PDA

View Full Version : October Guitar of the Month (for Guitars and Basses finished in September 2016)



Brendan
01-09-2016, 09:20 PM
October Guitar of the Month (for Guitars and Basses finished in September 2016)

September 2016 GOTM

Enter your finished guitar or bass here to be judged for the Pit Bull Guitars October 2016 Guitar of the Month.

Please remember:

For Guitars or Basses finished on (or before) 30 September 2016

One guitar/bass per member per month
It must be a Pit Bull Guitars kit (mods and upgrades acceptable)
Guitar or Bass must be finished and playable


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 adamboyle (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 September closes 30 September 2016

archiemax
02-09-2016, 09:02 AM
Hey I'm a noob here, this is the first Pitbull guitar I've made so figured I'd let y'all have a look......as you can see it's a GR-1SF; the whole build went together pretty well & I'm very pleased with the result, especially for the low dollar amount it wound up costing me. Finish is 3 coats of Teak oil (stuff reeks to high heaven but it does give it a nice golden color) followed by three coats of wipe-on poly all sanded down to 1500 grit. (I call her "Blondie.") Neck is just the wipe-on poly. The extra pickup in the middle is from Guitar Fetish (I've just got this thing about 3-pickup guitars, what can I say) and it's wired with that second toggle in an "off-on-only" configuration like a Jay Turser hollowbody I once had. I had some tortoise laying around so made my own pickguard, trussrod cover, & faceplate for the vibrato. The bridge is a Gotoh locking roller type. Put my initial in copper foil on the headstock. Sounds real mean with a set of Ernie Ball 9s on it & definitely gets the looks when I'm on stage.....I don't think the pictures do it justice but anyhow here it is.....So whattya think?
13583 1358513587
1358413586

Dedman
02-09-2016, 12:10 PM
Bravo I say, Blondie looks hot, her sonic abilities have cracked your drive way already!

stan
02-09-2016, 01:09 PM
that looks great Archie, well done sir

wokkaboy
03-09-2016, 11:10 AM
really nice build Archie and welcome to the forum, how does it sound and play ? with 3 pickups you must have a great range of sounds !

archiemax
03-09-2016, 03:54 PM
really nice build Archie and welcome to the forum, how does it sound and play ? with 3 pickups you must have a great range of sounds !

Yep, with 3 pickups we've got 7 different combinations; my two favorite are still the top alone and the top & bridge; the bridge alone gives you a mean & aggressive kind of lead tone and the middle alone gives you a strident sound but with some character......Go from setting to setting & there's never a dull moment. It plays real good but definitely different from my other axes; first thing to get used to is that big fat body!

FrankenWashie
03-09-2016, 04:24 PM
Bro that is nice! Great Job.

Fretworn
04-09-2016, 04:35 PM
Great job Archie!

nitroburner1000
05-09-2016, 12:03 PM
Great job for a first, love the blonde headstock, finish looks like a pro. My fav is the extra switches.

Marelton
10-09-2016, 08:46 AM
Very classy Archie, good job

Wayne.Mumford
18-09-2016, 02:05 PM
A top job Arch, looks great.

wazkelly
18-09-2016, 05:23 PM
Damn, that looks superb.

If I was to build one of these it would either be nude blonde as you have done here or maybe red like my J Bass.

TenEighty
22-09-2016, 07:26 PM
Hi Guys, another first timer here with an ES-1G. I used to muck around with making acoustics from scratch in Margaret River about 15 yrs ago, and a few months back a friend of mine got me onto the Pitbull website for a look. What can I say, I was instantly hooked and ordered a kit straight away!!

I actually wanted to go for a lighter Indigo Blue colour but when I put this Angelus leather dye on I decided it looked so good I'd just go with it at full strength. It's had about 10 coats of Dulux Duramax clear gloss (from Bunnings) and was polished by hand with Meguiars Ultimate and then Scratch x 2 (from Auto-One).

The neck stain was a blend of maple with a touch of red and brown in there to make it a bit more vintage (Bunnings).

All electronics are standard issue from Pitbull except I split each of the the pickup wires apart to separate the coils then and wired in two push pulls on the volumes for coil split and series/parallel.

