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View Full Version : PBG body blank, Tele build. UPDATE, New neck.



DanMade
20-02-2014, 06:55 AM
I know this isn't exactly a full PBG kit build, but the Fijian Mahogany body blank is a PBG special from DB. It's a one piece slab.

I've started this diary a little late, but hey. What's it matter.

At this stage the body is fully finished and ready for hardware. The neck has truss rod and fretboard fitted and is ready to cut the fret slots, radius the fingerboard and start carving the neck profile.

The neck is Meranti. Again not a commonly used timber for necks, but I like trying different things. Seems like it will turn out nicely. And the fretboard is Wandoo.

For the finish on the body I've sealed it with shellac then about a dozen or so coats of Danish oil. After it's been curing for the last two weeks, I gave it a buff by hand and this is what I have.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/o6ge2-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/dn7xn-image.jpg

DanMade
20-02-2014, 07:10 AM
Here is the neck in its current form.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/3kbaf-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/aca89-image.jpg

wokkaboy
20-02-2014, 07:11 AM
WOW Dan that looks stunning, so did you or DB shape the body ?
can't wait to see how the neck looks. That danish oil makes it look edible, keep up the good work !

DanMade
20-02-2014, 07:22 AM
Cheers Woks, I'm very happy with the finish.

And the bodywork I did myself. Not quite as easy as some with their fancy CNC routers ;) but a Tele is simple enough.. Here is the slab.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/05ehs-image.jpg

wokkaboy
20-02-2014, 07:28 AM
neck looks good Dan, is that one piece of wood or have you fit the truss rod and glued a piece of meranti ontop ?

adam
20-02-2014, 07:29 AM
Dan, don't take this the wrong way mate, but you have a beautiful body there. Just to be clear, you haven't used any colour in the oil or shellac, that's just the colour of wood coming through? Mind if I share this on Facebook?

DanMade
20-02-2014, 07:34 AM
Yep, no colour what so ever. Just oiled mahogany. Go ahead and share it.

The neck is two piece. I fit the truss rod in the meranti and then glued the wandoo eucalyptus fretboard on top.

Gavin1393
20-02-2014, 07:41 AM
Wooooooooowwwwwww..... that looks sensational.

Perhaps a little hasty to have posted that on the forum Dan, especially now that it has been observed....just saying..... ;) ;) ;)

wokkaboy
20-02-2014, 07:44 AM
wow that body blank looks sensational, surprised DB parted with it ! haha

WeirdBits
20-02-2014, 07:52 AM
I've never wanted a Mahogany Tele... until now. That looks sensational Dan, just amazing.

Go on Adam, make him an offer on it, you know you want to.

adam
20-02-2014, 08:05 AM
I don't think I'll be able to pry this out of Dan's hands for any price, Weirdy.

Dan, thanks, I'll post this one on Facebook.

DanMade
20-02-2014, 08:11 AM
Yes, this one is deffinatly a keeper.

Although if someone came to me with a planer thicknesser I would be very tempted.

I'm a little overwhelmed by everyone's replies. And to think I was nearly going to do a cherry burst.

lawry
20-02-2014, 10:14 AM
Lust. Lust. Lust.
Yep. Lust!

stan
20-02-2014, 10:33 AM
just great Dan

Brendan
20-02-2014, 12:31 PM
No - be proud of it Dan - we know what we like and we like what we see!

gavinturner
20-02-2014, 03:41 PM
Awesome Dan. That body is just beautiful!

cheers,
Gav.

jarrod
21-02-2014, 02:17 AM
sensational Dan just sensational

crundes
21-02-2014, 04:42 AM
Looks sensational Dan! Nice work.

DanMade
21-02-2014, 09:24 AM
Well I take it from everyone's comments, this body is sensationally beautiful, yep.
Thanks. I just hope the neck, fit and finish, and most of all the sound are up to par with the body.

As for sound there is a set of ToneRider hot classic's going in.

