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rhay
01-06-2013, 12:01 AM
Here are the post delivery shots of the Body and Neck.

I had intended on finishing this as a standard '62, in aged-white. However I thought I'd better wet the body down and check the grain, just in case I had scored something special.

Unfortunately not the case, but no biggie. There is a gap in the lamination (circled red) and a fairly accentuated flare above the lower horn (circled green). Also on the back is one random strip of timber that has vertical flames. So all in all this is a good candidate for an enamel finish.

The gold fretts were a bit of a surprise too, I suppose this is normal the rosewood necks.

More pics to follow soon. Hoping to nail this one in the next 6-weeks, ready for the SG-2 to land.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/0ggka-on-delivery.JPG

Gavin1393
01-06-2013, 01:51 AM
Timbermate will sort out the gap in the lamination. My Spalted Maple Lp had the same issue. You'd never notice it and it was finished in Wudtone as are all 26 of the guitars I have built! ;)
The 'flare' you refer to....are you sure that it is not glue or a section of over-polished wood?

dingobass
01-06-2013, 04:46 AM
When you have sanded the body you will find that the figure will come out a lot more.
As for the gap, quite often they are quite shallow and a vigorous sanding will remove them.

rhay
01-06-2013, 06:20 AM
Cheers for the feedback men! Sadly I would notice this one (lamination split), it is fairly wide and runs from the bridge aperture to the very tail and is not parallel to the grain. Although once filled someone who didn't know it had been there would probably miss it.

I wet-down the body to do a reveal on the grain and yep there is a bit of gum/glue staining, in addition to the interesting grain. Although, unlike the Tele I just completed, there does not seem to be any burnished (over sanded) marks, or any serious machining marks either. The flare is a bit like the flame maple in the SG-1F, however it only appears on one of the laminated blocks and sticks out like a dogs tea-bag.

Not a worry though, she was always going to be a vintage enamel job any way.

Cheers again for the feedback guys, I really appreciate it. It is quite amazing how friendly and helpful this Forum is - loving it!

adam
01-06-2013, 09:03 AM
Gold frets??? What?

dingobass
01-06-2013, 09:12 AM
Some times the nickle silver frets can have a gold hue to them.
Usually this disappears with time and natural oxidisation.
The fret wire used on this kit must have been brand new, hot off the press!

rhay
01-06-2013, 12:15 PM
Could be DB, never seen this before.

When I place a white card or piece of chrome next to a frett they are certainly golden. Will wrestle the good digital camera off my Bro' tomorrow and take a few snaps.

dingobass
01-06-2013, 12:23 PM
I would be really keen to see some good photos.

Of course there are "gold" frets, but I would be extremely surprised to see them on our kits as they are usually only found on high end Guitar and Basses!

Gavin1393
01-06-2013, 11:46 PM
Quote from dingobass on May 31, 2013, 21:23
I would be really keen to see some good photos.

Of course there are "gold" frets, but I would be extremely surprised to see them on our kits as they are usually only found on high end Guitar and Basses!

...and, of course, along with no pickguards, it is extremely surprising to find any frets at all on a DB bass guitar! ;)

dingobass
02-06-2013, 12:33 AM
Yep, you have a point there Gavin.... Every time I look at your Hofner neck I have to fight off the urge to get the fret pullers out :)

rhay
02-06-2013, 01:27 AM
Now, now Boys, let's all try to get along.

Got the camera, so i'll try to post some pics tonight.

wokkaboy
02-06-2013, 04:32 AM
Quote from dingobass on June 1, 2013, 09:33
Yep, you have a point there Gavin.... Every time I look at your Hofner neck I have to fight off the urge to get the fret pullers out :)

Hey DB aren't you finishing Gav's hofner bass in conch girl ? thats what you told us last time we caught up ! haha

rhay
02-06-2013, 07:25 AM
Quote from dingobass on May 31, 2013, 21:23
I would be really keen to see some good photos.

Here we go. As you can see I have placed paper and a steel rule next to them for a reference.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/o8uak-gold-fretts.jpg

dingobass
02-06-2013, 09:07 AM
Yep.. That looks gold alright....interesting...

rhay
02-06-2013, 09:10 AM
Uh huh. Looking at the all-parts pic of this kit (on the PB site) that neck seems to have gold ones too?

phloggy
02-06-2013, 11:30 AM
My guitardis has those frets as well. Although looking at them now they seem to have "silvered up" a bit.

rhay
02-06-2013, 11:37 AM
How old is your guitar Phloggy? DB did suggest that this might just be a temporary effect in the nickel.

