August GOTM

[Brendan]

August GOTM

Guitar of the month Comp time again! While for this there are no fortunes (just fame - or at least within the BYOGuitar fraternity) there's an opportunity for fame for the best guitar completed in July 2017.

August Guitar of the Month (for Guitars and Basses finished in July 2017)

Enter your finished guitar or bass here to be judged for the Pit Bull Guitars August 2017 Guitar of the Month.

Please remember:

For Guitars or Basses finished on (or before) 31 July 2017

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 brendan (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. Also while there are some stunning guitars around - you never know what the judges are looking for, so we encourage anyone who's built a Pitbull during the month to enter!

Competition for August closes 31 July 2017.

The sorts of things we judge on include:
· How well has the body and neck been prepared
· Is the choice of finish for the style of guitar appropriate
· How well has the finish been applied
· How well has all the hardware, pickups, etc, been installed
· Does it have the "Wow Factor"
· Which guitar would you make a beeline for in a guitar shop. That is, which one would you most like to take home.

I'm a personal fan of demos - no matter how simple - everyone likes to hear how an axe has turned out!

Also worth thinking - we've got a range of judges and who knows what they'll like (or not), so don't be afraid to enter your guitar - no matter whether you think it's good enough to win or not - on the day, you may get a couple to swing your way!

BTW - remember that the winner is invited to be a guest judge the following month!

[Brendan]

First entries - apologies to Yorev and Isaac - with my PC down, I missed emails from them both with entries from last month, so I'll kick this month off with them.

Yorev's MK-2
In his own words:
Started as an MK-2, but I had a midcentury aesthetic in mind - I love old neon signs and architecture from that period - solid yellow color, chrome accents (pickup cover at the bridge found on ebay), arrowhead on the headstock, and carefully replicated lettering and stars from an old "Satellite Motel" sign I stumbled across in a forgotten beach town. I had several potential colors in mind, but I picked the yellow as it fit the aesthetic and it just so happens that its the one color of guitar I've never owned, outside of pink. (I actually considered pink for novelty, but it didn't match the theme)

Finish is a synthetic lacquer I tried that was actually pretty easy to work with, though a bit pricey. One surprise was the clearcoat actually containing a small amount of pearl flakes - the resulting light sparkle isnt very prominent, thankfully, but it is visible at times when the guitar is moved against directed light. One surprise was that its quite visible at the sides of the fretboard against the dark rosewood, so I joke that I have "sparkle frets".

Headstock design came about because I really wanted to use that old sign lettering but knew I couldnt paint it. So instead I printed the design on adhesive vinyl, carefully applied it and then clearcoated over it. The sparkle from the clearcoat is fairly obvious there, though in the photo here it kind of looks like dust (grr).

Only kit part I didnt use was the bridge pickup cover, I found a chrome one on Ebay and it matches the hardware and minihum very nicely. And I put straplocks on instead of the included strap buttons, but thats a really minor difference no one would spot.

Final result is a nice vintage low-gain tone, surprisingly bassy at the neck pickup and clear at the bridge. I'm not ruling out the possibility of putting a louder bridge pickup in, but I wont be doing that for another few months at least, if at all.

[Brendan]

And some more photos...

[Brendan]

And the last one:

[Brendan]

Isaac has also entered - looks like an LP-1!

In his email he says:

Hi!
I just put together my first Pitbull kit.
It's a Les Paul Jr modded like a Sonex with Grover tuners and Iron Gear pickups.
Turned out really nice!

Thank you for a great kit!

[andrewdosborne]

Off to a flying start nice work!

[wokkaboy]

Two cool entries to start the month.
Bman, Isaac's entry is a modified LP junior. Very cool mods

[JB RETRO]

I love the LP Jr. Darth Vader could jamb with this

[Rev]

I put Irongear pickups in a lot of guitars in the past. Good choice!

