I've been looking for some time for a kit to be my first guitar build; I wanted a short-scale instrument and also something a bit different to the usual trio of ST-, TL- and LP-types. I'd have gone for a Jaguar-style if I'd been able to find one, but Mustang-like will be fine.
Back-ordered in the depths of UK lockdown, it arrived a few days ago, (impressive time once it was at Pit Bull HQ to arrive here my house in the UK, by the way - 5 days end to end) and I've been trying to work out how to get photos into this Forum ever since! I found various different options mentioned in various different posts, and I'm sure I'll find a better way to do it, as I progress with this build.
Anyway, to the guitar diary. DMS-1 unpacked, all the parts seem to be present and correct, including the upgrades to a bone nut and Grover tuners. Two-piece ash body, maple fingerboard
No major dents or damage to the body or neck as far as I can see, but there are a few niggles to overcome; I'd be interested to hear if these are common on Pit Bull kits.
1. A couple of wiring niggles; the wire to the selector switch only just reaches from the volume pot to its location, pulling tight on the cavity corners, so I'll be re-wiring that to give a bit of slack, and there's a joint in both wires on one of the pick-ups for no apparent reason, other than possibly wanting to make use of every last scrap of wire on a roll! Again, I'll re-wire that to avoid all unnecessary joints.
2. The neck isn't exactly loose in the neck pocket, but it isn't what I'd call a snug fit either; the neck drops in with no pressure whatsoever. I think a couple of plane shavings off a scrap bit of maple might be called for.
3. The pre-drilled holes for the bridge aren't all aligned - maybe the template was for a different bridge. The front two and the middle rear one look OK, so I'll think about plugging and re-drilling the other two - I hate screws that go in crooked!
4. It looks like the router took two passes at the nut slot, and didn't get them aligned. I wouldn't have worried if the extra gap was at the back, but at the front it may allow the nut to twist. Maybe another sliver of maple...
Next up, hunting for glue blobs, and trying to work out why I appear only to be able to have five pictures per post!
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