Joe G’s PSH-1 First Build Diary

[Joe Garfield]

Yesterday I spontaneously decided to learn how to build, finish, and repair stringed instruments so I ordered a PSH-1 from Adam (I love small hollow bodies!). I have a basic understanding of what needs to be done to the body and how to dress frets, but I know nothing about what needs to be done to the neck shape, what specific tools / clamps / jigs I’ll need, etc.

Obviously I have time to figure this out while the guitar ships and I start sanding, but any advice or suggestions you have regarding what tools and equipment you consider invaluable would be greatly appreciated!

https://www.pitbullguitars.com/shop/...ric-guitar-kit

[Joe Garfield]

I can’t believe I just got pics of my actual guitar!

Edit: apparently there was some damage to the neck pocket, so the one sent is not the one I got pics of. I feel like I just found out someone switched my baby at the hospital, lol!

[Sonic Mountain]

Great looking kit. I'd just have a read through the other build diaries and ask specific questions as they arise.

The two biggest challenges you will have are setting the neck and feeding the wiring into the body, but both are totally doable with some care and planning.

The biggest word of warning on these would be that the veneer is very thin and shouldn't require anymore than a very, very light sand if any at all.

What kind of finish are you thinking?

[Joe Garfield]

Thanks! Yeah I’ve done some cabinetry in the past and am familiar with the thin veneers.

Regarding finishing, I was going to wait until I saw the guitar, but now I have some pics I’m thinking maybe something like the pic below, maybe darker or solid on the back depending on the grain. But still I want to wait and see what blemishes need to be hidden before final decision.

[Joe Garfield]

I watched a pretty cool video by PRS on finishing guitars. I”m sure it won’t be as easy as they make it look, but it gave me some good ideas for color and contrast (note they are using straight dye/concentrate):

https://youtu.be/DzMF2SQxWPU

I picked up a kit of Keda dyes. I’m a little weary since the price is so low, but I figure I can at least play with colors and layers on some scrap pieces of maple and see how it goes.

https://www.kedadyeinc.com/our-dye-kits/

I also watched a bunch of Lutherie videos on YouTube. I’m really excited for this - I think it’s just the kind of thing for me. I love fixing and building things, but particularly when there’s an art form involved. Trying to make imperfections disappear actually seems like a lot of fun!

[Joe Garfield]

I started playing around with stain. I homed in on a combination I liked, and when I got there I realized it’s really close to one of my favorite inspirations! I was actually even closer but decided to add a touch of yellow afterward for a little more greenish blue.

[Joe Garfield]

Well...even though my guitar shipped the next day, it sounds like it could be a few weeks before I get the guitar due to COVID-19 delays :/ I was bummed to find that out (Australia Post's website) as I'm pretty excited to build this thing.

I decided to order some upgrades which led to wiring decisions. So here's the plan:
*Entwistle HV58 pickups (very few demos around, but from what I do hear Entwistle pups sound very clean)
*3 CTS push-pull DPDT pots: Neck Vol (series/parallel), Bridge Vol (series/parallel), Master Tone (coil split)
*Switchcraft jack and 3-way switch, .022uF oil-filled cap, and everything wired with shielded, pre-tinned 22ga wire.

IDK how worthwhile it is to run parallel and split coil Humbuckers with low total impedance - I've had it once before and didn't even really care for it - but I'm more interested in the learning experience of wiring it myself.

Practice dying is going well, I'm just hard to find a color that look sharp but also isn't too dark to appreciate in a dimly lit environment. I'm using water based dyes and a non-water based clear lacquer to seal the wood. I picked up some clear grain filler and will experiment with that next on some scrap basswood.

[jugglindan]

Over in this thread I describe a method of partial coil splits to improve the split tone from low output (typically vintage style) humbuckers. My second post describes a more experimental version. I haven't made this mod yet, but I plan to and will start a thread soon to describe the process and results.

[Joe Garfield]

Thanks, I’ll check it out!

[Simon Barden]

I'd measure your body depth beneath the pot holes first before deciding on a definite wiring strategy. A typical push/pull pot with a decent length of mounting thread has 27mm deep body and 20mm of shaft. You'll need enough depth of body to slip the pots up inside the body and up through the holes. You will probably have enough depth for the two existing pot holes, but think about where you want the third to go.

If you've got some digital calipers, then use the rod that sticks out the end of the calipers when you open them up to measure the depth available through the hole. But don't forget to take off the depth of the body (typically 5mm).