[stan]

Both of these are really sweet

[FrankenWashie]

I love the LP Jr. Darth Vader could jamb with this

Either him, or Dedman! 😜

[wokkaboy]

Hey Franky not enough skulls on the black LP Jr for Dedman to play it haha

[Dedman]

OK, I give up, gonna cover something with skulls now LOL

20460

[FrankenWashie]

OK, I give up, gonna cover something with skulls now LOL

20460

Oh that's a frightening concidence. I spent some time this weekend past doodling ideas for a JM with a similar motif. Rear rout cavity, black metal puprings and an ebony fretboard with dark MOP random angle fret markers.

[Fretworn]

Isaac stole my idea, but it's good to see what I had in my brain works so well.

[Zukklab]

Thank you for the feedback!
Like I said mine is a LP Jr kit, rerouted and fitted with a WD-music Sonex style pickguard.
I put Ernie Ball Skinny top heavy bottoms on it so it is nice and chunky.
I actually reshaped the headstock after I submitted these pictures, I will try to update the pictures.

[Morningmusic]

Hey everyone just finished a new build tele. Started off with a black stain washed on and lightly sanded then proceeded to put several coats of a darkened red stain. Headstock stained black and signed, (for the grandchildren) got to leave some kind of legacy. Pickguard is a custom maple veneer laminate, 4 pieces glued together then cut to fit also stained black. The nut is custom cut from cow bone and shaped, pickups are upgraded to Benson Custom pickups and the machine heads are Grover mini locking. Lots and lots of coats of clear coat, sanded and buffed. Bridge and electrical hardware stock. After a tedious setup it sounds amazing.

Morningmusic

[FrankenWashie]

Absolute ripper! Love the look MM.

[JB RETRO]

Really beautiful. Put it in guitar of the month

[wokkaboy]

Sensational looking Tele MM. was this a TL-1Q kit? Would love a sound demo of the Benson pickups

[pablopepper]

Fantastic looking instrument there. Straight to GOTM!!!

[Fretworn]

Great job Morningmusic!. Enter it in Guitar of the Month.

[Kick]

I love that stain!

[wazkelly]

Top effort and love the colour.

[Morningmusic]

Thanks for the enthusiasm, it's got a little heart and soul in it. New at this site, how do you get it on GOTM?

[Morningmusic]

Yes TL-IQ. Had minor defects on the maple but blended it in pretty good.

[OldLummox]

Here we go! This is my FS-1 "Starcaster" tribute. I hope you enjoy. 20846208472084820849

[ozzbike]

Wow Lummox....very nice work. I love the headstock.

[Jed51]

Looks like some serious competition for this month but here's my submission:
20938
20939 20940
20941 20942

Jazz bass with ash body and maple fretboard.
Body is finished with a Feast Watson mahogany stain and 3 coats of wipe-on poly.
Neck is finished with natural Dingotone, and Dingowax on the fretboard.

The only non-standard from the kit is a bone nut upgrade and I replaced the strap buttons with the lockable option.

[wokkaboy]

2 very cool entries Lummox and Jed51.
Others there is still plenty of time to enter this month. Trust me it won't get any easier holding off till the next month !

[Jed51]

I think there might also be a stray entry in the July GOTM that got submitted after judging closed. The entry is from morningmusic.

[wokkaboy]

the first two entries were emailed to Brendan during July but he had PC or internet issues and didn't see them till July closed so they were entered in this August GOTM

[Slats187]

Hey Guys, here are a few photos of an LP1 kit that my son and I had a go at making together, he's the guitar player, i just sit back and watch him play, wishing I could! Its our first go at making anything like this and we are pretty stoked with the way it turned out! We started by aligning and gluing the neck follwed by sanding and staining the body with Coolangatta gold DingoTone. Next we sanded and primed the rear before adding a custom copper mix I made using the colour code off of an old Yamaha motorcycle tank. I then cleared the body with Automotive 2-pac clear and wet cut and polished it to get the finish we wanted. We have since added some Slash signature Seymour Duncan Zebra pickups, and Ive got to say it sounds amazing! Such a blast making it, wont be the last. 2099420995209962099720998

[Slats187]

20999210002100121002

[Dedman]

I like your choice of back colour, very different.

