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Brendan
02-01-2016, 10:31 AM
Now that things are really heating up here in Australia it's time to heat up the competition for GOTM - enter your finished guitar here to be judged for Pit Bull Guitars February 2016 Guitar of the Month.

Please remember:

One guitar per member per month
It must be a Pit Bull Guitars kit (mods and upgrades acceptable)


We need at least 4 photos:

full guitar shot from the front;
close up of the body finish;
shot of the back of the guitar; and
close up of the headstock (please, no brand name logos)


Please post your photos in this thread. If you are having issues posting photos on the forum, please email them to adam (at) pitbullguitars (dot) com

Please note: This competition is open to amateur guitar builders only. If you are making and selling guitars for profit, you are ineligible.

Competition for February closes 31 January 2016.

Winner will be judged by the Pit Bull Guitars Judging Panel, including the winner of the January 2016 GOTM.

eS.G.
03-01-2016, 08:02 AM
Well I will throw this in the ring.
--Its all Adams Fault--
RC-4 build I call it the Kraken
7377
7378
7379
7380

stan
03-01-2016, 01:53 PM
That is a great bass eSG. Already the standard is high...

gavinturner
03-01-2016, 05:54 PM
Awesome RC-4 build there eSG. Love the colour! Any chance of a sound demo?

cheers,
Gav.

PapaKen
11-01-2016, 12:07 AM
Hi, guys! This is my first post but it looks like a great site. Would like to introduce you to Ashley, my ES-1GT form Pit Bull. Never entered a contest like this before but here goes.Ashley started with a couple coats of black dye and then a bunch of sanding. Four coats of Royal Blue then went on. I finished it with 10 coats of Tru Oil. I changed out the pots to Vintage CTS with orange caps. As you can see, I left off the pickguard and also changed the tailpiece. A set of heavier Jazz strings completed the changes. This being my first set-neck build, I dry fired the set-up at least a dozen times before grabbing the Titebond and gluing stuff together. Kinda scary the first time (not a lot of room for error!) Came out fine. Will possibly change out the pickups in the future but she sounds great so will wait on that. Thanks for the great kit, Pit Bull, and Adam, thanks for the quick answer when I had a question.7548754975507551

pablopepper
11-01-2016, 07:05 AM
Holy moly! Stunning!

wokkaboy
11-01-2016, 08:03 AM
very nice build PapaKen, love the royal blue and black flames, you must be very happy with the finish.

also welcome to the forum, where are you from ? looking at your power sockets you aren't from Australia

vh2580
11-01-2016, 08:54 AM
Beautiful guitar. Love the way you got the blue flame to pop. A very classy build

Andy40
11-01-2016, 09:24 AM
these guys are going to make me get a semi-hollow kit next. fantastic!

wokkaboy
11-01-2016, 09:29 AM
Andy, it's called GAS and you have it, better tell the missus you will be ordering a semi hollow kit next !

Andy40
11-01-2016, 10:11 AM
Andy, it's called GAS and you have it, better tell the missus you will be ordering a semi hollow kit next !

I'll have to think about how i deliver the news to her

wokkaboy
11-01-2016, 10:15 AM
Andy make a deal, she can buy new shoes or clothes if you buy a kit hahah

Andy40
11-01-2016, 10:42 AM
Andy make a deal, she can buy new shoes or clothes if you buy a kit hahah

lol I haven't played that card yet due to the dangerous nature of her clothes/shoe acquisition syndrome but I fear that may be the only path ahead....:eek:

stan
11-01-2016, 11:42 AM
excellent blue finish Ken, very nice...
what blue did you use?

gavinturner
11-01-2016, 01:00 PM
Beautiful build Ken! I do love a nice blue guitar. Yours is stunning!

cheers,
Gav.

wazkelly
11-01-2016, 05:12 PM
Been some nice blue guitars lately and the popped flame on this one is stunning.

