GR 1 SF build

My latest challenge arrived yesterday. A GR-1-SF with a mahogany body (apparently) as the suppliers ran out of basswood. My good fortune as the grain looks really nice on this one. I did the mock build to ensure everything was there & have laid out the electrics on a template to work out the distances of wire required to get it all into the body once I am at that stage. I also made a fret level gauge to make sure I have a perfectly straight neck before I tackle a fret levelling exercise. I was going to have a white finish on this beauty (white falcon style) but after coating it with some sanding sealer I am contemplating a natural finish to show up the grain.

Love that grain! Sometimes the wood speaks to you, and that's definitely true in this case. What did you use to notch your level gauge?

Looks amazing. Just got the same kit.
Having trouble finding the centre of the guitar to mount the bigsby.


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It oils be a shame to hide that grain. Just a bugger that it isn’t a bookmatched top.

The grain does look amazing!!


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Just a round file for a chainsaw & a samll needle file

Have spent the day sanding. The front has a couple of slight marks which may show up. I am using very fine grade wet and dry paper 800 grit then 1200 grit and it is getting a smooth shiny finish to it. If the marks persist I might try a 'liming finish' which will still leave the grain visible. Meanwhile I got into the soldering late this afternoon & is nearly complete!! Tomorrow I will test it for buzz etc.

looking good. It's nice to see someone tackling the same kit at the same time. be warned GO CAREFUL on that front face the veneer is really thin. I went through around one of the f holes! - im painting the front though so no biggy.. i am going to stain the back and sides and the neck though.. but the neck feels SOOOO good unfinished..


Ive not even thought about the electronics yet.

Productive day today. Electrics all soldered & working!!! My soldering is improving with every build! I have decided to leave this beauty in natural finish & will give it clear coats when the sanding is complete. I do not go near these kits with any less than 320 grit paper for the first sanding then onto 400 grit 800 grit then 1200 grit. After soldering the electrics I have discovered that I cannot set the neck until I install them unless I want to learn to become a contortionist! I remember trying to fit the electrics to my ES 5V through the F holes so this time I am taking a different tack. A video will go up on You Tube after I finish the build. Meanwhile here are some pictures.

Looking amazing. Really exited to see this. I’ve set my neck already. Too late now - ha ha. I’m going to get all my paint coats down the. Tackle the electronics. Might be watching that video!! Nice work!!


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Started the oiling process today. Linseed oil & turpentine 40% to 60% with 1200 grit wet n dry paper between coats. Will take a few days to get the finish built up but I have time on my hands!!

Hey there BuffaloGhost, I will only put the video up when I have completed the guitar, but you can see my ES 5V build on You tube. Search Doug Rorison for my channel. Good luck with your build.

Hi Dougr. Your YouTube videos bursting your ES-5V were the inspiration for my ES-5V. They are nice guitars. Look forward to see how this turns out. Ironically I also have a GR-1 ordered.

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Originally Posted by Dougr

Started the oiling process today. Linseed oil & turpentine 40% to 60% with 1200 grit wet n dry paper between coats. Will take a few days to get the finish built up but I have time on my hands!!

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Looks great - do you boil the linseed first? Otherwise it seems like a pretty decent approximation of Tru Oil, at a fraction of the cost.

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Thanks DarkMark, I loved doing the ES 5V and it now sounds really smooth. Hope yours turns out how you want it to. Do you have pictures on the forum of it? I will check when I finish this post.

Hi there G-Axe, I am only using pure Linseed oil & Turps in the ratio 40%:60% applying with a soft cloth, letting it dry then rubbing between coats with 2000 Grit wet n dry. I used Feast Watson sanding sealer then sanded it down using 320 Grit then 800 Grit then 1200 Grit. I did some research on oil finishes & I reckon Tru oil is a pretty similar mixture of Tung oil & turps. I actually bought some Feast Watson buffing oil & when I read the blurb on the label they use a 40 60 ratio of Tung oil & a solvent to help the drying process. I have now put on about 5 coats with the sanding between them & I also used 0000 steel wool to rub that coat back. I am getting a nice silky sheen & the neck feels really smooth & glassy. The buffing oil is supposed to give a glossier shine so when I think the Linseed n turps is enough I will put some buffing oil on it & rub like crazy! Hopefully it will do what they say it will do.

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Originally Posted by Dougr

Thanks DarkMark, I loved doing the ES 5V and it now sounds really smooth. Hope yours turns out how you want it to. Do you have pictures on the forum of it? I will check when I finish this post.

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It turned out better than I expected both visually and sonically. I love to play it.
If you search “Es5v” in the above right search function my build diary is the second option.

