TLA-1 First Build

Haven't got my kit yet but I am using the lead time to learn, plan and prepare.

I've put this list together with my current understanding of all the steps in the process: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...GmqNqgxvOzBFSw. From there, I will be linking to relevant forum threads, web articles and YouTube videos as I stumble into them.

Please feel free to comment in the doc or here. Would love your feedback and pointers to good reference material. I'm sure I am missing lots of important stuff.

Regards,

Marcelo

More than one way to skin a cat, however...
My approach would be to start with step 13. 'Assemble and install electronics'.
Only on my 2nd Pitbull kit but I'm sure glad I left the finishing 'till last.

cheers, Mark.

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Originally Posted by king casey

More than one way to skin a cat, however...
My approach would be to start with step 13. 'Assemble and install electronics'.
Only on my 2nd Pitbull kit but I'm sure glad I left the finishing 'till last.

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Interesting. Would you mind elaborating on the reason? I would have thought that you wouldn't want the electronics in place while doing the finish. Is that to avoid damaging the finish during the install?

I get it all assembled and playing. Making all the adjustments to the neck/frets etc...
Only then will I disassemble the whole thing and set about the sanding/filling/painting/staining.
Knowing that it will all go together with no problems.
I'm sure you will read some build threads (mine for starters) where a few backward steps came into play.

edit:
Here's my current build. It' been a couple of weeks in limbo whilst I get some playing adjustments done.
The MDF pickguard has picked up plenty of finger fudge whilst putting some mileage on the frets.
Once I'm happy with that, it will be disassembled and the sanding/priming/painting stage will commence.
Attachment 29138


cheers, Mark.

Ah, that makes total sense. Thanks for the tip.

When is the best time to shape the headstock in your opinion?

PS: that's a beauty!

Thanks Marcelo. It started out as a JM-1 but undergone some surgery.
Actually the neck/headstock prep I did first as it's achieved without adding to the guitar.
edit: Best to mock-fit on the body and make sure there's no issues with it beforehand I guess.

cheers, Mark.

I've updated the doc. I'm now planning to go as Mark suggests and do a full build and rough setup before disassembling the whole thing and doing the finish. I like the idea of delaying the finish until after some basic adjustments (and unavoidable mistakes) are made.

Agreed, if U are not in a rush it will prevent heartache later. Just make sure you don't get oily fingers on the timber under the finish.

mcamelo: I like the sensible and ordered approach, and I can't argue with the idea of putting it all together before you start on the finishing. The only thing that glares at me in your step-by-step is that you're haven't made any allowance for coating over the headstock decal. You certainly don't have to, but they can be pretty fragile (assuming a waterslide decal). To really protect it, you might want to consider a few extra clear coats - enough to build up the whole finish above the level of the decal, and then some - so you don't end up sanding/polishing into it.

Yes, I had forgotten that important step. A few questions:

Can I use the same clear coat I plan to use on the body (Dingotone)?
Does it go on top of the Tru-Oil final coat?
Should I apply to the decal and adjacent area only or to the entire face of the headstock?

Thank you for the tip. I will update the doc as I learn.

I haven't used dingotone, but I have used Tru-Oil on both the body and the neck.


The decal won't stick to bare wood so you'll have to put at least one coat on first.
You can put many coats on over the top of it to give plenty of headroom for sanding/polishing back.

cheers, Mark.

Tru-oil will be your top coat if you are using it. If you are staining with Dingotone, do the colour coats, but don’t use the top coat, the Tru-oil will take it’s place.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mcamelo

Yes, I had forgotten that important step. A few questions:

Can I use the same clear coat I plan to use on the body (Dingotone)?
Does it go on top of the Tru-Oil final coat?
Should I apply to the decal and adjacent area only or to the entire face of the headstock?

Thank you for the tip. I will update the doc as I learn.

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Great starter kit as it is very simple, has no binding, and sometimes you end up with amazing Ash grain to work with.

