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Rohan
13-07-2013, 03:36 AM
My new baby!

So excited!
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/0qx8j-first.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1p066-second.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/sl68c-third.jpg

wokkaboy
13-07-2013, 03:50 AM
cool good stuff Rohan, is this your 1st build ?

the mock build looks good and the grain on the basswood body looks good. You will get good browny points from Adam and DB for nicely displaying the Pit Bull logo's !

DanMade
13-07-2013, 03:53 AM
Sweet. Some nice grain on that body. What's the plan for its Finish.

I'm hoping my ST-1 arrives this afternoon. Probably wont get it until Monday though. I hope my body is as clean as yours looks.

Brendan
13-07-2013, 03:58 AM
Know that feeling!

wokkaboy
13-07-2013, 04:03 AM
don't you hate it guys hoping your box will arrive Friday so you can work on it over the weekend !
what are you expecting Brendan ?
Dan, the grain on Rohans ST-1 are pretty standard, the basswood strats are generally made of 3 or 4 pieces of basswood. I've built at least 5 of these kits, so whatever wudtone colour you select should look great

Rohan
13-07-2013, 04:04 AM
Yes, this is my first build so I am excited but also just a bit nervous!

I am not going to make the mistake of rushing into it. I haven't rushed out and ordered anything yet because I want to make sure I go about everything the right way and really plan it out.

As for the finish, pretty sure that Wudtone is really the only way ;) Although I suspect it may be a difficult job deciding on a colour having never done it before so I will take another look through the archives and see what others have done. Are some colours easier to apply than others? (ie. ones that might be more forgiving of mistakes?)

wokkaboy
13-07-2013, 04:08 AM
Hi Rohan,
the ST-1 kit is one of the easiest to build in terms of 3 solder joins and the pickups are pre-soldered and attached to the scratchplate. Probably the hardest step is drilling the neck holes, take your time to get the outside string offsets equal. Steer away from Black Magic Woman wudtone until you have build a few kits. Most other colours I've used (at least half the wudtone range) have been straight forward so choose a colour you like, but if you like red I suggest carmine gypsy or cherry flamenco. Have a look at Robin's ST-1 in carmine was his first build, shows you what you can achieve if you take your time. Heaps of other good colours browns, ambers, yellow and lighter colours.

Brendan
13-07-2013, 04:16 AM
Rohan - totally stoked with DB's special blend for my bass - it's a dark(ish) red and forms a beautiful coat on the outside. It's a tough shell and while it's all waxes and oils, it cracked when I dropped the thing (check out full story in Brendan's PB-4) from 90+ cm onto a dirty concrete floor. Found the special blend pretty easy to apply, but would keep the following in mind:

First - sand, sand, sand, sand. Can't state it enough - the more it's sanded the better (clearer) the outcome. You'll find the bits you didn't sand enough when you apply the first coat, so be extra careful to get it just right. Be careful in the cutaways, as there can be tool marks in there that are a bit stubborn.

Second - on the first coat, I think it would be advantageous to work the colour from somewhere that will be covered by pickguard and then go into the parts that won't be - the first part you hit will tend to soak up the colour really quick and to keep everything even, you need to move it around a little. Once you've started there, when you reload your cloth, work from areas that already have some stain to those without - it'll help to reduce tidemarks, where things have dried (or been soaked up) more quickly in some areas...

In terms of colour - there are lots of amazing colours - are you looking for something natural (heard nice things about mahogany) or a bit more striking (amaranthine is doing the rounds and looks freakishly amazing (check some of Eliot (Bass Guy's) recent builds or Wokka's double neck SG). DB has also done a waxed ST-1 that I've seen in the flesh and it too looks beautiful with just the natural grain visible (no colour). Things I've heard to avoid as a newbie - sunbursts (bit more fiddly unless you're ready for it), or Black Magic Woman (BMW) - BMW is apparently one of the more fiddly colours to apply.

DanMade
13-07-2013, 12:48 PM
/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from wokkaboy on July 12, 2013, 13:03
don't you hate it guys hoping your box will arrive Friday so you can work on it over the weekend !
what are you expecting Brendan ?
Dan, the grain on Rohans ST-1 are pretty standard, the basswood strats are generally made of 3 or 4 pieces of basswood. I've built at least 5 of these kits, so whatever wudtone colour you select should look great

Well I didn't revive my kit this arvo so I will have to patiently wait until early next week. That's ok though, I just got home from a jam session and brought home my mates Squire strat to fix up for him so that will keep me busy. I had to ask him if he wanted me to leave the cobwebs intact. lol.

