Ordering a Pit Bull ES-5V Kit

[rokitrik]

Greetings!

I'm in the process of purchasing a PBG ES-5V ELECTRIC GUITAR KIT. I want to be sure I order the correct upgrade items. I'd appreciate input from other kit builders.

Grover Chrome 3+3 Mini Locking Rotomatics (406C) *UPGRADE ONLY*

PBG BONE NUT FOR G TYPE 6 STRING GUITAR KITS – BLEACHED WHITE NUTS, UPGRADES
PIT BULL GUITARS G TYPE BONE NUT FOR 6 STRING GUITAR KITS (42MM)
These Bone Nuts are designed to fit our G Type Guitar kits (AG, EX, FV, RD, etc) and any Gibson® Guitars
with a 42mm Nut width.

Is this the above bone nut correct for my kit?

Pit Bull Guitars Luthier's Choice Set Neck Glue (9ml)

DINGOTONE SHIELDING KIT – QUALITY COPPER SHIELDING TAPE

I found these neck pickup options available on the PBG website but I want to get the best quality and ensure I get the correct pickup for my kit. Your opinion on whether I would see a difference over what the standard kit provides would be very helpful.

BENSON CUSTOM HEAVY BLUES P-90 SOAPBAR – NECK PICKUP – CREAM

TONERIDER R90N REBEL 90 NECK – NICKEL

TONERIDER R90N REBEL 90 NECK – GOLD

Entwistle pickups appear to be primarily for Bass guitars and offers no substitute for the standard P90 provided
with the kit or do I have that wrong?

If you have any other upgrades that you think are appropriate for my kit, please let me know.

I'm disappointed that I am unable to include your Dingo finish products but I understand air shipment restrictions. Any suggestions on similar finish products I could buy locally?

I am studying PBG documentation. Is there a guide specifically for this kit or are DIY Guitar and Bass Kit Instruction Manual and Pit Bull Guitar Forum the only references available?

Sorry to throw so much at everyone but I'm pretty excited about buying your kit and I want to make the most of it!

Cheers,
Rick

[FrankenWashie]

Hiya Rokitrik,

Firstly, welcome to the forum!

The Grovers are always a good choice. The kit ones are functional, but the Grovers are far nicer in tuning feel.

The nut should be good to go, but you might need to do some final shaping/trimming.

Thee glue is fine, but you could probably source Titebond or similar where you are for a lot less hassle.

Being a hollow body, the shielding tape is going to be a bit pointless. Unless you can shield the entirety of the body internally it's not going to accomplish much. From what i have read and done, shielded wire may be a better option, but that gets pricey and i don't believe you can get it from PBG.

I think you need to be careful with the pickup, you want to make sure you get a p90 "Dog Ear" (Has the triangular flanges on the sides) i'm not sure the Soap Bars will work with the ES-5 (Can one of the hollow body enthusiasts provide some expert opinion here?)

In terms of guidance, your best bet is to take a wander through the build threads, using Search term ES-5. There have been a number of SPECTAC.....(wait for it...)...ULAR build with this kit in the past couple of years and these guys have run across and overcome a wide gamut of issues.
Look for the ES-5 builds from Dedman, Darkmark, BlindDrew as those have become objects of rare beauty...and they sound damn good too! There is a display thread for finished ones here: https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ead.php?t=6424

The guide is a comprehensive generic reference intended to give you all of the basics for finish, fit, wiring etc.

Hope that helps. Look forward to seeing how you go!

[DarkMark]

What FrankenWashie said. And thanks for the compliment, FW.
I have a build diary if which can be found if you search, “Es5v” it’s about the second one down.
I did not use shielding tape and I have no issues.
I used the stock pickup and have an amateurish video in the sound demo thread.
Hope you have as much fun building it as I did.
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ead.php?t=9245
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...highlight=Es5v

[rokitrik]

Great reply and thank you for all the pointers! Especially regarding the pickup. Adam at PBG said the Benson soapbar is a high quality pickup. Looking at the Benson and Tonerider options on the PBG site, none appear to have the dog ear configuration. Good catch my friend! I'll stick with the pickup provided with the kit.

Hiya Rokitrik,

Firstly, welcome to the forum!

The Grovers are always a good choice. The kit ones are functional, but the Grovers are far nicer in tuning feel.

The nut should be good to go, but you might need to do some final shaping/trimming.

Thee glue is fine, but you could probably source Titebond or similar where you are for a lot less hassle.

Being a hollow body, the shielding tape is going to be a bit pointless. Unless you can shield the entirety of the body internally it's not going to accomplish much. From what i have read and done, shielded wire may be a better option, but that gets pricey and i don't believe you can get it from PBG.