[wokkaboy]

love the Slash LP Slats, the paint and clear coat look professional. Love the copper bronze and gold top. You should have spent the time to shape the headstock is the only negative thing

[Slats187]

love the Slash LP Slats, the paint and clear coat look professional. Love the copper bronze and gold top. You should have spent the time to shape the headstock is the only negative thing

Thanks for the feedback, yeah it was a bit of a learning curve, looking back I should have shaped the head beforehand, just had a bit of a think about it and I might shape it a bit better yet. Still have a bit of paint left over and I can blend the clear back into it, so I will be able to hide the mods.

[wokkaboy]

good idea Slats, you will score more points for shaping the headstock and re-enter it. Also a bell shaped truss rod cover will make it look better.

[Slats187]

good idea Slats, you will score more points for shaping the headstock and re-enter it. Also a bell shaped truss rod cover will make it look better.

Truss rod cover is in its way.

[JamesH]

Natural Tru-Oil Finish

Gotoh Machine Heads

P-94 Alnico Pick Ups

[wazkelly]

The Swampcaster

Body, neck and some components were offered up as a give away by Tony aka VH2580 late last year. Initially I was going to use up all my old spare parts to complete the build but was short a set of tuners and ended up being gifted a set from both Andy40 & Dedman with the spare set re-gifted on to Alkay for a build he was working on. Gotta love this forum community.

As the build progressed and few extra coins became available invested in a bone nut, metallic fret board stickers, skinny metallic neck PUP mounting ring, Real Parts 6 saddle bridge, Oak Grigsby 4 way switch, and a pair of Tonerider Vintage Classics. Already had some spare Bourns 250k pots, treble bleed and an Orange drop cap.

Finished in a custom Chemical Wash with inspiration drawn from Kenfu's LP where he used the same process. If not for an accidental face plant of the body 10 weeks ago it would have consumed a mere 20 - 25 coats of TO. Lost count how many more coats and final estimate is well past 40.

2128721288212892129021291

http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=6792&page=16

[wazkelly]

And a few more.....
212922129321294

[Chuck]

Wow. That finish is incredible - it looks so "wet" I half expect to see drops on the floor beneath it!!! Outstanding job.

[Brendan]

Last bids for entries this month! Couple of hours to get entries in...

[JB RETRO]

Very nice Waz. Are you sure you let the coats dry,it still looks wet!

[Simon Barden]

Very nice Waz. Are you sure you let the coats dry,it still looks wet!
Well it is a Swampcaster

[Sonic Mountain]

Really like the surround on the neck pick up. My first PB kit hasn't even arrived and I'm already thinking about a second tele based one.

Maybe this was silly to get into before finishing all my other projects.

[wazkelly]

With possibly 40 or more coats of TO spread all over it does have that glassy look, almost wet as some of you have mentioned. Some of the sunrise shots looked good but had other background things in the reflection and ended up picking the one above so you could see some of the timber colour.

@ Sonic Mountain - I reckon this may have been an old kit or special order as the neck PUP rout was skinny, how a Tele should be when compared to the standard ones that look like they would take a humbucker or maybe a P90.

@ Simon - I was in a rush to get photos done before work and really wanted to get some shots around the lake at a nearby park 1 km from where I live. Would have been great as there was a bit of fog about at that time of day too. Pity that work gets in the way of having fun.

[JB RETRO]

Which one are you going to enter. They both look great

[Fretworn]

KLegacy, unfortunately August is now closed. You will need to pick one of the guitars and enter it in September. There is nothing stopping you entering the other one in October once that opens.

(Brendan, you might need to start putting the closing date in the thread title)

[klegacy]

Entered in the September thread now :) .. will put my grey one in for October perhaps.