If using Dingo Tone you need to be very, very patient between applying each coat. I used it on builds #1 & #2 but had dramas with top coat and ended up using Tru Oil which was so much easier to use. Don't know if DT would stick if applied on top of TO? Tend to think not as it doesn't have the same varnish type properties as found with TO.

With any decals, best to get a few coats of finish down before sticking one on. If using water slide transfer paper I would recommend leaving a lot of clear in the background so that you can cut a sheet slightly bigger than headstock shape rather than trimming to just size of text as that tends show edge lines no matter how many layers of finish are on top. The full sheet once dried can be trimmed off with a sharp blade at the 90 degree edges, and then cut out for the tuning pegs where those edges will be covered by retaining washers. Worked a treat on build # 5 where I printed in reverse to create a black headstock face to place over silver/chrome sparkle to show up as the logo script. Should have used a Laser printer as ink jet was not dark enough.

Edit: Forgot to mention you will probably need 4 - 6 coats on top of decals, maybe more, to allow for some to disappear when doing final sanding and polishing. Plenty other folks have accidentally sanded through and it is not hard to do.

So it sounds like I definitely want to use TO on top of the decals. Having never used TO before, I had the impression that it would not cure on top on the plastic decal but looks like I was mistaken? If it will cure then it is a no-brainer.

On the topic of DT clear coat vs. TO on the body, if TO will give me similar results with less pain and frustration then I should probably be using it on the body too. In that case, my next question is: will the 90ml bottle be enough for 6+ coats on both neck and body?

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Originally Posted by mcamelo

will the 90ml bottle be enough for 6+ coats on both neck and body?

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Tru-Oil goes on fairly thinly so there should be plenty in a 90ml bottle.
Waz also thins his down with turps (or metho?) sure he'll be along to elucidate.

cheers, Mark.

Small bottle of TO is plenty for one build, even allowing for up to 20 coats or more.
A word of caution using TO....it adds a slight amber tint to everything and seems to take on an aged look pretty quickly, like within 12 to 18 months it does darken a bit more. Best not to use TO over blue as it will inevitably end up green over time. All good on red, brown, yellow, and natural warm tones.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by king casey

Tru-Oil goes on fairly thinly so there should be plenty in a 90ml bottle.
Waz also thins his down with turps (or metho?) sure he'll be along to elucidate.

cheers, Mark.

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Yeah, you can thin it down with humble mineral turps.
Over several builds i have done things slightly differently and reckon best to lay at least 6-8 full strength coats before initial 1200 grit wet sand. Not so sure about applying TO with wet & dry paper as it can leave multiple uneven layers that only show up when doing a robust wet sanding session.
From 8th coat i would suggest adding a few drops of turps to a small amount of TO to slightly thin it down as my previous 50:50 ratio was too watery and prone to introducing runs. Once you have done 12 time for 1500 wet sand and then next couple of coats done full strength. From here, just alternate a couple of full strength followed by slightly diluted, then wet sand with 2000 grit from coat 16 and up.
Somewhere around 20 coats it will feel smooth and hopefully have enough thickness to sacrifice some layers in the final sand & polishing process.
Sounds like a lot of work but much quicker and easier than using DT.

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And how long should I be waiting in between TO coats?

Couple of hours during warm to hot weather, maybe 4-8 hours in really cold weather.
If wanting to get stuck into it you could do one before work another when you get home, then another just before going to bed. On weekends you could also add another coat around lunch time too.

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Alright. I'm sold on finishing the body in TO, too. Thank you for all the guidance. I will soon update the doc with what I've learned.

One related question: assuming I am doing the back of the neck and headstock in TO, what is the best finish (and method) to use on the fingerboard (maple)?

