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I've had this build bubbling away for a while, so I figured it was time for a diary… be warned, it'll probably be a long dump of posts one after another. How many photos is too many?
I picked this kit up last year with the plan of finishing it in Wudtone Saffron, but it was low priority and sat untouched in the spare room. Then, a couple of months ago, an opportunity arose that saw it get bumped up the build queue. I knew the kit had some glue issues from my initial inspection, so the build was going to take some work… turns out it needed a bit more than I thought.
Initial mockup showed the bridge was very close to the pickup.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-mockup_01.jpg
The plan is to switch out the hardware with GFS Surf 90 pickups, a Bigsby, Golden Age roller bridge, Grover locking tuners, and some wiring mods etc.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-mockup_02.jpg
As you can see, there's more than a few dirty gluey/oily fingerprints to deal with on the cap. But in fairness to QA, they have become more visible over time with oxidisation,
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...B-flaws_05.jpg
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Glue seems to be a theme on this kit… but I like a challenge. The worst of it is around the binding where it's been over-stretched across the curve and a glue mix filler has been used to fill behind and under it.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...B-flaws_02.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...B-flaws_03.jpg
Although QA certainly dropped the ball in this case and the issue is serious enough to warrant taking advantage of PBG's great return policy, it didn't worry me too much as my plans for the kit would probably have meant replacing the binding anyway. Fortunately, an issue like this is extremely rare (the binding on all my other kits has been spot on) and I think QA has improved significantly since I got this kit (it's been over a year since I bought it), so any potential buyers don't hesitate to get a kit with binding including the TL-1TB.
And finally, there's also hard deep-soaked glue under the binding in the cutaway and some above it on the cap.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...B-flaws_04.jpg
There were a few other minor issues, with hairline gaps in a seam on the back and some between the ply and basswood in the pickup routs and neck pocket. But they would be an easy fix.
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For something different, I wanted to bind the F-hole on this kit which first meant reinforcing/thickening the edge. Some 4mm ply would make the edge the perfect thickness for the binding, so the first step was to cut a piece to match the F-hole. I traced the shape and transferred that onto the ply to give me a reference point, drilled some starter holes and then took a big risk… I clamped the ply over the F-hole and then very carefully used a 1/4" pattern following bit to run along the edge of the top's F-hole. I wouldn't recommend technique unless you're feeling game as it's pretty easy for it to go horribly wrong. In fact, the router bit I was using had a cir-clip retainer for the bearing, instead of the usual hex bolt, and just as I was working up to the F-hole's edge at one point I saw the bearing drop suddenly and I only *just* stopped before taking a chunk out of the top. Turns out the cir-clip was dodgy and had been thrown while I was routing… very lucky to have actually seen the bearing drop in time to stop before doing catastrophic damage. That bit has now been banished to the back of the draw, although I did consider throwing on a neighbour's roof in honour of DB ;)
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-f_hole_01.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-f_hole_02.jpg
The next step was to use the newly F-hole'd piece of ply as a template to cut a thicker ply F-hole template, which I would be needing later in the build.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-f_hole_03.jpg
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The body wall is close to the edge of the F-hole at one end, so my ply reinforcer need some tweaking so it would fit correctly.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-f_hole_04.jpg
Then I whipped up some custom clamps for the task.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-f_hole_05.jpg
A quick sand of the reinforcer and the underside of the F-hole and it was ready to be put in place.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-f_hole_06.jpg
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Now for the tricky part…
With the ply reinforcer inside the cavity, I slid in the bottom halves of the clamps in through it and into position, end ones first, then inner, then finally centre.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-f_hole_07.jpg
I used a pipette to squeeze the Titebond down inside the cavity onto the top of the ply, lifted it into place with the clamps, tweaked it into final position, and screwed it down to dry.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-f_hole_08.jpg
One reinforced F-hole, ready to be bound… eventually.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...-f_hole_09.jpg
