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I am just putting in this thread starter for when my kit arrives. In the meantime::::
Does anyone know where to get Headstock Templates (Gibson) that can print reliably at the correct size? I have searched the community for links and found some google things but nothing seemed to print real world right off?
Can you tell I am a noob by my first question?
I will be grading your responses on a Bell Curve!
I am really looking forward to this experience.
Dave
Live on Real Monkey with A Gun!
Hi Dave,
I’ve used these before
https://sites.google.com/site/guitar...files/gibson-e
https://alingham.com/guitar-templates-psd/
https://www.electricherald.com/guitar-templates/
They seem to to be fairly accurate on scale printing.
Thanks FW that last one looks great. did you use it for your PRS thru neck?
Very Cool Thanks.
I had to think about that. No, i actually used this PDF below to model it on and then made the necessary adjustments to make it a Baritone 28.5" scale.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy40
http://www.guitarts.de/guitar-building-plan/
It wasn't spot on as it was my first foray into manipulating plans, but I was able to get around most of the issues. (apologies Loonhaunt for the mini thread jacking it did start out on topic for your build!)
Too many builds in the Frankenlab!Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankenWashie
I found that the paddle on my AG kit wasn't quite long enough for a full size Gibson headstock so I eyeballed it and it came out ok. The most important thing is the shape is symmetrical
Yes...Possibly..Damned Igor!Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy40
No Problem! Interested any way!
Does anyone have an opinion regarding the single dog ear P90 standard with the JRM 1DC Kit (LP Jr). I am just bouncing ideas around before I actually get my hands on my kit.
Loon
So, how did we do Teach?Quote:
Originally Posted by Loonhaunt
I used the p90 dog ear pickup in the ES-5V kit. I’ve never used a p90 before so don’t have anything to compare it to, but I like it for the jazz songs I’m playing. I’ve been visiting my old guitar teacher once a month playing my ES-5V through a fender hot rod and on both occasions he’s told me I’ve got good tone.
Well thats good to hear!
My kit arrived 12/24. It did not take long at all!. All was in good shape from the journey.
I began to dry fit everything yesterday and I noticed a few things that are driving some questions. I see that that the neck pocket is cut quite wide thus allowing a lot of side wobble. I am not sure that it would be prudent to shim, as I would have to have extremely thin shims placed either side of the neck. When I glue it up I may have to leave the two E strings on it as I clamp it to assure that I get it on straight? Any suggestions would be helpful. I see that the neck tenon also has been planed with a significant rocker to it so that when clamped I can very the neck angle to the bridge and plane of the body significantly depending on where I place the clamp? I am taking measurements from an Epiphone bolt on Junior to use for rough comparison of potential angles. I am also now aware that I am stuck with the enclosed tuners. I had a set of Replica Kluson classics with nice plastic knobs that I had intended to use but I see that the boring in the headstock is going to be over large for the replica's press-in bushings. I also noticed that there are some voids in the laminate used for the finger board, is there a hardening sealer recommendation for that. When I first looked at it I thought that it was a crack. I don't think it is fatal but it can not be left without filler. I was looking for a project, and now I have one.
DB
Started Doing things today: The Gibson esque headstock went better than I thought. I haven't been doing any wood working for a year so I was worried that what skill I had left me. Some is back:
Attachment 29573
The kits are so well made that it took and honest five minutes of 220 grit with the orbital to get the body ready for dye.
I am going to use a mix of Transfast Vintage Cherry, and Dark Mahogany mixed in water. I have to wait now for the dye to arrive. I thought the prep was going to take longer. I also need to wait for some tools I ordered to arrive so that I may begin work on the fretts that are pretty rough.
Attachment 29574
I was able to find some bushings at StewMac so I can get my Vintage Nickel Kluson Clones to work in my over bored headstock. I am super stoked about that.
