... (How strange???)... Anyway, if you have the tools for it, and you want your LP to be something that you will always play, then yes, have a crack at leveling the frets!!! About the shielding, it isn't a major thing, but it will help to kill any hum or buzz that might still hang around. I'm shielding mine so I can play it and not have to be switching the distortion on and off again.

Remember that if you want that "To die for" tone, then try out the Wudtone finishing kits, I have some sitting here just waiting to be applied...

Last thing; don't forget to document your build in the "My Build Diary"!!!

Cheers,
Callum

[Gavin1393]

Quote from AJ on March 22, 2013, 21:30
Hi every one,
Andy here from Melbourne.. Just received the LP-1 kit, and must say it looks impressive.
'm an older fella that has always wanted to "learn to play the guitar"... never had the time before, but now have a bit of time on my hands.. and thought, what better way to get back into this than try my hand at building a kit..

I no doubt will probably have dozens of questions along the way.
The first one is .. what is the radius of the neck? Is it a 12 foot radius?
Secondly, is it wise to level the frets before starting on the sanding and painting? ( did not see that there was an available service to have the fretwork done before delivery till well after ordering the kit.. so it was the old "oops to late scenario ") When measuring the scale , is the measurement from the fretboard side of the nut to the "top" of the 12 fret (middle of it)?

Is it worthwhile shielding the pick up and control cavities?

thanks in advance :)

Hi AJ

I thing you are referring to the radius of the fretboard. That is 12 foot as far as my memory goes!

You can level the fretboard at either before or at the end of the paint process but it may depend on the build you are doing. Some fretboards are painted from a vintage perspective while others are not. It would also depend too on the quality of the tools you are using and if these toys, err, tools have safety designed into them. If you are not using proper tools to do the fret levelling then probably best to do this at the start so you dont spoil a great paintjob by gouging a line through your neck when the file slips out of your groove and impales itself in your fresh paintjob!

It is ALWAYS worthwhile sheilding the guitar....which I suspect The Artist formerly known as DB might concur, which reminds me, it's 10am and he never responded to this mail...must have had a big night out?

[keloooe]

Quote from Gavin1393 on March 23, 2013, 09:59

Quote from AJ on March 22, 2013, 21:30
Hi every one,
Andy here from Melbourne.. Just received the LP-1 kit, and must say it looks impressive.
'm an older fella that has always wanted to "learn to play the guitar"... never had the time before, but now have a bit of time on my hands.. and thought, what better way to get back into this than try my hand at building a kit..

I no doubt will probably have dozens of questions along the way.
The first one is .. what is the radius of the neck? Is it a 12 foot radius?
Secondly, is it wise to level the frets before starting on the sanding and painting? ( did not see that there was an available service to have the fretwork done before delivery till well after ordering the kit.. so it was the old "oops to late scenario ") When measuring the scale , is the measurement from the fretboard side of the nut to the "top" of the 12 fret (middle of it)?

Is it worthwhile shielding the pick up and control cavities?

thanks in advance :)

Hi AJ

I thing you are referring to the radius of the fretboard. That is 12 foot as far as my memory goes!

You can level the fretboard at either before or at the end of the paint process but it may depend on the build you are doing. Some fretboards are painted from a vintage perspective while others are not. It would also depend too on the quality of the tools you are using and if these toys, err, tools have safety designed into them. If you are not using proper tools to do the fret levelling then probably best to do this at the start so you dont spoil a great paintjob by gouging a line through your neck when the file slips out of your groove and impales itself in your fresh paintjob!

It is ALWAYS worthwhile sheilding the guitar....which I suspect The Artist formerly known as DB might concur, which reminds me, it's 10am and he never responded to this mail...must have had a big night out?
The Artist must like me better then Gavin!

[Bass Guy]

Welcome aboard, AJ! You'll find plenty of helpful advice on this forum; they are all good people who have helped my current builds enormously!

Enjoy!

Bass Guy

[dingobass]

Quote from Gavin1393 on March 23, 2013, 09:59

Quote from AJ on March 22, 2013, 21:30
Hi every one,
Andy here from Melbourne.. Just received the LP-1 kit, and must say it looks impressive.
'm an older fella that has always wanted to "learn to play the guitar"... never had the time before, but now have a bit of time on my hands.. and thought, what better way to get back into this than try my hand at building a kit..