The neck is moving along, markers, fret slots and tuner holes done.
Can anyone suggest something i could use for side dot markers?

The circle I have drawn out here is going to be used to make a 12in radius sanding block. I will rout out the circle then cut the sections from outside each quadrant.
Then I will glue the sections together to make a block.

More info and pics tomorrow when it's done.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/e0m17-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/0i6hi-image.jpg

WeirdBits
21-02-2014, 10:14 AM
Dan, is it my failing sense of scale or is that circle 12" diameter rather than 12" radius?

Do you have a colour in mind for your side dots? You could use brass or aluminium rod, silver, plastic or dyed wood tooth picks (or even thin knitting needles for fatter dots), or if you have some clear epoxy you could mix some powdered stain/dye to do custom colours... just overfill the holes as the epoxy will contract slightly as it hardens.

lawry
21-02-2014, 10:20 AM
Im feeling the same as Scott. Judging by the length of the neck lying close to the circle it does seem like a 12" diameter.
Clever way to make a block though.

DanMade
21-02-2014, 10:26 AM
I think you just saved my skin there Scott. You are correct. I guess I'll have to flip the sheet and redraw it to a 12" radius. Darn it .

I thought something looked off when I started. I checked it three times too. I marked out one a few month's back that was correct. But it didn't occur to me that this time I was working off the diameter.

Thanks for your keen eye Scott. I nearly ended up with a 6" radius fretboard. A little more and I could of nearly strung it up as a viola. Lol.

Good suggestions for the side dots too. I was thinking something along the lines of the epoxy. But I couldn't find much else about today. Though clearly my brain wasn't working today.

adam
21-02-2014, 10:41 AM
Nice save Forum folk. This is a great Build Diary, Dan.

maxaxe
21-02-2014, 10:45 AM
My brain musta been in snooze mode too . . . only just spotted this build.
What a beautiful slab of timber and what a superb finish you've put on it.
Tele's like this one just look so elegant.
Let's hope your head & neck do justice to your body (so to speak)
Yeah 12" radius = 24" diameter, just ask Pythagoras :P

DanMade
22-02-2014, 05:22 AM
Ok, after some revisions of the mark out. I have cut the circle out with the router and then I cut the quadrant sections out on the bandsaw..
The cuts on the bandsaw were not completely even so I clamped all the sections together and hit them with a sander to flush and true the edges.

I cut two bits of ply for the face and back. 6mm for the back and 3mm for the face so it can conform to the radius. I space and glue the radiused sections along the base, then glue the 3mm ply onto the concave face. I had a caul cut to a 12" radius from my previous attempt at a sanding block. So I used this to clamp up the curved face.

I have made it bulky like this so I can use it between two fences and keep it square at all times. I used an off cut from the mahogany body as a handle, waste not, want not.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/tks14-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/h01i4-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/tz758-image.jpg

DanMade
22-02-2014, 05:37 AM
Here I've just used some Ali angle for my fences. I mark a center line and use double sided tape to secure the neck in position.

I will say this wandoo is extremely hard. It took a solid 30 mins to get the radius sanded in with 100 grit sandpaper. Once this initial hard work is done I can now just work through the grits to remove any scratches.

It was a bit of an effort to make this sanding block but the results are worth it. Getting an evenly radiused fretboard is almost foolproof now.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/1137q-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/0q06o-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/u3d33-image.jpg

WeirdBits
22-02-2014, 06:06 AM
Looks good Dan, glad it worked out... nice stack of templates in the background too.

DanMade
22-02-2014, 06:17 AM
Yeah, there's probably an easier way to do it but I'm a cheapskate and had to use what I had laying around.

Thanks again Scott for the heads up.

Edit. I just noticed looking at that last pic how off centre those last few fret markers are. Oops. They look worse than they are at the angle the photo was taken.

