Build #3 - ES-1GT

[Sonic Mountain]

You can see in this pic in the neck cavity the gap between the tang and the cavity wall.



And here it is checking neck alignment and scale length.



There was enough interference for this neck to sit in the body without clamping which was nice.

And here (on a different guitar) is an illustration of how the angled neck pocket works to give clearance for the bridge.

[McCreed]

While Brisbane is not much different from Perth in terms of climate, it has been a humid week here.

Yes it has. I've got some spraying I want to do, but I've held off. Probably being ridiculously over-cautious, but I'm hoping there are still some cooler/drier days left before Christmas.

Good luck with your build. Look forward to watching.

[glenwilliam]

You can see in this pic in the neck cavity the gap between the tang and the cavity wall.

And here (on a different guitar) is an illustration of how the angled neck pocket works to give clearance for the bridge.

Aah this is very useful, thank you!

[glenwilliam]

Yes it has. I've got some spraying I want to do, but I've held off. Probably being ridiculously over-cautious, but I'm hoping there are still some cooler/drier days left before Christmas.

Good luck with your build. Look forward to watching.

Cheers McCreed.

I'm over the humidity! Hoping we aren't just riding this through the summer now.

And thanks, I'm looking forward to the build!

[glenwilliam]

Did a little mock build on the weekend with the spare time that I had to see whats what.

Here's a few pics that show the angle of the neck which I now see as being quite normal:



There is a slight gap at the back where the neck meets the body. Not sure what I'm going to do about this yet. Maybe I will have to see what its like once its actually glued in. Filler of some sort?


Everything seems to be in order though:


And has the approval of Harrison at this stage


I have ordered an imitation Bigsby not unlike this one for about $30 delivered from China.

Though just now I have seen this one and and contemplating dropping $70 on it. I couldn't justify the expense of a real one but now I'd be at $100 worth of imitation Bigsby's.. I must contemplate this further.

I have also been thinking about pickups but admittedly I am a total novice when it comes to the electronics of a guitar. If I get something like this for example.. will it a) sound much better/different from the standard Pitbull ones for a bedroom/garage guitarist and b) require different pots, etc? If anyone can suggest some reading for a newbie on this kind of stuff that would be great too.

[Sonic Mountain]

That little gap under the heel isn't unusual, I had the same on my kit. Once clamped and glued if mostly closed up. I then did a coat of finish, let it dry, ran a bead of superglue along it, let it dry and recoated and it's fine.

When you are clamping for glue, be careful how much force you put on the heel as it is possible to move the break angle in that process, worth checking and double checking as you go before letting it fully cure and bond.

Personally I like the covered kit humbuckers and I have them in a number of guitars, so maybe see how they sound to you first. The pots won't need changing for different pickups, but you can always upgrade them as well to better quality ones. The kit ones are absolutely fine, but are likely to wear out and go crackley sooner. So I'd just stick with the kit stuff and see how you go.

There are loads and loads of options for upgrades, the Tonerider pickups that Pitbull offers are great bang for buck if you decide the kit ones don't do anything for you.

[DarkMark]

Got to agree with Sonic regarding the Tonerider pickups. I’ve just ordered some no name lower resistance p90’s in a humbucker cover off eBay for an upcoming project.
If you suggest what you are aiming for/style of music, perhaps people could point you in the right direction?
After reading through the descriptions of pickups on the pit Bull site and various build diaries I even kid myself I’ve learnt something about them. The resistance seems to be an indication of what you get, but others with more knowledge will tell you that is not the be all and end all of it.

[Ricky]

I agree with the above comments.
The PBG supplied pickups are certainly adequate for getting started and maybe a lot longer!
You can always change the hardware later if you wish.

I have just found this that may be an alternative - plus it gives you coil split and minimal/no soldering. ( it might mean swapping 2 pots that i think look full sized but still easy to do.)

I personally would stick with your first choice of vibrato - far more honest than the one that SAYS Bigsby.
BTW, that is the same one I have on mine and it works great.

Cheers
Ricky

[glenwilliam]

Thanks for the advice all. I think I will stick with the kit pickups for now and see how I go. Honestly unless I'm wanting to record something super-clean I don't think its going to make a huge difference to me.

Ricky, I did see that you have this same imitation bigsby on your build and I think you're right!

[McCreed]

...the Tonerider pickups that Pitbull offers are great bang for buck if you decide the kit ones don't do anything for you.

FWIW, PBG's prices are the best you'll find for Tonerider, and free shipping!

PBG = $79.95, Realtone = $95 + postage