The only thing I stuffed up was that I used a foaming glue for the neck join which just bled and bled forever. It was late on a Sunday and I just couldn't wait to buy some strong PVA the next day so I just thought bugger it, I'll glue the sucker. The neck join was a great fit so no problem there, it's just I had to keep wiping the excess as it foamed to avoid spoiling the finish. Not a disaster though...

The headstock has some purfling inlay that I had lying around in the drawer from making guitars 15 yrs ago. Not my best effort, but it looks OK. The next guitar I do will be better with a decent router base for the dremel I hope (lesson learned!). The name Lansejita is a bit of a pun really, I knew that the kits probably come from China and Lan se ji ta is Chinese for "Blue Guitar". 1080 on the truss rod cover is a nickname that some mates call me.

I have compensated the nut as a bit of an experiment (found googling late one night) and surprisingly it works amazingly well. The intonation is spot on and chords are in tune everywhere on the neck.

Anyway, loved the build process and I'm already lining up #2, probably a Les Paul or maybe a flying V. Cheers and any questions welcome.

Dave

1402214023140241402514026

FrankenWashie
22-09-2016, 07:35 PM
ooooooo that BLUE, mmm Vibrant. Great job TenEighty like the headstock detail as well, is that a compensating nut you got on there?

TenEighty
22-09-2016, 09:16 PM
Thanks FrankenWashie. Yes mate, my first attempt at comp nut and while the look might put some people off, the result is unlike any setup i've ever done. Absolutely consistent intonation at any fret. Maybe it's a case of six of one - half a dozen of the other compared to saddle compensation but it really does seem to work.

Dedman
22-09-2016, 10:16 PM
another stunner! It's shaping up to be hollow month

Dedman
23-09-2016, 12:22 PM
keeping in theme and all. My ES-5V
Green fountain pen ink, black and clear is auto acrylic. Tuners and tail piece are Kluson, pick up is a mini humbucker ( the neck one from the pair I bought for my JR-1 build), Ebony knobs, push pull on the volume to split the humbucker. Headstock logo is 1mm brass inlay. Replaced the fretboard dots with Abalone. Brass nut. (Missing a couple of gold screws for the truss rod cover) .So a few firsts for me, first hollow body, first burst, first inlay attempt,first go at replacing dots. Over all I'm pretty happy with it, it sounds OK acoustically, but really shines plugged in with a tiny bit of reverb.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Dedman/ES5_zpsfmq0m2lr.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Dedman/ES5cls_zps47qvalhu.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Dedman/ES5bk_zpsryswuavz.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v291/Dedman/ES5hs_zpsxpguqmyz.jpg

Zandit75
23-09-2016, 12:54 PM
Nicely done Dedman, looks great.
It's going to be another close month!

FrankenWashie
23-09-2016, 01:28 PM
I think i just messed myself. Dedman, that's an outstanding axe. Wonderful work.

Dedman
23-09-2016, 02:03 PM
thanks guys.

FredA
23-09-2016, 04:26 PM
Amazing guitar and I love the brass inlay and nut! Great job Dedman!

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

HoneyBadgerJM
23-09-2016, 05:06 PM
thanks guys.

Thats a beauty, Love how you have done firsts, its one thing to build a kit but adding changes to personalize its like it becomes a natural transition. Been following this build, and it is a class act. Not my style but If you saw this on a show room floor in any guitar shop you would go have a look at it.

wazkelly
23-09-2016, 05:15 PM
Well done buddy, looks awesome and really fits in with the art deco retro décor in those shots which I presume is how you have furnished that room if not the whole of your house?

Andy40
23-09-2016, 05:25 PM
Just a mesmerizing guitar Deddy

HoneyBadgerJM
23-09-2016, 05:47 PM
Well done buddy, looks awesome and really fits in with the art deco retro décor in those shots which I presume is how you have furnished that room if not the whole of your house?

Noticed that too....Very cool

Dedman
23-09-2016, 06:03 PM
Well done buddy, looks awesome and really fits in with the art deco retro décor in those shots which I presume is how you have furnished that room if not the whole of your house?

Bits, I had a lot of deco stuff but half left a few years back

Fuzzbeard
23-09-2016, 06:05 PM
Nice one dave! that blue is intense, I love it! just looking at my collection I dont have a blue guitar yet... Hmmm :cool: and another nice one from Dedman in all of it's green, black and gold glory!

stan
23-09-2016, 08:01 PM
teneighty superb ES

Deddy that 5V is something else, nice job

wazkelly
23-09-2016, 08:57 PM
Bits, I had a lot of deco stuff but half left a few years back
Presume that was when the excess baggage moved out and took a share of the loot.

