Could some one please point me to instructions for putting this together. We have it stained and ready to go with next steps but stuck at tuning machines and then gluing the neck. Would also appreciate wiring diagram. I've been searching YouTube but no luck.
Any help appreciated.
SS
Hi, there's plenty of information for every step available here:
Build Guides
Wiring Diagrams
You should find most of what you're looking for in those documents. There's also the forum section specifically dedicated to building your kit
Reach out if you have any specific questions or issues! There's always someone online that can help.
Thanks. Specifically looking for how to line up the tuning machines. Is there something specific I should be doing or eye up the best that I can. The top tuning machines almost touch in the middle.
The tuners are very tight on those 2+2 Gibson style headstocks.
The tuners should be orientated so the tuning post and gear wheel is nearer the nut than the tuner button and its worm gear. This lets the string tension pull the gear wheel onto the worm gear for minimum play in the gears. Having the tuner orientation reversed allows the string tension to pull the gears apart, which isn’t a good thing.
If the space between the tuners allows, I’d angle the tuners so that the tuning button posts are at right-angles to the long axis of the neck. If you look at pictures of Gibson EB-0 and EB-3 basses, that’s how they are arranged.
Last edited by Simon Barden; 30-07-2021 at 03:14 PM.
The neck probably won't want to go all the was back in the pocket. If you set the neck so that the end of the tenon is touching the back of the neck pickup rout, then you probably won't be able to fit the neck pickup in the rout.
So put the neck pickup in place, then slide the neck in so the end of the fretboard is touching the pickup ring. I'd put some masking tape on the top of the body and mark off where the end of the neck goes, then you have a position mark for when you glue it in place. The pickup ring will probably want to sit about 0.5mm to 1mm on the neck side of the rout, just enough to hide the pickup rout from being seen.
You'll want a clamp on the neck tenon in the pickup rout, and one on the top of the fretboard.
Thank you - both of those responses are super helpful and appreciated!
I have the same kit and I am just waiting for the weather to get warmer so I can finish spraying it black and hopefully I can get to the shop to get some paint and wont be in lock down like the last time I wanted some paint.
If your tuners are the same as mine you can mount them either way as the design allows for the different direction in load. Slop between the gear and threaded spindle it will always be zero as the load is always in the one direction as when you tune the guitar it is always increasing the note due to putting tension on the string. This loads one face of the thread and the gear and if you were to reverse the orientation of the tuner then the load will be on the opposite face of both items but the slop would still be zero. The gear and spindle are not of a quality that you experience full face contact on both parts so there will be one side that has contact and the trailing side will have fresh air between to two mating parts. If you reverse the tuners then the load on the threaded spindle will be in the opposite direction and that is where you would have to look at the design and whether you can reverse them but on the ones supplied with my kit the load on the threaded spindle is easily overcome due to the way the spindle is mounted in the base and the way the spindle is cast. To align the tuners I put a straight edge across 2 opposite tuners so they are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the neck centre line.
The only reason you have to mount the tuners as Simon has said is due to the position of the holes drilled in the head. They are drilled lower towards the nut when held in the vertical position and if you were to reverse them then they would not look symmetrical so the button has to be above the spindle so they look central to the head.
As for the position of the pickups the factory really has to move the pocket towards the bridge as I find it to be a real pain on all 3 models I have bought. I was going to slide the neck out to allow for the ring but then I was having a problem with the bridge position and not having enough adjustment to allow intonation. When I was looking at sliding the bridge out I was going to put a packer between the neck and body to make sure the position was correct and to give as much contact between the neck and body as possible. My solution was a little different as I already have a Precision and Jazz bass and wanted a bass with a different pickup, so I bought a copy of a Music Man bass pickup that will be positioned at the bridge position and I am making a full face pickguard that will cover up the pickup cavity near the neck.
As mentioned in other build diaries some people have experienced problems with the bridge mounting plugs pulling out of the body due to how tight they are in the wood and the tension that is applied by the strings. I was going to solve this problem by buying some threaded inserts that screw into the body. I was going to make some out of a stainless steel bolt but found it cheaper to buy some from Amazon but of course the ones I wanted are no longer available but I am sure I will find some similar when I really need them and if not I will just make some out of a bolt.
Builds :
# 1 - Non PBG ES-335
# 2 - Non PBG Tele Thin line
# 3 - Non PBG LP
# 4 - Non PBG SG
# 5 - RC-1
# 6 - TL-1
# 7 - ST-1 Custom
# 8 - SGB-30 + Non PBG SG
# 9 - Custom JRM-1DC 12 String
#10 - Custom ST-1 with P90's
#11 - Custom TL-1 with 27" Bari Neck
#12 - Custom JZ-6 Jazzmaster
#13 - AG-1 Factory Second
#14 - Custom JZ-6 Bass vi
#15 - EX-1R Factory Second
#16 - AGM-1
#17 - EXA-7
They still having problems? The EX-4 uses the same bridge and I needed to use a rubber mallet to drive the inserts home they were that snug..no likelihood of them popping out.Originally Posted by Dikkybee007
I take it the AGB-30 is meant to be SG-0 ish. I wasn't able to track down a mudbucker for my Cliffenbacker despite the fact that most SG-0 owners apparently replace the mudbucker pretty soon after buying one.The kit uses mini humbuckers, so it must sound pretty different.
Is this the wiring diagram you used? https://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-co...s/pdf/IB-5.pdf
You've got a 3-way selector switch, so you don't want that one.
This is the generic diagram to use. https://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-co...m4Pot%20v5.pdf
Don't worry if the wire colours from the pickups are different, though the kit picture seems to show red and yellow coloured leads, which makes things easier.
Reply With Quote
