Noob with some decisions to make.

Good Morning All,

Checking in from the Gold Coast.

I'm looking at buying a pitibull kit for my christmas present to myself. After getting rid of my other guitars I currently just have a G&L Strat and am looking for something I can use mostly for slide and open tunings. I am thinking solid bridge for this. The two guitars I have in mind are the TL-51 and the JR-1MDC (along with an SG or semi hollow maybe). Right now I am leaning towards the JR-1MDC, except for one thing; the information on the page for it says soldering skill required is Pro vs Novice for the Tele.
One of the reason for doing this kit is to get over a phobia of soldering irons developed by grabbing a soldering iron that was meant to be off (but wasn't) by the hot part when I was a kid.

Anyway, what is the difference between the kits in regards to soldering? Is there really that big of a difference? I really want to do all the kit myself.

I'm a little worried about the neck and bridge setup on the tele too.

Any help given would be much appreciated.

Welcome BB, the Tele would be easier to solder up , but really the JR wouldn't be much harder.
There is a heap of help here, go slowly and you should be fine, lots of diagrams that are pretty easy to follow for a novice and plenty of help if you get stuck.
Both these models have been successfully build by first time builders with excellent results, and plenty of build threads you can use as a guide. Follow the recommendations and take your time, it would be hard to fully muck it up.
My advice would be go for the kit that grabs you the most and go from there.

Bobby, I did the Tele first for that very same reason, because all you had to do was solder the pick up wires to the pre-wired switch panel........I ended up replacing the pots and switch and re-wiring the whole thing from scratch and it wasn't hard at all. I had never done any electronics soldering before. So basically don't let the soldering put you off getting the kit you REALLY want.

Neck and bridge on the Tele is also nothing to worry about. usually the bridge needs to go forward a little, especially if you are usuing different pick ups. A drum sander on an electric drill is an easy way to tackle that.
For setting the neck in place just follow the vids http://www.pitbullguitars.com/videos/ , it's pretty straight forward

The 'Pro' rating for the wiring usually just means none of the components are pre-wired, whereas for TL and ST kits etc some elements can be factory wired on the control plate/pickguard. The JR kit will have about 11 solder points max, depending on grounds, and the layout is very easy to understand. You're unlikely to have any issues wiring it and, if you do, there's plenty of help available here on the forum. Welcome and enjoy your build.

I'm probably glossing it, Bobby, but most guitar parts dont require surgical-like precision when soldering. If you know to heat the part instead of the solder then you're in good shape. Just think ahead before you start and make sure you have a good solid surface to work on, somewhere to put the iron when you're not holding it, and GO SLOW... don't rush the job.

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I have about two months to mull it over for the kit to choose, by then I'll want all of them :P. Thanks again.

Hello fellow Queensland.....you'll never regret building a tele;)

The "Levels" of soldering skills are intended for those that are most concerned about them - in reality, none are that hard if you take time and step through things logically. The only real difference is the ES style where getting the pots, etc into the guitar is apparently quite a bit more challenging.

With that in mind, pick the guitar that meets what you want - there's plenty of help and moral support here to get you through!

Looking for a cheap Tele is how I ended up finding these kits. Then I saw kits for SGs, ESs, LP Jrs and LP Jr DCs. Too many cool kits, I don't know where to start :P. I might steer clear of the ES at first.

I think the easiest decision will be your first kit.......It's the second kit(Oh, yes, there will be a second!!) that will completely stuff you!!

I'll leap into a PBG with absolutely no hesitation simply because of the support you'll get in here and from the firm - I'm sure you'll be fine with the soldering; if I can do it, mate, anyone can!! :-)

Yeah... the choice of kit is a little bewildering, isn't it?!? :-D

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Originally Posted by bobby_boy

Looking for a cheap Tele is how I ended up finding these kits. Then I saw kits for SGs, ESs, LP Jrs and LP Jr DCs. Too many cool kits, I don't know where to start :P. I might steer clear of the ES at first.