Gavin1393
02-06-2013, 12:56 PM
Quote from wokkaboy on June 1, 2013, 13:32

Quote from dingobass on June 1, 2013, 09:33
Yep, you have a point there Gavin.... Every time I look at your Hofner neck I have to fight off the urge to get the fret pullers out :)

Hey DB aren't you finishing Gav's hofner bass in conch girl ? thats what you told us last time we caught up ! haha

Wokka, since DB found out about the impending arrival of my new 2HP BP-355 band saw, my hidden Spy cam has picked up some feverish sanding and re-fretwork recently.....

New boys toy pictured belòw!
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/72031-image.jpg

Fretworn
03-06-2013, 09:54 AM
I've got those frets too, but I would have called them a brass colour rather than gold. Time will tell how long they will last.

rhay
04-06-2013, 09:48 AM
So here's the story, while priming the body tonight I almost knocked it off the bench. Since I had only just released the billet attached to the neck rebate I easily caught it, but in my panic had a reflex action which lifted the end of the (reasonably long) billet into my eye.

I then dropped the body and it hit the workshop floor.

The section of my I work instruments in has carpet, so I thought it might still be OK - maybe just a bit bruised and dusty. Sadly no, the slightly open lamination is now completely separated from the butt to the bridge aperture.

I have attached a dodgy pic taken with my tablet, although it doesn't show much detail. I'm afraid that I am not interested in going back and taking a better one right now. What it does show is that my fill was nice and strong, it is intact within that splinter.

My understanding is that the only way forward, with separated blocks, is 1/. to separate and re-laminate, 2/. apply an epoxy splint or 3/. bin it. Since this was always going to be finished in enamel I have some scope to hide any fixes, but I also know that another drop, after it is finished, may well split the finish as the wound opens again.

I have thought of placing deep rebates (holes) in from the top and bottom edge and closing the split join with screw pins, once injected with some glue? But not sure if it is worth the work.

I might be better off just ponying-up another $99.

Any other ideas?

P.S. The "funniest" part is that I now have a black eye too, I really got a hold of that timber and pulled (can'r imagine how heavy my reflexes thought the bloody body was)!
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/h242l-split.JPG

dingobass
04-06-2013, 10:51 AM
Yikes.... Tomorrow, can you post a good pic or two so I can see the offending item from a few angles?
I think I have a work around for you but I just need to see it more clearly.
Actually, could you email pics to me at dingobass@pitbullguitars.com please?

rhay
04-06-2013, 10:54 AM
Yep, can do.

rhay
04-06-2013, 12:17 PM
Here's some pics of the damage.

:(
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/yxk48-splits.JPG

adam
04-06-2013, 12:26 PM
Ray, if you think you have a faulty kit, we do have a pretty solid return policy. I can't quite tell how bad the problem is from the photos (considering you dropped it), but you shouldn't think that just because something costs $99 you have to accept something that's faulty. If you think you have received a product that shouldn't have left the factory or our warehouse, please say so and we will replace it.

rhay
04-06-2013, 01:00 PM
Adam, thanks for the follow-up.

You probably remember I noticed the separation on delivery but thought it was superficial and (assuming a solid finish which would mask it) decided to accept the body.

As it turns out my cock-up has revealed that the flaw was much worse than I thought. Typically a knock like this shouldn't split the blocks - so there was definitely a risk of the body splitting sometime down the track.

I really appreciate your concern, however I will kick on with this one. Apart from anything else it will give us an opportunity to reinforce the veracity of BD's signature quote!

Really this event is probably a blessing in disguise. At least this way I can make a lasting repair then continue on with peace of mind.

In hindsight I probably should have done a twist and roll test on the suspect lamination in the first place - but no biggie.

I have sent some good pics to DB as well as onto the Thread, so I'm sure some good advice is on it's way.

dingobass
05-06-2013, 12:29 AM
Copy of the email I sent to Ray this morning.

Hi Ray,

I think that your best bet is to get some medium viscosity superglue from Stewmac.

It will come with some whip tips with a very fine nozzle.
Flood the gap with as much glue as possible and clamp it.

Next up, if you have a router cut a slot to clean up the damaged ares and cut a blank to fill it.
Superglue this in then sand it back to the correct profile.

You should end up with a repair that is stronger than the original join..

rhay
05-06-2013, 02:03 AM
Cheers DB, certainly sounds like a good solid fix.

As I have already told DB I may go with a quick and nasty fix on this one. I was never expecting much from this kit, it's more of a test-run for future projects.