DanMade
22-02-2014, 08:14 AM
Just got the rough shaping done on the neck. Went with the angle grinder option again.
And a pic of the finished fretboard .
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/jtz57-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/6141w-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/vd3r6-image.jpg

stan
22-02-2014, 09:09 AM
awesome Dan!

lawry
22-02-2014, 10:15 AM
That's pretty impressive, Dan.

Brendan
22-02-2014, 11:24 AM
Dan - looks like you've got necks down pat - that new jig looks great!

stan
22-02-2014, 11:08 PM
I want a DanMade fretboard sander!

DanMade
24-02-2014, 10:00 AM
I've finished the neck over the weekend. I really enjoy carving the neck. Once you start removing material it sort of just shapes itself. As you work on taking less less off each section, the tool and wood will naturally form to the contour needed. If that makes any sense.
A neck profile is a very natural shape to carve in to a neck, is sort of what I'm trying to say.

I've also shielded the cavity's and wired it all up.
I'm using a push pull pot on the tone so I can run both pup's in series when it's pulled up. Though as these things usually go for me, the wiring is never completely correct the first time around. It all works as T style should. But when I pull up for the in series setting I only have signal from the neck pup. I think the pins on the push pull are reverse to the diagram I used.

I fitted the neck to the body and checked the alignment which was good.

I couldn't help but throw the rest of the strings on and give it a quick strum before the neck comes off again for finishing. Let's just say I had a smile on my face from the first chord. Almost didn't want to pull the neck off and have to wait another 2 weeks to play it properly.


http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/92o9f-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/uw4e8-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/22273-image.jpg

DanMade
24-02-2014, 10:05 AM
And here's the shots your all waiting for. Keep in mind this is still mid build.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/kt5fb-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/u61ug-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2nkg5-image.jpg

gavinturner
24-02-2014, 12:12 PM
All I can say is *Wow*. What a fantastic result Dan. That is class all the way! Love it.

cheers,
Gav.

Brendan
24-02-2014, 01:05 PM
Dan - is it worth looking at one of Gav1393's "things" - chrome pup surround? http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTE3WDUyNA==/$(KGrHqJHJDIE-R-BF6,7BPpr(Sm2C!~~60_12.JPG
Take full advantage of the beautiful grain on the wood?

stan
25-02-2014, 09:44 AM
so nice, Dan

Bass Guy
25-02-2014, 10:05 AM
Stunning work, Dan

Keep Adam away from it, though! ;)

DanMade
25-02-2014, 10:30 AM
Brendan- I thought long and hard about using a pickgaurd or not. In the end I went with one. Those single coil surrounds are very neat though. To late now as I've allready got screw holes in the body.

BG- I'm glad I'm on the other side of the country. Though that might not be to far for the TeleNapper.

Brendan
25-02-2014, 10:53 AM
Dan - looks amazing though. Do like the black pickguard on teles..

DanMade
27-02-2014, 09:54 AM
I sorted out the in series wiring problem. I knew it would be something simple but it took me a while to find it.

To run a Tele pickup set in series, the neck pup cover needs to be disconnected from the (-) lead wire and grounded via a new wire to a common ground. Basically you just cut the short jumper wire between the cover and the (-) lead wire and solder a new wire to the cover.
This allows you to switch the (-) neck pup lead from gound in standard position and the bridge hot lead when you pull the pot up into the "in series" position.

This is where my problem was. Where I had cut the jumper wire and soldered on the new ground wire, there was still a small enough contact between the two that caused the (-) lead to always be grounded.

I bent the wire out of the way a little more and then used some insulation tape to prevent any further contact. Problem finally solved.

Here's the diagram I used. And a link to the source.
http://www.deaf-eddie.net/pushpull/pushpull.html
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/575xg-image.jpg

lawry
27-02-2014, 10:25 AM
Alright. So now it's time to crank up the amp and stand well clear. Looking forward to some sound clips from this Dan.