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Its okay to do them all....no judging here....

Too many choices is not such a bad thing as it provides some inspiration for which one to do next as these things are like Pringles, you can't stop at one.

Suggest a bolt on neck first up as that is one less thing to worry about and once you have conquered that you can move on to doing a set neck.

Tele's are easy and only tricky bit is shaping the headstock. If you can afford it I would highly recommend the bone nut & neck setup by DB and the PBG shop also has a price for shaping headstock too.

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Originally Posted by wazkelly

Too many choices is not such a bad thing as it provides some inspiration for which one to do next as these things are like Pringles, you can't stop at one.

Suggest a bolt on neck first up as that is one less thing to worry about and once you have conquered that you can move on to doing a set neck.

Tele's are easy and only tricky bit is shaping the headstock. If you can afford it I would highly recommend the bone nut & neck setup by DB and the PBG shop also has a price for shaping headstock too.

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Thanks Waz! I've been in contact with Adam and there are some Single Cut LP Jr kits in Mahogany coming in soon (was going to custom order one, but, didn't need to :D). I'm pretty excited to order the kit and get started. I'm definitely going to get the bone nut from DB and get the neck set up. I'd like to try shaping the neck myself and see how I go there.

Good choice, my Jnr is my fav guitar to play.

Yeah, I have also been tempted to do a JR and was looking more at the Mahogany double cutaway with 2 x P90's as it is something just a little bit different. Maybe one day.

I love LP Jr Double Cuts and it was the original kit I was looking at. My only issues, and I know they're small but I couldn't get over them, are how the horns look to be the same size and how the horns meet the neck. If you look at the original LP Jr DCs the top horns are longer/bigger and they are flat where the horns meet the neck. These two things, for me, balance the guitar out and make it seem less small somehow.

Attachment 14831

VS.

Attachment 14832

Its more like a Gibson Melody Maker shape body

https://reverb.com/item/2455017-gibs...-natural-refin

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Originally Posted by andrewdosborne

Its more like a Gibson Melody Maker shape body

https://reverb.com/item/2455017-gibs...-natural-refin

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I thought it might've been based on the LP Special double cut.

Attachment 14833

But, you are correct, it looks exactly like the melody maker.

Well spotted and definitely a melody maker based on the results from that link. Still looks alright in my opinion.

Like this one?

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...psqttk6y13.jpg

Not mine... yet! An Aria Pro II from the late 70s and it is simply epic. I'd always thought it was an LP Jr double cut, but looking a bit closer, yeah.. could be Melody Maker as well...

That Aria Pro looks nice...

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Originally Posted by corsair

Like this one?

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...psqttk6y13.jpg

Not mine... yet! An Aria Pro II from the late 70s and it is simply epic. I'd always thought it was an LP Jr double cut, but looking a bit closer, yeah.. could be Melody Maker as well...

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That still looks like a LP Jr to me, although with a neck pickup. The top horn is longer and the body doesn't curve to meet the neck like the Melody Maker. It also seems to have the Jr pick guard.

Melody maker:
Attachment 14845

That Aria Pro II is an amazing looking guitar! Love tortoise shell pick guards :)

Yes, the kit is definitely a Melody Maker shape, though Gibson did 're-imagine' it for the (pretty awful IMO) 2015 LP Special as Andrewosbourne pointed out. And just to confuse things even more, I have a 2013 "Les Paul Melody Maker", which is more like a carved-top LP Special than a Melody Maker.

Attachment 14846

I am partial to the LP DC shape (and P90s) and did have one of the cheaper Gibson Faded DC models for a while before donating it to my nephew.

Attachment 14847

Of course the LP Jr/Special DC shape was used by Hamer as the basis of their 'Sunburst' model in the '70s. I don't have any old ones but I do have a black '93 one and one of the last ones they made before shutting up shop for good. A shame as they were great guitars.

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