Lawrys Blue RC

Well folks, I'm back in the game.
First of all I have to send out a huge thanks to Gav Turner and PBG. I had been thinking of stripping back my first build (an RC-1 in Dark Tease) and painting it blue. A lot of you already know that I love blue Rickies. Anyway, when Gav had problems with his Stone Roses tribute the PBG guys sent him a body and neck, gratis. Gav didn't end up using it so he sent it to me so that I didn't have to attack the 'Viking'. Gotta say that this community rocks!
Anyway, it came without hardware so I did some buying (lotsa fun). Got a clean trapeze (no scroll work), some Filtertron-ish pups, a roller tune-o-matic bridge, machine heads and jack plate.
So... I did a mock build and identified a few problems but nothing insurmountable with the help that goes on here:
The neck pocket will need some work as there are gaps and irregularities.
The pups don't fit in the cavities (but I knew that would be the case because the cavities are not standard Humbucker size on these kits).
The pup surrounds don't cover the pup routes (I'm thinking of making an all-in-one custom scratchplate to cover the control cavity, hold the pups and hide the pup route problem. Probably do it in white pearloid).
Anyway, I won't be able to do much straight away as it's 'holiday time'! Yes, I'm off for four weeks of fun, adventure and really wild things.

But I'm damn pleased to be back building!

Neck and body as received. Note previously modified pup route.
Mock build without pup surrounds.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...55x3-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...l554-image.jpg

Pup surrounds don't fully cover the route.
A bit of work needed near the tail.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...ut1g-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...9c17-image.jpg

And some work required around the neck heel.

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...mqf5-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...8s38-image.jpg

Back in the game!

Shit even the mock up looks sexy. Jeez I'm diggin' that roller bridge, whereabouts you pick that one up Lozza?

excellent Lozza, looking forward to this - just like green : not enough blue guitars!

Thanks guys. Yep, it's going to be fun once I come back from hols.
Bargie, I bought the roller bridge on ebay for about $15. Just type in roller tune-o-matic.

Great work Lawry. No-one should have to desecrate their very first build - glad I could help!

Sorry about the little tweaks required to the body, but I'm sure you'll get there :) . The original PUP surrounds that came with the kit are a little oversized and cover the pickup cavity "fixes". Might be worth making a couple of new ones? I reckon you'll want to cover up as little of your blue colour coats as possible. I guess you'll have to make the traditional ricky scratchplate anyway, so a one piece deal kinda like the RC-4 might fit the bill nicely. Will you be making the additional "triangle" piece of scratchplate that is raised above the other? I have a crap load of little rubber grommet doodads I bought for the tribute to put between them if you would like a couple (I had to buy 50!). Let me know and I'll post you some :) .


This is going to be a great project - I love the hardware you have chosen. Your last ricky was awesome and this one will be even better!

cheers,
Gav.

Thanks, Gav, I reckon I'll take you up on the grommets. I'd been looking at them too but hadn't made up mind. I've also been having a few more thoughts about the pups and scratchplate cos I want to cover up as little as possible of the body too. I was chatting with Chris (wife) this morning about this and she suggested I fill in the gaps with bog or something. I thought it was a great idea but I don't know what would be the best stuff to use or even if it is doable. I suppose I can route out the cavities to the size I need and then bog the parts that are oversized. Considering that this is going to be a solid-colour rattle-can paint job it doesn't matter about what's underneath. What are everyone's thoughts/suggestions on this approach?

awesome Lozza, first time I've seen this thread, build diaries get shifted down the list pretty quickly if no one posts a comment for a day or 2.
I'd cut out some small pieces of timber in a similar shape and glue to the side to fill those gaps near the pup surrounds and use some timbermate to fill any small cracks or gaps. Since your solid painting you won't see it.
Enjoy your holiday Lozza !

Looks like a good build Lawrie.

Thanks Woks. A good idea.
And I'm really keen to go on this holiday but I'm also champing at the bit to get stuck into the RC. Still, it's better than working isn't it Gav? Oh, you wouldn't know. You just keep building when you should be cutting code ;-)

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/<\\/p>[/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/]<\\/p>/Quote from lawry on August 9, 2014, 19:35
Thanks guys. Yep, it's going to be fun once I come back from hols.
Bargie, I bought the roller bridge on ebay for about $15. Just type in roller tune-o-matic.