DanMade
27-02-2014, 11:18 AM
Not quite yet. The neck is still in the finishing process so it's a little while off yet.

Gavin1393
27-02-2014, 12:50 PM
StewMac supply a 4 way switch that will do much the same as the Push-pull pot.....same mods necessary to the PUP! Keeps the tele look!

DanMade
06-03-2014, 11:52 AM
Gav- I actually had trouble finding a 4 way switch locally, all the regular suppliers were sold out. So I went with the push pull option.

I've got it all back together now, and have made a timber veneer pickgaurd, stained black. And I changed the old scratched control plate for a shiny new chrome one.

I still need more practice installing the frets. I had a few problems on a couple of frets. Some where I didn't pre bend the fretwire enough and when the fret end was pressed in it was still sitting proud. So extra leveling was needed. And getting a good set up has been a challenge because of it.

It's playing nicely now though so that's good. And it's all part of the learning.

I might try to get a demo over the weekend.


http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/8sh0r-image.jpg

pablopepper
06-03-2014, 09:58 PM
That is pretty amazing, Dan. Lovely work throughout.

Fretworn
07-03-2014, 01:22 AM
Very nice! It's turned out a treat.

wokkaboy
07-03-2014, 01:55 AM
Wow Dan that is a stunning build, you must be very proud producing such a nice looking axe from scratch.
Keen to hear a sound demo when you get time.
Glad you learnt alot from the build, no doubt your next scratch build will even be better !

WeirdBits
07-03-2014, 02:22 AM
Looks great Dan, really nicely done.

How is your 'neck of unusual woods' settling in, and what did you end up using for your fretboard and side dots?

DanMade
07-03-2014, 03:30 AM
Cheers again guys. Here's a quick demo.

http://youtu.be/RNEy7huTglE


Scott, the meranti neck seems to be keeping its stability. And the wandoo fretboard, being a very hard wood, I think helps give it a bit more chime to the sound.

The demo vid was played into a blues jr, with an OCD clone pedal for some crunch. Recorded through a SM57 straight into my ipad.

gavinturner
07-03-2014, 04:45 AM
Awesome Dan. Great sound! You must be stoked. A beautiful axe all round.

cheers,
Gav

kells80aus
07-03-2014, 04:54 AM
That is a very sweet looking and soun ding Tele

Cheers PK

wokkaboy
07-03-2014, 06:29 AM
excellent Dan, gives a good range of sounds, what setting is it when you pull out the rear pot ?
Its got a nice clean sound and has a good lightly distorted bark to it, well done again, stay well away from the Tele napper !

DanMade
07-03-2014, 07:22 AM
Wok's, when I pull the tone pot out it switches to both pickup's in series, like a humbucker. Giving it more punch and warmth.

Having never played a Tele before I was impressed with the range of sounds I could get from 2 single coils.

I get the whole "Tele" thing now.

Sorry about my average playing in the demo, seems i spend more time working on guitars rather than playing them now. But I'm loving the Mooer Hustle Drive, I picked up recently. It's an O.C.D clone. Works really well as a clean boost all the way to a chunky Marshall like drive. I like the fact it doesn't really colour your tone like some OD pedals, it just adds some fattens to your original tone. Plus it's tiny.

adam
07-03-2014, 09:48 AM
Very nice Dan, sounds really warm and sweet as a Tele should. And looks absolutely amazing! By the way, did you know your first few chords perfectly played "Hospital" by The Modern Lovers? That takes me back.

DanMade
07-03-2014, 10:16 AM
/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from adam on March 6, 2014, 18:48
Very nice Dan, sounds really warm and sweet as a Tele should. And looks absolutely amazing! By the way, did you know your first few chords perfectly played "Hospital" by The Modern Lovers? That takes me back.