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The Golden Age roller bridge I was going use has much smaller bushings than the stock TOM bridge, and a check of the scale length showed I needed to move the bridge holes back anyway, so there was never any doubt that I'd have to plug and re-drill the holes. First step, cut some maple plugs to fill the holes.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_01.jpg
Even though the new bridge is wider, I'll be moving the holes several mm's further back, so the plugged holes will be partly visible. And, sadly, my hard maple plugs don't quite match the colour of the cap. I want to hide the plugged holes as much as possible, so I cut the maple plugs about 1mm shorter than full depth and then cut some inserts from a maple veneer that was a closer match to the cap.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_02.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_03.jpg
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A few adjustments and then a final test fit of the plug caps. Trying to get as tight and clean a fit as possible.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_04.jpg
Plugs glued in, then cap inserts glued in on top of the plugs. Once dry, a rough sand to clean them up and bring the inserts level with cap. But, I'm not sanding the cap any further just yet.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_05.jpg
First attempt at cleaning up the fingerprints on the cap… not quite as successful as I hoped. This was after using solvents and wire brushes, while trying to minimise damage to the cap. I'm saving sanding the cap until later, otherwise I'll risk blowing through it when I do the final sanding.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_06.jpg
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I will be using a Tele 4-way switch on this build and quick check showed the cavity needed a touch more depth to ensure good clearance. So, after checking the thickness to the back, I routed out a couple of extra mm's to give the switch enough room, including the thickness of the copper shielding.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_07.jpg
The tuner holes were a little irregular, so I decided to plug, re-drill and counterbore them.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_01.jpg
Plugs glued, trimmed and new positions marked out.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_02.jpg
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Holes drilled and counterbored, 5/16" and 10mm respectively.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_03.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_04.jpg
Finally, headstock cut and shaped… if you hit yourself on the head a few times and squint really hard you may just see echoes of a squashed Gretsch shape in there somewhere.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_05.jpg
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When testing the neck fit it was clear that the holes were a little too far towards the bass side and would be closer to the edge of the neck heel than I'd like. Plus, the body had been cut slightly too tight around the pocket, such that the standard neck plate would be right out to the edge with the plastic seat. I didn't want to use neck mount ferrules on this build, so I decided on a curved neck plate. It would still be a close fit to the edge, but more comfortable than a standard plate.
First up, make up some maple dowels, then glue and plug the old holes.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._pocket_01.jpg
Trim 'em flush the lazy way.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._pocket_02.jpg
Then, mark the layout of the plate and drill the new holes.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._pocket_03.jpg
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Cut the new shape.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._pocket_04.jpg
Sand and smooth.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con..._pocket_05.jpg
The inside of the neck pocket is a bit rough, but I'm not going do much to that until I can check the neck angle etc.
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I prefer shallower C profile necks and the F-style PBG necks are more D, so I wanted to see if I could thin the neck down to match the profile of one of my other guitars… probably unwise, but what the hell. I did some calliper comparisons between the necks to get an idea of how much I'd need to thin it, and used a contour gauge to make some rough profile templates (up to the start of the fretboard) as a guide for my reshaping.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...B-neck_06b.jpg
First, I adjusted the truss rod to straighten the neck as much as possible. Next, I used a height gauge to measure the peak of the neck at a specific point then marked points 1.5mm and 2.5mm down from that peak on each side, then repeated the process at half a dozen points along the neck. Then I joint up the points to create two lines down each side of the neck. This was to ensure I maintained the general taper of the neck.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_01.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_02.jpg
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I used a sanding drum to sand a flat strip along the back of the neck down to the inner 1.5mm lines, then re-drew my centreline and rounded the strip out to the 2.5mm lines. From there I used my cardboard profile guides to tweak the shape along the length of the neck. It turned out pretty good and feels great, although it is probably a lot thinner than is wise.
