Resonator kit has arrived so has the “never done this before anxiety” so let’s give it a go. Hope I can enjoy the process more this time I think I rushed my first ( didn’t we all) - build I meant build. What are all these weird parts?
Look forward to great help like last time.
Cheers
graham
Unpacked it fully, the body is pretty rough, the neck has a noticeable convex curve , the holes for machine heads are different distances from the sides of the head stock, the neck is a lose in the pocket, cone has a dent in it and the spider legs are out of whack a lot - 2 legs touch the others are all about 2-3 mm above the cone. Have I got an end of the shift kit?
The quality compared with the first kit I bought is really poor.
Disappointed
graham
Hi Tgraham, it is disappointing if you are unhappy. I see that Tim has responded and is happy to replace or refund.Originally Posted by Tgraham
As for the curve of the neck! That is not a problem and I see you have already started to adjust it. Interesting that I have had a couple of very convex necks recently, but they have all eventually gone flat.
The rough body: I did use a bit of pine coloured Timbermate on the top around the shoulder and around a sound hole where a couple of splinters(?) of wood were missing. Then sanded it back. Nothing major! I definitely sanded the top, back and sides (with 240 g).
The machine head holes: I did dowel and redrill one of the holes (middle right I think!) as I thought it was a bit off.
Loose neck: My neck was great and did not need any work. I recall that Tim's neck was a bit loose. That can possibly be fixed by having thicker finish closer to the edge of the neck line! And more glue!
Spider legs: Mine were quite flat when placed on a glass shelf. I did need to adjust one leg. Is it 2 legs are too low, the other are fine? Is the cone shelf not flat? I did sand my shelf quite a bit, and had to remove a lot of glue, to get it looking good. I also packed it a bit with CA in one section as it had a few chunks from routing process.
Cone dent: Can you post a picture of the cone. I understand they are quite fragile.
I'm most concerned with the cone dent! The other things I think are fixable - if you are happy doing it. Maybe I was lucky with my kit!
Last edited by Trevor Davies; 29-04-2025 at 06:19 PM.
PitBull Builds: FVB-4, LP-1SS, FBM-1, AG-2, TB-4, SSCM-1, TLA-1,TL-1TB, STA-1HT, DSCM-1 Truckster, ST-1, STA-1, MBM-1, MBM custom, GHR-1 (Resonator), FH-5V (Acoustic).
Scratch Builds: Pine Explorer, Axe Bass, Mr Scary, Scratchy Tele's.
The little voices in my head keep telling me "build more guitars"
A closer look at the cover plate reveals apart from dirty marks that should come of with some polish the are tiny bits
of what appears to be surface rust
G'day Graham,
If you're completely unhappy with the kit, I can certainly replace it or refund it if it's really disappointed you that badly.
I should point out tho - when I made mine, I also needed to smooth the sides back before finishing it... and also my neck was a little loose in pocket as well, but nothing that couldn't be sorted with a little shimming and filling. Just make sure that you've got it square with a mock-fit top and bottom e string into the tail piece.
I believe that the fabricator Adam bought these from is one we don't go to much, if at all, anymore as they're the one that stuffed up all the multi-scale fanned-fret kits and refused to do anything about it.
So, yeah, the quality on this one needs some love to bring it up to beautiful, but that's what we're all here for, right? to spend time on the craft making it exactly what we want?
Let me know if there's anything I can help with.
I will see what members say before I decide what to do, I believe all the “problems” can be sorted but will see what others say.
Cheers
Graham
So far, I think we've had two build diaries on the Resonator--including one from the owner of PB. I would suggest taking some pictures. It sounds like you might have a problem child, but sometimes it's useful to get some feedback.
If you are in one of the Australian "Margates," you may want to contact Tim about exchanging your kit. It turns out that there are other "Margates in Canada, the UK, South Africa and the US, including one about an hour from me. (You can tell that it was named by developers in Florida because it is nowhere near a beach). If you are from one of the other Margates, you may be better off trying to fix it rather than dealing with shipping costs.
Of the issues you've named the issue that would worry me most is the neck depending on how convex it is. If it's just a little, that may just require a bit of truss rod adjustment (less than 1/4 turn). If it looks like it is going to require much adjustment, or if you can't get it flat in a quarter turn, "that dog won't hunt" as we used to say in cowboy country.
Not sure how bad the spider is--I think TD had to bend some parts of his into place. Neck pocket is probably solvable, as are the holes in the peghead--if you have to.
Thanks fender yes Australian Margate just on the wrong side of the island but that ok. I won’t touch anything until Trevor contributes seeing he’s the most recent resonator builder
Photos of each side of the neck
Which way would I turn truss rod ?
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