[Brendan]

So to the comments...
1. Yorev's MK-2
I love the midcentury aesthetic Yorev has achieved, that headstock decal is super cool. It really quite suits the MK-2. Its a shame we cant see the pearl flakes in the photo. That chrome cover on the bridge single coil is a fantastic feature.
The headstock decal instantly gives you that 50/60's motel vibe, which is further reinforced by the great choice of colour. It really has that frozen in time, retro vibe. I'm not normally a fan of this style kit, but I really like this one. Finish looks good, and the chrome bridge pup adds that little bit extra. The only slight niggle is the bridge is sitting a little higher than I like to see. Overall, very nice.
Good to see a different colour than white. Well finished and a nice touch to the headstock logo. An axe to be proud of, well done.
I always enjoy seeing MK-2s done in something other than dirty white. So, I dig on the colour choice. The headstock logo is fantastic. Very original. Well put together and finished.
Really good solid finish. Love the headstock.

2. Isaac's JRM-1
Great JRM-1. Original re-shaping of the headstock is great. The zebra hummys set the scene on the all black satin look. nice.
Not your average Jnr. Heavily modded for a very unique and classy result. The satin black works nicely, but looks a touch uneven in some of the photos (grain lines perhaps). The headstock shape surprising really suits it and has won me over. Looks like it would roar. Be nice to have some more information about it.
Love the mods, upgrades and custom pickguard, this is really classy build and looks ready to gig!
Love this one. You've taken this kit and made it your own. Excellent, well thought out mods. I would like to see this available as a kit. Superb work
Love this. I plan to steal this idea. I always feel curvy guitars need curvy headstocks though.

3. MorningMusic's TL-1Q
Look at that beautiful quilt! Love the deep red, black and cream binding. We all know how difficult working with veneers are, so bravo MM. hats off to the original re-shaping of the headstock.
Beautiful looking Tele with a the awesome flamy wave in the top. The headstock shape leaves me a little cold, but that's my bias towards the traditional Tele curves. THe headstock face and decal/signature looks great. The black scratchplate is almost too much, but I'm not sure any other colour would work better. I guess I just want to see more flame. The custom nut could be filed down a bit more so the string slots don't sit so deep to allow the strings to slide through easier. Very nice Tele.
Really like the finish on this axe the quilt looks very nice with the flat gloss finish. Would have like to see a more interesting shape on the headstock is the only negative.
Red and black, classic colour combo. I would have liked to see some better pictures of the laminated timber pickguard. Fantastic gloss.
Lovely glassy, quilty goodness.

4. OldLummox's FS-1
What a special tribute. I'm not sure about the pickguard (each to their own) but that headstock is killer man! I'd be proud, not that easy at all. Natural finish with those vintage tuners.
I've never been a fan of Starcasters, but this one is indeed full of stars... and I like it. The star inlay and custom pickguard should be over the top, but isn't (strangely). It works. Nice natural finish that works well with the shape and additions. I really like it, for a Starcaster.
Very cool headstock inlays and matching pickguard. Pity you couldn't tell us a bit more about the build. Not sure the pickguard goes with the natural finish.
An extremely good looking instrument. The inlays are beautiful. A bit more of a description would have been nice. What is the pickguard made from?
This guitar is magical. The headstock especially is brilliant. Would be perfect if the pickguard was the same dark wood as the headstock highlights.

5. Jed51's JBA-4M
Simple, deep mahogany stain with grain pop. The DT natural on the neck looks smooth as silk. This Bass is dead set yummy. I love it. I would buy it.
Simple, classic, but it really works nicely. The body colour with white pickguard and maple fretboard just works so well together, I love it. The bone nut tops it off nicely. Anyone would be happy to have this in their rack.
Love the colour of this JB and a nice finish. Tuners could be a little straighter and a headstock logo to tell everyone you built it.
Oh man, I want it! Super classy bass. Perfect subtle dark red colouring. Fit and finish is very impressive. Tuck those string ends into the tuners and this one is perfect.
A beautiful bass. The headstock looks a bit bare without your name though