I no doubt will probably have dozens of questions along the way.
The first one is .. what is the radius of the neck? Is it a 12 foot radius?
Secondly, is it wise to level the frets before starting on the sanding and painting? ( did not see that there was an available service to have the fretwork done before delivery till well after ordering the kit.. so it was the old "oops to late scenario ") When measuring the scale , is the measurement from the fretboard side of the nut to the "top" of the 12 fret (middle of it)?

Is it worthwhile shielding the pick up and control cavities?

thanks in advance :)
Hi AJ

I thing you are referring to the radius of the fretboard. That is 12 foot as far as my memory goes!

You can level the fretboard at either before or at the end of the paint process but it may depend on the build you are doing. Some fretboards are painted from a vintage perspective while others are not. It would also depend too on the quality of the tools you are using and if these toys, err, tools have safety designed into them. If you are not using proper tools to do the fret levelling then probably best to do this at the start so you dont spoil a great paintjob by gouging a line through your neck when the file slips out of your groove and impales itself in your fresh paintjob!

It is ALWAYS worthwhile sheilding the guitar....which I suspect The Artist formerly known as DB might concur, which reminds me, it's 10am and he never responded to this mail...must have had a big night out?


hey AJ, welcome to the family!

most Pit Bull kits are 14"..... but the LP is 12"

Shield everything in sight is my motto, and use shielded cable for the long run from switch to out put if you can.

the scale length is from fretboard side of nut to top of the 12th.

Very funny Gavin :D
I was out shopping with Miss Fiona, that is after sorting out twenty questions from our resident Pest...(handle starts with a K :D )

[AJ]

Quote from dingobass on March 23, 2013, 19:01

Quote from Gavin1393 on March 23, 2013, 09:59

Quote from AJ on March 22, 2013, 21:30
Hi every one,
Andy here from Melbourne.. Just received the LP-1 kit, and must say it looks impressive.
'm an older fella that has always wanted to "learn to play the guitar"... never had the time before, but now have a bit of time on my hands.. and thought, what better way to get back into this than try my hand at building a kit..

I no doubt will probably have dozens of questions along the way.
The first one is .. what is the radius of the neck? Is it a 12 foot radius?
Secondly, is it wise to level the frets before starting on the sanding and painting? ( did not see that there was an available service to have the fretwork done before delivery till well after ordering the kit.. so it was the old "oops to late scenario ") When measuring the scale , is the measurement from the fretboard side of the nut to the "top" of the 12 fret (middle of it)?

Is it worthwhile shielding the pick up and control cavities?

thanks in advance :)
Hi AJ

I thing you are referring to the radius of the fretboard. That is 12 foot as far as my memory goes!

You can level the fretboard at either before or at the end of the paint process but it may depend on the build you are doing. Some fretboards are painted from a vintage perspective while others are not. It would also depend too on the quality of the tools you are using and if these toys, err, tools have safety designed into them. If you are not using proper tools to do the fret levelling then probably best to do this at the start so you dont spoil a great paintjob by gouging a line through your neck when the file slips out of your groove and impales itself in your fresh paintjob!

It is ALWAYS worthwhile sheilding the guitar....which I suspect The Artist formerly known as DB might concur, which reminds me, it's 10am and he never responded to this mail...must have had a big night out?


hey AJ, welcome to the family!

most Pit Bull kits are 14"..... but the LP is 12"

Shield everything in sight is my motto, and use shielded cable for the long run from switch to out put if you can.

the scale length is from fretboard side of nut to top of the 12th.

Very funny Gavin :D
I was out shopping with Miss Fiona, that is after sorting out twenty questions from our resident Pest...(handle starts with a K :D )

Hi every one and ty for the warm welcomes.
Callum, what part of sunny old Melbourne do you rein from? I'm in the Werribee area.

Now, do I make my own radius sanding blocks or bite the bullet and buy an obviously over priced one.. (sourcing them local could prove both laborious and difficult..), also need to purchase the shaped diamond files.

The neck appears to have a slight curvature (back wards bend) do I need to adjust the torsion rod to make it dead straight before starting to level the frets? or is the norm for the necks?
would post a pick here of what I mean ... but don't know how to attach a jpg image here..