FredA
11-01-2016, 05:41 PM
Hey guys,
So, and to make this a true 'blue' guitar month, here's my entry.

This is:
- STA-1M kit with gold hardware
- Pure Vintage Tonerider pickups
- DB cut Bone nut
- Dingotone Colourless Neck Finish
- Colortone blue and black burst, with acrylic gloss finish
- Upgraded switch (CRL 5 Way Switch) and jack (Switchcraft 1/4" Mono Jack - Gold)
- Upgraded backplate
- Gold screws for pickups and swithc
- and of course custom decal!

7567 7568

7569 7570

FredA
11-01-2016, 05:44 PM
And more:

7571 7572

7573

7574

It's greatly inspired from Gavin Turner's blue STA1 who won the GOTM last year. Thanks heaps Gavin for your build diary, it helped me no end for this first build.

wokkaboy
11-01-2016, 05:58 PM
well done Fred this is a really well finished axe and the upgrades are tasty. The gold hardware really suits the black and blue theme.
Does that tremelo cover have a part that pops off so you don't have to unscrew the whole cover ?

FredA
11-01-2016, 06:01 PM
Yes it does. There's a trapeze shaped piece that comes out and allows to change strings and adjust springs without unscrewing the cover at all.

Sent from my 0PJA10 using Tapatalk

wazkelly
11-01-2016, 06:09 PM
Yes it does. There's a trapeze shaped piece that comes out and allows to change strings and adjust springs without unscrewing the cover at all.

Sent from my 0PJA10 using Tapatalk
What a good idea and it keeps the back looking neat and tidy too. Great job Fred. Clearly Blue guitars rule this month by the look of things so far.

PapaKen
11-01-2016, 11:52 PM
Wokkaboy...I'm in Montana in the U S of A. When I ordered this guitar kit from Pit Bull I figured the wait would be at least a couple of weeks since it really is a long way from Central Australia to Montana here. Was totally blown away when I got my kit in less than a week! I used Keda dyes to do this build. Mix a bit of warm water and some dye powder and away we go!! The old adage of 'when you think you've sanded enough, keep sanding' was so true in this case. Thanks for all the comments.

TimC
13-01-2016, 01:29 PM
Yummy,

Blue, blue & blue. Love the way the grain & figure really pop. Hope mine turns out half as well.

gavinturner
13-01-2016, 06:46 PM
Awesome result Fred! Blown mine out of the water that's for sure. She's a stunner man. I would love to hear how she sounds!

cheers,
Gav.

PapaKen
14-01-2016, 09:06 AM
In case you missed it, stan, I used Keda dyes for both the black and blue. The stuff is really great to work with.

stan
14-01-2016, 03:45 PM
In case you missed it, stan, I used Keda dyes for both the black and blue. The stuff is really great to work with.

Ah that sounds familiar now you mention it, nice result

stan
14-01-2016, 04:03 PM
Blue is the colour of the month, that strat is very nice indeed Fred

FredA
14-01-2016, 07:11 PM
Hey guys,
Thanks for all the comments!
I've recorded the new guitar with clean sound, going through each of the 5x positions, starting by bridge only, finishing by neck only.
Playing is very average and I need to lift the bridge saddles I think to clean this fret buzz a bit.
Link to Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/fredarnaud/sta1-audio-5x-pickup-configs
Cheers
Fred

Andy40
15-01-2016, 01:47 AM
Hey guys,
Thanks for all the comments!
I've recorded the new guitar with clean sound, going through each of the 5x positions, starting by bridge only, finishing by neck only.
Playing is very average and I need to lift the bridge saddles I think to clean this fret buzz a bit.
Link to Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/fredarnaud/sta1-audio-5x-pickup-configs
Cheers
Fred

Nice work, I didn't pick up on a lot of fret buzz, luv the toneriders!