However if this was a more serious project then I am pretty sure that the DB fix would be the go.

Either way I'll post pics of the works.

Thanks again DB! (by god this Forum is good)

rhay
05-06-2013, 03:46 AM
Let me preface this post by saying that what I have chosen to do a quick and nasty repair. Applicable in this case because I am finishing in Enamel, not a stain, and can accept speed over durability.

I have just finished re-bonding the split lamination and secured it using a skew-screw method.

The process I followed;

1/. Used a clamp to close the join tight and hold it in its home position.
2/. Made a series of 3-stage "angle" holes to allow me to use screws to hold the join closed and secure.
3/. Released the clamp and gently separated the split.
4/. Blew a slightly thinned bonding glue into the spilt using compressed air - gently.
5/. Reapplied the clamp and screwed the join shut.

Once dry I will clean up the drill holes and split, then fill them. So in about 36 hours I will be back to where I started.....

Here are some pics of the completed repair and I diagram of the 3 stage holes.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/8w63q-skew-screw.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/f3q2b-cut-and-shut.JPG

rhay
05-06-2013, 06:37 AM
Body is stalled, so onto the neck and shaping the headstock.

Typical to my M.O. this will be a replica guitar, pre-CBS 60's Strat in this case.

I have a set of '62 reissue plans, so I have printed out the head from them to use as a template.

I am a fan of the jigsaw, used one for a long time and have become pretty good with it. However I know a lot of people are not and with good reason; it is very easy to get in a lot of trouble, very quickly, with a Jigsaw.

So to protect the timber from bruising I tape off and then draw the outline on the tape. When I cut I always leave a good 2mm of meat, means more sanding but significantly reduces the risk of tears.

I shape down by hand with 80 grit paper and a cork block, occasionally rolling the paper onto dowel for concave section. I use P80 Norton T423, which is actually a metal-work product, but excellent for shaping or rough profiling (but way to rough for anything else). Using a combination of with and against the grain strokes, but always finishing on a few with the grain passes.

Next will be some fine sanding with 240, then 320, then a pad, then a lighter pad....sanding, sanding, sanding....

However that's it for tonight. I have just been told to "stop playing with that guitar and get ready for the gig!".

Yes dear.....
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/g038t-head-outline.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/23iv2-head-rough-cut.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/k8rw6-Shaped-Head-face.JPG

Gavin1393
05-06-2013, 07:45 AM
Nice work Ray!

Brendan
05-06-2013, 09:17 AM
Nice work - as DB says ...

There is always a work around to solve problems, mistakes and other guitar building gremlins.....

rhay
05-06-2013, 12:11 PM
Quote from Gavin1393 on June 4, 2013, 16:45
Nice work Ray!

Cheers Gav. Shaping headstocks is actually pretty high on my favourite jobs list.

I think this one will come up quite well, once I've finished it.

rhay
07-06-2013, 06:30 AM
If you have a cat and , like mine, he/she/it has access to the workshop; don't forget to feed it before trying to do anything fiddly.

This is Ringo, named after 'that' Ringo - because this one is scared of the drums. He will happily sit on top of the stack at any volume, but bolts as soon as the drums start. Pussy!
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/5t0on-Ringo.JPG

dingobass
07-06-2013, 06:36 AM
Yep, know it all to well.
Our cat, Miss Pi, likes to come into the Man Cave and sit on the Axe I am working on.... I dare anyone to try and move her.... damn cat is likely to go psycho! :)

glenno3228
07-06-2013, 07:03 AM
Now there's a funny coincidence. Don't have a set of drums here but we do have a cat called Ringo. To say he is motivated by food is an understatement and he too is only too willing to get in the road until fed. Strange beast! Our last cat had a real issue with my wife's violin playing, taking particular offence at high notes to the point of biting her in an attempt to stop the noise. Didn't work for the cat or me. 8-)

rhay
07-06-2013, 07:08 AM
I have decided to use some Heritage Tuners on this build, often known as Split Tuners, they are available in sizes to suit an 8mm (5/16") or 10mm (3/8") hole.

The tuner holes on this head are (nominally) 10mm, however the 10mm would not have been a snug fit and I would prefer to use the 5/16 anyway - they are more authentic for a pre-CBS strat.

As you can see from the first picture the collar will only just cover the hole. Rather than risk is slipping and to ensure the tuner stem is secure I have decided to part-fill the hole. This will provide me with some structure to drill the right size hole. It will also provide a mask if the collar does not quite cover the original hole.

