ES-3, GR-1SF, and ST-1Jr

[Gavin1393]

Ad's, while they are at it they need to do something about that tail block. it is way to thin. It needs to be at least 25mm thick if it is going to provide adequate support to the guitar strap pins. Plus it should be shaped away from the top/ soundboard and the back of the guitar. by not being shaped, there is a strong likelihood that the wood above and below the ply will crack as the tail piece breathes (expands and contracts).

This is what a finished block should look like at the tail.

[adam]

Will do Gav, although I am really tempted to just delete the GR-1SF from our catalogue. I had a bad feeling ordering this model and my gut feelings seem to have been confirmed.

[adam]

And I'm going to refund everyone who bought one of these to the value of the landed cost price, which is $238 (including postage). So, standby for a refund you GR-1SF owners and apologies for receiving a sub-par kit.

[WeirdBits]

Adam, my previous post and images was just me being curious and wanting to investigate the issue further after you said it appeared to be consistent across all the kits. Nothing more.

And yes, like the ES-3, my GR-1SF does have a tail block, like so:





(thanks Gav, great info about how a tail block should be shaped, it always good to get an expert's view)


Edit: Adam, I just saw your latest comment, and that wasn't the intent of my posts. It's a very generous offer, thank you.

[Brendan]

Ads, shame about the GR1-SF kit - looks like a cracker.

Scott - just goes to show how good a bloke Adam is - if it's sub par, he'll look after you.

[keloooe]

Shame how the GR1-SF is going... Such a good looking kit...

[Brendan]

Lads with the GR1-SF - looking at wiring diagrams... Looks like you've ended up with 4 pots and a 3 way. Could do it as a 2 vol, 2 tone and a 3 way ("standard" humbucker setup), but was wondering if anyone had a better idea for a setup using the standard parts in the kit. Checking the original guitar, it seems that they have a bridge vol, neck vol, master vol and 3 way and a mysterious other switch / knob. Nothing in the electronics about a tone knob at all.

Any ideas?

[WeirdBits]

The 'mysterious other switch' was typically a 'tone switch' providing a normal/high-cut/dark setting via grounded capacitors instead of a normal tone control. This type of circuit can be done with just an on/off/on switch and a couple of caps. Diagrams are available on the Gretsch site.

Given that the kit comes with 4 pots and a 3-way toggle, the standard 2 vol, 2 tone is probably the easiest option, but not the best for the layout. So, something more inline with the original would probably work better: master vol, master tone, and individual pickup volumes (master vol on lower lobe, tone at the top with the switch). I've got something a little different planned for mine... we'll see.

[ihasmario]

How heavy is the ST1-jr, and do the junior guitars work well with lower tension strings?

I'm interested in making one for some classes I take so we can look at contemporary instruments as well as orchestral instruments, and it'd be real cool to have one the kids can use and we can pull apart...

Thx