PDA

View Full Version : December GOTM



Brendan
03-11-2019, 12:37 PM
December Guitar of the Month (for Guitars and Basses finished in November)

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

Please remember:

For Guitars or Basses finished on (or before) the end of November.

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 closes at the end of November (Perth Western Australian time).

The sorts of things we judge on include:
· How well have 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.

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

ozzbike
11-11-2019, 03:10 PM
This is a PBG Zebrawood Body precision base with a maple neck and maple fingerboard. A Black pearloid pickguard holds a set of Entwistle Pickups (Ceramic Bar). The volume and tone circuit is a repeat of my norm....split the P-Bass pickup and use a push pull volume pot. The Tone Pot is a Bourns mini pot. Orange Drop Capacitor gives tone and sound is moved out via a switchcraft jack socket. A Black Tusq nut and a complete black out hardware kit round out the fittings....the bridge has been swapped out for a Wilkinson Black Bridge I imported from the U.K.

The body is stained in an attempted burst with Feast Watson alcohol prooftint stain. The body is then sealed with a number of coats of Feast Watson Fine Buffing Oil.

The neck colour is Japan Brown FW stain and the neck is sealed with a couple of Tru Oil coats.

Both the neck and the body have a number of coats of both Gillys Cabinetmakers wax and then Gillys Carnauba Polish to finish.

I like the difference in the Entwistle pickups between ceramic bar (this one) and the Neodymium set I have in a two piece Ash Body P Bass. These ones have a brighter and rockier sound. The other ones are more Blues or Jazz focussed with lots of deep punch.

Learning note for me.....applying the Buffing Oil with steel wool as directed will suck out a lot of the stain. (The body has Golden Teak in the middle, Red Jarrah around that and then Brown Japan on the edges and around the front and back sides.)

The body is really light.....feels nice to hold and the whole thing plays really well.

ozzbike
11-11-2019, 03:11 PM
The paddle pop.

ozzbike
19-11-2019, 09:06 AM
Did some more. Full setup done now. Plays really well.

Sachin
20-11-2019, 01:40 PM
Hi all,

This is the first guitar I’ve ever built and been really glad with the results... special thanks to Sonic Mountain, FrankenWashie, DarkMark and FCD who kept me going and gave me solutions to problems I thought I’d never be able to fix. Really appreciate it.

Has a mahogany body with quilt maple top and maple neck, ebony fretboard, completed with a quilt maple headstock. In terms of staining the top, used keda guitar dyes in a three-layer procedure which really saw the veneer pop and also allowed we to achieve a colour transition effect between day and night. In the day, the guitar appears wine red and has lots of mood about it but at night under lights, which is the environment I usually perform/gig in, it is a translucent purple which almost glows... really happy with the result.

On the back and sides, I used black spray paint, then sprinkled purple and silver metal flake on it, then finished it off with SCA Acrylic Clear and McGuire’s Ultimate Compound/Polish. The metal flake sparkles beautifully under both sunlight and artificial light... don’t think the photos do it justice. Regarding the bolt-on neck, went with a two tone purple/black finish finished in tru-oil which I can understand why people really like the feel of. Has a bone nut and body outlined in triple white binding.

In terms of wiring, one volume, one tone, wired in both parallel and series, manipulated by a 3-way switch and push/pull tone pot, allowing me multiple tonal options. Includes a snake tailpiece, Gotoh tunomatic bridge, TESI LED killswitch (wired to light up as soon as I plug the cable in), Grover Rotomatic Locking Tuners, Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Pickups and Brass Truss Rod Cover.

Have since added a headstock decal with my signature, but can’t take revised photos as my mum’s said I can’t touch the guitar I’ll Yr 10 exams are done🙄🙄🙄. Ah well thanks to everyone who helped me out and really proud of the effort.

32771

32772

32773

32774

32775

Sachin
20-11-2019, 01:41 PM
32776

32777

32778

wazkelly
23-11-2019, 06:01 PM
Top effort Sachin.

Best wishes for your Year 10 exams.

