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Hi,
I'm a long time and enthusiastic guitar player (mostly acoustic) with woodworking experience looking to purchase a ATL-FB kit and would like to know opinions from other guitar players on the general quality of neck joint and fret board as this will determine the playability of the finished instrument?
Also opinions on the choice of purchasing hardware and electronics separately or dirct from PB?
Regards to all.
Welcome Rob
Hi Rob. Never made that particular kit, and they are pretty new so there's not a lot of experience around here on them anyway, but they are regarded as a step up from the standard kits. Necks seem to be pretty good, though these aren't CNC-made kits so there are variations between them. neck profile is a pretty standard modern C-shape similar to that found on non-vintage style Fenders.
Note that the body isn't drilled for a string-thru bridge. The one supplied is top loading, so that's one item you might want to swap out. As long as you've got a good pillar drill with a deep throat, then drilling the string holes and the recesses for the rear-mount ferrules is easy.
I'd get the kit with parts, but then take advantage of one of the tuner upgrades. As has been said, a bone nut is a good upgrade choice too. Personally I'd always upgrade the pickups and electrics, but that's just my preference and others have made perfectly good guitars from 100% kit parts.
The Tonerider pickups sold through Pitbull are very decent pickups and as cheap as you are going to get anywhere else. To get any real improvement from them you'll probably have to go to a boutique maker rather than go for Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio pickups.