$33 Mystery Body

[fender3x]

Rocketing along, if it is as light as they say.

Ha! I saw that the FedEx office is right next to the I-95, which runs from Miami, so I am just assuming they'll send it by truck. To me, the best thing about driving on I-95 is that my stately minivan (MPV outside the US?) is every bit as fast as the Lamborghini in the next lane.

[jugglindan]

"minivan" is quite common here in Australia. more common than MPV.

[fender3x]

Good to know. My minivan is nothing if not common ;-)

[fender3x]

The body has arrived and the mystery has, I believe, been solved. Two mysteries, maybe. It was packed very poorly by PB standards. Just a super thin foam sleeve and a cardboard box without padding. Nevertheless, I saw no evidence of damage or dings.

It has been shaped, but will need quite a bit of sanding. That said, for $35 US, I would not expect perfection, and it actually looks pretty good.




Not exactly book matched and clearly four pieces...



...but the top and back look pretty good and you have to look hard to figure out where the seam is if you don't look at it from this last angle.

[fender3x]

So what is it? Definitely not maple as the ebay seller suggested. I am almost certain it is Paulownia. For one thing it looks like Paulownia



This is a pic of it next to a small paulownia board.

It is also exceptionally light: 2.62 lbs / 1.19 kg. I really did not believe that it was going to be close to the weight advertised, and it is slightly heavier, but it is still the lightest solid body I have ever held.

It does have a bit of a flaw around the neck pocket...



But I think that can be repaired...which solves the second mystery about whether I'll keep it. I guess I will.

Will now need to start looking for ultra light tuners and a heavy bridge to balance it out a bit.

So, assuming that I am building this one, does it count as a PB build or a non-PB build? I know that a guitar does not need to be 100% stock to be a PB build. Mine will have a PB neck, and G-d-knows-who-brand body. So less than 50% PB. What do you think?

[king casey]

Congrats that it's not too heavy.

I have a Squier Tele (Affinity) that's fitted with a PitBull neck.
Does it qualify as a PB build?

I'd say not.

cheers, Mark.

[jugglindan]

Congrats that it's not too heavy.

I have a Squier Tele (Affinity) that's fitted with a PitBull neck.
Does it qualify as a PB build?

I'd say not.

cheers, Mark.

Reading between the lines, are you saying "the body makes the build"? I don't know the answer, it's probably a moderator call.

[Sonic Mountain]

No one will mind. Perhaps post the diary in the non pitbull area if you are worried about it. I think most of us come into the site and sort by 'New Posts' so it doesn't really matter where it is in the forum to get traffic.

[Simon Barden]

No one will mind. Perhaps post the diary in the non pitbull area if you are worried about it. I think most of us come into the site and sort by 'New Posts' so it doesn't really matter where it is in the forum to get traffic.

I don't.

I generally read everything anyway.

I'd say non-PB build, as it really needs to be a full kit to qualify in my book.

Maybe we should start a part-PBG build section?

[Ricky]

Just to build on the earlier comment regarding how the size affects the weight charged.
The process is called 'Volumetric Weight Calculation'.
All airfreight is based on an assumption that a certain size of package will weigh at least 1 kg.
Any package is measured and then the mimumum 'weight' calculated using a 'Divisor'.
Currently DHL use a divisor of 5000.

So, if a package measures 100cm x 50cm x 10cm then the calculation is
( 100 x 50 x 10 ) / 5000 = 10kg

That is the minimum you will be charged.

Sorry for the verbage but I worked for DHL for 20 years in this very area.

I guess it is worth knowing if you are considering sending fairly light items (keep the packaging small).

Cheers
Ricky