Fretworn
24-09-2016, 05:18 AM
That's really pretty, TenEighty.

andrewdosborne
25-09-2016, 02:55 PM
Looks great Dedman nice job

Sent from my GT-I9506 using Tapatalk

wokkaboy
25-09-2016, 03:00 PM
great job Ten80 and Dedman, 2 very nice entries !
Looks like another tough month for judges !

andrewdosborne
25-09-2016, 03:20 PM
another stunner! It's shaping up to be hollow month
Yep agree what a lovely blue finish

Sent from my GT-I9506 using Tapatalk

Chuck
26-09-2016, 06:46 AM
Well I'm finally done so I figured I should toss my build into the mix - although the quality of the guitars already submitted is amazing!

This is my first Pitbull build and the overall experience has been really great - from the quality of the TL-1 kit supplied (thanks Adam!) through to the fantastic support the brain's trust here on the forum supplies. Thank you all.

Now my approach to this kind of thing was always to do more than just assemble a kit - I wanted to treat it as a canvas to work with a modify to suit what I wanted. The first step of reshaping the body into an offset style and adding some Strat-style contouring was reasonably straight forward as I'm okay with woodwork, but the painting and finishing was a completely new process for me. The body was finished with MTN94 rattle cans and clear acrylic, and the neck got an initial Feast Watson "old baltic" stain to give it a slightly aged feel followed by light tru-oiling (the step-by-step is in my build diary (http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=6159)). Everything else is straight from the kit. Once again, thanks to everyone for their help and advice.

14123 14124 14125 14126 14127

stan
26-09-2016, 08:14 AM
slick work Chuck, it looks great

wokkaboy
26-09-2016, 09:41 AM
very nice build Chuck well done, love the colour and the jag/tele hybrid shape, it's another excellent month of entries !

Fretworn
26-09-2016, 11:24 AM
Love it Chuck. A brilliant fulfilment of your vision.

andrewdosborne
26-09-2016, 11:46 AM
Great work Chuck

Sent from my GT-I9506 using Tapatalk

WeirdBits
26-09-2016, 12:05 PM
A unique build Chuck, excellent result.

Fuzzbeard
26-09-2016, 04:00 PM
That is some great work Chuck. I like it alot.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

Chuck
27-09-2016, 04:07 PM
Thanks for the kind words folks. I've learnt a lot that will be put into play on the next build - getting back to my bass roots with a JB-4M kit that's already at home with some interesting mods planned for it!

archiemax
28-09-2016, 03:41 AM
Some way cool axes here folks! Kudos to all!

pablopepper
30-09-2016, 02:44 PM
Might as well chuck in. Don't like my chances, but that's not the point is it? :D

http://i.imgur.com/mv6aiIy.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QnqRBnx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9E5tlhF.jpg

pablopepper
30-09-2016, 02:45 PM
http://i.imgur.com/kas85mG.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ItXgM6P.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TBDKmeJ.jpg

MMB-4

U-Beaut wood dye mix finished with Feast Watson satin wipe on poly. Neck is tru oiled.

Extras:
-Bone nut
-Gotoh 201B-4 bridge
-Abalone fret dots
-Belcat 2 band active eq preamp
-Switchcraft jack
-Schaller strap locks
-Fender string retainer
-Self made pickguard

Everything else stock parts. :)

stan
30-09-2016, 02:55 PM
glad to see it up Pabs, great bass

Brendan
30-09-2016, 05:58 PM
Last chance for new entries close midnight tonight (Western Australian Standard time).... Any more bids?

FredA
30-09-2016, 07:56 PM
Amazing bass Pabs!
Glad to see I'm not the only one using F&W wipe on poly too! 😀

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Brendan
01-10-2016, 09:56 PM
Okay - entries have now closed - I'll be getting to the judges shortly - BTW - we have thrown open the judging panel a little wider to include anyone with > 2000 posts to recognise the contribution that they have made to the BYOGuitar community.

Hopefully we'll have results within the next few days - watch this space!

Zandit75
06-10-2016, 04:19 PM
Any news yet guys?

Brendan
06-10-2016, 07:46 PM
So - the results are in...