The process;
1/. Tape off the back of each hole.
2/. Pack the lower part of each hole with paper. This allows me to lessen the amount of filler required, which shortens the drying time and removes the risk of having a wet-core (which can happen on large fills).
3/. Fill with a basic neutral wood-tone filler. I am a bit old-school and still often use Agnew's, a powdered mix-it-yourself water putty*.

Once this is dry I will sand it off and then go on with the final finish-sanding.

Don't be tempted to put your fill or paint in front of the heater - even if in cold old Vic or Tassy. My workshop is about 10 deg. at the moment and a simple fan is already drying the bog, as the 3rd pic shows. The old maxim used to be "heat the room not the job", in other words; put the project somewhere warm, but don't apply heat directly.



* When I was a "boy" we were actually taught how to make this sort of filler using sanding dust....and make shellac from flake...and set and sharpen handsaws (not just buy a new one).....and how to feed the bosses dinosaur.....and listen to old b*stards rant about how good the good old days were.......they weren't.....
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/kkc3t-tuner-hole-mod-1.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/0f287-tuner-hole-mod-2.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/9nxiq-tuner-hole-mod-3.JPG

rhay
09-06-2013, 12:19 PM
Back on track.

Neck sanded and stained. This "yellow" heritage stain will lighten when I run the pad over it, prior to the first coat of clear. I will actually lighten the face of the headstock even further with a quick hit from harsher pad first.

The fills are pretty rough in the tuner holes, however they are just there to support the collars and will be covered once the machine heads are fitted.

The skim coat of primer always looks terrible, especially when it has just begun to dry. The fill is poking through and also some glue clouds can be seen. The up-side of using solid colour is that by the time I apply the first top coat all this stuff will have just disappeared. Covered by thick layers of primer.

Many people will advise you to use light primer under light colours, however I have never had a problem with bleed-through.

My apologies to all those who can see the grain weeping through, then shake their heads and sigh..... ;)
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/6a7md-stained-neck.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/dm6qv-skim-coat.JPG

rhay
11-06-2013, 01:04 AM
Sanded back the first priming and the skim priming has done it's work, revealing a few pits and dips.

Quick fill with some poly (AKA builders bog) then more sanding and a couple more coats of primer.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/h782f-skim-fill.JPG

rhay
29-06-2013, 12:28 AM
Precious little shed time right now, bugger it, so I doubt this will be ready for the July GOTM.

Meanwhile I have stolen a moment to mount the tuner bezels....one small step.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/44hs5-head_bezels.JPG

rhay
29-06-2013, 03:09 AM
Another quick job done, hotrail in the bridge position.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/iln9g-hotrail.JPG

rhay
30-06-2013, 10:44 AM
First 2 coat of colour.

Missed a couple of stages between the last pic and this one;

- completed priming and sanding, filling obvious pits and riples.
- applied spray filler, 3 x dual coats, wet sanding between coats - finishing with 1200 Wet/Dry (used wet)
- apply first coat of colour (Heritage/Ivory White), light wet sanding using 800 and finishing with 1200 (also wet).

All sanding has been done by hand using a combination of soft and hard blocks for the flat areas and palm or rubber block on angles.

This pic is of a drying coat and you can see "orange-peel" in the flash mark, however the wet sanding will knock that out in a flash. The primer is bleeding through, but it will all but disappear on the next coat.

I expect that this body will take 8 or so coats more before I hit it with the polisher. I have not yet decided if this one will get a coat of clear - the model I am copying did not.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/8x6sz-first-coat.JPG

rhay
08-07-2013, 11:31 AM
Checked in on last nights painting this morning to discover the dodgy lamination problem has re-surfaced.

Sadly it seems as if the separation was longer than I thought and it has taken some moisture - causing a split line.

Should have gone with what I've been taught rather than trying a hot fix, or accepted Adams offer of a swap. Hindsight huh?!

If nothing else this experience supports what I was taught about this sort of problem; I should have cut and re-laminated, made an epoxy splint or binned it.

Adam has offered to replace/refund, which is very generous. However, after getting so close to the final coat, I have pretty much decided to give it the relic treatment and hang it on the wall. To my thinking this is really my fault anyway.

Interestingly up until now I would have thought that the combination of primer and spray putty used on this body would have reduced the likelihood of separation. As has been mentioned in the solid-finish v. wudtone threads, this sort of finish should create a torsion layer which binds and bonds the surface. I'm pretty surprised that more than dozen coats of primer, filler and enamel seems to have made little difference.