Here's the result with an untouched PBG ST neck (top and right) for comparison:
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_05.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_08.jpg
Time to line up and attach the neck so that I can drill the new bridge holes in the body. I measured and marked the centre of the neck, then clamped it in place and ran a fishing-line centreline.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_09.jpg
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Strategically placed clamps to keep the neck in place and allow me clear access to all the neck holes.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_10.jpg
Match your pilot drill bit to your neck screws (ideally test the pilot hole in some scrap maple) then carefully drill with a depth stop to ensure you only drill as far as needed and can't accidentally go through to the fretboard. Then, I unclamped the neck and used a slightly larger bit to open up the body holes so the neck screws can't bind in the body and risk snapping.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_11.jpg
As an added precaution, waxing and screwing in the screws to cut the thread before attaching the neck to the body. That way if a screw does snap, for whatever reason, it's much easier to remove and doesn't risk damaging the body.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_12.jpg
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Lined up once again with my centre line, neck screwed in place. I don't have a plastic seat for a curved neck plate, so I modified one from a normal rectangular plate to suit. But, even though the basswood is very soft I don't think I'll end up using the modded seat, as it still close to the edge and I don't think it'll make a huge difference.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_13.jpg
Time for the bridge holes. With the neck on I could measure the scale length and, as I suspected, the holes needed to go back about 4mm (the original holes were also slightly towards the bass side compared to my centreline). The roller bridge has a lot of adjustment in the saddle positions, so I went for around 2.5mm bass offset. The exact bridge specs and callipers allowed me to refine the position for the new holes.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_08.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_09.jpg
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The thin bridge posts are actually much longer than the bushes, so I drilled the bushing holes to depth and then a smaller hole deeper to accommodate the full length of the posts.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_10.jpg
Before I plugged the old bridge holes I made a note of where the original ground wire hole was so now I could *very carefully* use a small hand drill to bore a link through to connect to it. A quick test with some wire to double-check, and success!
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_11.jpg
With the bridge in place I used fishing-line to initially position the Bigsby, then double-checked with E strings. Marked and drilled the holes.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_12.jpg
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Body holes drilled, next step is to tidy up the pickup routs around the centreline as they were too tight for the pups I would be using.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_13.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_14.jpg
The pickup ring mount screw would go through into the ragged wire hole for the bridge pup, so just as a precaution I plugged the end and re-drilled to avoid it.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_16.jpg
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Because the roller bridge is a little different to the stock bridge I needed to check the neck angle and make sure it was in the ballpark… I hate it when a TOM style bridge has to be wound up high.
Allow me to introduce my neck pocket angle adjuster:
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_17.jpg
After a few tweaks, it was looking ok and about what I was aiming for prior to string tension.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_18.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-body_20.jpg
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You've got some really precise tools Scotty - what's your day job?
Loving this build mate. A lot of tasteful mods going on and executed with a fine eye.
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The side dots on the fretboard were a little uneven, so I decided to replace them with 2mm white MOP dots (don't worry, replacing the fretboard inlay would be a step too far with this kit).
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_15.png
I did a couple of test fits on a scrap of wood to get the drill depth right, and then used a straight edge to mark the adjusted position of the new holes and carefully drilled them out. I used an old hand drill as that was by far the easiest to control for the shallow depth required. As you can see in the pic, the existing plastic dots run even deeper.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_16.jpg
New dots set in with SM super glue. The taped up steel rule is what I used to press the dots in with so they would be at the right angle and couldn't go beyond flush in case I drilled too far. If you do this, make sure you have a good pair of tweezers and something under the neck to catch the dots you drop… otherwise you'll spend more time crawling around on the floor looking for dropped dots than it takes to actually do the work.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_17.jpg
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Clean up with a small fine file and the new dots are ready for a sand and polish when I start the neck finishing.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_18.jpg
I also decided to tart up the headstock a bit with a nicely flamed English Sycamore veneer. The veneer is only .6mm thick, so the first step was to notch where the maple joins the rosewood fretboard so that I wouldn't have to taper the already thin veneer.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_06.jpg
Then, rough cut the veneer to an oversized shape and with the flame at the angle I wanted.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_07.jpg
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Because the angle of the truss rod hole is tough to pre-drill in the veneer, I drilled an undersized hole so that I could ream it out once the veneer was glued in place.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_09.jpg
A quick wet down and steam of the veneer with a clothes iron softened it and allowed me to clamp it in place to pre-shape it with headstock's curve.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_10.jpg
Pre-shaped and ready to glue… I did a few rehearsals to ensure I could get it clamped to match the headstock's curve.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_11.jpg
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Glad I rehearsed it first, as it still took longer than I expected to get it seated and clamped correctly.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_12.jpg
It worked!
