I'm a complete newbie to kit building (very first one!), although I'm an experienced guitarist/bassist/etc. Just about to begin on a build of a Pit Bull JMA-6 Baritone Guitar — accordingly, any JMA6-specific advice/tips/suggestions would be most welcome and appreciated.
Welcome Z80AL. I can’t give specific advice on that kit, but there is general advice. First be patient, take your time. You can’t rush the process. Second is any problem you come across someone else has already had and solved, so ask questions. Finally, be prepared to change your plans, the guitar will end being what it wants to be.
Current:
GTH-1
Completed:
AST-1FB
First Act ME276 (resurrected curb-side find)
ES-5V
Scratchie lapsteel
Custom ST-1 12 String
JBA-4
TL-1TB
Scratch Lapsteel
Meinl DIY Cajon
Cigar Box lap steel
Wishing:
Baritone
Open D/Standard Double 6 twin neck
Thanks for that advice, Fretworn — yes, am taking it very slowly (just applied the first coat of finish, so I have a long way to go!) May need forum help when it comes to wiring, as there's a distinct lack of info on the Pit Bull site re the baritone.
Help needed re JMA-6 baritone wiring ..... When I look at the wiring diagram I received after emailing Pit Bull, I'm just confused! (I'm an experienced muso, but a total 100% novice when it comes to guitar builds, and I'm afraid even stuff the rest of you guys can do in your sleep has me stumped.) The diagram Pit Bull sent me looks like this .....
My dumb interpretation of that is that multiple wires need soldering to the five-way switch. However, when I look at the five-way switch itself and the wires coming from the pots (see photo) .....
there seems to be no place to solder multiple wires, so what do I do with the four coloured wires coming off the pots (aside from the ground wire, of course, which I do understand). Now, I realise that this discrepancy between the Pit Bull diagram and the actual set-up is undoubtedly because there's pre-wiring already done on this kit, but that doesn't help me when it comes to knowing how to complete the task. What do I do with those four coloured wires as shown in the photo? Where does each get soldered? ..... Again, my apologies for the very basic nature of this question, but, never having build a kit before, I don't want to experiment — I want to get it right. Thanks for any help that anyone can offer!
Hi
Wierdbits is the wiring guru. He will be able to help you but you might need to provide some more photos of the wiring to show where wires start from.
Thanks for that advice, colin2121. Have uploaded two more pix of the wiring as suggested .....
The multi core wire is just for convenience. You separate them like string cheese.
The PB diagram usually only shows the wires and solder points you need to worry about and omits anything pre soldered/wired.
So current is generated in the pickups by the guitar string vibrating through the magnetic field. This induces a current in the coil which is sent out via the 'hot' wires. Everything after that is managing the flow to the jack. So current goes in one side of the switch and comes out the other and onto the pots, then the output jack. There is more than one way to manage the current flow and it can give different results, but the diagram should cover the most common routing.
More pics would be helpful so we can see what's already done and as Col mentioned Wierdbits is far and away the most helpful person to talk to regarding this stuff.
Build 1 - Shoegazer MK1 JMA-1
Build 2 - The Relliecaster TL-1
Build 3 - The Black Cherry SG AG-1
Build 4 - The Sonicaster TL-1ish
Build 5 - The Steampunker Bass YB-4
Build 6 - The Howling Gowing ST-1
"What I lack in talent I make up for with enthusiasm"
I’ll mark up the connections for you when I get some time a bit later today.
Scott.
Thank you so much. All I'm looking for is something that says "Solder the green wire to Contact X" etc. Pit Bull initially told me there was a video covering it, but it turns out that, because the JMA-6 Baritone is a new kit, there's not. I'm a muso, not a techo, so I really do appreciate your help!
Different batches of kits and models can have different wire colours, so it's difficult to always have an exact match with the diagrams. But you'll soon get the hang of working out what should connect where.
First off, something didn't look quite right... labels corrected.
General layout:
Switch connection options
Standard strat style: Neck = Tone 1, Middle = Tone 2
(no tone control on bridge)
Bridge Tone style: Neck = Tone 1, Bridge = Tone 2
(no tone control on middle)
Bridge & Neck-Middle Tone style: Neck & Middle = Tone 1, Bridge = Tone 2
(tone 1 will also affect bridge in position 2)
Pick the option that suits you best.
Make sense?
Scott.
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