As for the finish on mine I'm going with a Dark Amber body with vintage amber neck and swapping the pick guard and back plate for a black set. That's the only mods I have planned. I'll wait to see how the rest of the hardware fairs before I decide to upgrade any of that. And I will probably make some simple wiring mods once I see how it is setup.

Sorry about hijacking your thread Rohan. I don't think you need to be nervous about anything it sounds like your planning the build with enough thought that it should all go smoothly enough.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/t3hk1-image.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1ow43-image.jpg

Rohan
17-07-2013, 02:21 AM
Hi Guys,

Thanks for your comments.

I was thinking of using Carmine Gypsy for the body and I wanted to use a "more natural" coloured neck. However, it looks like a Basswood neck is not suitable for use with the neck kits.

Is there any way to get around this or should I just pick a lighter colour for the body and go for the Maple/Mahogany neck next time around? :)

Rohan.

WeirdBits
17-07-2013, 04:43 AM
Quote from Rohan on July 16, 2013, 11:21
[...] it looks like a Basswood neck is not suitable for use with the neck kits. [...]

Product Description
Pit Bull Guitars ST-1 Kit Includes:
Basswood body
Maple Neck and Rosewood Fingerboard


Your ST-1 neck should be Maple, unless it's a special order, so any of the Wudtone neck kits should work fine with it. It's only really when you're wanting to use body colours on Maple necks that you have to be careful.

Rohan
17-07-2013, 04:49 AM
Thanks Scott.

I should not rely on my memory - it got confused between the fact there is a Maple and non-Maple (Rosewood) fingerboard not neck!

Time to order I think!

Rohan
19-07-2013, 03:38 AM
Have been planning out the build and ordered some stuff.

As usual, I get excited and jump into things too quickly. I soon realised that I didn't have a workbench that I could perform all this work on. And also did not have anything to grip or hold the guitar while working on it.

So I got myself one of these. I can clamp a sheet of board on it and it can become my work bench. And I can also use it to hold the guitar as required.

Getting closer to starting!
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2svla-jaws.jpg

keloooe
19-07-2013, 03:46 AM
Hey Rohan, where'd ya get that and for what cost? I'm looking at getting a portable workbench myself!

Rohan
19-07-2013, 03:58 AM
I actually got it from Ebay... http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-WORX-PROFESSIONAL-JAW-HORSE-/221227088539

It was actually quite hard to get in Australia and that page says they won't have any stock for a while.

That model is actually the same as the US Rockwell RK9000 Jawhorse - but rebranded as WORX PROFESSIONAL here.

Rockwell have a Jawhorse in Australia but it is a smaller model. http://www.rockwelltools.com.au/benchtop_jawhorse.html - which they apparently sell through Mitre 10.

Apparently there is a Titan Superjaws which is people claim is good as well.

Hope that helps a bit... it took me a while to find what I was looking for!

Rohan
24-07-2013, 05:08 AM
Thanks PBG!

Time to get sanding! :D
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/9bybu-wudtone.jpg

Rohan
24-07-2013, 10:40 AM
Hey guys,

Was doing a mock up of my kit this afternoon and I think a couple of wires have become disconnected from their solder. The wiring diagram for the ST-1 only shows the new connections that need to be made rather than the whole circuit.

Could someone point me in the direction of a full diagram? I am not entirely sure what I should be looking for on the internet.

Cheers,
Rohan.

WeirdBits
24-07-2013, 11:00 AM
Seymour Duncan: Strat 3 singles, 1 Volume, 2 Tones, 5-way switch (http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=3s_1v_2t_5w)
GuitarElectronics.com: Strat 3 singles, 1 Volume, 2 Tones, 5-way switch (http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WDUSSS5L1201/Strat-Style-Guitar-Wiring-Diagram.html)

Rohan
24-07-2013, 12:07 PM
/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from WeirdBits on July 23, 2013, 20:00
Seymour Duncan: Strat 3 singles, 1 Volume, 2 Tones, 5-way switch (http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=3s_1v_2t_5w)
GuitarElectronics.com: Strat 3 singles, 1 Volume, 2 Tones, 5-way switch (http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WDUSSS5L1201/Strat-Style-Guitar-Wiring-Diagram.html)



Legend. Will check it out tomorrow.

Rohan
27-07-2013, 05:23 AM
So the last few days have seen quite a number of hours dedicated to sanding.