Those chords were for Paul Kelly's "How to make Gravy". I bet there's a lot more songs out there with those same 3 chords .

lawry
07-03-2014, 10:39 AM
Fantastic work Dan. Looks hot and sounds cool 8-)

Brendan
07-03-2014, 11:17 AM
Sounds stunning - great job Dan. Love the Wandoo fretboard. Lovely colour - bit between rosewood and maple.

keloooe
07-03-2014, 07:59 PM
Hey Dan, awesome job done there! The tone is great as well! The neck and body seem to compliment each other perfectly as well.

Fretworn
08-03-2014, 01:23 AM
To my ears it sounded like the neck pickup was louder than the bridge pickup. Might be wrong, it could have been how hard you were hitting. If it is you may need to adjust the pickup heights to try and balance them out.

DanMade
01-04-2014, 10:23 PM
Well as much as I loved the tone of the Meranti/ Wandoo neck I originally made. I've had some stability issues with it, as some of you guys were concerned about.

I found the meranti was very temperamental in changing weather conditions. So I decided to make a new neck with tried and true timbers. Qld Maple with a rosewood board.

I'm not going to go into detail with words but here is a story in pictures.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/243d5-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/l375d-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/784f3-image.jpg

DanMade
01-04-2014, 10:25 PM
10 characters.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/54129-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/64r6r-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/6l2d6-image.jpg

DanMade
01-04-2014, 10:28 PM
10. .
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/9r6na-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/75y2n-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/djdu7-image.jpg

DanMade
01-04-2014, 10:31 PM
... ...
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/7z806-image.jpg
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DanMade
01-04-2014, 10:34 PM
...... ..
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/t4jlq-image.jpg
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http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/9x7nv-image.jpg

DanMade
01-04-2014, 10:46 PM
.....
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/qwe54-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/p7857-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/hv4r6-image.jpg

DanMade
01-04-2014, 10:48 PM
..... ...
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/89b7x-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2i75e-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/e71g1-image.jpg

DanMade
01-04-2014, 10:56 PM
... .... ..
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/e7964-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/3521k-image.jpg
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DanMade
01-04-2014, 10:58 PM
..... ... .. .
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/39823-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/1a0mp-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/rlk37-image.jpg

DanMade
01-04-2014, 11:01 PM
....
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/m9dj4-image.jpg
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http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/73zw6-image.jpg

DanMade
01-04-2014, 11:15 PM
Sorry about the overload of photos. But I like seeing these type of build shots, and I suspect most of you here will appreciate them too.

I very happy with how this one came out. I'm getting a little better at it with each one I make, it's all a learning process.

As for anyone who thinks tone woods don't make a difference to an electric guitar once it's plugged in, I experienced first hand the tonal difference between the two different combination of woods. The difference is nite and day. The merant/ wandoo neck was very bright and snappy, excellent for lead tones. While the Qld maple/ rosewood neck has a warmer sound to it. While it still has that Tele twang, it's much more mellow.

I was surprised how much different it sounded with the new neck. Not better or worse, just different.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/171w2-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/4l760-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/73d15-image.jpg

wokkaboy
01-04-2014, 11:40 PM
wow looks awesome Dan, nice new neck, I like all the photos, you make it look easy !

Fretworn
02-04-2014, 01:22 AM
And it's still a stunning guitar.

stan
02-04-2014, 01:30 AM
that is so good, Dan

Brendan
03-04-2014, 10:44 AM
Nicely done Dan! Great job....again...

ihasmario
03-04-2014, 11:27 AM
The pictures in this thread are awesome. Not just the quality, but how frequent they are and what they are showing... Great guitar too..

DanMade
03-04-2014, 12:24 PM
Cheers guys, glad you enjoy all the photos.

gavinturner
04-04-2014, 09:31 PM
Love the photos Dan, and love your build. This really is a beautiful tele.

Cheers,
Gav.

robin
05-04-2014, 05:39 AM
Wow Dan. What a beautiful guitar, something to be very proud of.

I know you make it look easy, but I also know that I'm light years away from attempting anything like that. Well done mate.

Cheers
rob