Hello

[Kim]

Hi! Kim from Salt Lake City.

[robin]

G'day Kim.

Welcome to the family. Hope you have picked up a kit to build. Lots of help on the Forums here, so ask any questions if you have them.

Cheers
rob

[stan]

Welcome Kim! share your first build with us once you get up and going

[keloooe]

Welcome to the forum Kim! Any ideas for your first kit?

[gavinturner]

Hi Kim, welcome to the PBG crew. A great bunch here to share your guitar building experiences! Welcome!

cheers,
Gav.

[Fretworn]

Welcome Kim!

[Kim]

Hi! Kim from Salt Lake City.

Thanks. Starting my first kit- LP1SS. Just sanding the body at this point. Rather tedious. Any suggestions for a fantastic result?

[wokkaboy]

welcome to the forum Kim,
you won't get a more helpful group to guide you through your build.
Good choice I've recently finished a LP1SS kit.
The most important tip I can give you is the veneer cap is very thin and don't sand it much. Start on 240 grit and get it smooth enough to stain.
Have you thought of what finish you will use ? We love photos here so please start a build diary and upload some photos of your kit.

[Brendan]

Kim - for the best finish -
Take your time. Enjoy the process. It will be over soon enough and there will be heaps of time to play it later. I enjoy playing my hand built kits more than my Ibanez bass - why - I built it and it's mine.

Sand. Sand. Sand. When you've done that sand again. Generally you know when to stop if you hit the body with a damp rag and leave it to dry for a couple of minutes and don't get any fuzz. Grit of sandpaper to use will depend on finish - stains generally like you to sand to 320 / 400, but no further (you can end up polishing the body so no stain will get in). Sprays can handle a bit more (check Jarrod's comments on how to spray). In contrast - the neck generally only needs a quick sand - too long and you will risk leaving a divot somewhere.

Don't rush. If you ever feel like you are starting to rush, put everything down, stop, grab a beverage of choice and come back later. I rushed and ended up dropping a finished body 90 cm onto a concrete floor. End result - sand it all back, fix the cracks and stain again.

Most of all - start a build diary and take photos. If this is your first build, I'm sure that there will be questions - don't be afraid to ask. We've all had a first build. Also as above - don't rush - if something goes wrong - put it up on the forum - there may be a fix that will save a heap of time to get it right. I was struggling to position the bridge on my first bass and that night DB had a tute on how to position bridges (now sticky'd to the how to build your Pitbull Guitar area) - I was about to base some of my measurements on cruddy assumptions that would have ended up with a less than average guitar.

Enough monologue, so I've saved the best for last - enjoy the process. It can take time, but that's all part of the fun. As my grandfather used to say - if you went fishing - catching a fish was a bonus - the fun was in spending time fishing. I think the same applies here.