Too strange to resist- DES-7 build diary
Hello all. I just completed my first kit build a few days ago, thought I would share the progress/journey with you fine folks here.
Pitbull DES-7 kit
Completed gallery- https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ad.php?t=11586
I have dubbed it the ES-777
7 string, 27" scale, my 7th guitar, completed on 7/7/21...a lot of 7s here. And I can't say no to a Danzig reference.
I'm not (or I wasn't before now) a 7-string guy by any means. Played perhaps a couple of them over the years. Build a 7-string long-scale semi-hollow/ES was too strange for me to resist. I've wanted to build, kit or otherwise, for a while and this one called to me for the first.
Unboxing day with my helper (neck is not attached, just placed in for a photo)
https://i.ibb.co/7nRg4NN/IMG-8852.jpg
Whole lot of sanding needed on that body, but it had potential
https://i.ibb.co/XxCQSbF/IMG-8851.jpg https://i.ibb.co/gtm5gVY/IMG-0725.jpg
Dry fitted the tuners for a pic. Still have the paddle here.
https://i.ibb.co/FgD820W/IMG-8879.jpg
Opted for the locking Grover tuner upgrade. Slight hiccup in that I received all 7 tuners for the same orientation (6-a-side style rather than 3 & 3) however I ended much preferring the tuner positioning with them on this way anyhow due to the way the tuner holes were staggered.
https://i.ibb.co/23YVJs8/IMG-8881.jpg
It came down to these two for headstock ideas. Went with the left one.
https://i.ibb.co/C1SMc9x/IMG-8891.jpg
After carving (used a jigsaw and cleaned up with files & sandpaper)
https://i.ibb.co/JcvfVBB/IMG-8911.jpg
This side of the neck joint looked pretty horrendous
https://i.ibb.co/4MPNT7V/IMG-8872.jpg
But it was quite easy to clean up with some sanding (yes I sanded through the binding a tad and had to touch that up)
https://i.ibb.co/6YpmRLL/IMG-0043.jpg
Time to stain. I used General Finishes Java gel stain on the body/neck, 2 coats front & back, 1 coat sides & neck. Minwax black stain on headstock, I think that was only 1 coat.
These photos are all after one coat. The front & back had a couple uneven areas likely due to my poor sanding skills but the second coat evened them out wonderfully. Neck and sides absorbed the stain more quickly so they were sufficiently dark after one coat.
https://i.ibb.co/TkYYVtg/IMG-0746.jpg https://i.ibb.co/XzzWHDB/IMG-0775.jpg https://i.ibb.co/DGzZCDx/IMG-0781.jpg https://i.ibb.co/VYLDcFB/IMG-0844.jpg
The 2nd hardest part of the whole build - scraping the binding. Did not enjoy this part of the process, but the results are beautiful.
https://i.ibb.co/rtm63T3/IMG-0898.jpg
Pulled out every file I owned for fret leveling day. I highly recommend that FretGuru Dagger 2.0.
https://i.ibb.co/86YnHgY/IMG-0315.jpg
Before
https://i.ibb.co/xSqRccz/IMG-0316.jpg
After
https://i.ibb.co/qCWCVgV/IMG-0320.jpg
Then to glue the neck. This was slightly nerve-wracking but it ended up spot-on.
https://i.ibb.co/nmq52d5/IMG-0915.jpg
I used Tru Oil for clear. 5 or 6 coats total, finished off with a white Scotch Brite pad for a satin finish.
I used the Ikea "paint booth" (transportable wardrobe) for dust-resistant drying
https://i.ibb.co/nQG9czT/IMG-1010.jpg
After two coats I applied my headstock logo then added more Tru Oil. I designed it the initial version, sent the image to another kit builder in a Facebook group to print on waterslide paper as I don't have a printer. He cleaned my image up substantially, really great job on his part.
https://i.ibb.co/qyKYBKV/IMG-1050.jpg https://i.ibb.co/KzwXgRT/IMG-1076.jpg
Final coat applied
https://i.ibb.co/yPq2XbP/IMG-1019.jpg
Then I let it hang for a month. One whole excruciating month. Humidity here started getting nuts around that time so I wanted to make absolutely sure the Tru was fully cured.
After that it was time for the finishing touches.
Added a custom truss rod cover from Philadelphia Luthier
https://i.ibb.co/TYLPQVR/IMG-1279.jpg
Did a final steel wool hit on the frets and some fine sanding on the fretboard to remove some of the marks you see there. The board was dry as a bone and needed a lot of oil. I did a very half-assed job on the nut as I wanted to avoid blowing a bunch of cash on a nice set of files. Ended up just sanding down from the bottom side to get the slot heights in the right ballpark. Not a pro tactic but it turned out just fine.
My plan was to put the stock pickups in very temporarily and end up getting some Bare Knuckle Humbucker sized P-90s. I got some cheap covers for the stock pickups, which being cheap of course the holes did not line up with the pole pieces. To remedy this I superglued some textured ribbon cloth underneath the covers. It actually looks really cool.
https://i.ibb.co/Fwzg0NK/IMG-1302.jpg
Almost there. I installed the pickups with some cheater wire extensions to make future pickup swapping easier as I didn't expect much from the stock set. Strung her up for the first time...
https://i.ibb.co/KwP5Bjc/IMG-1310.jpg
And then came the absolute worst part of the whole build. The wiring...
I am very comfortable with wiring. I've always done my own pickup swaps with all kinds of crazy switching options and whatnot. I did by far my cleanest most beautiful wiring job on this using a kit set (not-prewired, just all the parts in one bag, which ended up being cheaper than buying individually) from Toneshaper. It was exquisite. And then it all got twisted and tangled and mangled trying to cram all that crap through the F-hole. I was so close to putting my fist through a wall. However after a few attempts I got it all in. Fortunately none of the mangling did any (perceivable) damage to my connections so I didn't have to pull anything out and resolder (then the fist would have met wall for sure).
And then that's it. Fin.
https://i.ibb.co/pZzsNNw/IMG-1333.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/Fzskn8X/IMG-1334.jpg https://i.ibb.co/DksCcYy/IMG-1342.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/JvKPyFz/IMG-1327.jpg https://i.ibb.co/PzpsYLP/IMG-1339.jpg
Plays really nicely. Still touching up the setup. I think I got the neck relief right where it should be. Might want the action a touch higher on the low side. That or try a heavier B & E string. But its a lot of fun to play, very resonant, I love the tru oil feel, and the stock pickups sound shockingly great. I may not go with any aftermarket pickups at all, which is nice because BKPs sure are pricey.