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_13.jpg
Some careful work with a sharp blade trimmed most of the edges down close to the headstock, but still leaving a little excess.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_14.jpg
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A few minutes with a bearing guided sanding drum and then some 120grit blocks and it was shaped nicely.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_15.jpg
A small round file, some sandpaper and a lot of care to ensure I didn't tear the thin section above the hole, and the truss rod access was nicely shaped. I then clamped some soft scrap wood on the face of the headstock over the tuner holes and used a sharp brad point drill bit to clear the holes.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_16.jpg
Finally, I used some maple filings (literally a file on some veneer scraps) to fill any gaps along the maple/rosewood join and then wicked in some thin SM super glue.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_17.jpg
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Good time to knock out the old plastic nut in prep for finishing the neck, looks like they were again pretty sloppy with the glue. Very gentle taps with the hammer on the dowel from each side of nut inline with the neck, back and forth repeated until I hear the glue start to crack and separate. I then used the awl to tap it up out of the slot from the ends. I'll cut a new bone one at some point.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_21.jpg
Inlay time, in this case white MOP. I printed out a couple of copies of the design, super glued one directly to the MOP and stretched the other out on a saw frame and painted both sides of it with brush-on super glue to harden it.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_18.jpg
I forgot how tedious and nerve wracking cutting MOP can be, but after drilling some starter holes and then using a jewellers saw I soon had it roughly cut out. Sand paper and small files finished up the shape. Remember to wear a mask when cutting MOP.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_19.jpg
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Finished MOP and hardened pattern.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_20.jpg
Once I was happy with the position of the inlay I marked the area with low tack tape and then 'painted' the headstock inside the box with liquid paper… yes, white out. Making sure it was a thin coat but that it completely sealed the area.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_21.jpg
Once it was dry I removed the tape and double-checked the position with the pattern and the inlay.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_22.jpg
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I then taped the area around the pattern and super glued the pattern into place on the liquid paper. The trick here is that the super glue will stick onto the liquid paper well enough to hold the pattern in place while you're routing, but the liquid paper itself can be sanded and scraped off the headstock without leaving a residue like glue would. At least, that's been my experience.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_23.jpg
I taped up the surrounding area, ensuring that the tape matched the height of the pattern so that the router base has a level and even surface to travel on. i used some headstock offcuts around the outside to give me a larger flat area.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_24.jpg
A Dremel, a StewMac router base, and a 3/64" precision downcut router bit walk into a bar…
The trick is to get the depth of cut correct. You need to allow for the thickness of the inlay plus the thickness of the pattern and liquid paper. I usually aim to have the inlay fractionally proud of the headstock face once all the tape, pattern and liquid paper are removed.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_25.jpg
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Once the routing is done, a test fit and a few tweaks with a sharp blade, a small file and some sand paper and it was looking ok.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_26.jpg
Tape removed then liquid paper scraped and sanded off.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_27.jpg
Glued in with thick super glue and then any gaps filled with maple filings, ready to be sanded flush and polished.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_29.jpg
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Time to fit the headstock hardware and drill the holes ready for final sanding and finishing.
Making sure the tuners are aligned, before marking and drilling the screw holes.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_30.jpg
I normally wouldn't put the D/G tree so close to the A post, but I wanted to match the break angle across the strings. And, as these are locking tuners the tree's position shouldn't get in the way too much. At least, I hope not.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...adstock_31.jpg
Of course, whenever everything has been going well something catastrophic is bound to happen… and it always happens to the thing you're most pleased with. Cue disaster…
Just as I finished sanding the neck down to 240 grit the heel slipped off the workbench, the headstock twisted out of my hand, the neck rebounded off my thigh and careened into the metal frame of the bench!
After the rage subsided…
I inspected the damage only to find the beautiful, thin, smooth back of the neck looking like it had been in the mouth of a T-Rex. Dents, lumps and some broken fibres. Ouch. The damage didn't really show up in the photos, but a quick wipe with a damp cloth showed at least some of it.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_22.jpg
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Two options: fill and sand the dents, or try to steam them out. Filling and sanding wouldn't be ideal long-term on a flexing neck under tension, but given how much I've thinned the neck steaming it may risk it warping. I decided to take the chance and risk steaming out the dents.
