Hey DrN, that's a bummer about the Irish kit! One of the great things about Pit Bull is that if such drastic flaws occurred in one their kits, Adam'd straight on to it (like hair on a gorilla!
) to ensure customer satisfaction (and we love's ya for it, Adam!).
If you're going for solid colour the basic process is ... sand, seal, sand, primer/undercoat, sand, paint, polish ... with lots more sanding in between
... a lot of the forumites (including myself) have had great success with a wonderful Aussie product called Timbermate - its filler, a sealer, its ... bloody useful (and even available at the Big Green shed!)
On guitar parts/tools suppliers ... you'll probably find (like I did) if you can get the part in Australia it'll be cheaper than going US when you take into account the Int'l postage AND the nose-diving Aussie dollar but having said that, quite often there's no option but to go o/s ... in which case the US is your best bet (the European suppliers have truly exorbitant prices on their stock - 2-3 times the price for the same thing in the US).
Anyway, here's a small list of just some of the suppliers that I (and some of the other forumites) have found worthy of doing business with:
REALPARTS (Aust.) - a really great range of guitar parts and Aussie-based - they sell the RealTone (US) brand of parts ... good prices, great service, quick delivery ... always my first option before going to the US
http://www.realparts.com.au/
AUSTRALIAN LUTHIER SUPPLIES - another great Aussie supplier. They don't have quite the range of bits that RealParts do but they do stock some of the more obscure bits and pieces and especially tools (where I picked up my "binding-channel-cutter-thingamajiggy") ... prices can sometimes be just a tad more expensive than RealParts but they're just the same on service, delivery ... and great tech advice - these guys are the builders of the beautiful Hancock guitars (real jazz masterpieces).
http://www.luthierssupplies.com.au/
SYDNEY GUITAR SETUPS - legendary Aussie company amongst the pro-guitarists (both local and o/s - check out his client list! its who's who of guitar players!) for his tech services (the only PLEK machine in S.E. Asia) and an incomparable range of OEM (genuine) parts for most manufacturers (except Rickenbacker - don't get him started in Rickenbacker!
) ... his website doesn't show ANY of the range of parts but if its ever been made and used on ANY manufacturer's guitars he's probably got it (his shop is a nightmare and lot of fun ... stock and customers guitars EVEYRWHERE!
) ... also has shops in L.A. and Nashville!
http://www.sydneyguitarsetups.com/
STEWMAC - the most awesomest range of both guitar bits and especially luthier tools and supplies ... but a bit more on the pricier side (than a lot of others) and being US-based postage to Oz can add quite a bit to the end price (especially when the Aussie dollar's taking a dive against the green-back)
http://www.stewmac.com/
GFS (Guitar Fetish) - really great range of Non-brand name (but good quality) parts as well as their own brand (especially their pickups and electronic wiring mods) and certainly one of the cheaper suppliers but again US-based (altho' their postage always seems to come in cheaper than a lot of other US suppliers) ... I'll use these guys if I cant the bit I need in Australia
http://www.guitarfetish.com/
ALLPARTS - directly comparable to GFS (US) and RealParts (Aust.) for range of stock ... I'll also use these guys if an Aussie-alternative isn't available.
http://www.allparts.com/
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Originally Posted by Scott J.
), but then the machine itself costs several hundred of thousands of dollars 