When you find the time suggest removing thin plastic film from rear control cover. Rear output socket ended up very close to end strap button and hope it doesn't get in the way? On both of my EX's they were closer to lower edge of that wing.

Cheers, Waz

Sachin
24-11-2019, 04:49 PM
Thanks Waz. Plastic is removed now. Also, I ended up with the strap button there after a couple of drills and it sat the best on my shoulders, more balanced. But I looked at your build and it does seem a bit easier to run the cable through the strap on yours if required. Perhaps a point for future reference.

ozzbike
25-11-2019, 04:16 AM
Man that is some nice work.

I really like the effects you got with the quilt and paint colours.

Wicked bridge and truss rod cover.

I wish you well with exams.

Hardcoretroubadour
25-11-2019, 12:57 PM
Nick work, love a good explorer. How do the 'pearly gates'sound? I was keen to upgrade my humbuckers at some stage with these.

Sachin
25-11-2019, 02:09 PM
Thanks for the complements guys. In regard to the Pearly Gates, love the neck humbucker.... it just sings. I’m less satisfied with the bridge humbucker, which almost sounds thin and with a lack of definition on the bass strings. It’s great for Texan/blues rock, nothing beats it, but it seems like a one-trick pony. With more gain and distortion, it sounds a bit shrill with lots of high end, but that might be due to the Alnico 2 magnet. I’m about to swap that for an A8, so let’s see how that goes. But by all means, a great set... the bridge not for me though... maybe better in a les Paul.

Hardcoretroubadour
25-11-2019, 04:47 PM
Thinking about a set for a LP scratch build somewhere in the very distant future.

TZK321
25-11-2019, 09:23 PM
Here's my first entry in this monthly contest.

It's a Telecaster Thinline style with a quilted maple top that's been routed for the hybrid pick guard.

Upgrades include:
-quilted maple headstock
-ebony fingerboard
-Tonerider Hot Classics pickups
-upgraded pots
-D'addario tuners
-Schaller style strap locks
-Fender truss rod plug

Future upgrades/mods:
I'll be removing the chrome cover on the neck pickup and replacing the plastic nut with a bone nut in the near future.

Black grain filler was used on the back and sides. It was then placed in an ammonia fume box for ~5 days. The whole guitar was finished with Tru-Oil. The back and sides were then rubbed with steel wool to give draw more attention to the front. T

This was the first and last time that I'm using Tru-Oil. The next guitar will be polyurethane. T-O changed the color of the maple on the body (but not the headstock) from tan to gold. IMHO this is much more than a "yellowing effect". If I'd known it was going to do this I never would've used it.

Anyway, I hope you like it.
A big thank you to Simon for your help.
And thanks to Pitbull for the great kit and for providing this message board.

wazkelly
26-11-2019, 10:00 AM
Looks great.

TO will usually go a darker shade over relatively short period of time. On one of my builds done on natural basswood, which is fairly similar to natural maple, it has more of a light golden honey look almost 2 years later. All part of the accelerated antique look you get when using TO.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