The main thing I found with the damp rag technique was that there were a lot of deep scratches at the top of the body where the curves are carved out and along the bottom of the body.

I spent quite a considerable amount of time working with the 180 Grit for those areas but the scratches were being very stubborn. I ended up finding in my cupboard some 100 Grit and this worked much better and I was able to get those deep scratches out.

Today I went over the body one last time with the 240 Grit and it's looking good. If I wipe it down with the damp rag I can no longer see any scratches.... Does this mean I am in a good place? Does the damp rag technique show all the scratches? Or should I keep going over it just to make sure there is nothing hidden?

Anyway, it seems good to me. Tomorrow should mean that I can get the first deep colour coat on. Scary!

dingobass
27-07-2013, 08:07 AM
Sounds like you have nailed it Rohan.
Let the fun bit begin!

Rohan
31-07-2013, 02:01 AM
Hi guys,

Didn't get the chance to start the Wudtone over the weekend which was annoying.

However, I pulled out the body today to do it the visual once over and found a tiny split had opened along where the pieces of basswood are glued together up around the neck.

Is this going to open up any further? Or do I just get some Timbermate on there asap?

Cheers,
Rohan.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/61g50-split.jpg

Gavin1393
31-07-2013, 03:18 PM
First thing i'd try is some titebond glue into the crack, then get some tape (i use the brown StewMac tape) attach three or four pieces to the side of the guitar and then give the tape a really good stretch up and across the crack and attach to the opposite side. The tape should be almost at snapping point when you stretch it. Add more strips of tape repeating this process until the gap closes....this should work. If not then you can always revert to Timbermate.

Rohan
31-07-2013, 10:32 PM
Thanks Gavin.

I will have to try that next time though as I had already gone ahead and used the Timbermate. Crossing my fingers that the crack will not open up again!

Rohan
02-08-2013, 05:51 AM
Time to update the diary.

After letting the Timbermate dry 2 nights ago, I did a bit of sanding and put on the deep colour coat. Took me about 1.5 hours all up. The Carmine Gypsy is a lovely deep red colour so you wouldn't want to be queasy around blood to use it! I felt like I was coming out of surgery with the blue gloves on and fingers dripping with red!

Yesterday, I took out the headstock and drew a basic shape on it from the template found in the other thread. Then I got the old jigsaw out and cut out the basic shape (first time using a jigsaw lol).

Today I was able to do a bit of sanding on the headstock - not fully complete yet but I think it's coming along well. Later tonight will be putting on the first base coat on the body!

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/h44qj-headstock.jpg

wokkaboy
02-08-2013, 05:54 AM
headstock shape looks good Rohan, have you applied 2 deep coats of carmine ? well worth it. Don't rush into base coats just yet, the old saying take your time pays dividends to the final finish of the axe

Gavin1393
02-08-2013, 06:31 AM
That's a really good job on the headstock!

Rohan
02-08-2013, 06:58 AM
Thanks guys!

I had read that some people do more than one deep coat but to be honest I got so much in on the first pass (I went over it twice as per the instruction sheet) I don't really have that much left in the bottle. Pretty sure if I tried to go over it again I wouldn't get the whole lot done. Should I be worried?
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/7ts41-deepcolour.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/0337y-deepcoat.jpg

wokkaboy
02-08-2013, 07:15 AM
Rohan,
looks good, the first coat of deep coat onto a bare body generally takes about half the bottle so you applied it generously. You will be surprised there's enough deep coat for a light 2nd coat, put the scratchplate on and visualise what is covered up, and concentrate on the front of the guitar what isn't covered, then a light coat to sides and back. The base coats after won't give you the same depth of deep red, so might as well use up the rest of the deep colour. If you are going to run out I generally leave the back last as its not so critical and not usually visible to the player.

Rohan
02-08-2013, 07:19 AM
Thanks wokkaboy.... I think I will give that a shot then ;)

wokkaboy
02-08-2013, 07:25 AM
no worries Rohan, there's not enough deep colour for another build so you might as well use it up on the body, or another suggestion put a deep coat on the headstock if you are colouring front of the headstock looks good.
I need to read the instructions again I don't remember it saying go over twice with deep colour. If you apply the deep coat sparingly you can coat headstock and most of the body. Another tip use a small piece of cloth to apply it so less soaks into the cloth. Good luck and look forward to pics after next coat.

