My First Build the GR-1SF

[ShazzRandom]

hi SHAZZ thanks for your reply, ive actually finished the build and like you I'm gonna have to do a total rewire (crappy wire came with the kit resulting in lots of buzz/noise )
also did you have any trouble with the trem system ? when I fitted it the two screws that hold it to the top of the guitar are not supported underneath so one of them is being pulled out of the body by use of the trem and I expect the other will follow.
the trem bar also sits way too high off the body.
any help is much appreciated, thanks again NULLIG. p.s. did you do fret leveling ?

Hey mate, yeah I suggest getting braided wire. I got some from the sates. I'm using it on my current build too. I got I think 8ft first time round (4 of each) and this time I got 15ft of each (cheaper and can keep for next build) it makes a massive difference.
Was that you on my YouTube that asked? I haven't responded yet haha
I had to use different screws for the trem as the ones provided didnt fit properly. As there's no block underneath it is straight through the top only. Form memory I used a screw that was threaded all the way to maximise grip. The only thing I could think of to get more support would be drilling out the hole a bit and using some Dowell that extends to the back and flying it in place then fixing the trem screws into these.
My bar sits fairly high too, about 2 1/2-3inches above the face. You could probably bend the arm down about half way, but this could cause cracking to the coating. So unless you took it apart and bent it and re coated it I don't think there's much you can do except get a true bigsby... but that may also have different screw hole placements.

I didn't do any fret levelling or anything, I just sanded the ends a little when I was sanding the neck to smooth them off but haven't done and actual fret dressing.
Hope this is help in some way. Cheers

[Simon Barden]

Someone else here stuck some wooden blocks under the screw holes. They drilled a pilot hole through the middle of a block of wood (suitable for the mounting screw you are using), then ran some nylon line through the screw hole, out of an F-hole (or through the bridge pickup hole might be easier), then through the wooden block and tied a big knot on the back so that it could be dragged back through the body. Used glue on the upper surface (not sure what glue but epoxy should be nice and strong and also gap filling), then pulled the block up tight against the body and managed to keep pressure on the line until the glue set. Then repeated for the other screw hole. If you don't cut the nylon line short but leave it long behind the knot, then you can leave that end out of the guitar body and easily pull the line out again in one piece. easier than cutting the line and then trying to shake the knot out of the body.

Then once you screw the screws in again, they've got a lot more to bite into, plus the screw keeps the block pressed against the top so it doesn't move.

As Shazz says, I'd also use different mounting screws, not ones with an unthreaded section at the top.

I know it's a bit of a fiddle, but it's not too difficult (more time consuming) and will give you a far more solid trem mounting.

I'm not familiar with the supplied trem, but from the kit picture on the PBG web site, it doesn't look as if anything else but bending it will do the job. Although if the height of the trem bar is determined by the length of the spring, then cutting the spring down a bit might help (again, I'm sure I've seen someone else do this recently).