March Guitar of the Month

[Eric67]

Finish on this guitar was a homemade wipe-on poly. Pickups upgraded with Warman Deadly Sinners set, direct mounted into the modified cavity. All pots and wiring upgraded. Neck heel modified to better fit the neck pocket.

[Eric67]

a few others...

[kman42]

This is my ATL-1SB kit, and it's my first Pitbull build. It features a stained neck & headstock, and custom plywood pickguard that I made. The finish is a thin satin polyurethane, which is thin enough that you can still feel plenty of grain.
The guitar is built for live gigs, and includes the following upgrades:
- Tonerider Hot Classic pickups
- bone nut
- Grover locking tuners
- converted to string-through setup
- fully shielded internals
- full size Alpha pots, Switchcraft jack and Fender-style selector switch
- shielded pickup wire feed tube for easy maintenance

[arie_shapira]

i wanted a hard rock guitar for a while now, and i really love the mockingburd shape
i did an arm contour before grain filling, my 4 year old helped with that..
after 3 times grain filling with black (ash body requires a lot of work, apparently) i used a tinted shellac as the finish and the paint itself for a blue-green burst
afterwards i did some clear coats with shellac and worked with steel wool for a matte finish
the neck was done with tung oil
pickups are warman zebras

this was my first (hope full out of many!) build

[jonwhitear]

Here's my DTL-1, finished in transparent blue nitro.

Upgrades are:

• Grover looking tuners
• Bone nut
• Tonerider Hot Classic pickups
• Wilkinson bridge w/ string through
• Pearloid pick guard
• Strap locks
• Oak Grigsby 4-way switch, 0.022uF Orage drop tone cap
• Electrosocket

[Brendan]

OK all - comp closed - opening a new one shortly!

[nitroburner1000]

Wow some great axes this month, i love the individuality that's been molded into these music makers, hard choice again.

[DarkMark]

This month is full of serious contenders. So impressed by what I see.

[Ron M.]

This guitar was a pleasure to build...the finish is minwax clear wipe on poly around 6 coats then flat sanded with 400 grit and finish sanded to 1500...then it was polished on the buffing wheel...i get a lot of odd reflections in my shop but the finish is glass smooth

[Brendan]

So judges adjudications are in...

1: Eelecurb's TL-1TH
Classic black and white – nicely done. Sides seem to have picked up stain differently from the back and the front, but otherwise a nice guitar.
I like the combination of the black and white with the blonde maple and perloid pickguard. The washed-out black works well with the grain showing, but I agree that the glitter and burst wasn't entirely successful. Looks like a player. Well done.
Pretty good job. It might have been better to restrain the sides to match the bleed through from the back though.

2: Johnbamb's AG-1
Nice, gentle burst, beautiful figure on the back that has been picked up and a unique headstock. Custom wood pickguard is a great finish. Nice work!
The square edges on the top with the binding messes with your head, it's like a 2D SG. Nice that you added the bevels on the back. The headstock is wild and definitely not something I was expecting, enhanced with the custom TRC and scratchplate.
A very pretty guitar. I would have liked to see more photos of the finished guitar.

3: Mike.L's AGM-1F
Savage burst and high gloss. Finish is amazing. Letdown for me – no real personalisation – logo / etc to make it uniquely yours. But man – love that finish.
Super glossy and shiny, I just wish we had some pics of the body without the shadows across it. Triple pups always look so full on. Nice burst and yeah, super glossy. Excellent upgrades and overall build quality. Very nice.
Finish looks amazing. Burst transition is very smooth and the colours are well chosen.

4: RonM's DSZ-1
Really has an art deco look to it. The striped fretboard / neck is interesting, but possibly a touch too stripey for me. Would also love to have seen a logo somewhere to really own this unique guitar.
Wow that is a really nice zebra. Body, neck and plastics all carrying the striped vibe and do it well. I thought the neck may make it look overwhelming, but it just all works so well together. Excellent.
Little touches like the pinstripeing on the pick guard make this guitar special

5: Eric67's GS-7Q
Nice classic colours and beautiful finish. Hard to fault.
It's a beautiful deep colour on the top and headstock, and the black hardware matches nicely. I really like the more subtle colour of the back and neck too. Is that glue or factory filler in the crack line on the upper horn? Nice mods and build choices. Well done.
Finish looks real clean. I’m not sure the headstock needed the sparkles though.

6: Kman42's ATL-1SB
Very rustic feel with this one. Love the classic styling, which really gives full value to the grain. Nicely done. Can’t believe this doesn’t have a logo to own it.
This is a nice TL. The grain with the natural wood tones and dark neck and pickguard are just fantastic. Topped off with the gold hardware and... wow. Ferrules are aligned well but some minor inconsistency in the spacing. Definitely something I'd pick up and play in a store. Awesome.
The neck colour & pickguard really add something special to this guitar.

7: Arie_Shapira's MBM-1
Nice blue green burst. Overall effect is a well turned out guitar. Looks like it would have been fun to get your 4 year old involved in making a guitar together. Well done!
An interesting asymmetric burst, and nice overall look. I would have liked a more gradual transition on the lower edge and to see the burst carried over to the back. But I like the look. The Zebras are a nice touch.
The finish looks pretty good. The unusual burst pattern confuses me though

8: Johnwhitear's DTL-1
Very nice finish with the blue nitro, matched with the white plastics. The neck has just the right amount of yellow. The string thru looks perfect, great and alignment and spacing. That alone deserves applause. Great upgrades and overall build qulaity.
Love the depth in the blue – not normally a colour I’m a fan of, but when done well, starts the creative juices flowing for a blue guitar to own myself. Nicely done logo and the whole thing comes together well.
A great colour choice which really suits this guitar. Not as flash as some guitars, but very beautiful nonetheless.