Rohan
02-08-2013, 07:33 AM
In the official Wudtone instructions in the "Carmine Gyspy" section it says:

"Applying the first deep colour coat is the opportunity to get the most colour into the wood whilst it is the most porous. It is good to go over the guitar a couple of times when applying the 1st deep colour coat until you can feel the wood won't absorb any more".... etc etc.

It then talks about moving on to do 3 - 5 base coats.

I guess that's why I wanted to double check about moving on to the base coats.

Cheers,
Rohan.

Bass Guy
02-08-2013, 08:28 AM
Looking gorgeous, Rohan. Enough to make Mark Knopfler and Hank Marvin drool.

How did the Timbermate take the Wudtone?

Gavin1393
02-08-2013, 08:44 AM
That looks a treat! No more deep coats needed!

Rohan
02-08-2013, 11:45 PM
.....aaaaaaaand don't you just hate it when you are doing your first guitar and you don't deep colour the little panel of wood just below the neck slot because for some reason you decide it's going to get covered up by the neck!

Another day of waiting! yay!


http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/5ai86-deepcoatmistake.jpg

wokkaboy
03-08-2013, 12:16 AM
easily done Rohan, I sometimes cut a small slot out of the hanging piece of wood so you can get your fingers/rag right over the surface.
Are you going to carmine the headstock ? As Gav says the colour of the body is probably deep enough, personal preference if you go 1 more light deep coat, it may not need it.
Make sure the edge of the neck pocket you go as heavy with deep coat as you did with rest of the body

Rohan
04-08-2013, 08:08 AM
Na, I went with the Vintage Amber on the headstock. I did a Google image search on red strats and it seemed that most had the "natural" colour on the headstock so I just went with it for my first build.

Today I did the first base coat on the body and the first neck coat. I wasn't as brave as DB and I ended up masking the fretboard to make sure there were no accidental brush strokes.

One thing I have started to notice was a few areas that could have done with more "even" sanding. I guess that is part of the process, understanding how much time you need to sand and what are the problem areas. I knew my first one wouldn't be perfect, but isn't it great that perfection is something we can always strive for!

Rohan
08-08-2013, 06:57 AM
Dear Diary...

Today I finished the 3rd base coat on both the body and the neck. Feeling pretty good about the process now. Still looking to do another 2 base coats on the body.

Also, the last couple of days saw a couple of tools arrive which can be seen below... being patient but I can't wait to get to the part that needs them ;)
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/j1298-3rdbase.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/h96bs-3rdOnBody.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/h7cqh-newtools.jpg

DanMade
08-08-2013, 07:03 AM
Drool!!

That Katana looks sexy. Even if you didn't know what it was used for.

wokkaboy
08-08-2013, 07:18 AM
colours are looking sweet Rohan, well done, and the katana is a great device !

MetalMatt
08-08-2013, 07:40 AM
Looking awesome so far Rohan, great work!

Tim
08-08-2013, 10:12 AM
looking great Rohan, look forward to the final result

gavinturner
08-08-2013, 12:46 PM
The colour looks awesome Rohan - great work! Are those nut files? Very jealous. :)

Cheers,
Gavin.

Rohan
21-08-2013, 12:51 AM
Hey guys,

I have done three top coats on the neck now. Should that be sufficient? The videos suggest two to three top coats. Would there be any reason I should need to apply more on the neck? Anything visual I should look out for?

Also, have completed three top coats on the body as well a couple of days ago and will be applying a fourth coat this afternoon. How much of a difference does doing the additional coverage shown in the "Achieving a high gloss with Wudtone" thread actually have?

Thanks,
Rohan.

Rohan
27-08-2013, 06:49 AM
Wow, I feel like I flirted with disaster today.

I made some pretty rookie mistakes that hopefully others may avoid if they read this.

It was time to put the hardware on the headstock so I watched the video a few times, did my measuring and re-measuring an so on.

Then I selected the drill piece. I am not particularly experienced (ie. basically none) but as it turns out I selected a drill piece waaaaaay too small for the pilot hole.

On the first attempt, I practically stripped the screw head but I managed to get it out.

Then I drilled the pilot hole bigger with the next size up drill piece.

On this attempt (I used another screw) I actually snapped the head of the screw off. Luckily I was able to use pliers to get that one out.

So I was feeling pretty miserable at this point. However, I was lucky enough to receive another kit just this morning so I borrowed the screws from in there and was able to finish the job... after drilling the pilot hole even larger!

Just for the record, the screws are 2.5mm and the pilot holes need to be 2.0mm. Any less and you will probably end up just like me.