Attachment 29575
So I have been a wooden boat builder for nearing 40 years, I have used Lot's of finishes, Man O War, Danish Oil, Tung Oil, Spar Varnish. I really like Tung Oil, I have built hundreds of Canoe and Kayak Paddles and Tung Oil has been my finish of choice. I have read much about using it or not on guitars, some folks say it deadens the tone, others say that on a solid body guitar that that is BS. So If you have the time I would like to hear what the people with guitar experience in this community think.
Later
If you put any finish on thick enough it will effect the tone. The trick is to keep the coats thin and don’t do too many. Obviously if you are wanting a highly polished finish you will need more, but a guitar doesn’t need the same level of protection as a paddle will.
New Years Day I put my first Transfast water based dye on the body and neck. Today I rubbed in my second coat of tung oil. I am going to do one more coat of tung oil then I plan on setting the neck. I am nervous about the neck the frets are not set very well and seem to pop back out if I tap them in. I have one of the manufactured fret boards, I am not sure if it holds the fret wire in like a solid wood would? If any one can provide some insight I would appreciate that. I may have gone beyond my pay grade right out the box?
Attachment 29616 Attachment 29617
Transfast Light Mahogany I was looking for that SG red, looks pretty close I think?
There have been similar issues from time to time with various kits.
Three steps to rectify:
- Tap em back in (done but not successful)
- (Carefully) Wick some CA glue into the fretslot and then clamp or hold down the errant fret(s)
Both the above should be easily achieved for a first timer
Slightly more involved and you should use some fret board protectors and a proper fret puller if you do it
- Remove loose/popped frets and check radius, if matching or flatter, bend to a slightly tighter radius than your board and re seat.
- check tang depth and groove depth to make sure is not bottoming out, check tang width and slot width also (slot should be slightly skinnier)
You can adjust the frets manually with pliers, or a block with a hole in it that you can then bend the fret against the side of and gradually advance it up or down to get your desired radius. The key is itty bitty adjustments along its length.
Beyond that if you have more than 1 or 2 popped then it might be an email to Pitbull, or a dive headfirst into the wonderful world of fret board re-work! (Not recommended)
Hope this helps,
I haven't taken the masking tape from the fret board yet , I am still applying tung oil and steel wooling. I think I am about at coat 8? I am not really counting, just watching the grain begin to drown in the sheen of gloss. Tung oil is pretty wonderful stuff to work with if you are patient. I did switch from Watco to Formsby Oil. Formsby is thinner and dives into the grain much better that Watco.
I bought some headstock decals from Bobsdecals in the UK. They are beautiful...but after reading the instructions, something all good engineers do last, ;) I saw that nitro will eat them. This after I just bought some pretty spendy gloss black and clear for the headstock. Now I have to re-thiink my process to utilize polyurethane. It seems a shame to use a product named "Rustoleum" on a musical instrument. So if any community members can provide some views about a good poly to apply to my headstock that is not a decal eater. I thank you in advance.
I will inject some pictures of the build later today.
Loon
Nice work on that headstock shape. looks good. That Transfast Light Mahogany dye also looks the business
You could instead finish it with a oil? I know you can't get Tru Oil in California easily buy maybe Tung or Danish Oil? do a rub on finish
If I spray I use acrylic rather than Poly its a little less thick.
Yeah! What is to stop me from oiling over the Decal on the headstock? Tung oil should bond to the polyurethane or acrylic black face and not eat the decal? Did I mention I tried black transfast dye and I could not get the mahogany to look Black, it just became darker mahogany.
So you use acrylic to spray like "Krylon" or similar. I am afraid I am stuck with whatever I can find in a big box home store place in my neighborhood.
It is begining to look deep enough1
Attachment 29688
Mahogany requires a lot of oil to fill the grain
Attachment 29689 Attachment 29690
I just use the Acrylic sprays at my local auto shop in australia.Quote:
Originally Posted by Loonhaunt
But might I sway your opinion, if you are going to use oil on the headstock, why not finish the whole guitar in it. I use Tru oil for all my stained guitars. I like it, but its a personal preference as it takes a bit longer and you need patience. It does give the guitar a bit more of a woody feel rather than the plastic feel of poly - but that's just down to personal preference.