Not certain just yet on the color scheme, have given myself an information overload with all the fabulous paint jobs viewable on the web... bit like being a kid in a lolly shop and only a penny to spend..lol I did like the tiger striped one but then again they all looked spectacular. The wood tone finishes, are they acrylic or oil based?

My thoughts on the color scheme, maybe a darkish burgandy or black on the back and front sunburst style ranging from burgandy through red to yellow with a gold highlight? and in the headstock, the though has crossed my mind to do a little either gold or silver guilded pattern ... the desire is to have an almost french polish style overall, without using shellac.

Will shield the whole of the electrical system and I can get shielded wire from the local jay-car store for the 3 way switch harness and hopefully the shielding copper also.

AJ
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/3ozm1-Guitar-neck.jpg

[Gavin1393]

Hi AJ

There are a ton of articles and contributions on the forum and all the questions you are asking have been detailed and are searchable. I mention this so that you don't necessarily need to wait for answers to your questions.

For example your question on levelling frets, there is a tutorial here with numerous pictures.

http://pitbullguitars.com/?page_id=42&mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=179

There are also many examples of WUDTONE paint which is ragged on to a guitar in much the same was as you might french polish a guitar but with far superior results and in a fraction of the time. Have a look under the "my build diary" section

http://pitbullguitars.com/?page_id=42&mingleforumaction=viewforum&f=19.0

And under the "finishing your guitar with Wudtone"

http://pitbullguitars.com/?page_id=42&mingleforumaction=viewforum&f=4.0

Making sure the neck is set correctly, article here:

http://pitbullguitars.com/?page_id=42&mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=18

When your guitar is finished and you want to set the intonation, there is a further article here.

http://pitbullguitars.com/?page_id=42&mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=186

And of course just search on "Dingobass" and read his many articles on work arounds etc. that have helped many so many of us.

I hope this helps you build the guitar of your dreams! We are here to help!

[Gavin1393]

Making your own radius sanding blocks article.....

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/luthiers-corner/80744-diy-radius-sanding-blocks.html

Or you could simply grab one from StewMac along with the diamond fret files....

[keloooe]

Quote from AJ on March 24, 2013, 08:14

Quote from dingobass on March 23, 2013, 19:01

Quote from Gavin1393 on March 23, 2013, 09:59

Quote from AJ on March 22, 2013, 21:30
Hi every one,
Andy here from Melbourne.. Just received the LP-1 kit, and must say it looks impressive.
'm an older fella that has always wanted to "learn to play the guitar"... never had the time before, but now have a bit of time on my hands.. and thought, what better way to get back into this than try my hand at building a kit..

I no doubt will probably have dozens of questions along the way.
The first one is .. what is the radius of the neck? Is it a 12 foot radius?
Secondly, is it wise to level the frets before starting on the sanding and painting? ( did not see that there was an available service to have the fretwork done before delivery till well after ordering the kit.. so it was the old "oops to late scenario ") When measuring the scale , is the measurement from the fretboard side of the nut to the "top" of the 12 fret (middle of it)?

Is it worthwhile shielding the pick up and control cavities?

thanks in advance :)
Hi AJ

I thing you are referring to the radius of the fretboard. That is 12 foot as far as my memory goes!

You can level the fretboard at either before or at the end of the paint process but it may depend on the build you are doing. Some fretboards are painted from a vintage perspective while others are not. It would also depend too on the quality of the tools you are using and if these toys, err, tools have safety designed into them. If you are not using proper tools to do the fret levelling then probably best to do this at the start so you dont spoil a great paintjob by gouging a line through your neck when the file slips out of your groove and impales itself in your fresh paintjob!

It is ALWAYS worthwhile sheilding the guitar....which I suspect The Artist formerly known as DB might concur, which reminds me, it's 10am and he never responded to this mail...must have had a big night out?


hey AJ, welcome to the family!

most Pit Bull kits are 14"..... but the LP is 12"

Shield everything in sight is my motto, and use shielded cable for the long run from switch to out put if you can.

the scale length is from fretboard side of nut to top of the 12th.

Very funny Gavin :D
I was out shopping with Miss Fiona, that is after sorting out twenty questions from our resident Pest...(handle starts with a K :D )

Hi every one and ty for the warm welcomes.
Callum, what part of sunny old Melbourne do you rein from? I'm in the Werribee area.