I think you need to be careful with the pickup, you want to make sure you get a p90 "Dog Ear" (Has the triangular flanges on the sides) i'm not sure the Soap Bars will work with the ES-5 (Can one of the hollow body enthusiasts provide some expert opinion here?)

In terms of guidance, your best bet is to take a wander through the build threads, using Search term ES-5. There have been a number of SPECTAC.....(wait for it...)...ULAR build with this kit in the past couple of years and these guys have run across and overcome a wide gamut of issues.
Look for the ES-5 builds from Dedman, Darkmark, BlindDrew as those have become objects of rare beauty...and they sound damn good too! There is a display thread for finished ones here: https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ead.php?t=6424

The guide is a comprehensive generic reference intended to give you all of the basics for finish, fit, wiring etc.

Hope that helps. Look forward to seeing how you go!

[rokitrik]

Thank you DarkMark. I will check out your links. I have coveted this style of guitar for years but could not afford the Gibson and do not think much of other brand models e.g. Loar, Epiphone, etc. A lot of money and I'm not sure on quality. Probably pretty much the same since they are manufactured, like the kits, mostly in China.

Now I have the opportunity to build a kit and finish myself - believe me, I'm psyched! I'm going to take it very slow and try to build a guitar that I will love for years.

What FrankenWashie said. And thanks for the compliment, FW.
I have a build diary if which can be found if you search, “Es5v” it’s about the second one down.
I did not use shielding tape and I have no issues.
I used the stock pickup and have an amateurish video in the sound demo thread.
Hope you have as much fun building it as I did.
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ead.php?t=9245
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...highlight=Es5v

[rokitrik]

Hiya Rokitrik,

Firstly, welcome to the forum!

The Grovers are always a good choice. The kit ones are functional, but the Grovers are far nicer in tuning feel.

The nut should be good to go, but you might need to do some final shaping/trimming.

Thee glue is fine, but you could probably source Titebond or similar where you are for a lot less hassle.

Being a hollow body, the shielding tape is going to be a bit pointless. Unless you can shield the entirety of the body internally it's not going to accomplish much. From what i have read and done, shielded wire may be a better option, but that gets pricey and i don't believe you can get it from PBG.

I think you need to be careful with the pickup, you want to make sure you get a p90 "Dog Ear" (Has the triangular flanges on the sides) i'm not sure the Soap Bars will work with the ES-5 (Can one of the hollow body enthusiasts provide some expert opinion here?)

In terms of guidance, your best bet is to take a wander through the build threads, using Search term ES-5. There have been a number of SPECTAC.....(wait for it...)...ULAR build with this kit in the past couple of years and these guys have run across and overcome a wide gamut of issues.
Look for the ES-5 builds from Dedman, Darkmark, BlindDrew as those have become objects of rare beauty...and they sound damn good too! There is a display thread for finished ones here: https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...ead.php?t=6424

The guide is a comprehensive generic reference intended to give you all of the basics for finish, fit, wiring etc.

Hope that helps. Look forward to seeing how you go!

Hey FW, did you mean in your reply that the nut that comes with the kit is "good to go" or did you agree to my bone upgrade with some final shaping/trimming? Also, do you recommend a specific kind of Titebond glue or does the general Titebond wood glue do the job? Lastly, regarding shielded wiring, can you give me any tips? Offhand do you know of any diary posts that address a similar upgrade/application?

[rokitrik]

I was all set to place my order for an ES-5V Pit Bull kit when I spotted the following in the terms and conditions:

For first time builders, we strongly recommend you start with a ‘simple’ build; such as our ST-1, ST-1M, STA-1 and STA-1M kits, where a lot of the work (such as the wiring) has been done in the factory. We also strongly recommend you do not select a hollow body (guitar or bass) for your first build.

I am definitely a first time builder with "not much" in the soldering skills department. I've done some wiring however.

What do you experts think? I'm not really interested in building an ST or STA model but might consider a TL model. Only thing is I don't get any experience wiring although I will learn to assemble/sand/finish one of the Pit Bull kits. The kit I really want is the hollow body ES-5V and I'm thinking I should just go for it -- damn those torpedoes! Recommendations?

Thanks my friends,
Rokit

[wazkelly]

Not much wiring to worry about on this kit nor the degree of difficulty in feeding parts through into their correct locations as is the case on ES335 style semi hollow bodies where that becomes rather challenging.

[Bakersdozen]

I started with a PRS semi-hollow kit for my first build and although it turned out great, it would have probably turned out even better had I done an ST or TL build first. You get all those beginner mistakes ironed out to begin with and you approach the next one differently. Especially if this is the type of guitar you've always wanted, do it justice and practice and hone your skills on your first.

[rokitrik]

Not much wiring to worry about on this kit nor the degree of difficulty in feeding parts through into their correct locations as is the case on ES335 style semi hollow bodies where that becomes rather challenging.

I understand, thanks.