Arzi
21-01-2016, 08:06 PM
Very nice builds everyone. Never been a huge fan of blue until now - wow! Might just be the color of my next build as these look just awesome. :)

Swanny
23-01-2016, 02:05 AM
Did someone say blues?

I finally got my last part delivered and put in my last screws to my ES-12G.

Upgrades include:
- GFS Classic II Vintage Wound pickups,
- Grover tuners
- Black knobs with gold numbering
- Gold coloured output jack
- Gold coloured truss rod cover
- Braided vintage style wiring

I've levelled and dressed the frets, taking away an annoying buzz from the third fret and allowing the action to be low.

The body is stained using Stamp Pad Refill ink, first in black to highlight the flame maple, then blue, spray painted a black burst and then coated it with an acrylic lacquer.


http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee300/swanny66041/ES12G/IMG_8002_zpsdegoz7vg.jpg (http://s231.photobucket.com/user/swanny66041/media/ES12G/IMG_8002_zpsdegoz7vg.jpg.html)

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee300/swanny66041/ES12G/IMG_8003_zpsqdfdjgjv.jpg (http://s231.photobucket.com/user/swanny66041/media/ES12G/IMG_8003_zpsqdfdjgjv.jpg.html)

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee300/swanny66041/ES12G/IMG_8008_zpssmi824df.jpg (http://s231.photobucket.com/user/swanny66041/media/ES12G/IMG_8008_zpssmi824df.jpg.html)

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee300/swanny66041/ES12G/IMG_8004_zpsdm6e0ibz.jpg (http://s231.photobucket.com/user/swanny66041/media/ES12G/IMG_8004_zpsdm6e0ibz.jpg.html)

Swanny
23-01-2016, 02:07 AM
And one more...


http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee300/swanny66041/ES12G/fe6a8b34-cd06-4c7c-a4de-e0d94f9d275e_zpsnyfijfsa.jpg (http://s231.photobucket.com/user/swanny66041/media/ES12G/fe6a8b34-cd06-4c7c-a4de-e0d94f9d275e_zpsnyfijfsa.jpg.html)


Cheers,

Swanny.

FredA
23-01-2016, 04:58 AM
Now we have a proper blue guitar month!
Love it swanny, it looks amazing!

Sent from my 0PJA10 using Tapatalk

tonyw
23-01-2016, 05:07 AM
Love the guitars, that 12 makes me want to get my finger out and do mine.

Fretworn
23-01-2016, 09:58 AM
Grand job Swanny!

wazkelly
23-01-2016, 10:51 AM
If you gunna play the blues it may as well be on a blue guitar. Great job Swanny.

Arzi
23-01-2016, 11:42 AM
Stunnig job Swanny!!!

wokkaboy
23-01-2016, 12:23 PM
stunning build Swanny, very nicely finished. The bar is sky high for this month !

Swanny
23-01-2016, 01:59 PM
Thanks guys, it's fantastic to play as well, both open and bar chords alike.

Looking at the entries for the month, they all look great! The judges have their work cut out for them!

stan
23-01-2016, 05:19 PM
great 12 stringer swanny, very good job

gavinturner
30-01-2016, 09:53 PM
The 12 is stunning Swanny - amazing build dude! She's gonna be hard to beat.

cheers,
Gav.

adam
02-02-2016, 05:41 PM
Thanks for the entries everyone, we'll get the judges on task and hopefully have the results by the weekend.

adam
07-02-2016, 11:57 AM
Results for Pit Bull Guitars February 2016 Guitar of the Month

Here are our Judges' comments, in submission order:


eS.G.'s RC-4

Nicely worked up - colours work really well together and have been well executed.

The colour suits the RC-4 shape nicely. Unfortunately, the photos are too small to get any great detail on the finish. Maybe some engraving on the headstock cover may have given it a nice touch

The RC4 is such a popular kit on our forum and I think this is the first time I’ve seen a walnut finish. Love how classy this axe is with the silver hardware and string cover. Wish the photos were a bit clearer so we could see the finish better but overall a very nice looking bass.