Slap it on all over on maple fret boards. Probably no more than 8 coats on the fretboard and you will also need to buy some of those cheap fret guides for when you are doing the final fret polish. It may be a good idea to remove the nut or do a thorough masking tape job. Always best to spend a few more bucks to buy the best masking tape you can afford as the cheap stuff only creates more work in the long run.

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Cool. It all makes sense. Glad to hear that TO can be used on the fretboard too. One fewer thing to buy. I've read somewhere that TO will adhere to the frets but I guess that's easy to fix by simply holding the fret polish to last.

You will need something like this which can be found in PBG store or on eBay too....https://www.pitbullguitars.com/shop/...ctors-2-piece/
Attachment 29177

Or if feeling cheap and resourceful you could make your own from some scrap plastic - ice cream container lids or maybe take away food (chinese or indian) container lids. They only need to be wide enough to protect fret board when using 0000 steel wool to polish the frets, or in this case, removing TO from the frets whilst polishing. This is the only job that I will do using steel wool as it is nasty stuff that breaks down into very fine particles....has a habit of finding it's way into places where it is unwanted, think finish, pickups, electrical parts. Best to do neck whilst unattached to body and have a strong mah=gnet on hand to sweep over everything, including workspace to pick up the stray steel wool fibres.

Got it. I've actually already have a pair of those laying around the house (came with some other tools I got from ebay long ago).

Mcamelo, When buiding teles, I usually do a full mock build before Sanding etc. I even play the Tele, there's a thread on my TLA-1R where I did this. Teles are really easy to pull apart and put back together (even if you make it a string through).

What will find is that the scale length on the TL1 will be out by a few mm and you may need to move the bridge rout a bit closer to the neck to do this. This will definitely need to be done if you change the tele bridge to an aftermarket bridge eg ashtray style.

You will also find that there is one wonky tuning peg hole in the headstock. You will need to decide whether you are going to leave it as it is (nothing wrong with that), or be a perfectionist and plug the offending hole and re-drill.

I guess in summary, what ever the parts you are going to use, aftermarket or PBG parts, may require slight modifications on the body and neck, you are better off doing this before you start the sanding process.

Good luck

Thanks Andy.

Yes I will definitely do a full build and play it for a couple of days so I can have a good feel for everything that needs work before starting on the sanding and finish (I think that will also help alleviate the extreme anxiety that I am sure will descend upon my 8 yo).

I'm hoping it won't require extra rerouting or redrilling but I am going for as much perfection as I can get with my inexperienced hands.

As for parts, I'll use the grover locking tuners and also an aftermarket bridge (modern style 6 saddle, through body strings).

Can't wait for the kit to arrive.

The kit finally arrived. Just in time for Christmas.

All parts seem to have made their way safely home, so we've started the mock build.

I've only managed to bolt the neck so far. The fit was less snug than I hoped but what worried me the most is the fact that the four holes in the back of the body are not a perfect match against the neck plate. I went ahead with the drilling regardless and it looks like that was not a problem. I would love to hear about other people's experience with that.

Looks like I will indeed need to reroute the bride pick up cavity. What would the best way for doing that be? I'm thinking drilling holes around the outline and then using a chisel to carve the wood out. Is there an easier way?

Merry Christmas!

-Marcelo

by using a plunge router? That's easier. but make sure you check the scale length first with the bridge placement too see how much you need to chisel out

Unfortunately, I don't have access to a router, but I'm cautiously confident I can do it with pilot holes and a sharp chisel.

Bridge has been placed and I've just finished the through-body string holes. Unfortunately the drill press won't reach that far into the guitar's body but my improvised vertical drilling gig worked well (basically a 2x4 with a vertical hole clamped against the guitar body). I've got the two E string holes all the way through pretty straight. The other four holes I started from each side and had them meet halfway through. This was the scariest part but I'm quite happy with the result so far.

