JM-1 The King's 2nd PitBull build

[king casey]

JM-1 The King's 2nd PitBull build

Well 'totally unexpected' is how this kicked off.
I was watching the dying count-down of the dreaded ebay auction.
I threw caution to the wind and placed a bid.
Awaited the flurry of sniping software that usually occurs at the end of these scenarios...and thinking 'Well at least I bumped the price up a bit'.

However, like the twist in a Jeffery Deaver novel, the flurry didn't occur and I found myself in the rarified air of the winner's circle.

I've been thinking and compiling many thoughts and ideas whilst waiting for the box to materialise.
This model has been completed to a high standard by several Pitbull forum regulars and has been a masterclass of viewing.

Coming up with something worthy of comparison is going to be a mighty challenge.

So it begins....



The box arrives




It looks like a JM-1



Neck has some interesting blemishes that will form it's character.

cheers, Mark.

[colin2121]

Looking forward to seeing how this one goes.

[Sonic Mountain]

Me too, mine is one of my favourite guitars. Is that a basswood body? Should help a bit with weight, mines pretty heavy.

So natural or solid finish?

[king casey]

Cheers, Colin.
Bursting through the gate...first off, let's sort out the neck.


Let's get it straight.



Custom made fret rocker guages



Marking the high spots.
edit: notice the inappropriate use of the laundry pen...I'm gonna be in the dog-house if I'm not careful.

cheers, Mark.

[king casey]

Hi Sonic.
Your's was one of the builds I was viewing to get somewhere up that learning curve.
It's basswood so considerably lighter than my strat/tele.
So many finishes that I viewed and used my limited ability with Photoshop to compile a few possibles.
I know already that there is a dark green in progress (doh! so I'll rule that one out).
It's definitely going to be paint and so far the winner is this...


cheers, Mark

[Sonic Mountain]

Don't rule it out just cause someone else is doing it! Just do what you really want. That was my first ever foray so glad it inspired you, Nitroburner1000's candy red one and Dedmans triple black one stand out to me, but you're right there have been quite a few great interpretations of this kit.

I can see the yellow looking pretty nice - good colour to spray, like white it hides minor imperfections well. Are you keeping the red pearloid pick guard? I'm thinking about changing mine to a white one when I get back to it.

[king casey]

Yeah I hear ya.
Dark green was definitely on the cards, I've not set it in stone yet so...

One observation of this model is the pickup placement.
I only play with fingers and no plectrum so the centre pickup will go.
I'll shift the bridge pickup position further back so some routing is coming up.

Another deviation from the standard is a Mustang/Jazzmaster tremolo.

I'll probably follow nitroburner's tutorial and fill the tremolo cavity.
So I'll be replacing the pickguard.
I do have a blank sheet of brown tortoise similar to my strat/tele so that will get a trial.

cheers, Mark.

[Andyxlh]

This does look like a really versatile guitar, lots of tonal possibilities. Basswood is supposed to be a good tonewood, all the ibanez Jews are made from it so it must be ok!

[Sonic Mountain]

Yeah I hear ya.
Dark green was definitely on the cards, I've not set it in stone yet so...

One observation of this model is the pickup placement.
I only play with fingers and no plectrum so the centre pickup will go.
I'll shift the bridge pickup position further back so some routing is coming up.

Another deviation from the standard is a Mustang/Jazzmaster tremolo.

I'll probably follow nitroburner's tutorial and fill the tremolo cavity.
So I'll be replacing the pickguard.
I do have a blank sheet of brown tortoise similar to my strat/tele so that will get a trial.

cheers, Mark.

Yep good plan. A pickup change and rearrangement is on the cards for mine as well.

[king casey]

Yep good plan. A pickup change and rearrangement is on the cards for mine as well.

Good move. Also I'm still tossing up whether to go for the Jazzmaster style tremolo or the Mustang one.

Meanwhile....that sense of de-ja-vu.

edit: Discovered that these 10mm dowels (with a small amount of sanding) fit nicely into the JM-1 bridge post holes.



cheers, Mark.