Tomorrow, my body will have cured for a week. Time to get that going as well ;)

Cheers,
Rohan.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/b07yh-headstock_hw1.jpg

gavinturner
27-08-2013, 08:11 AM
Hey Rohan - the save is the important thing , so well done! The headstock decal looks awesome.

Cheers,
Gavin.

Brendan
27-08-2013, 10:52 AM
Looking great Rohan...

Gavin1393
27-08-2013, 12:50 PM
Until DB recommended this kit from StewMac I spent many hours cursing my misfortune of having to try and retrieve screws where the head had snapped off.

Cannot recommend this kit highly enough. It has the screw starters inside of it as well as many brilliant tools for setting the saddles, etc. etc.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/80c2p-image.jpg

pablopepper
28-08-2013, 02:24 AM
Sometimes you just come across a dodgy screw. One of the screws that came in my bass kit had no phillips slot cut into it. Breaking heads off is pretty common.

Rohan
28-08-2013, 03:36 AM
I wish I could blame it all on a dodgy screw but I was certainly trying to turn it pretty hard...

Was having some fun today shielding up the cavity of my top coat cured body... until I ran out of shielding tape which made me a sad panda.

Gavin, I think that awesome toolkit will have to go into next decade's budget given all the stuff I have been buying lately! ;)

Rohan
04-09-2013, 02:45 AM
Alright everyone, I have to admit I have been in an ounce of trouble and need some second opinions. Hopefully you can help!

Having cured the Wudtone, I bolted the neck in place and strung the guitar up. The first thing I did was look at setting a good neck relief by adjusting the truss rod. I used the technique where you a capo on the first fret, hold down the fret where the neck meets the body, and adjust the truss rod until there is a tiny gap (0.254mm) between the fret and the string. This seemed to straighten the neck out okay.

What I quickly found was that even with the saddles of the bridge raised to the absolute top for all positions the strings were way too low on the fretboard on the higher frets.

I became concerned that the neck was was not seated properly but I cleaned it all out and filed anything that looked suspicious but it all looked like it was seated as expected - nothing changed about the angle.

Days of research later, I tried putting a piece of business card as a shim at the headstock end of the neck slot. This wasn't enough to change the angle enough. After a while I ended up having three layers of business card as a shim. This achieved a couple of things to my eye - the strings seem to hold a better distance consistently off the fretboard all the way along and I was able to reduce the saddle heights down to about half way.

I have attached a picture below of a side view. The angle of the neck seems to be relatively extreme but I am not an expert in what the angle should be. I would love a second opinion. I am concerned that this is too much.

The strings are still a little bit high off the fretboard but once I am happy with the neck the next stage will be fret leveling with the Katana and then filing the nut/reducing the saddles down to where they need to be.

I keep thinking of the PGB videos where you guys say you rarely have problems with the necks. Has anyone experienced this amount of required correction before? Am I doing something completely wrong?

Cheers,
Rohan.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/3i216-neck_angle.jpg

WeirdBits
04-09-2013, 05:10 AM
That neck angle looks a bit funky, which suggests the problem lies elsewhere. Neck angle, neck relief, nut height and saddle height are all interrelated in set up, so you don't want an 'extreme' setting for any one element. Gav and DB will be your best source of info in this situation.

In the mean time, can you post some pics of the nut end of the neck and of the bridge, and maybe get some string height measurements (low and high E, top of fret to underside of string) at the 1st and 12th frets. Is the neck now straight or does it have some relief (use your Katana and its pyramids to check). Most importantly, how does it feel to play? Is there any fret buzz in a specific area, is the action too high or too low at different points on the neck?

It may be interesting to plug your guitar's measurements into this Neck Angle Calculator (http://www.tundraman.com/Guitars/NeckAngle/) and see what it suggests (probably an angle close to 0).

Rohan
04-09-2013, 05:57 AM
Yes, worryingly funky.

I took a few shots here. I totally realise that the strings are sitting a bit high but I want to only tweak those after levelling the frets.. which I want to do after getting the neck angle correct.

The Katana shot shows the small amount of relief currently set up.

It is possible taking a bit of the shim out might be required but I await some more thoughts first.

