Tbo's GHR Resonator Build

G’day there forum… long time listener, first time caller.

I thought I’d show up as a builder, since that’s what prompted me to buy the business in the first place! I loved Pit Bull Guitar kits, and loved making them… and since I’ve bought the business a bit over a year ago, I’ve just not had time to scratch myself, let alone scratch that construction itch!

Now is time for that to change.. I’ve begun my own Resonator build. I’ve been an absolute heathen about it though, and I don’t suggest that anyone follow my example of how to build guitars. I wanted to do as little as physically possible to put a kit together. I’ll be using only the gear that came with the kit, and the quickest build I can just to see how it turns out “out of the box” so to speak. Later if I have the inclination - and if even need to - I’ll look at putting some brighter and shinier things on it.

So firstly, I just went straight ahead and glued the neck on before anything else. I’m sure the purists will tell me that you should do all the work first, then put it together at the end, but I wanted to just charge ahead.
Secondly, I just wiped on and buffed off just a few coats of Feast Watson Fine Buffing Oil, which is mostly Tung Oil, but has some waxed and oils and a bit of brown tint to it. It’s what I used on my six-string IB bass kit, which brought out the timber features beautifully.
I should say also, I didn’t use any grain filler, and I used the moisture of the buffing oil as the way to raise the grain of anything that was a bit furry - cos there was a bit there. I really just went straight at the 1200 grit wet’n’dry to knock back only that which was standing up. That’s it.

Lastly I’m just literally painting on some Polyurethane clear coat.. that’s still drying now so I’ll get photos of that when it’s done.

That’s my whole plan, just smash it all together and see how it works out.

Here's the photos of the build so far - excuse the bathroom studio please!

lol, no pressure on you to do a good job, Tim. Good to see you involved with the product.

Very nice. I like the natural amber colour on the body and the neck.

I like the minimalist-charge-ahead approach. I like, even better, seeing it go well! 1+ on the color. It's looking very old-timey, right down to the uncut headstock.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tim Rattigan

...So firstly, I just went straight ahead and glued the neck on before anything else. I’m sure the purists will tell me that you should do all the work first...

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I have heard a number of opinions about this too...but both times I have finished a glue in neck I have glued in the neck before finishing. There is sometimes a convenience factor to not doing the glue-up first, particularly in a small work-space. It may be just my skill level (or lack thereof), but I feel as though I can get a more natural looking neck joint if I do the glue up first. That said, no one has ever accused me of an abundance of purity.

Well folks - it has reached the start line. I wanted to throw it together straight out of the box to see what it was like ... verdict is - two thumbs up!!

I'm pleased that it all works how it's supposed to, I'm thrilled that the intonation is bang on, I didn't have to muck around with the resonation cone and saddle piece at all.

It's got a few things I'll fix shortly, like the second string buzzes a little, but I haven't done any fretwork at all so that's not a surprise.. but the neck is straight, the tuning is good, the sound is what I'd expect, the construction is sturdy and all the pieces fit.

I did have to shave one of the "speaker holes" slightly for the cover to fit in, but less than half a millimetre I would think.

I'll now work on "fine tuning" so to speak, but I'm quite happy to sell these as the quality and value for money we've come to know and love from Pit Bull Guitar kits.

Looking forward to seeing more of these on the forum soon!

It looks right at home with your collection.

Did you need the saddle/spider be angled slightly for good intonation?