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Just a quick question Lozza. I just shopping for a few goodies as we speak and I'm lookin' at those roller bridges. Am I to believe (just going off the pictures) that any adjustment made to intonation is done from those hex bolts in the top? It looks it'd be a pain in the ass once the strings are on, please correct me if I'm wrong, cheers.

boating frenzy is over Lozza, back to work on this!

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from stan on August 25, 2014, 20:14
boating frenzy is over Lozza, back to work on this!

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It's over more than you realise, Stan. After the Hammo races we went sailing in Tonga (44 foot Beneteau bareboat charter) and have just gotten back.
The good thing is that there were pressies waiting for me when I got home.
A swanko Dremel kit with lots of bits as a Fathers' Day gift from my youngest (thanks Caitie), and
A few bits of guitar hardware.

Time to start planning the build with more seriousness. Hurrah!

http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...7auz-image.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...0vl8-image.jpg

nice score Lozza, now lets see that dremel in action. Is that wiring harness for the Ricky ?
welcome back to building axes land !

Sure is Wokka. I decided to buy a ready made harness cos it's easier and cheaper than getting the individual parts.

Welcome back Lozza, good to see you back on deck.
You wouldn't believe it, I got the exact same dremmel kit for Dads day too:-) talk about a handy bit of gear alright, I've just about worn it out already :D
Looking forward to seeing this build progress.

welcome back to the real world Lozza, looking forward to seeing this shape up. Dremmel for the win, very nice

You can't build guitars without a Dremel! Great to have ya back mate... but a ready made harness, that's like a chef buying a pre-made salad mix in a bag *shakes head*

Welcome back mate. You're in mackay hey?

Looking forward to seeing your Ricky progress now that you're home Lawry!

Cheers,
Gav.

@Andrew. Yep, living in Sladie (Slade Point).
@Gav. Time at last to make a move on Bluey. I've got a gig this weekend so that will slow things up but I surely do intend to make a beginning.

Awesome mate. Just wondering if you knew of an amp tech down there. Want to get a few things fixed up on my tube head.

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from andrew on September 19, 2014, 15:36
Awesome mate. Just wondering if you knew of an amp tech down there. Want to get a few things fixed up on my tube head.

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Tube guys are nearly impossible to find in rural areas and Mackay is no different. I've been designing/building tube amps for yonks so if you want to pop round sometime we can have a squiz. The biggest problem for me though is a lack of time. But you never know, it may be something simple. PM me on FB.

Right.... I'm at a bit of a loss already and this is only day one of the nitty gritty.
In the neck cavity there is a very uneven floor that I need to get flat in order to glue the neck. I thought about just sanding it with a paper but I'm just as likely to sand at weird angles and end up with a different type of unevenness. So I had a thought, is there a Dremel bit I can buy that can give me a flat bed (that is, cut at the bottom of the bit, not the side)? Or is there another way to do this that would allow me to get the same result? The only other set-neck I did had a beautiful flush surface so this is new territory for me.
Over to you forum crew!
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...q7e5-image.jpg

Damn that's a bit of a mess alright Lozza, doesn't really say much for the quality control in the factory.

Is there a slope (or should there be) to the base of the pocket for the neck break angle? If it is sloped then trying to match that when routing with a Dremel will be tricky. What I've done previously is to get a piece of smooth, flat hardwood about 40cm long, cut it to the width of the neck pocket then stick about 10cm of 120 grit sandpaper at one end. The length of the wood allows you to control the angle better and you only need light pressure and short back and forth movement to take down the high spots pretty quickly. But, there may be far better methods.

Thanks Scott. I have no idea whether there is supposed to be a break angle or not, I'll have to do some checking. Any other RC-1 guys know the answer to this? I like the idea of your long bit of wood. Thanks man.

Phrasing...

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/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from WeirdBits on September 20, 2014, 15:53
Phrasing...

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????

Don't worry, too much Archer.

Pm sent mate. Might have gone to the others folder as we aren't mates on fb.