TLA-1 - first kit

[tomglyde]

Hi everyone,
This is my first attempt at building a guitar. I am using the ash tele body finished with dark amber wudtone.
My plan at this stage is to use the pitbull headstock shape.

Cheers,
Tom

[wokkaboy]

hey Tom, welcome to the forum, great kit to start on. Start sanding and do a mock build to make sure it fits together well. Looks like you scored a good looking kit.
Do you mean you will build it with the headstock unshaped ? If you have got minimal tools I'd recommend buying a saw and cut a tele shape headstock - it will look a billion dollars better

[gavinturner]

Hi Tom! Looks like a great kit. The ash tele's really come up nicely with Wudtone and dark amber is a great colour choice. Have fun!

cheers,
Gav.

[tomglyde]

Cheers guys,
In one of the instructional videos it mentions a pitbull shape and that there was a template somewhere on the website. I have do e a forum search but can't find it. Failing that I will go the classic fender tele shape. Any ideas where I can find a printable template?

[adam]

Hi Tom,

I can certainly give you a copy of the "Pit Bull Guitars" shape that we designed, but, to be honest, when we did that video, we were very inexperienced. I haven't put that headstock shape on the site, because nobody has asked for it, but I can send it to you as a PDF if you want it. Personally, I like it, but it's not everyone's cuppa.

[lawry]

Hi Tom. I'm curious like Wooka. Are you going to keep the paddle shape for the headstock? It really isn't that hard to shape it to a standard template or design your own. Even if you cut it roughly you can then sand it back. Personally, I'd think about it a bit more, but go with your heart. Thanks for starting a build diary.
Cheers.

[tomglyde]

I found fender templates so that should do...

[tomglyde]

I found fender templates so that should do...

[ihasmario]

That body looks really good. Nice and consistent colour and grain at the moment, which seems less common for the ash bodies than some of the others imho. It's going to look great.

[tomglyde]

Headstock shaped, body & neck sanded
I picked up a little gouge (maybe a mark from manufacturing, but more likelihood something I did) right near the nut that I had to sand out.
To shape the headstock I used a jigsaw to do the first pass and then a rasp and sandpaper. I don't have much in the way of tools so I had to do it by hand.

The next step is the wudtone base coat.

Do you have to do anything to the fretboard?