Thank you so much for posting a build diary. I have the same kit as you and I've just started to get to grips with it. I particularly like what you've done with the headstock, so I plan on copying that. But before I get there, I think I've got a bigger problem to start out.
Doing a trial assembly, I think that I have some significant bridge location problems:
a) The front and back holes aren't the right spacing for the supplied bridge; more significantly
b) To get the cavity for the bridge pickup is too far back to get the saddles in the right place for the scale length; and
c) The holes don't seem to set the bridge perpendicular to the strings (obvious from join in the veneer)
d) The bridge assembly gets nowhere close to the pickguard (tho this may be feature rather than a bug)
You mentioned bridge location problems at the start - how did you resolve them in the end? I think I might need a router to open out the bridge cavity.
Hi you are most welcome to copy my headstock design. Funnily enough, I thought I was being original, but I have since found that it's very similar to the headstock of a Fender Coranado - ah well.
I think I came across some very similar issues to you:
a) Nope I agree my bridge also didn't match the pre-drilled holes at all. I assumed that because I'd ordered the gold finish I got a different sized bridge?
b) Yes I also found that to get the bridge in the right position for the pickup cavity and the correct scale length I had to remove some wood. I used a Dremel with a rough sandpaper fitting. I thought it would take forever to remove enough wood, but in fact it got through it quite quickly. I put masking tape on the body to protect the veneer, offered up the bridge in the planned location (with the pickup installed) and drew around the pickup baseplate on the masking tape to mark out the required cut. I then went at it with the Dremel until the pickup fitted with the bridge in the right location. It doesn't look particularly pretty, but it will all be hidden.
I originally thought that, to allow for full adjustment, I should site the bridge so that the scale length was correct when the saddles were int he middle of their adjustment range. However this called for far too much removal of wood so instead I measured the scale length the be almost at the full extent of adjustment on the saddle for the top 'E' string, on the basis that all of the other saddles were likely to be adjust back from this. This arrangement only meant I had to remove approx. 4mm of wood to get the bridge pickup to fit.
c) No, I also felt that the pre-drilled holes would have meant the bridge would neither be straight or central. This worried me a lot. All I can assume is that the bridge the holes were intended for has some sort of odd hole placement! I too used the centre line of the veneer to align my bridge (and this did seem to be central to the body)
d)With the supplied pickguard I felt that the gap between it and the bridge plate was neat and even. However, I wanted a white pickguard so I bought an aftermaket one. My new pickguard is very similar to the supplied one but the contours are slightly different and it doesn't trace the line of the body so well. Look for pictures of a Fender Thinline '68 for guidance
Note: if you are planning on staining the body, don't fill the unused pre-drilled bridge holes. I thought I was being clever, but the surface glue has prevented the stain from taking. It will all be covered by the bridge, but I'm disappointed with the look of the body without the bridge attached
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