Hi and help selecting a kit

[SA_Brad]

Hey everyone,

I emailed Adam from Pitbull and he suggested the wealth of knowledge here would be my best bet for some answers.

I want to get a kit and try a build myself but I have a few things I am looking for and some advice would be awesome.

I play in a punk band and I like a simple set up. Single hot pick up is really all I want (I'm happy to throw in an Active EMG or a hot hummy if needed, but I would like to see what the pitbull pick ups are like.

I need/want good sustain and do not need a tremelo. I currently use a Les Paul Jr copy with a set neck and an aftermarket Tonepros adjustable wraparound bridge which has good sustain. So I'd be after a tunomatic style bridge/tailpiece or I did see a PRS style where the strings went in through the body after the bridge which looked pretty sweet.

I like the Gibson/PRS style, not the Fender shapes.

I would like black hardware and I also want to paint the body in a solid color so the maple top isn't necessary and I don't need any binding. I would also prefer a flat top rather than a rounded top.

These are all just things I would like, I am not sure if they are doable or some are and some aren't.

Anyway, your thoughts on the right kit for me to start with would be very helpful.

Cheers
Brad

[wokkaboy]

Hi Brad, welcome to the forum
don't think any Pit Bull kit has all the features/fittings you are after, most kits have chrome hardware.

If it's important to have flat top then I'd suggest the EX-1 (Gibson Explorer), FV-1 (Flying V), the ESP-1 or the JK-1 (Jackson half V)
I just noticed the ESP-1 has black hardware so think this is your best option.

The PRS are a rounded top and only come in flame maple and spalted maple so that would be a waste to paint in a solid colour
If a rounded top is ok then I'd choose the JR-1, JR-1DC (double cut) or a LP-1. The LP-1S and LP-1SS both come with black hardware but they have a spalted maple cap which is a waste to paint

That is some options looking quickly

As Gav mentions below you could ask Adam for a custom order, possibly black hardware on the flat top models I suggested all have tune o-matic bridges and the FV-1 has string through

[Gavin1393]

I think you need to put in a custom order with Adam........

PRS and Gibson's are curved tops, but you want a flat top. Fenders and such are flat but you don't like Fender shapes....Seems to me you want something we don't have hence a custom order might be best...

Maybe Wokka has a suggestion?

[Gavin1393]

and there he did have a suggestion or two.....and he typed faster than I did!

[adam]

Hi again Brad, great to see you through on the Forum, I think you'll get some good ideas here. I wouldn't go for a custom order, because what you want is so specific the factory will have to make a one-off kit for you and that becomes very expensive ($500+). I think what you need to do is wait and see what feedback you get on here, then pick a kit that is close to what you want and, if there's only a few mods required, we can organise that for you. Or, you can even have a go at the mods yourself.

Cheers

[MikeL]

How about the PBG-2 (http://pitbullguitars.com/?product=p...ric-guitar-kit)

It meets the body and black parts criteria with some minor assembly mods, wire the humbuckers as singles and lock the floyd rose

[wokkaboy]

Good suggestion Mike, it really comes down to what body shape appeals most to Brad, thats how I choose which kit I prefer to build
Good luck Brad but at this stage the PBG2 and ESP-1 are probably your best bet, depends if you like the idea of locking the floating tremelo

[Analyst69]

Welcome Brad

I know you don't really like the Fender shapes, but, if you want a single pickup setup, you could look at the ST-1 and buy an after-market pick guard that takes a bridge position humbucker only, something like this:
http://www.guitarfetish.com/Single-H...ite_p_677.html

(okay, you'd also need to buy a humbucker pickup).

You could also screw down the ST tremolo so it doesn't move if you didn't want to use it.

This might be a relatively cheap way to go about a first build, with some customisation.

Cheers

Darren

[SA_Brad]

Awesome feedback,

It is exactly what I was after, just like all sitting down having a beer and discussing options. You guys are spot on regarding there not being one kit to give me everything I wanted, but they come very close.

I suppose I am really wanting to have a crack at this fairly cheaply so a custom job is off the radar at the moment, but it is nice to know it is an option in the future.

I have a feeling I might find myself with a bit of GAS when it comes to these kits, so in all likely hood I will probably have a few of the suggestions in the future.

Regarding the fender shapes, it's more a preference than a dislike so I wouldn't rule out that option Darren.

So after going back through the website with your input I think in order of preference I would go with PBG-2, JR-1DC, PBG-1 (this body shape intrigues me) and last would be the ESP-1. The ESP-1 would be second on the list but I've had a rethink about the set neck and it might be safer to try a bolt on neck for my first kit.

So thanks for the welcome and input, I will gather my coin and place an order soon.

Brad

[phloggy]

Could you get a couple and then mix and match? How compatible are all the parts? Like, get an ESP-1 for the black hardware, and put that in an JR-1 body.

Put two together and sell the "other" one on ebay to help fund the next build...