GPR-1M Build X2

**Fatboy** · 05-03-2021, 03:36 AM

Thanks for the replies chaps....
Teradon, as Mcreed says re scale length.
Measured both necks that I have and they are 12.5 inches so the scale length I would have thought has to be 25 inches.
However, I fitted the neck to No2 and the scale length from the nut to an imaginary line between the bridge holes gives 24.75 inches.
Aargh.....
Neverwas, thanks for pointing out the TOM bridge angle, never really noticed it but it has been some time since I fiddled with an LP or ES335. Will bear that in mind but I still think that the holes are slightly out. Hmmmmm...
The asymmetry of the body most likely is not helping when you look at it.

I was going to build No1 first (the one without the holes and with the dodgy binding) but that means I either copy the hole
positions from No2 and hope they are correct or adjust the holes accordingly for a 25 inch scale.
As to No2 my options would be to use the existing holes or plug the holes with dowel and re-drill them which I really don't want to
do as I will be staining the top.

My thoughts are to drill the holes in No1 to the same as No2 and see how it all goes together but a little voice in my head is telling
me to do No2 first.
Might just email Pitbull and ask them if they know what the scale length should be.
If anyone has any suggestions I would be pleased to receive them.
Cheers, FB.

**Fatboy** · 09-03-2021, 02:51 AM

Got a reply from Ben about the scale lengths.
He says that there were both 24.75 and 25 inch versions but the way to tell is (as discussed here) to double the length
from the nut to the 12th fret.
He also said that the neck should not necessarily be tight up against the rout for the pup.
The neck should be positioned in the pocket to give the correct scale length..
In fact if you put the neck hard up against the pocket the hole for the neck pup is smaller so there is a clue there.
Have measured No1 and No2, they both have the same scale length from nut to 12th fret - hooray !
Just got to drill the TOM holes now......
Teradon, hope this clears up your mystery.
Cheers, FB.

**Fatboy** · 19-03-2021, 01:18 AM

It has been a week or so and No1 moves along slowly.
Grain filled the back and sides with gold filler.
My plan was to get a gold grain and oiled finish to them.
Applied too much filler, sanded a lot down, got fed up and decided to
paint the back/sides gold.
Several coats of rattlecan gold later and it looks quite good.
Will finish with lacquer once I have done the front staining.
Revisited the scale length again, it seems that No1 has a 25" and No2 has a 24.75" scale length.
As suggested before, the bridge pup routing is the clue really.
How did I miss that ? It was so obvious.

Onto the front and I need to think about the TOM holes.
Decided to use the spacing from No2 (which has holes drilled) and go for a midway point on the bridge.
Had read and thought about tear-out and bought a couple of new 12mm drill bits but still
managed to get a bit of tear-out.
Think it will be OK though (fingers crossed).
Still need to drill the holes fully but need to work out how to do that.
I have a battery drill with a level in the end, that may be a solution.
The two dings in the binding where I dropped the body I will have to live with.

That's it for now....cheers, FB.

**McCreed** · 19-03-2021, 06:12 AM

Reading your last post, I'm unsure if you have drilled the bridge holes or not, but referring to your photo on the bottom left, you will need to move the neck away from the body a tad more to accommodate the pickup mounting ring.

This shift should be taken into account when laying out and drilling the holes.

**dozymuppet** · 19-03-2021, 06:51 AM

That gold is looking great. Nice work.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

**Fatboy** · 20-03-2021, 06:00 AM

McCreed,
Yes, thank you, it took some time for the penny to drop about the pup mounting ring as I was so focused on the scale length.
I think that I have the bridge in the right place, anyway the holes are drilled now haha.

From what I can work out the bridge is the important one.
Anyway, all water under the bridge as I put too much black in my grain popping wash
and buggered up the top. Sanding sealer, grey primer and yellow rattlecan spray for the top now.

Could kick myself, hey ho.

Thanks for the comments about the gold dozymuppet, hope you like the yellow on the front !

**Fatboy** · 06-05-2021, 05:17 AM

Well it has been six weeks or more since I last haunted this place.
No 1 is now finished, my biggest problem was the slightly bent neck and masking off the
binding to spray the yellow. No problem. I thought, I will scrape the paint off.
Noooooo ! I don't have the skills to do that.
Watching Yootoob it seems a piece of piss, actually doing it there is a fine line between
success and abject failure haha.
No, the worst bit was finishing the top, polishing the lacquer, just putting some masking on while I
sorted a recalcitrant fret or two and then pulling lacquer off with the tape.
I was so pleased that I almost cried !
Repaired the damage, it's so good that a blind man would be proud of it.
Anyway, it is done now, the switching works fine so I have two humbuckers with the usual
three way selector switch and each pup has a separate switch for : Series Humbucker, Parallel Humbucker
and a single coil.

Pics attached, onto No 2.......

**Fatboy** · 06-05-2021, 05:22 AM

Originally Posted by Fatboy

Well it has been six weeks or more since I last haunted this place.
No 1 is now finished, my biggest problem was the slightly bent neck and masking off the
binding to spray the yellow. No problem. I thought, I will scrape the paint off.
Noooooo ! I don't have the skills to do that.
Watching Yootoob it seems a piece of piss, actually doing it there is a fine line between
success and abject failure haha.
No, the worst bit was finishing the top, polishing the lacquer, just putting some masking on while I
sorted a recalcitrant fret or two and then pulling lacquer off with the tape.
I was so pleased that I almost cried !
Repaired the damage, it's so good that a blind man would be proud of it.
Anyway, it is done now, the switching works fine so I have two humbuckers with the usual
three way selector switch and each pup has a separate switch for : Series Humbucker, Parallel Humbucker
and a single coil.

Pics attached, onto No 2.......

More pics, so tedious posting pics.....actually I can't be arsed,.