Come on SGD-612!!!
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/9umng-new-split.JPG

Brendan
08-07-2013, 11:42 AM
Ray,
Sorry to hear that you've got so close and are thinking of moving it to the Pool room wall... Will the crack be covered by a pickguard? I understand that you are concerned with delamination - not knowing where on the guitar it is, is there an option for a dowel or similar to hold the two sides together where it is delaminating? (my woodwork skills are pretty weak, so it may be a really dumb question)...

dingobass
08-07-2013, 02:17 PM
Bummer!....
I would hazard a guess and say the solvents in the paint have caused the timber to shrink, re opening that b%$#tard lamination again..
Even so, no need to relegate the axe to the pool room, if you relic it you can always make up a back story as to the hard life she has had on the road :)

rhay
08-07-2013, 10:01 PM
[quote]/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from Brendan on July 7, 2013, 20:42

Will the crack be covered by a pickguard? ..... is there an option for a dowel or similar to hold the two sides together where it is delaminating?

Crack's on the back, towards the center of the body, but a cover-up is not really the go. I have already glued and screwed this join shut at the butt end, thinking it was the only place the block had let go - but it turns out that the entire join is suspect. Unfortunately there is not much I can reliably do with the new problem where it is.

If this was a customers guitar (and suitably valuable or important enough to be repaired) I would have separated and relaminated, since it is the only way to be sure that all of the seam is tight. As it stands now any knocks will very probably make the problem worse, possibly causing the timber to split through to the neck - hence the plan to hang it.

Cheers.

rhay
08-07-2013, 10:12 PM
DB,

If it is the solvents I am surprised that it has taken so long to open and (although the pic is a bit rough) it is more of a crack that a swollen join. I have been wet sanding the final coats, so I suspect that it could just be water that has done the damage - either way it sure is a bummer.

Appreciate the War Story suggestion but it will be going on the wall, any actual hard-life-on-the-road incidents will very likely cause the crack to worsen.

Cheers.

Gavin1393
08-07-2013, 11:23 PM
Ray,

What 'filler' did you use to fill the crack? Many fillers tend to 'shrink back' and with the minimal tolerances in getting a mirror finish, this can be a common issue. Fillers such as Timbermate do not shrink back. Hence, I'm wondering what was used?

Gav

Brendan
08-07-2013, 11:23 PM
Bugger. Sorry to hear that - looks like it will be a nice wall hanger though and you can save a few bucks on hardware if you're going to do that... Must admit I liked MaxAxe's hanging idea on his first guitar - putting a small piece of angle with a hole in it that could hang off something on the wall.

Dumb idea - racing (skunk?) stripe like in some acoustics along the centre of the back - could do it in something black (?binding maybe?) that could hide any repairs from the back and save having to respray the whole thing???
Grasping at straws, but I can imagine how heartbreaking it would be to get this far and have a wall hanger on your hands...

rhay
08-07-2013, 11:39 PM
Gav, no filler - that's the problem. This is a new split, further along from the original repair.

Brendan, maybe or possibly a full-on Frankenstein

glenno3228
10-07-2013, 03:57 AM
Bummer indeed. There is a lot to be said for the GT stripe option.

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/s29co-image.jpg

Brendan
10-07-2013, 09:58 AM
Or - https://coreldraw.com/resized-image.ashx/__size/675x550/__key/CommunityServer.Components.PostAttachments/00.00.11.68.05/Herbie.jpg

Off centre stripes if it's slightly off centre... ;)

glenno3228
12-07-2013, 08:48 AM
If going the herbie option, maybe the vinyl sunroof could cover any further damage too! ;)

Btw, Ray, I believe you spoke to my headstock designer this afternoon, aka Jane. It is a small world and I did mention your cafe is on the approved coffee list. That's why.

rhay
15-07-2013, 12:44 PM
I "appreciate" all the suggestions guys......really....

Meanwhile I am going with the relic treatment and have begun scuffing the paint. I am pretty sure I will go for light wear, rather than the dragged-backwards-through-hell look. I polished the last coat of enamel and then hit a few spots with a scrubber pad, mainly the classic sleeve-rub on the face, around the horns, in the cutaway beneath the neck and some belt scratches. I'm not going to do any bruising, hard scrathces or acid-etch any of the bright work.

Still haven't decided if I will clear the body or not - but probably won't, as it will provide the most authentic vintage finish.

I have also put on the headstock decals.