I had everything ready for installing the electrics. I got the jack, neck volume & bridge volume knobs in position, placed the pickups in situ & was feeding the 3 way switch & master volume controls into their positions when disaster struck!! I had a loose wire!!!! I attempted to solder it back but decided it was too risky so removed everything. 3 days later I finally got the things back into position after much re soldering!! (other wires kept breaking off during this process!) Not a happy camper at this stage as I now have such a messy looking batch of pots that I have a buzz from the whole lot. I burnt out 1 soldering tip & had to buy a whole new iron from the big green shed as they dont sell replacement tips. During this episode, I actually drew the wires positions onto my plywood template so I would not get confused during the re soldering. Still I got 2 wires completely reversed!! Time to walk away & I did. I came back to it after reading about wiring from WeirdBits (an article from 2013 on the forum.) I got everything back into the body yesterday but the buzz is driving me crazy so I have decided to get some more pots, remove the whole lot & start again. I was so chuffed when I actually got the harness finished at my first attempt & it worked but the gremlins were not going to let me install it without a fight it seems! Now I am going to have a break from it as I await new pots & just to be sure, I ordered 2 new pickups as well. Meanwhile I will be studying the relevant literature regarding all things pick ups etc Meanwhile I might do some more polishing.

How frustrating! The guitar itself looks mint though, so great work there. Hopefully a forced break from wiring will pay off for you mate. Good luck!

Hi Dougr, Your finish is looking really nice. I've got a tru oil and stain on mine.

I am just in the very final stages of my GR 1Sf build.

I had a lot of frustration from the wiring too. And like you got wires soldered wrong! Also ordered new pots. But in hindsight I probably didn't need them.
I did get a roller bridge though, as Adam suggested it would be good with the tremolo.


In the end I ordered the vintage braided wire and did most of the job with that, plus a little of the cloth covered wire.
I found that both these wires were much stronger than the kit wire, and once soldered wouldn't break after moving the loom around.

I covered the braided wire with heat shrink too. And the braid was then grounded to the pot or used as a ground, which made for a cleaner wiring loom.
I would say go slow, and check it all as you go. I had to go back several times as I was getting the buzz too and I tried different wires.
What also helped was plugging my other guitar into the same Amp with volume up to 10 to compare the noise to the new guitar and get a reference or benchmark.

My job this weekend is wiring. I’m all templates up and ready to go.

Hoping it all goes well but not expecting it too.

If all goes wrong I have lots of spare wire and pots at work on Monday. Thought I’d just try straight off with thenkit stuff though.

Your finish is looking great on this. I’m still awaiting stain (crimson guitars taking ages!!)


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The break did the trick! Got it wired up yesterday & all working fine now.Glued the neck on this morning

Hi Paolo . The wiring problem is now sorted. I ordered new pots online then got heavier gauge wire. Everything went like a dream including fitting the whole lot into the body of the guitar. All tested & no apparent buzz. I realise now after 3 builds that the wire supplied with these kits is really Sh...t! Much too thin & I cannot perceive any appreciable difference when using speaker wire from my local audio electronics store. Anyway the proof will be when I finally get it all together & play it. Meanwhile I have just glued the neck into the body & will give it a few days before proceeding. Good luck with your build too!

Hey BuffaloGhost, hope you got the wiring sorted out to your satisfaction. I just got all of my wiring installed this morning after waiting for a set of new pots to arrive. I used speaker wire from my local electronics store instead of that thin stuff which is supplied with the kit. I bound the cables in shrink tube where necessary & used poly tubing to feed the pots through the holes. I tested it prior to installation & everything seemed fine & dandy to me. I have just glued the neck to the body so now I will wait a few days before proceeding.

Some pictures after installing electrics & gluing neck today. Note the difference in colour between flash shots & non flash

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Originally Posted by Dougr

Hey BuffaloGhost, hope you got the wiring sorted out to your satisfaction. I just got all of my wiring installed this morning after waiting for a set of new pots to arrive. I used speaker wire from my local electronics store instead of that thin stuff which is supplied with the kit. I bound the cables in shrink tube where necessary & used poly tubing to feed the pots through the holes. I tested it prior to installation & everything seemed fine & dandy to me. I have just glued the neck to the body so now I will wait a few days before proceeding.

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Its looking great mate. Glad you got the wiring in. Although mine seems fine. I am prepared for it not o work or have headaches once its in. I used the stock wire and yes it seems pretty crappy. And there just wasn't enough of it either! So I padded it out with wire I had. if I need to re do everything I will. i didn't perceive any problems with my pots when I tested. but there is still time.. what was the problem with yours? humming was it?

build is looking good!

The problem was that I cant solder very well & the big blobs (I think ) were causing an awful lot of noise. Maybe I had a cold solder joint mixed in there as well. I bought some pots from China on Ebay (3 packs of 5 each) for about $14 AUD so I could practice my soldering. As it turned out I managed to get it all together first time & even the installation went well although I had had a bit of practice with the dummy runs I had to do when the wires broke. I wondered how you went putting all of the electrics in when the neck was on? I remember from building the ES5V that stuffing the wires into the F holes was a real pain & there were less pots n stuff to go into that one! I am now ready to start putting the bridge & Bigsby on today. I also bought a roller bridge which I also did for the ES5V which makes intonation so much easier. This roller bridge however needs to have some sort of sleeve put over the supplied anchors because the holes are already drilled for the supplied bridge & I dont want to fill them up & re drill. (I will put some pictures up later to illustrate what I mean.) Have you put the Bigsby onto yours yet?

