Noob with some decisions to make.

[bobby_boy]

Good Morning All,

Checking in from the Gold Coast.

I'm looking at buying a pitibull kit for my christmas present to myself. After getting rid of my other guitars I currently just have a G&L Strat and am looking for something I can use mostly for slide and open tunings. I am thinking solid bridge for this. The two guitars I have in mind are the TL-51 and the JR-1MDC (along with an SG or semi hollow maybe). Right now I am leaning towards the JR-1MDC, except for one thing; the information on the page for it says soldering skill required is Pro vs Novice for the Tele.
One of the reason for doing this kit is to get over a phobia of soldering irons developed by grabbing a soldering iron that was meant to be off (but wasn't) by the hot part when I was a kid.

Anyway, what is the difference between the kits in regards to soldering? Is there really that big of a difference? I really want to do all the kit myself.

I'm a little worried about the neck and bridge setup on the tele too.

Any help given would be much appreciated.

[stan]

Welcome BB, the Tele would be easier to solder up , but really the JR wouldn't be much harder.
There is a heap of help here, go slowly and you should be fine, lots of diagrams that are pretty easy to follow for a novice and plenty of help if you get stuck.
Both these models have been successfully build by first time builders with excellent results, and plenty of build threads you can use as a guide. Follow the recommendations and take your time, it would be hard to fully muck it up.
My advice would be go for the kit that grabs you the most and go from there.

[Dedman]

Bobby, I did the Tele first for that very same reason, because all you had to do was solder the pick up wires to the pre-wired switch panel........I ended up replacing the pots and switch and re-wiring the whole thing from scratch and it wasn't hard at all. I had never done any electronics soldering before. So basically don't let the soldering put you off getting the kit you REALLY want.

Neck and bridge on the Tele is also nothing to worry about. usually the bridge needs to go forward a little, especially if you are usuing different pick ups. A drum sander on an electric drill is an easy way to tackle that.
For setting the neck in place just follow the vids http://www.pitbullguitars.com/videos/ , it's pretty straight forward

[WeirdBits]

The 'Pro' rating for the wiring usually just means none of the components are pre-wired, whereas for TL and ST kits etc some elements can be factory wired on the control plate/pickguard. The JR kit will have about 11 solder points max, depending on grounds, and the layout is very easy to understand. You're unlikely to have any issues wiring it and, if you do, there's plenty of help available here on the forum. Welcome and enjoy your build.

[Rev]

I'm probably glossing it, Bobby, but most guitar parts dont require surgical-like precision when soldering. If you know to heat the part instead of the solder then you're in good shape. Just think ahead before you start and make sure you have a good solid surface to work on, somewhere to put the iron when you're not holding it, and GO SLOW... don't rush the job.

[bobby_boy]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I have about two months to mull it over for the kit to choose, by then I'll want all of them :P. Thanks again.

[Andy40]

Hello fellow Queensland.....you'll never regret building a tele

[Brendan]

The "Levels" of soldering skills are intended for those that are most concerned about them - in reality, none are that hard if you take time and step through things logically. The only real difference is the ES style where getting the pots, etc into the guitar is apparently quite a bit more challenging.

With that in mind, pick the guitar that meets what you want - there's plenty of help and moral support here to get you through!

[bobby_boy]

Looking for a cheap Tele is how I ended up finding these kits. Then I saw kits for SGs, ESs, LP Jrs and LP Jr DCs. Too many cool kits, I don't know where to start :P. I might steer clear of the ES at first.

[Zandit75]

I think the easiest decision will be your first kit.......It's the second kit(Oh, yes, there will be a second!!) that will completely stuff you!!