Comments in submission order:

Archimax’s GR-1SF
Love the clean lines and colours of this guitar. The classic styling is beautiful and gives the whole guitar a good feeling.
Overall a very clean finish and nicely presented, good colour combination, hardware very clean and well fitted. Headstock seemed too light to the body.
Really well finished axe and love the mods. A really great effort for first build well done.
"Archie this GR1SF is one out of the box and superb for a noob builder.
Some great mods with the extra pup, custom pickguard, logo and wiring mods, lots of attention to detail.
The colour and finish is top notch and very classic, and fit and finish is great.
It certainly has wow factor and it looks like a guitar I'd love to play, well done."
Archimax has done a great job with the GR - I'm also partial to 3-pickup configs. The natural finish is a great choice for this model, and I especially like the cool headstock logo. The custom tortoise-shell pickguard finishes the whole look off nicely.

TenEighty’s ES-1G
Luscious deep blue - beautiful and elegant. I like the simple styling in the headstock and truss rod cover.
That blue stain jumps out and is so vibrant, one of the better blue builds I've seen, I'm sure everyone would want this axe in their collection great job!
Beautiful striking blue colour, stylish headstock colour scheme and design, nice contrast of gold hardware against blue finish. Finish looked pitted and not very smooth on body, black headstock paint has some marking, finish at neck to body joint appears chipped.
"TenEighty , looks like it's hollow body month and another great entry here.
The neck colour goes really well with this in your face blue, and I like it. Nice to see one not done cherry red for a change.
Some great mods and details with compensated nut, coil split wiring, and a cool headstock with binding and logo.
The neck joint looks fine aside from your gluing issues, so all good there.
It may be the pics but the final gloss looks a little imperfect, but I'm nit picking here, it wouldn't stop me from reaching for this one."
Wow, that blue really pops! What an amazing colour. A blue dye finish is one of the hardest to achieve well and you've achieved amazing results with this stunning 335. The nice gloss finish has added depth and I bet the chatoyance is there in spades. The headstock binding is a great finishing touch. Overall, an amazing looking axe.

Dedman’s ES-5v
A wonderful vintage vibe from Dedman on this superb ES-5. The burst is even with a good fade, and really suits the gold hardware. The brass inlay on the headstock is an amazing addition, and in conjunction with the tailpiece makes this axe look like an ultra-cool museum piece. All in all a superb build.
"Dedman you always come up with dark but cool themes and this is not exception.
Your heavy black burst works well with the green and the list of mods is impressive with Klusons, own inlay, abalone dots, push pull pots and brass nut. Great attention to detail as normal. Shame you didn't find two more TRC screws for the final pics.
Those ebony knobs seal the deal and go so well, a nice choice.
I bet it would be a really great Rockabilly axe."
Another stunning build from Dedman I've been following this build and it came out really nicely well done.
Very stylish guitar overall, really like the sunburst on the dark green body, but not sure on the Blue headstock colour against the deep green of the body.
I love the whole art deco style look here Dedman - the deep green is amazing…

Chuck’s TL-1
Love the hybrid shape and the light blue colour suits really well, great build Chuck.
"Chuck this is a great first PBG kit, and I love the way you have blended the TL1 with Jazzmaster styling. On paper it sounds weird , but in the pics it's first class.
The blue you have chosen goes oh so well, and it is very nicely finished.
I love the details of your cool logo and the added body contours.
You've done a great job using stock parts.
A great job of adding your own twist to a standard kit, you should be proud."
Very classy retro colour scheme, nice pickguard to main body contrast, nicely applied headstock logos, smooth clear gloss finish.
This is one stunning Tele from Chuck. The body modifications combine with the colour to give a really great retro/mustang/jazzmaster feel to the whole axe (as does the headstock shape), and I gotta say the overall result is just beautifull!
Lovely finish on this guitar - the overall outcome of offsetting the body is very effective.