Hardcoretroubadour
29-11-2019, 04:19 PM
Well, been a long time this build, but it is finally time to call this one done!
May I introduce 'BLAM!' this EX-1 was adopted from Tony here on the forum over a year and half ago, and my plan was always to do a different EX build to my EX -4 bass. I was going though the process of clearing out the comics from my teenage years and decided to do a collage of some of my favourites. I decided the best way was to pour an epoxy top over the collage and use a binding as a dam for the edges. Routing the edge to glue the binding on was quite a nerve racking experience, but it all went off without a hitch. Along the way, the cut out collage idea, changed into a scanned computer image collage. Someone here suggested using GIMP to edit and crop the images and after a long learning process for a Luddite like me , I finally got the hang of it and was really happy with the result. There were many stuff ups with this build, the initial image was printed on paper and then sealed and the epoxy poured over the top. The result was so-so, the image had lost some definition when the epoxy was poured on and I kept holding off installing hardware, so I guess I was just procrastinating from stripping it all off and starting again. Eventually I took a teaspoon of cement and chiselled off the top and started again. This time following some advice from the resident design guru Sonic Mountain, I got the image printed on UV stabilised vinyl and this time it worked a treat. The neck provided its own issues, I wanted to use bullet shell casings as fret markers, so I got some from some mates that shoot, and went about drilling out the fret markers. The issue with leaving the frets in-situ, is the scalloping out caused when sanding the epoxy flat. I then tried to remedy it by removing the fretboard and frets and re-drilling and sanding the board flat. Disaster struck while drilling out the holes with the drill bit grabbing and shattering the fret board. Adam came to the rescue with a blank piece of ebony, that I was then able to make into the fretboard you see in the finished product. Few other custom mods along the way, with custom "Punisher" skull truss rod cover, .50 cal volume and tone knobs and .44 Magnum pickup selector. On the electronics side I have used Bourne 500k push /pull pots for the split coils, orange drop capacitor, treble bleed, Switchcraft 3 -way switch and recessed Jack socket. I also went with Artist guitars neck and bridge Bullbuckers. The rear of the guitar body was done initially with fountain pen ink, which worked pretty well, but when I needed to re-sand the back I used the Keta wood dyes that were fantastic. I body and neck were finished with about one million layers of Wipe-on Poly and then polished to 12000 grit using foam pads and finished with Meguiars polish. For those interested, I used Barnes Epoxyglass clear, a 2 part pouring epoxy. Initial noises from the guitar are promising, needs a bit more work on setup, but I will see how it settles in over the next few weeks.

Hardcoretroubadour
29-11-2019, 04:21 PM
Few more glory shots

Sachin
29-11-2019, 05:27 PM
You just made Brendan’s job a hell of a lot easier!!!

FrankenWashie
29-11-2019, 05:33 PM
Holey sheet! That’s mental in all it’s glory! Nice job HCT!

Brendan
01-12-2019, 08:40 PM
Comp closed. Will get the new one up and running shortly.

RocknRolf
02-12-2019, 04:07 PM
@Hardcoretroubadour,.... That thing is awesome in all its detail! Great job, love it!

Jbuller7
02-12-2019, 04:26 PM
WOW, love the fret markers. Great idea

Sonic Mountain
02-12-2019, 04:33 PM
Looks amazing. (I'd like to see it against a plain background as its a bit 'camo' in those shots)

You should be really proud HCT, deviating from the kit always presents challenges, pushing through to the finished product is no mean feat once you get into uncharted territory.

Can't wait for the next one :)

Brendan
07-12-2019, 11:03 AM
And over to the comments!

Ozzbike's PBZ-4 -

Excellent, subtle finish on the Zebra body and the neck looks slick. Really interesting looking Bass, unlike anything I’ve seen.
I love the look of the Zebrawood body. The black pearloid pick guard is a great touch. Upgraded electronics and bridge ... what's not to like about this bass.
I really like the overall look of this, particularly with the unusual neck treatment. The top looks great with the zebra grain combined with the black pearloid and pale fretboard. Great choices of colours and finish. Nice headstock and a good selection of hardware and electronics upgrades. Oddly, the back feels a little plain compared to the top, not sure why. Really, really nice bass.
The Paddle Pop looks great but not quite sold on the scratch plate or two-tone effect on back of neck. Lots of nice and tasty mods & upgrades too. You have really perfected the buffing oil finish.
Great to see one of these done. Grain is amazing and the finish highlights it. So much to like! Only thing that doesn’t gel for me is the pickguard / knobs.

Sachin's EXM-1 -

Wow! What a beast! Love it! That Tailpiece is awesome. Congratulations on a one-of-a-kind build that I’m sure would be snapped up if found in a Music store.
This instrument is just stunning, from the beautiful finish to the snake tail piece and cross markers. A fantastic first build.
Wow purple, black and flame always looks great and this is no exception. Cool tailpiece, bulky and over the top, but damn cool. The finish looks good and the flake works well on the back. I like that the chrome pickup covers provide a lighter contrast to the dark theme. Nice hardware and electronics, and fantastic overall look. Excellent work for a first build. Well done.
Top effort for a young first timer. Colour suits the shape as does the Snake Tail Stop and metallic truss rod cover. Some sweet mods & upgrades too.
Awesome – overall effect is amazing. Colours work well together and the finish is well done. Awesome first!