I love the dark stain on this one, very earthy and natural and this is only further complimented with the satin finish... the whole thing looks like it was made out of a big chunk of an old barn, very cool! Not sure if it’s the photos or not but it looks like you've taken the shine off the chrome parts which I really like as well… so good job if that’s the case haha.


PapaKen's ES-1GT

Beautiful colour here - you've done a great job. Love how simple and elegant it has come out.

These ES kits have been very popular of late and this is well finished with the flames popped nicely. A classy build you should be proud of this.

PapKen, this is such a stunning blue finish and it’s dead flat with no imperfections – perfect. Love how the gold pops against the blue/black. The gold K is a nice touch on the headstock. Would love to hear it in action and certainly would love to have a play on it too!

Beautiful! The dark blue is really complimented by the clean binding and gold hardware. The hardtail and bound/block inlay neck add just that little bit of spice to make it different and stand out, nice one. Nice take on the headstock shape as well, classic but just a bit different.


FredA's STA-1M

Holy moly! Lovely execution of the blue here - looks like you could almost swim in it!

Blue seems to be flavour of the month! The gold hardware really suits the colour and I love the personal touches to this build. A very nicely finished axe.

FredA, for a first build this is high caliber. Much like PapKen, that blue/black finish goes extremely well against the gold hardware. Loving the gloss on this too – you must be popeye after the cut and polish. I’m well and truly a strat man and this would be lovely to play I’m sure. Well done.

Mate, this is where it’s at! The grain is striking, love the deep dark blue and the subtle burst is fantastic… and the gloss, my god the gloss! The white and gold hardware really sets this thing off as well, it’s a beautiful combination. I have to make a point of mentioning the larger 70’s style headstock, +1 for that. Honestly the only negative I can see is the little gap between the pickguard and neck heel and I’m really grasping at straws to see that as a fault.


Swanny's ES-12G

Love the burst here - you've done a great job Swanny!

This axe is a stunner, finish is first class and the black and blue burst has been well executed. Bet it sounds as good as it looks.

Swanny, I think I’m detecting a trend of black and blue! A very expensive looking build. Loving all the small touches like the routed logo and choice of hardware. The only feedback I could give (and this is a very subjective point) is that the black burst is slightly too harsh an edge against the blue – I’d like to see it blended more. But of course this is a personal thing. Very well done mate – hope you’ve got your tuner ready!

Props for even considering a 12 string hollowbody. The color is so nice and rich and the mirror finish is spot on. I’m liking the headstock on this too… I guess with all the extra space there’s room to do something cool which you have. A few little misses with the black burst around the binding (I'm guessing where it was masked off) but otherwise a top job.


And the winner is...


Congratulations FredA, your STA-1M was the Judge's pick, amongst a very tight field, for Guitar of the Month for February 2016.

http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=7569&d=1452508895

pablopepper
07-02-2016, 12:03 PM
Congrats Fred. It was the battle of the blue bursts this month.

FrankenWashie
07-02-2016, 12:30 PM
The depth of that blue is stunning, absolutely fabulous finish. Well done Papaken, you must be immensely proud of the result.

tonyw
07-02-2016, 12:38 PM
All guitars are fantastic efforts, congrats to the winner.

stan
07-02-2016, 12:43 PM
another top class field this month, and Fred yours is a stunner, well done

Swanny
07-02-2016, 03:37 PM
Congratulations Fred! A well deserved win with your STA!

FredA
07-02-2016, 06:42 PM
Waow... Thanks guys!!!
Never thought my 'simple strat' stood a chance against 2x hollow bodys and a bass!

Thanks to all the guys on the forum who've documented their builds so well. I really felt that I didn't have to ask too many questions as even though it was my first build, after having read so many detailed build diaries I felt like I knew what I had to do, and I just did it.
Awesome community with so much experience!