PabloPepper’s MMB-4
Deluxe bass here - could see this being popular at a shop. The classic yellow / black combo is very effective.
Another super cool build Pablo, love the stain colour and the mods, this is a sexy looking bass great job.
"Pablopepper, you have created a classy bass of excellent quality.
A great list of mods including conversion to active, bone nut, some classy hardware choices, abalone dots ( a favourite this month it seems) and a cool pickguard that goes well.
Great colour and finish, love the satin, and your logo is very nice.
A solid, classy build, nice job, I bet it packs a punch."
Pabs has done a fantastic job with this MMB. The satin finish gives the whole bass great clean lines and the colour choice is spot on. The basswood grain has been popped beautifully - this is about as good as basswood can look! Simple, clean, and very effective. The natural neck provides a great contrast to the body, and the headstock mods really draw the eye. All in all an amazing job.
Well fitted hardware, good standard of workmanship overall with some nice extras, striking colour scheme, top of switch plate edge appears chipped, could be the photo based on the quality of the rest of the build.

And to the winner....

Congratulations Chuck on your custom TL-1. The overall effect of the customisations and stunning paint job has earned you the title of GOTM Builder for October 2016!

In case you missed it - here's one of the glamour shots:
http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=14123&d=1474843431

WeirdBits
06-10-2016, 08:14 PM
Congrats Chuck, deserving winner in a superb field of entrants. Well done all.

Dedman
06-10-2016, 08:19 PM
I knew Chuck would have this in the bag, great mods and really neatly done, Congrats Chuck!

*to the Judge that commented about the headstock on mine being blue? it's black ,thats a reflection of a clear Gold Coast blue sky :P

Brendan
06-10-2016, 08:44 PM
*to the Judge that commented about the headstock on mine being blue? it's black ,thats a reflection of a clear Gold Coast blue sky :P

We haven't had many of those in Perth lately - so we're kinda unused to them :).

BTW the standard of guitars is exceptionally high - great job to all - unfortunately we can only have one winner each month.

Dedman
06-10-2016, 08:53 PM
Every month it just gets better, I think this month is going to be a string of top notch Les Pauls

Marelton
07-10-2016, 04:12 AM
Well done Chuck, great job.

Zandit75
07-10-2016, 04:34 AM
Congratulations Chuck, great looking guitar!!


Every month it just gets better, I think this month is going to be a string of top notch Les Pauls

I'm not sure if mine is going to make it. The last top coat I put on mine is taking forever to cure, and it was a very thin coat. Having said that, the weather has been horrible down here.

vh2580
07-10-2016, 05:03 AM
Congrats Chuck, awesome build. Very high standard of builds this month.

andrewdosborne
07-10-2016, 05:21 AM
Another awesome round of builds and well done Chuck!

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

Chuck
07-10-2016, 05:23 AM
Thanks so much everyone - a great batch of guitars this month, as it seems to be every month! Props to all at Pitbull for supplying us with consistently good kits, and in particular to the forum here: it would have been genuinely impossible to make my guitar without your assistance and wise advice.

Chuck
07-10-2016, 06:50 AM
I just wanted to add a specific thank you to gavinturner on here. Gav's posts on here (and on his http://guitarkitbuilder.blogspot.com.au/ blog) around the painting/finishing process were invaluable - I followed his steps to the letter to get the finish I got. Thanks Gav!

pablopepper
07-10-2016, 07:17 AM
Congrats Chuck! And well done to the eagle eyed judge who picked my dinged control cover. lol

Fretworn
07-10-2016, 10:13 AM
Congrats Chuck!

wokkaboy
07-10-2016, 10:27 AM
congratulations Chuck great effort, I could barely split the 5 entries so well done to all other entrants the scores must have been tight

stan
07-10-2016, 01:08 PM
well done all, what a tough month, Chuck great job on a super axe

Andy40
07-10-2016, 01:35 PM
Well done chuck, nice tele. Also great stuff to the other guys too. it would have been hard judging that month! phew!

Fuzzbeard
07-10-2016, 02:22 PM
Nice one Chuck! So many great guitars must be so hard picking just one winner.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

FredA
07-10-2016, 05:53 PM
Well done Chuck and congrats to all entrants! Very nice guitars again!

MrMayhem75
07-10-2016, 06:56 PM
Great job by all! Love the Blue Hollow body!

gavinturner
10-10-2016, 07:30 PM
Congrats to all the entrants, a really tough month to judge. Chuck, I want that Tele!

cheers,
Gav.

nitroburner1000
13-10-2016, 09:07 PM
Congrats Chuck awesome build, (late reply to this thread, sorry),and to all entrants, love em all

zeromick
19-10-2016, 06:34 AM
Such an awesome build Chuck! i'd buy this in a heartbeat.... i'm getting a slight Reverend vibe from it, awesome job again.