Tommygun's TL-1TH -

What a great build, the Black hardware works perfectly. Great colour choice for the body and well executed. Would definitely steal.
Lots of upgrades on this thinline. I really like the black grainfill use for contrast. A solid build.
As much as you disliked the TO's effect, I really like the look of the 'gold' top with the hardware and ebony fretboard. Admittedly, a more tan colour as you were aiming for would have worked better with what you achieved on the back. Interesting headstock shape that looks good with the hardware. Nice upgrades, classy build.
Nice and simple overall colour scheme that looks good and works well. Some serious upgrades included too and would love to hear what it sounds like.
Looks great – colours work well together – headstock suits and the overall effect is classic! Love the looks of this guitar!

Hardcoretroubadour's EX-1 -

Blam!! You had me with The Punisher. This is really fine work, you should be incredibly proud of this build.
Wow. Just, wow. Incredible work on the top. Love the ammo cartridge fret markers and knobs. Name on the headstock ties it all together.
A huge amount of work in achieving this result, I just wish we had some pics with a plain background to better appreciate it. It really does blend in. Headstock looks great with the graphics and the shell fret markers are awesome. A true labour of love to get the body graphics just the way you wanted it and the result is definitely worth it. The burst on the back could have a little smoother transition, but that can often be distorted/exacerbated in photos. Fantastic result.
This is amazing considering all the set-backs and how much work has gone into reaching the finish line. Comic book collage may not suit everyone’s tastes (mine included) but overall theme works well. Particularly love the gun shell touches and truss rod cover that Dedman would be proud of. Also kitted out with some cool mods & upgrades.
Amazing outcome – love the Marvel theme! Finish has been done nicely and the overall effect is stunning… Great job!

Brendan
07-12-2019, 11:06 AM
And the runner up:
Great work Sachin your EXM-1 is amazing and the panel loved it.
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=32772&d=1573307524

But the honours to the winner!
Who can go past the Marvel styling of Hardcoretroubadour's EX-1! Great work!
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=32859&stc=1&d=1575018940

Andy40
07-12-2019, 01:01 PM
Well done guys, all great entries this month

DarkMark
07-12-2019, 03:23 PM
Nice guitar’s everybody! Hardcoretroubadour’s themed guitar is great fun and well executed, congratulations! I particularly like the finish Sachin’s achieved with his guitar, top shelf!

wazkelly
08-12-2019, 11:05 AM
Congrats to all entrants and particularly Hardcore & Sachin for building a couple of amazing Explorers.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

Fretworn
08-12-2019, 11:33 AM
Congratulations.

blinddrew
09-12-2019, 02:47 AM
Great work everyone. Some amazing work there.

Hardcoretroubadour
09-12-2019, 03:02 AM
Thanks guys, definitely wouldn't have worked out this well if not for all the assistance and advice of the forum members. Congrats to Ozzbike, Sachin and Tommygun for their awesome builds, especially Sachin, for a teenager to turn out a quality build like that in a first effort is something else. Can't wait to see your next one.

TZK321
09-12-2019, 07:11 AM
Hardcore, would you please take a few more photos with a plain background so the guitar stands out more?

TZK321
09-12-2019, 07:36 AM
And over to the comments!


Tommygun's TL-1TH -

What a great build, the Black hardware works perfectly. Great colour choice for the body and well executed. Would definitely steal.......
!

Thanks very much for the feedback. My goal was to make a classy guitar and it's nice to know that's been achieved. Since finishing the build I've been playing it every day. I love the sound! It's so different from my Gibson SG, which again was what I wanted. I'm taking a course in January to learn how to do a proper set-up, which it needs desperately. After that I'll see about making a video for all to hear.

Hardcoretroubadour
09-12-2019, 08:45 AM
I'll try to get some shots tomorrow