The upside, is its a bit more robust if you knock the guitar finish later. you can just get some more oil and spot finish.
IF you have time, get some scrap pieces of wood and dye them with you dyes and try out each of the finishes to see what works for you.
Edit: Ahh right I see you have oiled, man that's looking awesome!
Further Edit: yeah I oil over my decals all the time. never hurt one yet
Oils are my favorite. You do really need to have other things to do between coats. One reason I began using Formby or Minwax tung oil over say Watco is that Formby can be handled in 12 hours as opposed to sometimes twice that for Watco.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy40
Really Glad to hear about the Oil over decals, I suspected such as I used to make Bamboo fishing gear and I made my own decals covering them with Man O War Varnish Never Touched them, I sprayed some lacquer over one once and it completely dissolved. I cried for a while on that mess. That was a commissioned job too!
Laser printed decals are normally pretty colorfast. It's inkjet decals where the inks tend to run if you put the wrong thing over the top. I've sprayed clear nitro over laser printed decals with no issues.
Bob, the maker of these said, no nitro in his directions. When I was building bikes all decals where acetone set, and would hold up under anything, except acetone! I don''t actually know what these are? I sprayed my first layer of black on the headstock a few minutes ago. I am getting close to finding out how I am made?
I am going to take a shot at putting the decal on the headstock. Is covered with four coats of Krylon Acrylic wet sanded tween coats with 1200 grit. I wish I had a dust free room . I made a dry booth for doing my bamboo fishing gear, but this would require a lot more space?
Attachment 29712
I dont have a dust free area, I jut use a tack cloth when needed
Five coats of Lowes home store Satin Spray Can Krylon (Color-Max) Black under decal. 1200g wet dry paper, wiped down last coat of paint with warm water prior to setting decal. I have clear Krylon Color-Max to cover the decal. I will need to let this cure for about 24 hours before I attempt the first mist coat over the decal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy40
Quote:
Originally Posted by Loonhaunt
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...30a23800d9.jpg
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
I had both and good and bad while covering my new Decals, the logo looks great but the Les Paul Decal got attacked. I used Bullseye Shellac as I thought that it was pretty much the mildest thing I could use. Guess I will have to scrape it off or go for the "Vintage Look" Yuck! Don't know why one decal would look perfect and the other not so much??
Hey all, just a heads up - I've removed the photos as they are using a copyrighted logo. Pitbull does not condone or support the use of copyrighted logos on kit guitars and as such I've removed the photos in line with this. Apologies if this upsets anyone, but we want to keep the forum up and litigation free if we can.
no issue here
Just out of interest, which part is out of bounds? The LP part, the G part or both? Thanks in advance for clarifying. I totally understand the issue and no argument here, just seeking clarification. Cheers!Quote:
Originally Posted by Brendan
Both will be, especially when in the same fonts as used by that manufacturer.
So just leave out the headstock or black-out the lettering in photoshop (or similar) before posting. We still want to see the guitar!
Yep - it is both - any logo that is a copy of a trademark runs the risks of drawing attention. It has also been a longstanding ground rule on the site that we won't publish any maker's logos on guitars that they haven't "made".
I have been playing this little guitar so much that I have not had time to followup here with build commentary!
The Junior went together well. The kit for the most part was cut well enough. I thought the neck pocket was pretty over sized and sloppy. I had to build a jig to make sure it glued in straight to the body that in itself was not a big deal. What was very crucial was keeping the break angle within range of the bridge height adjustment. As it turned out with my build I have the bridge as low as it can go with out machining to get my string height tolerable. The other small whine element is that the standard USA fret board of composite Rosewood was quite rough, and the frets took and incredible amount of work to level and clean up. However this being my first kit build I did not know what to expect. The experience was absolutely a beautiful thing to have!
I am embedding some images, one of which has been blacked out as I was intent upon relic - ing my head stock to a well known model that I happened to own that was manufactured in 1954 ish. Getting the look I wanted was amazingly lucky if anyone is interested in that process you can IM me for more images and detail.
Attachment 30268 Attachment 30269
Attachment 30270