H's TL-1Q, first build.

[UpperCaseH]

Hi, my name's Howard (usually just "H", hence the username), and after a bit of hassle with Aus Post, my first kit arrived yesterday. Thanks Adam for your help sorting out the postal stuff and answering my first stupid questions!

I play a fair bit of bass, but the other week while cleaning out the spare room I found my old 6-string. The guitar's a horrible bright yellow, so I started to look around online about re-finisihing guitars, stumbled across a PBG video about building one, thought "that looks awesome, I wanna try it!"

I might not be completely lost when it comes to electronics, and to describe my woodworking skills as "rough" would be generous, but reading various websites and especially the forums here made it seem like others in the same boat have done pretty well, so... here I am with this kit.

I've gotta say that I expected everything to be a lot rougher than it actually is. Did a quickish mock build last night to check everything was there (it is!), and to my clueless eye it looked like everything fits together really well - I was extremely worried about trying to get the neck joint right, but it looks like it won't be too much hassle. If it's not already obvious, I'm really impressed with this kit and I'm itching to get started.

I have some beginner questions though! Starting with something really simple, does this sound like the right order to do things in?

1: Mock build (done)
2: Position neck, clamp, drill and install (with tuners for high/low E to make alignment of bridge easy)
3: Position bridge (check scale length and sideways alignment), drill and install
4: String and check that it plays
5: Disassemble then start on headstock shaping, sanding and finsihing etc.

Or do I sand/finish first and then drill? Should I get the holes for the pickguard, strap buttons, etc done before starting to sand and stain, or after?

Second question, placing the bridge:

In my mock build, I measured the distance from the fretboard side of the nut to the center of the 12th fret, and got 323mm. I then placed the bridge (not much play in it with the pickup in) so that the distance between the center of the low E saddle and the center of the 12th fret was also 323mm. As far as I can tell, that's the correct position for the bridge. The question is: To get that measurement, I had to place the bridge as far forward as I could (with the pickup in it), and move the saddle to its maximum forward adjustment (pic attached, I think!) Is that an OK position? Is there a chance that I would need to move the saddle forward to adjust it after the build is complete and be stuffed because it won't go any further?

Again, sorry for what are sure to be silly questions. I'm sure there'll be plenty more.

[wokkaboy]

Hi Howard welcome to the forum and the only silly questions are the ones you don't ask !
You seem to have a fair idea your 5 step plan looks good. The kit seems to fit together ok. The distances sound good you noted. The low E string will actually end up being about 326/327mm from the 12th fret to compensate the string width so that is no drama and the high E string will be about 323/324mm from the 12th fret.
For a first build I would recommend pre-drilling all the holes before you start as you don't want any damage when all the finish is done etc.
The biggest tip I can give you is the quilted maple veneers are paper thin so I'd give the veneer a light sand with 320 grit paper and leave it at that, then start staining

what colour stains you got in mind ?

Good luck with the build, take your time and ask any questions you have in your build diary

with step 4 fine string it up and play it acoustically but leave the wiring till the end of the build

[UpperCaseH]

Thanks! I was pretty sure I had the right order in mind, but I wanted to check. Despite the way it all fits together nicely, it's a pretty intimidating project for a newbie. Just confirming my tendency to go "I'll try that!" and jump right in, I guess

That's exactly what I needed to know about the bridge placement! I've adjusted instruments many times, but never started from scratch, and it was worrying me that it was all the way to one end.

Ok, I'll pre-drill all the holes etc before I start. I was going to go with just the major ones (bridge and neck) but it sounds like a good idea to get them all done. Also, yes, I was going to leave the electronics until right at the end - I meant that I'd be playing it without them just to check that it's all lined up and stuff.

As far as sanding goes I'm totally clueless, so thanks for the advice about the veneer. 320 it is. I assume I just work up from 180 -240 etc on the rest of the body? Start with finer paper on the neck since it already feels pretty smooth?

I also ordered some Dingotone Karajini Red, so I'm going to use that. I was thinking about trying to make the grain stand out with timbermate, but I might just stick with the basic colour for this build so that I don't trip myself up too much.

I'm not sure what to do about the fretboard and neck yet. I don't sand the fretboard at all, right? Just oil maybe? I was thinking of trying to keep the maple colour in the neck by just using the "finishing" coat of Dingotone on it.

Finally, I'm not sure what to do about the binding on the body. Tape over it for sanding and staining? Just try not to sand it? Don't tape it for staining and scrape any stain off afterwards? Masking stuff is what feels natural to me (from building scale models in the past), but I'm not sure if it'll help with a stain.

[pablopepper]

A TL-1Q with a maple board, white binding and chrome hardware? Interesting. Like Wokka said, be extra careful sanding the quilt and don't be scared to ask as many questions as you need. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

[wokkaboy]

Hey Howard you are pretty well on the money with your plans. I'd mask the binding when staining the body.
Sanding the sides and back of the body I'd go 180 to 320 grit. Neck you can sand to 600 + grit if you are going natural colour. Fingerboard I usually give it a good rub of 0000 superfine steel wool, wipe off the steel particles and oil it.
Good luck with the build should look sweet in Karajini red

[Fretworn]

Welcome Howard. Enjoy the ride. I think most of us started with next to no skills, keep your eyes and ears open, ask questions you will be surprised how much you can achieve.

[UpperCaseH]

Thanks everyone! Hopefully I'll have some progress to share tomorrow.

[wokkaboy]

no worries Howard, the 2nd best tip I can give you is don't rush the build for the sake of posting pics or getting sound out of it. The finish is the most important part of the build followed closely by the sanding stage so take your time !

[Andy40]

Karijini Red with white binding looks awesome. You can always stain the timbermate with the dingotone first to get the grain to pop a bit more.

[wazkelly]

Hello H and welcome to the GAS factory.

Having seen the dramas others have had with thin veneer tops do not recommend any Timbermate at all as that would require sanding back and also risk going through the top. A subtle way to enhance or pop the quilted top is to wipe as much of the stain off with a clean lint free cloth or rag after 1st & 2nd coats as that will load up the grain that has taken the stain leaving the rest a slightly lighter shade thus giving you a popped grain effect without too much worry or effort. Used this method on my flame top Tele and whilst I used inkjet ink it should work out similar with DT too. If you are tempted to sand stick with a very light 0000 steel wool scuff to take a minute amount of the top off those initial couple of stain coats and don't worry too much about smoothness or texture as subsequent coats will fill any uneven bits.