First pass with the iron after lightly wetting the surface and then steaming through a damp cloth.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_23.jpg
Second pass, starting to look a bit better.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_24.jpg
Third pass and then when dry a light sand with 240 grit… and it doesn't look like there's been any warping either, phew.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_25.jpg
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Although the steaming lifted out the dents the two worst marks also had some cracked/broken fibres, which needed dealing with. You can just see the cracks in the extreme close-up.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_26.jpg
I decided to use thin super glue and powdered maple filings to try to reinforce the repair and fill any remaining gaps/cracks. Downside, as expected, was that it made the repair more visible,
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_27.jpg
Glue dry and sanded back down to 240 grit. It's not too bad and will hopefully fade a bit more as it's sanded down to finer grits prior to finishing and then stained.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_28.jpg
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Well, the back of the neck is done so I better start on the front. An initial 240 grit rubdown on the fretboard to give me a nice level place to start.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_30.jpg
Fret level, re-crown and initial polish.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_31.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...TB-neck_32.jpg
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As I said at the start of this thread, I planned to bind the F-hole on this build. But, to get the binding to match, and to fix the dodgy binding and glue issues, I was going to have to replace the body binding as well. By the time I'd got rid of the glue, sanded out some of the issues around the binding and fixed the sides, the old binding was practically gone in several places, as you can see in this pic. The block is to provide support to the edges around the neck pocket when I rout the new binding channel, and I made a wooden neck plate to hold it from the back.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_02.jpg
A StewMac binding bit with the appropriate bearing and my trimmer, a couple of passes and I had a nice new binding channel.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...ng_bit_1_5.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_04.jpg
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As careful as I was and even with the supporting block in the neck pocket… the ply top just couldn't help itself and had to throw a chip, which then seemed to disintegrate as I never found it. Instead I made a replacement piece out of some maple stock and super glued it in place, I'm hoping it'll be a close enough match when stained.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_05.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_18.jpg
Because I've already done so much to the cap cleaning up the glue and fingerprints, I was really worried about getting glue on it from re-binding or even letting binding tape touch it. So, I had an idea to minimise the issue. First step, cut some blocks to fit inside the pickup routs.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_07.jpg
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Then, I cut a piece of ply that's about 1cm in from the edge of the binding channel and screwed it onto the pickup blocks. The longer screws in the bridge pickup rout allow it to be screwed into the base of the rout to fix the whole thing in place.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_10.jpg
I also used a piece of StewMac brown packing paper (finally a use for it) under the ply to further protect the cap. The plan is for the binding tape to be fixed onto the ply, pulling the binding tight but not squeezing the glue down onto the cap.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_11.jpg
Heat bags to soften the binding.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_13.jpg
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Next, heat and pre-shape the binding and tape it in place. The pre-shaping should make things easier when it's time to glue it.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_14.jpg
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_15.jpg
As you can see, the ply plate is keeping the binding tape off the cap and I've also put a strip of masking tape around the sides of the body rather than the binding tape going onto the basswood. This worked really well and allowed me to safely use the full strength binding tape.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_16.jpg
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If you recall when I reinforced the F-hole I cut an extra template from thicker ply, well that was so that I could pre-shape the F-hole binding. I'm doing the binding as two-pieces so I've left each one extra long for now.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_17.jpg
Before gluing the binding I cut a new block for the neck pocket that would continue the angle of the binding beyond the edges of the body, hopefully to avoid any stress on the fragile edges.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_19.jpg
Body prepped and taped with everything in place ready for the binding.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_23.jpg
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I decided to use Tarzan's Grip instead of super glue for the binding on this build, for two reasons. 1. I didn't want to risk super glue on the cap, which had been tortured enough. 2. I knew that binding the F-hole would be very tricky, to say the least, and wanted some extra time with the glue.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...inding_24b.jpg
Binding tape cut and ready for quick deployment, I hate fumbling for more tape.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_21.jpg
And, just to be sure of a good bond, a light scuff of the inside of the binding with some 120 grit.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_20.jpg
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Binding glued and 'enthusiastically' taped… you should see me wrap a present.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_25.jpg
It's a little hard to judge just how much Tarzan's Grip to use without it oozing everywhere, but it turned out OK. A careful light wipe with acetone to help clean up a few glue globs and then I carefully scraped the top edge of the binding level with the cap.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_26.jpg
Next up, binding the F-hole… or as I came to know it, f'n binding the f'n f-hole.
http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...binding_27.jpg