6. Slats187's LP-1
Slash tribute. That DT CG has absolutely worked a treat on that flamed maple, it looks awesome. Copper back ....very different. I would like to have seen a bit of headstock shaping...but why not be different. Shiny as
The Coolangatta Gold just looks awesome on that top, beautiful. I love the coppery-mahogany back, but not sure it works as well with the top. Nice, but perhaps not quite dark enough for the top. The unshaped headstock detracts, but any father-son project is a great thing. Zebras and cream rings finish it off nicely.
Love the colour combo, finish and headstock logo. Marks off for not re-entering with a shaped headstock and bell shaped truss rod cover as I suggested.
Great tribute axe! Spot on colour. Off the wall but inspired choice for the back and neck. Would have liked to see the headstock shaped, but otherwise, beautiful.
Made me think of the legendary Green/Moore/Hammett Les Paul (need to turn the neck pickup back to front though). Could have scored higher if you had shaped the headstock.

7. JamesH's SF-1
Holy smoke. There's a reason this kit is so popular, when people build this kit as good as this, it even makes me want to get one.....some day. The natural finish really suits this guitar and Tru-oil is a bit of a work of art. beautiful.
Just a beautiful, natural looking GR. Love it. Nice choice of pickups and would love to have some more info about the build. Clean, classic, gorgeous. Tru-Oil really is the business on this. Very, very, nice.
Nice job on the natural finish. No headstock logo and I think the knobs don't suit this model.
No bells and whistles needed to make this one stand out. Super pretty, straight forward build. Very nice.
Two switches on the upper bout, as it should be. Looks like a Setzer-approved rockabilly machine.

8. Wazkelly's TLA-1
What can i say Waz. I love this Tele. your experimentation with teas and all sorts of ways to swamp this thing up really paid off.There are so many good points to this guitar I'm only going to point out my faves, no pickguard/chrome pick up cover - looks stunning. Stained maple fret board - love it. Chrome hardware over the sea of swampiness - great. I wasn't a fan of the barbed wire on the fretboard, but as long as you like it Waz, its great!
Nicely rounded curves, a deep glass-like finish, and taseful upgrades - what's not to love. The finish really is something you can dive into... I guess it pays to drop it after all. Not sold on the barbedwire fretboard stickers, but not out of place on this build. The headstock shape, the finish and decals all work nicely. And, frankly, you had me at 4-way. Excellent.
Nice finish Waz and 40 coats of TO makes my stomach turns just thinking how much time that took. Fingerboard logo looks sweet and nice upgrades, a very admirable tele build, well done
Ooh shiny! The barbed wire fretboard ain't really to my liking, but everything else hits the mark. Well put together. Lovely.
"Swampcaster", more like a crystal clear mountain stream. You could almost swimin that top. The barbed wire detracts for me, but otherwise a perfect guitar.

[Brendan]

And the runner up/s (dead heat!)

JamesH's GR1-SF http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=21285&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1501498964

and Jed51's JBA-4M http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=20938&d=1500274312&thumb=1

but to the winner goes the spoils (or really the love) -
So Waz - take a bow! Your Swampcaster top scored this month!
http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=21287&d=1501499595&thumb=1

[andrewdosborne]

Congrats Waz on a superb Tele win, to the runner ups and all other entrants. Another great round of GOTM


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FrankenWashie]

Well done WazKelly, this one had been a problem child for you but you pulled it through to a stunning finish. Well done t all the entries this month, some fantastic work all round.

[Fretworn]

Congratulations to everyone!

[JB RETRO]

The Tele takes it, gloss is boss, this time round. Well done Waz awsome finish. Well done everyone else

[Jed51]

Thanks for all the great comments. I feel very honored in being awarded a runner-up in this company. The finish on WazKelly's Swampcaster is absolutely brilliant - I'm not sure I would have the patience to go through that process so I have nothing but admiration for you - congratulations on a very worthy GOTM.