P.S. Glenno, yeah it was a bit of a CIA experience initially; "..are you the Ray that makes PitBull guitars?" ;) . Sorry I missed you the other day, hopefully we can catch up soon.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/90df5-relic-body.JPG
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1d2uh-decals.JPG

maxaxe
16-07-2013, 01:27 AM
Looking very nice now.
The headstock decals are great.
I am not a fan of "ageing" (being a Senior doesn't help)
However, your approach is producing pretty convincing results.
Interested to see the final outcome . . .

rhay
16-07-2013, 04:26 AM
/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from maxaxe on July 15, 2013, 10:27

I am not a fan of "ageing" (being a Senior doesn't help)
However, your approach is producing pretty convincing results.
Interested to see the final outcome . . .


I hear you Max, I'm not yet a senior but it's coming.

Luckily with this instrument I was intending on making an authentic 60's finish and hardware, so it should accept the relic treatment fairly easily.

Although bodies of this era generally had black primer not grey, which I would have used if I'd known where we'd end up.

16-07-2013, 10:24 AM
HI! Thought I may have started to start to assemble my kit, but, just as I was finishing the back I noticed a run. Trying to do the finish in pour light (without my glasses certainly didn't work out. Hope fully I may be able to put the pickups' in as it is only the back I need to redo. Brendon mentioned that inside the "f" hole would need sanding, although I had looked in, thought "gosh thats rough" I didn't worry too much about it,,,,BUT with the 1.5mm deep ridges it sure looks crook if any one looked in, sanding will need to be done. Would like to put a pic or two up but, not knowing about computers too much I don't seem to be able. I any one would like to have a look there is some in my first post in "welcome" under my kit.

Ricmo

16-07-2013, 10:40 AM
Looks as if I cant even do a correct post, sorry guys, might figure it out one day.

Cheers

rhay
17-07-2013, 04:19 AM
/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from Ricmo on July 15, 2013, 19:40
Looks as if I cant even do a correct post, sorry guys, might figure it out one day.

Cheers

Don't sweat is RicMo - I found the Forum a bit challenging initially, and (if i remember it right) put my first post in the wrong spot too.

rhay
17-07-2013, 10:19 AM
A few shots of setting the bridge and a side shot of the shielding.

Decided to run a long earthing wire from the springhook to the socket, rather than fiddle about with the shortish lead on the harness that was for this job.

The fourth pic is making the routing template for the neck - I never test fitted the neck on delivery and it turns out the fit was not great. Too narrow top and bottom and the end shaping was pretty far from matched.

Routing a finished body is a bit scary, but I'm not too worried - my top-bearing bit is still new and I've done this a few times before when fitting new necks to old bodies.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/n769f-setting-bridge.JPG

rhay
17-07-2013, 10:53 AM
Build complete, just need to do some final set-up. But after a very quick intonation adjustment I have plugged her in and pretty happy with the result so-far.

No in-between pics....I kind of just got into a groove and neglected the camera, sorry.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/9jh38-done.jpg

pablopepper
17-07-2013, 08:46 PM
A great looking strat Ray. Nice subtle relic, and that hotrail in the bridge position is an excellent choice.

Fretworn
18-07-2013, 01:46 AM
Nice job.

glenno3228
18-07-2013, 09:06 AM
And that's going straight to the pool room? Surely not. Good save.

rhay
18-07-2013, 10:07 AM
Yep, poolroom.....can't take this puppy on the road, one good knock and it's splitsville. Followed by angry little tears and loud naughty words from the guy who spent a month painting it.

I've got another ST-1 on order and plenty of Ivory enamel left, so fear not!

adam
18-07-2013, 10:15 AM
You get my vote for using both Pit Bull Guitars logos on the headstock.

I really like this guitar Ray, it reminds me of my very first Strat copy, which was branded "Axiom" and was the guitar I played in my very first band. I loved that white Strat copy.

rhay
18-07-2013, 10:35 AM
Cheers Adam.

The "PitBull" sits in the nose of the headstock quite well, and I really like that logo.

rhay
19-07-2013, 12:16 PM
Here's a sample recording of this machine.

Each pass starts at the neck p-up and steps back through all five positions, finishing at the bridge. It round it off with a quick bit of blah on the hotrail at the bridge.

The 9(plus)dB of gain you can hear on the bridge p-up shows why they are called a hotrail.

As you will probably notice the intonation is still not bang-on, but close enough for the moment. Low priority at this stage.

https://soundcloud.com/rhay-3/62-strat-first-audio


Capture:

Direct into laptop via a QuadraVerb GT, plus a Danelectro RED distortion pedal. No processing bar reverb.