Now, do I make my own radius sanding blocks or bite the bullet and buy an obviously over priced one.. (sourcing them local could prove both laborious and difficult..), also need to purchase the shaped diamond files.

The neck appears to have a slight curvature (back wards bend) do I need to adjust the torsion rod to make it dead straight before starting to level the frets? or is the norm for the necks?
would post a pick here of what I mean ... but don't know how to attach a jpg image here..

Not certain just yet on the color scheme, have given myself an information overload with all the fabulous paint jobs viewable on the web... bit like being a kid in a lolly shop and only a penny to spend..lol I did like the tiger striped one but then again they all looked spectacular. The wood tone finishes, are they acrylic or oil based?

My thoughts on the color scheme, maybe a darkish burgandy or black on the back and front sunburst style ranging from burgandy through red to yellow with a gold highlight? and in the headstock, the though has crossed my mind to do a little either gold or silver guilded pattern ... the desire is to have an almost french polish style overall, without using shellac.

Will shield the whole of the electrical system and I can get shielded wire from the local jay-car store for the 3 way switch harness and hopefully the shielding copper also.

AJ
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/3ozm1-Guitar-neck.jpg
Hey AJ, I'm in the good ol' Sth East!!!
And DB, nice way to hint out this so called "Pest"

[dingobass]

Hi AJ,

In all the excitement no one answered your question about Wudtone...

Wudtone is an oil and wax based lacquer.

Pros;

No toxic spray paints
Won't kill the tone of the Guitar
Easy to apply, just rag it on
fully cures faster than paint

Cons;

Have yet to find any! :D

Another question you may need answering is how to post pics.

Just click on the browse button in the box below and choose relevant photo off your computer. it is advisable that you reduce the pixsel size to approx 700 x 500...
You may need the help of a local 8 year old to show you how to do this, I know I did! :D

[AJ]

Quote from dingobass on March 24, 2013, 19:10
Hi AJ,

In all the excitement no one answered your question about Wudtone...

Wudtone is an oil and wax based lacquer.

Pros;

No toxic spray paints
Won't kill the tone of the Guitar
Easy to apply, just rag it on
fully cures faster than paint

Cons;

Have yet to find any! :D

Another question you may need answering is how to post pics.

Just click on the browse button in the box below and choose relevant photo off your computer. it is advisable that you reduce the pixsel size to approx 700 x 500...
You may need the help of a local 8 year old to show you how to do this, I know I did! :D

Hi dingoboss ,
the penny has finally dropped re the fret work, the links that were suggested really helped and that Luther's corner is a treasure trove of good info. The 8yr old showed me that you need to "quote' reply to be able to post pickies :o), quick replies don't allow the option to do that... DOH!)

Wood tone - the colors you have displayed on the website, none have really grabbed my eye, maybe I am having trouble with the displayed colors? or difficulty in being able to envisage how they would stand out/ highlight when the clear coat is done. Convince me and I will go that path. my desired color is a deep burgundy for the back of the guitar/ neck if not, deep black is the next choice. Can the clear coat be built up to give an almost mirror gloss? sorta like what I did here with a bit of french polishing -



http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/j3uqw-2012-11-30-14.27.54.jpg

[AJ]

You've convinced me now and have ordered the custom wood tone kit

[Gavin1393]

He phoned and threatened you again did he AJ because we don't see any convincing posts? :))

[dingobass]

Hi AJ,

Wow, that is one beautiful job of French Polishing!

With the Wudtone you can get a fairly high gloss, thin coats is the trick and then let it cure for a week at least then buff it with ultra fine polishing papers or pads.
The more you play the Guitar the shinier it will get.

You can get the polishing pads from www.thesandpaperman.com

[keloooe]

Hey AJ, looks like DB's magic touch hit you from 3,000km away...
Good choice in getting Wudtone! Let's see what the flameyness (new word maybe???) does to you!

[AJ]

Quote from keloooe on March 25, 2013, 15:25
Hey AJ, looks like DB's magic touch hit you from 3,000km away...
Good choice in getting Wudtone! Let's see what the flameyness (new word maybe???) does to you!