Next step, routing the bridge pickup cavity.

ll try uploading some photos later.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wazkelly

Slap it on all over on maple fret boards. Probably no more than 8 coats on the fretboard and you will also need to buy some of those cheap fret guides for when you are doing the final fret polish. It may be a good idea to remove the nut or do a thorough masking tape job. Always best to spend a few more bucks to buy the best masking tape you can afford as the cheap stuff only creates more work in the long run.

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Hi Waz, what do you recommend for getting the maple fretboard to TO stage - sanding wise?

Dont use Dingotone final coats on the neck (unless its Dingotone Neck finish or stain) it wont harden enough for the neck.

If you are using tru oil on the neck, I usually lay a few coats down on the headstock (say 6) then wet sand sand level, apply the decal, then apply the rest of the tru oil coats to protect the decal.

Maple boards are usually smooth enough straight out of the box however if you think it needs something this is one of the rare times i would use 0000 steel wool. Just need to have a strong magnet handy to sweep over the whole neck & board to pick up all the small steel wool fibres left behind to prevent that ending up in the finish.
About 6 coats might be enough and then leave for a couple of weeks to harden up.
Need to buy some of those fretboard protectors which i think are on PBG store site and carefully use 0000 steel wool again to remove finish from frets. Best to do this with neck not attached to body as you don't want any of the steel wool fibres getting anywhere near your electronics.
Cheers, Waz

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by mcamelo

Unfortunately, I don't have access to a router, but I'm cautiously confident I can do it with pilot holes and a sharp chisel.

Bridge has been placed and I've just finished the through-body string holes. Unfortunately the drill press won't reach that far into the guitar's body but my improvised vertical drilling gig worked well (basically a 2x4 with a vertical hole clamped against the guitar body). I've got the two E string holes all the way through pretty straight. The other four holes I started from each side and had them meet halfway through. This was the scariest part but I'm quite happy with the result so far.

Next step, routing the bridge pickup cavity.

ll try uploading some photos later.

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If you can find my TLA-1R diary I have a photo of my drill press "contraption" to reach far enough for the string through holes etc

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Andy40

If you can find my TLA-1R diary I have a photo of my drill press "contraption" to reach far enough for the string through holes etc

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Found that post. Oh, the magic of Google. Not applicable to my type of drill, unfortunately.

My jig worked almost all of the way until I got too confident and didn't double check the location of my last hole and misplaced it by about .5 mm. Arrrghh!!! Used a dowel to plug the mislaligned hole and drilled it again in the right place. Ferrules are not spaced exactly perfectly but it's quite close.

Next, the mock build.

Neck and strings are in and I have a problem. Neck angle is not right. Even with a concave bow, strings are touching the 22nd fret. I could try to raise the saddles very high to make up for it but it doesn't sound like the correct fix. Should I shim the neck or should I shave the neck pocket at the correct angle (sounds hard to do)? Any body here had to deal with that?

I had a similar problem with my Tele.Try using a shim first. If it doesn't work, you can always remove or change the thickness. Can't do that when you remove wood from the pocket, which could lower the whole neck too. Removing wood is always the final solution when all else has been checked and measured.

Posted on you other thread

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mcamelo

Neck and strings are in and I have a problem. Neck angle is not right. Even with a concave bow, strings are touching the 22nd fret. I could try to raise the saddles very high to make up for it but it doesn't sound like the correct fix. Should I shim the neck or should I shave the neck pocket at the correct angle (sounds hard to do)? Any body here had to deal with that?

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If you are already touching at 22nd fret a shim only raises the fretboard even higher so that probably won't work.
On both my Tele's i had to sand down between 5mm to 7mm in the neck pocket on both to make them playable.
Best to check measure height on a similar store bought guitar to act as a reference point.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by wazkelly

If you are already touching at 22nd fret a shim only raises the fretboard even higher so that probably won't work.

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A neck pocket has two ends, Waz, so you simply put the shim at the headstock end of the pocket to lower the angle.

Thank you all and sorry for the double post.

For reference, the discussion is happening here: http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...ead.php?t=9167