Now that's not going to help me with my GAS... I can see the IB5 body hanging next to my PC, curing after its intensifying coat, and the 12 string hollow-body lying on its back, waiting for some attention ... which one next...... :-)

Keep documenting your builds guys and well done to eS.G., PapaKen and Swanny. I reckon we all really won a very nice guitar or bass in this!
Cheers
Fred

gavinturner
07-02-2016, 07:23 PM
Congrats Fred! Great build. And to all the other entrants very well done - the builds were all awesome this month.

cheers,
Gav.

PapaKen
07-02-2016, 11:43 PM
Congrats to you, Fred! And to the other entries, well done.

Andy40
08-02-2016, 02:57 AM
Well done Fred. The bar a high with this month

andrewdosborne
08-02-2016, 03:15 AM
Awesome strat Fred, we'll done. And all other entrants, great builds.


Sent from my GT-I9506 using Tapatalk

wokkaboy
08-02-2016, 08:56 AM
congratulations Fred, and to all the other entrants the level was very high and was hard to separate and score.
Points must have been tight.
There were some good comments on the builds as well, some constructive feedback

Fred glad you got 2 more builds on the go !

Fretworn
08-02-2016, 10:01 AM
Congrats Fred!

Tweaky
24-02-2016, 03:21 PM
Congratulations, both on a great build, and on winning the GOTM award.

One request to ADMIN. for all future GOTM comps

As you change the fist header post for each months entries, could you please LINK them to the build diaries, if any......this would save a lot of forum members having to search for these build diaries, especially if they were started quite a while ago, but only finished recently.

Maybe make entry, If you have started a build diary, you have to finish your build diary before entry for GOTM...ties up loose ends, on both ends

wokkaboy
24-02-2016, 03:30 PM
good idea Tweaky and I think if the builder has made an effort to keep an informative build diary they should get an extra half or full point on their score depending how detailed it is.

Tweaky
24-02-2016, 03:48 PM
It just seems a bit rude to start a build diary, and somebody might be intrigued enough to want to follow it........ then it .... nothing .

Suddenly ... HI ! Finished my build ! Here it is ! ....Yeah! Thanks for that

I don't know about you, but that doesn't help anybody IMHO, and is not in this community spirit of helping each other.

wokkaboy
24-02-2016, 03:53 PM
Hi Tweaky I can understand your frustration. This does happen on some build diaries and I'd say work/family/busy life got in the way of keeping the diary up to date.
Some people enter their build without any build diary. Depends if the builder has time to keep it up to date or even start one.

But I think Admin talked about a bonus point score for a good build diary which will encourage builders to keep an up to date build diary

FredA
24-02-2016, 05:50 PM
I second that!
I've actually now added links to my build diaries into my signature too. It is a bit hard sometimes to find people's build diaries.
Cheers!

stan
25-02-2016, 04:20 AM
Build diaries are great, perhaps the entrant could link it in with their description of their entry...

wazkelly
25-02-2016, 06:29 PM
How do we get build stuff into the signatures like on Stan's and Wokka's? This would also help as a link for people following others.

Muzza
25-02-2016, 07:23 PM
Top of the page, click on 'Forum Actions' and select 'Edit Profile'.
Scroll down the page a little and click on 'Edit Signature' in the 'My Settings' box on the left.
Paste all your build's URL's in the dialog box, just like making a post.

Muzza
25-02-2016, 07:38 PM
Hmmm... I just followed my own instructions and the signature isn't appearing.

(Edit: Yes, it is! Looks like it only appears on new posts, like this one. Doesn't tack on to all your previous posts.)

Tweaky
26-02-2016, 06:30 PM
Please... I don't want my 'Build Diary' finishing suggestion creating a BLOCK to those that do not post any build diary what so ever.

Nor would I want extra points given to others that were considered diligent in their posting of their build.

All I request is, links to every build [ If there is one] to the GOTM entries.

These are the posts that keep interest in these kits happening.