I seen an app a little while ago, forget where now, but you could do various stuff to see what the finish may look like, a spectacular one was black with silver tear drop.. no silver in wood tone yet... :(
So I'm going Please choose your with Gold highlights,
Top Coat: Extra gloss no ageing tint,
Inner Sunburst colour: Burning Sun,
Outer Sunburst colour: Mahogany

and we will see if the surface finishing gods are on my side ...lol

[Gavin1393]

Great choice of colours. You wont be disappointed.

[dingobass]

Hang on to your hats folks...

There are some exciting new Wudtone colours in the making.... A metallic grey/ silver is one of them :P

[keloooe]

AJ, those colours sound fantastic!!! Remember to watch the videos that the other Andy (the original creator of Wudtone made to show you how to get the burst!)

And DB, now I wanna do a Strat in metallic grey....

[AJ]

Quote from dingobass on March 25, 2013, 21:22
Hang on to your hats folks...

There are some exciting new Wudtone colours in the making.... A metallic grey/ silver is one of them :P

God dam batman... too late now for me..lol So will have to do another guitar in a few months time..... with shiny black outer and silver- metallic burst/ tear drop ... just need to save up the pension $ 8-)

[keloooe]

I'm doing the reverse, when you see my current LP with Wudtone on it you will see!!!

[AJ]

Quote from keloooe on March 26, 2013, 17:42
I'm doing the reverse, when you see my current LP with Wudtone on it you will see!!!

got a picture of it? would like to see it Keloooe 8-)

with the top clear coat, after it has completely cured, can it be cut back like lacquer? then buffed with cutting compound etc ?

[dingobass]

Hi AJ,

No need to cut back Wudtone.
Once you have applied the last top coat, generally a light buff with 0000 steel wool or a buff with a polishing pad is enough to get the Wudtone to glow.

[Gavin1393]

Quote from dingobass on March 26, 2013, 20:01
Hi AJ,

No need to cut back Wudtone.
Once you have applied the last top coat, generally a light buff with 0000 steel wool or a buff with a polishing pad is enough to get the Wudtone to glow.

Hi AJ

Seriously, you have probably french polished your last piece of wood ever.....

This Wudtone is revolutionary. I am demonstrating guitars I have built and finished in Wudtone to various music stores who I am friendly with and they are blown away with the tone these guitars retain as they are not being dulled by nitro.

Don't treat the process of applying Wudtone like other lacquers. Follow what DB has no doubt already told you. It really is that simple to get gorgeous results. His work with Wudtone is sensational and I get comments all the time that my gutars are not guitars but works of art. Its all down to the finish we are using.
It does require a bit of time between coats, and it does require you to follow the procedures. But the end results are well worth it. And since you clearly already have woodworking skill i anticipate being blown away but what you will produce!

[keloooe]

Quote from AJ on March 26, 2013, 19:56

got a picture of it? would like to see it Keloooe 8-)


Nope, still trying my hardest to get rid of the glue :( ... Hopefully I should get it all out this week and start applying the Wudtone soon!!!

[AJ]

Quote from keloooe on March 27, 2013, 05:33

Quote from AJ on March 26, 2013, 19:56

got a picture of it? would like to see it Keloooe 8-)


Nope, still trying my hardest to get rid of the glue :( ... Hopefully I should get it all out this week and start applying the Wudtone soon!!!

Just a thought here, but may be worth a try.. a lot of the wood fillers will take a wood stain readily.. maybe if you have gone too far trying to get the glue residue out , it could be worth a try to do a light coating of filler ?? Just a thought outside the box so to say...

[b]dingobass
Hi AJ,

No need to cut back Wudtone.
Once you have applied the last top coat, generally a light buff with 0000 steel wool or a buff with a polishing pad is enough to get the Wudtone to glow.

Ah, that means that I get more time in the rocking chair sucking on the corn cob pipe relaxing with a nice cup of coffee... :P looking forward to receiving the wood tone to make a start .. hopefully over Easter.... 1 day to go before GF

Just a thought also.. about the disposal of the cotton cloth used in application.. some where I have read that they have the possibility to spontaneously ignite... for that to happen it must have one crazy exothermic reaction happening... bit like oxygen and grease/oil .. that goes bang also...

[dingobass]

Hi AJ,

The chance of self ignition is very low, but it could under the right conditions.
This is why we recommend that you soak the rag in water and dispose of it either tied in the glove or in a tightly sealed plastic bag.