Pictures of problem fitting roller bridge to existing holes drilled for saddle bridge.
Holes in guitar body are 11.77mm diameter. Pic #1 The inserts for these holes are ok.
I must insert the knurled peg from roller bridge into the threaded part of supplied bridge insert but the hole is slightly larger than the knurled part of the roller bridge peg. I theorise that I will have to put thread seal tape around the diameter of the roller bridge pegs to allow me a tight fit without the whole bridge rocking backwards & forwards thus creating tuning problems.

I finally got the 'Bigsby' lookalike installed together with the roller bridge. I used fishing line to get everything aligned to check clearances etc. The roller bridge will need some further attention during the intonation stage but so far so good. The only thing I cannot work out is how the front of the 'Bigsby' is attached? Screws?? There doesn't seem to be much 'meat' (thickness) on the body to just have screws through less than 3mm of wood. Any suggestions from the wise ones out there?

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Originally Posted by Dougr

Pictures of problem ... I theorise that I will have to put thread seal tape around the diameter of the roller bridge pegs to allow me a tight fit without the whole bridge rocking backwards & forwards thus creating tuning problems.

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Have you researched whether there is another roller bridge with the correct diameter parts? I'm sure it's out there.

I will look at other roller bridge options but I have temporarily fixed the problem with threadseal tape

Big Day!! The guitar is finished & all I have to do now is get the intonation sorted to my satisfaction but it works. Probably needs a few weeks to settle in. I have put a video on You Tube
https://youtu.be/17hhfOtgX98 or just search for Doug Rorison

Great build and video mate!! Just starting to worry about getting my Electrics in as iv already glued the neck in! Ha ha. This should be fun.




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very nicely done!

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Originally Posted by BuffaloGhost

Great build and video mate!! Just starting to worry about getting my Electrics in as iv already glued the neck in! Ha ha. This should be fun.




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Youl be able to use the same tubing trick, but you will have to go in through the pup holes now BG. I’d thread your tubing though your holes first get it set On your pots and switches first then draw them through as Doug did.

Hi mate, hope you got those electrics sorted. I put a roller bridge on mine with DaDario strings & it works a treat. Really happy with it. I will try to do a video of a sound check soon & put it up on YT.

https://youtu.be/0IymGgImBVU Sound Check video up on You Tube now

Nice one Dougr. Thanks for the sound demo.

Well done Doug. :)

Quick question - any reason for going with the acoustic strings, rather than electric strings? Bronze wrapped strings (like D'addario 80/20 Light 12-53's) don't give the same output level as electric strings, as the bronze wrap impedes the magnetic interaction of the steel core of the string and the magnets in the pick up. :confused: You're generally better off using electric strings on anything with a magnetic pick up. Like D'addario XL145 Heavy 12-56's, which are made for electric. Or Ernie Ball 12-56 'Not even slinky's'.

What triggered me was that, in the video, you described a set of strings starting at 12 gauge as 'light'. 11's on an acoustic is extra light, but extra light on an electric is 7's (as used by Billy Gibbons. I can't comprehend using anything that light...). 12's on an electric, well, they're not even slinky! :)

Well Tadhg I had 4 sets of DAddario's in my box of goodies which I had bought to use with an Epiphone acoustic/electric I have. I used the supplied strings to get the guitar intonated but it just would not stay in tune! I figured that if I used these DAddarios I could be sure that they were all matched size wise. I had measured the supplied strings with vernier calipers & they appeared to be ok but one can never tell with Chinese stuff. Anyway as soon as I put the DA's on, bingo!! I could hit the Bigsby as hard as I liked & the tuning came right back. Maybe it was just pure luck lol. I take your point about the electric strings & I will certainly look at putting a set of them on when I have bashed up the DA's, I am actually new to what can be achieved by using all of the knobs on some of these guitars having been an acoustic 12 String player with electric pick ups for all of my playing days. My 2 favourite guitars are a Takamine 12string & Martinez 12 string but after 40 years of mucking around I thought that I might try something different. I really like building these kits & I was trying to get a 1940's type jazz sound out of both the ES5V & this one. In fact the ES5V has a set of acoustic strings on it (from memory) It now sounds pretty smooth to me after over 12 months of sitting in the shed & being played sporadically. My Mega AC30R amp is usually teamed up with an Ashton mixer when I perform monthly concerts for the oldies at one of our local aged care facilities & is set up specifically for the 2 guitars mentioned. I really like building these kits & to try new things with them. I guess I am lucky to be able to afford to indulge myself by experimenting with different things when it comes to these guitars.
I am constantly learning new possibilities about what can be achieved with all of the equipment available to the modern guitarist. After 40 years of playing I realise that I will never be another Clapton nor would I want to be. Like Cyndi Lauper said, 'I just wanna have fun' I appreciate your Question Tadhg because you taught me something about strings that I was not aware of. I have always based my string choice around the 12 String guitars that I have owned over the centuries. Light gauge & extra light gauge were always my choice because of the tension issues that 12 string guitars sometimes have. I will now investigate what is best for this latest addition to my collection so that I can get the best from it. Thank you so much for your interest. This is one of the great things about this forum. There is a wealth of knowledge which can be tapped into! Thanks again for your interest.