Cheers,
Rohan.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/60rgq-relief.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/hy90p-strings_12th.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/dk703-strings_1st.jpg

Rohan
04-09-2013, 05:58 AM
Current bridge as well...
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/cp70e-bridge_heights.jpg

WeirdBits
04-09-2013, 07:19 AM
To my eye... neck relief looks ok, saddles look a little low, 12th fret action is about 50% more than ideal, and 1st action is around double what it should be. Ideally, you'll want to get your string height/action close to what you want before you level your frets (that includes staggering the saddle heights to match the fretboard radius). Personally, I'd be trying again to get a more 'normal' action/string height with zero, or at most, one shim before using such an extreme neck angle. Remember that the saddles should follow the radius of the fretboard. StewMac's suggested heights when using their string action gauge are:

1st fret - Low E 0.6mm, High E 0.25mm
12th fret - Low E 2mm, High E 1.6m
Relief at 8th fret 0.025mm

With the extreme neck angle it's hard to tell from the photos if the nut is too high or if it is just the angle causing the high 1st fret action. I would take some shims out and try again, but you may want to wait for Gav or DB to provide an expert opinion.

Rohan
04-09-2013, 07:34 AM
Thanks for your comments Scott.

It goes back to the original problem I had where I had

a) a different nut that was much closer to ideal (ie. lower)
b) all the saddles were height maxed out
c) no shim
d) same neck relief as now

I couldn't even get the saddles to look even close to the radius because there were all height maxed.

And at that point all the strings (especially the middle ones) were almost sitting on the end of the fretboard at the body end in normal position. Had fret buzz issues half way up the board.

This is why I put in shims because I had no adjustment left anywhere else - at least in my experience anyway.

WeirdBits
05-09-2013, 05:16 AM
Rohan, have you made any progress? I don't recall anyone else having this type of issue with their ST kit, so we need to work out if it is an issue with the kit or the set up.

I just took some measurements on one of my ST-1 kits (untouched, no sanding/finishing) so you can compare (they'll be some variation between kits, but they should be close):
Neck pocket depth = 17.7mm (consistent across the pocket to the top of the body)
Neck in place, top of body to bottom of fretboard = 3mm (consistent around neck in body)
Top of body to peak of fretboard at end of neck = 9mm
Max fretboard thickness at each end = ~6mm (measured at top of radius)

If you can, check the depth of your neck pocket and your fretboard thickness... just to make sure the neck isn't sitting too high or that the fretboard is straight but angled to the neck itself. Have you tried the neck angle calculator I mentioned in my post above? It will allow you to check the specifc numbers for your kit and should show if something is fundamentally wrong.

If everything checks out, then I'd probably back off the truss rod a touch to add a little more relief then go back to one shim (at most) and see how close you can get the set up... if you still can't get it close then take some more pics so that we can get a better look at its geometry in a more 'normal' configuration. Just my thoughts.

Gav, DB suggestions?

Rohan
05-09-2013, 05:33 AM
Hey Scott,

Actually I spent a bit of time on this today and I think I am in a bit of a better place.

I had this theory that perhaps I hadn't drilled deep enough into the neck so I took the neck off and made sure the holes were drilled deep enough. I also noticed that some of the neck screw drilling had roughed up the edges of the holes on the neck in between the neck and the pocket so I filed them back.

I also read somewhere that the shims should only be 12-20mm in length so I trimmed them back to 20mm as well.

After a couple of neck re-attachments where I tried 3, 2 and no shim at all, I ended up with 1 shim and it seems pretty good now. The bridge saddle heights are now a lot higher but are not hitting the max height. Hooray!

At this point I would say it was a combination of maybe all three of those issues that caused the bad angle - at least it is way better now.

Having set the saddle heights I was able to get to the point where I have started filing the nut down to correct heights and it is looking good so far. Crossing my fingers that leveling the frets shortly will go well too! Otherwise I will be pulling my guitar apart again and comparing numbers to yours!

Thanks so much for your comments and assistance, Scott. I knew building a guitar would be a challenging project but it would be impossible without people like you around!

The only thing that scares me now is that I have an SG with a set neck waiting for me next. And I won't be able to take the neck off to adjust then!

Cheers,
Rohan.

wokkaboy
05-09-2013, 06:30 AM
well done Rohan, glad you tweaked the neck/bridge. A good tip DB gave me was drill the neck holes in the body slightly larger so the neck is pulling against the neck plate and not the body. A few burs in the holes could raise the neck 1-2mm which is critical.
With the SG set neck you have to do a dummy setup with low and high E, clamp the neck to the body and do similar checks string height, neck angle etc before you glue it, you must get this right BEFORE you glue it. The ST-1 kit setup should be good experience for you to tackle this - good luck !
Most the 5 or 6 ST kits I've built have needed a bit of tweaking but once setup correctly they play well