On to the next build ......

[wokkaboy]

Congratulations Waz and runner ups. Another tough month to judge. Well done all entrants

[Dedman]

glad I wasn't judging this month, what a great line up. Congrats to Waz and also the two runners up.

[vh2580]

Congrats Waz, great build. Congrats to runners up and other entrants

[stan]

So many great entries - all should be proud of their efforts, well done Waz on the winning entry this month

[wazkelly]

Thanks guys, I am truly humbled by all your comments as the standard of entries is always getting higher and higher each month.

Congrats to runners-up and top effort from all entrants.

Cheers, Waz

[Brendan]

Couple of more comments - my bad I didn't check all the results before posting and one of the judges reminded me. I have checked the scores and no change to the winner! My apologies to the judge!

1. Mk2
Nice work getting the headstock shape right, and cool retro graphic. The color combo works well and nice matching the bridge pickup cover.
Fit and finish look great - a nice nostalgic axe.

2. LP1.
It's a LP, it's a Tele Deluxe, it's both, it's awesome. Cool simple concept that is eye catching and different. It's charm is in it's simplicity and it looks great. Nice work with the satin black , which is hard to get right. You just need to put your name or logo on it - be proud, 'cause it's cool

3. Tele
Great work in giving this a spectacular finish. This is a very eye catching Tele, really slick and looks amazing. Love the headstock treatment and the deep red looks really nice. Red and black work well together. Some great upgrades make this a killer setup - well done

4. FS1
A great Starcaster here, nice to see one. Awesome headstock work, it looks amazing. A beautiful natural look that keeps this looking classic and cool

5. JBA4
A lovely bass that looks classy and shows what can be done with pretty much a standard kit. Nice bone nut upgrade. Put a logo or name on it, because you deserve to show of a cool bass.

6. LP1 Slash tribute.
Amazing finish and quality job, and cool to get your son in on it. Love him or not, Slash has been a big influence with these guitars and this is a great tribute style job. The copper looks amazing and the Zebra pickups just seal the deal. A bit of headstock shaping maty have added something, but some like the square look - but it doesn't detract from a great build - enjoy guys, it's a ripper

7. Gretsch hollow style
A classic look that will never date, it looks great. Fit and finish look great and the P94s should give it a kick. Like some of the others - do a name or logo and really own it, nice job

8. Swampcaster.
Lots of details on this beast and all very cool. looks like it was indeed plucked from the swamp and glossed. Nearly everything is upgraded, and really nice to see the forum input on the parts gathering - a proper community guitar and you've done them proud. Lots of finish work and excellent headstock, a really fun and impressive build

[dave.king1]

Congrats Waz, simply stunning work on what is probably the simplest platform

[Kick]

Well deserved Waz :)

[nitroburner1000]

Waz a great build, awesome finish...drool, drool, and huge congrats to all the runnerups...

[OldLummox]

Good morning All;
My apologies for the delayed response. I stuck my thumb in my wormdrive circular saw a month ago, ouch.22493

First, Thanks for all the wonderful comments. Second, sorry for the lack of info in my post, first time.
The FS1- Hand carved (only power tools I use, 2 cordless drills) headstock rabit and rosewood step, steamed and bent (still broke), hand cut rosewood and pearloid star inlays, 1970's bone nut, GFS vintage fender style offset pup's, custom epoxy resin painted pick guard, body and neck sanded to 2000 grit, 12 coats hand wiped gloss poly, low action with 13's for strings, amazing player and sound.
Competition is STEEP here, I'll be stepping up my game after I'm employed again and order more!
I have built kits from a few other places, Pit Bull by far is the front runner hands down.
Thanks!

[Fretworn]

Ouch! That's a nasty piece of work you've done to your thumb.

[Kick]

Ouch..... That must hurt man!

[OldLummox]

Yes it is! Very unpleasant and inconvenient! But, healing quickly.

[OldLummox]

Very painful and very sensitive. It's healing well and quickly.