Jaime's First Build Non-PBG LP Style Spalted Kit

[JaimeCG]

Hello everyone,

So about 1 year ago my SO gifted me a guitar kit she bought online (not Pitbull). I was really stoked but couldn't get started as I was finishing my master's degree. After I was done with that I was sad to find out some problems with the kit. Doing the mock fit, I found that the neck didn't fit properly with the body and then just kept putting it off until later. Recently found this forum and thought you guys might be able to help. After reading several build diaries you all seem very friendly and helpful.

Here are some pics of the guitar! Please tell me if this issue is fixable.

I really love how the spalt looks on this guitar.


The gap between the neck and the body. I haven't started working on the guitar due to this issue, I don't know if it can be fixed. Also, a glue spot?


It can't be pushed further down, and it is really difficult to even push it down. It needs a lot of force.


The gap is about 1.5mm


The number at the back of the neck matches the one on the pocket of the body.

[Sonic Mountain]

Welcome Aboard Jamie. Assuming that the route in the body is flat on the bottom - I would use a hard block and sand down the 'top' side of the heel (as shown in your last picture) until it seats properly. Just do a little at a time until it is snug, but not tight, if that makes sense. I'd be willing to bet it only needs a small amount of material to be removed so it won't affect anything else.

With these guitars it is important to maintain the neck 'break angle' - this means the neck angles down from the front of the body a couple of degrees. So I would avoid fiddling with the bottom of the heel or the route in the body so as not to mess this up. Otherwise you may find there isn't enough downward adjustment on the bridge to get a nice action.

And yep, there are probably more glue spots than that one. If you wipe over the body with a damp cloth it can show them up more easily. You can use a product like 'goof off' and use a stiff tooth brush to scrub it off.

EDIT: Just casue it's easier to see in a pic than explain with text - this is what I mean by break angle - see on the two right hand guitars the neck angles back away from the body?

[trv]

Welcome Jaime

I built an LP-1SS last year and may have had the same issue... just not as big of a gap as you. Does the binding on the treble side of the body sit higher than the wood at the neck pocket? It may be preventing the neck from be seated all the way down in the pocket. If so you can sand or scrape the binding flush with the top of the body fairly easily

Feel free to check out my build (the link is in my signature). I tried to document the whole process, so hopefully it'll be helpful

[Simon Barden]

Hi Jaime. You've very welcome to post here, but I've asked the mods to move this to the non-Pitbull Guitar section (as that's what it's for), where you'll get just as much help.

[JaimeCG]

I built an LP-1SS last year and may have had the same issue... just not as big of a gap as you. Does the binding on the treble side of the body sit higher than the wood at the neck pocket? It may be preventing the neck from be seated all the way down in the pocket. If so you can sand or scrape the binding flush with the top of the body fairly easily

Thanks! I went over your build (great job by the way) and didn't catch the part with the same issue as me. Yes, the binding was a bit higher than the wood but even after I scraped it, the neck still didn't go all the way down even though it was flush with the body.

[JaimeCG]

Welcome Aboard Jamie. Assuming that the route in the body is flat on the bottom - I would use a hard block and sand down the 'top' side of the heel (as shown in your last picture) until it seats properly. Just do a little at a time until it is snug, but not tight, if that makes sense. I'd be willing to bet it only needs a small amount of material to be removed so it won't affect anything else.

With these guitars it is important to maintain the neck 'break angle' - this means the neck angles down from the front of the body a couple of degrees. So I would avoid fiddling with the bottom of the heel or the route in the body so as not to mess this up. Otherwise you may find there isn't enough downward adjustment on the bridge to get a nice action.

And yep, there are probably more glue spots than that one. If you wipe over the body with a damp cloth it can show them up more easily. You can use a product like 'goof off' and use a stiff tooth brush to scrub it off.

EDIT: Just casue it's easier to see in a pic than explain with text - this is what I mean by break angle - see on the two right hand guitars the neck angles back away from the body?

For the hard block do you recommend using the same wood as the body? I believe it's mahogany. I get what you are talking about the neck angle, so i would have to keep the block I'd be fitting as flat as possible to avoid affecting the angle.

[Sonic Mountain]

No it doesn’t have to be the same wood. Just a flat block to wrap the sandpaper around. I was actually recommending not touching the bottom of the heel at all, rather removing a small amount from the side. I’ll post a pic when I get back on the computer, it’s usually easier than trying to explain.

[Sonic Mountain]

Ok So referring to this image:



I'm suggesting sanding on the side with the upper red line. You could also do the lower bit as well, but I figured the top one was easier to get at. I don't think you will need to remove too much material - so go slow and check often.

I had another thought. How far is the neck pushed into the body in the direction of the blue arrow? Before gluing the neck you need to check the scale length by temporarily installing the bridge and measuring the overall scale length to around the mid point of the adjustment on the bridge (there is lots of advice on this on here). It might be that the neck sits in the pocket better when its in the right position.

[WeirdBits]

Before you start adjusting the neck heel do some measuring first to ensure that it’s not a case of the pocket being cut effectively too deep - which could then require a shim or insert in the base of the pocket.

I had an LP kit which had this sort of problem where there was a gap at the base of the pocket and because of the fretboard overhang it simply couldn’t go in any further. I compared it with another LP kit and both had the mahogany routed to the same depth but on the problem LP the ‘cap’/carved top was slightly thicker and that’s why the neck wouldn’t seat properly.

It could be a combination of things so lightly sanding the side of the heel as has been suggested may help it to seat slightly further in. But, take it slowly and check that it isn’t a depth or cap thickness issue as well.