Chinese PRS kit build

[posite63]

I recently won a Chinese PRS kit from eBay for dirt cheap...$5 + shipping. Yeah! Mahogany (or toona) back and neck, very thin maple veneer, carved top, 25.5" scale, set neck, bird inlays. A few blemishes, but it's actually a decent looking copy.

I plan to use leather dye on the top (pic below is what I'm shooting for), wood stain on the back w/no grain filler, and TruOil for finish. I'll also put a maple veneer on the headstock to match the body.

Before starting I want to make a couple observations. I'm not brand new to guitar work, but my experience is limited to more basic repairs at this point. I'll probably have a handful of questions along the way for some of the more technical items. And I hope to spend as little as possible on this, so I probably won't invest in speciatly tools if I have something else that can do the job.

The first flaw I noticed was the poor quality of the fretwork, including raised frets and a couple that are shorter than the rest. I'll probably work with what I've got here for now, but I'm seriously considering doing a re-fret with jumbo wire. Would I be better to get it out of the way now, or is it not much more difficult to do a re-fret on a finished instrument?

Second issue is that the angle of the neck is such that I have to raise the hardtail bridge saddles all the way up to clear the frets. I've heard of shaving the pocket to get the strings to sit lower, but I can't find any great resources teaching how to alter the neck to make the strings sit higher. Do I shave the heel of the neck? What are some methods for doing this without butchering the neck joint? All of Google's advise so far has been for bolt-ons.

The raw pieces.


Color I'm hoping to achieve.


If there's any interest I'll post occasional update with pictures.

[Chistopher]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

For your first question, it's probably best to get it out of the way before you finish the neck, just in case you manage to scuff the finish. But the chance of this are almost negligible, so it really doesn't make a difference when you do it.

For the second question, have you tried raising the bridge as a whole higher? And what frets do you have the issue on? It might be the neck needs more relief or the current frets are raised too high. I'd replace the frets before worrying about potentially ruining the neck.

And yes, send us updates. Preferably with lots of pictures.

[posite63]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

Thanks for the reply. I know a re-fret is not exactly easy to nail on the first try, so I'm hoping I can get away without. I guess I'm not too worried about the finish since this is only a project. Guess we'll see how the frets act after it's put together.

As for the bridge, I had to raise the saddles as high as they would go before there was any clearance on any of the frets at all, the string was lying across all the frets until that point. As I understand, it's preferable to have the saddles sit lower. I'm guessing the guitar was designed for a TOM bridge, as those seem to sit higher. I think it's safe to say that neck relief won't be enough to compensate.

You mentioned possibly raising he bridge. Is it as simple as shimming it? Otherwise, I'm pretty convinced that the neck angle will need to be altered. I'll try to get some pics tonight.

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[Chistopher]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

I can't tell what bridge you have based on the pictures, but you probably can shim it, from how it looks. It's definitely easier to do and reverse than to lower the neck.

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

Have you considered one of the angled wood shims from Stewmac ?

http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Supplies/Bodies_and_Necks_and_Wood/Electric_Guitar_Bodies_and_Necks_and_Wood/StewMac_Neck_Shims_for_Guitar.html

[posite63]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

I'd definitely consider a shim. I just never thought that was an option for a set neck. Also, I'm a little worried about the unsightly gap it would leave at the joint. I'm sure it could be blended and stained.

Still, would shaving the heel really be out of the question?

A few pics of the neck joint. Not sure what's relevant here.





And a few shots of the bridge with high saddles and strings still resting across the frets.

[AlexR]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

Yep, the issue of trying to use a bridge not suitable for the guitar design.

Given its a glue in your choices for a fix are a little more limited. You have the wood option of routing the tenon deeper....or taking a bit off the neck heel. Both are very precision based operations but additionally will impact how the neck pickup works with regard to height.

The second area is to work on the bridge. Either by picking maybe a wrap with adjustable saddles for a 1-piece, or sitting your existing bridge up on a small wooden shim. I have done the latter on a guitar to make a Tele work with some WRHB pickups where more travel was needed for the saddles.

If you go the shim......maybe some more maple and make the edge around the bridge a bit more ornate. Mine looks very utilitarian, and also on a flat top rather than a carved top.

And those frets have to go.

[kramersteen]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

The schaller 3d6 comes with a fat shim for situations just like this. Just make one.

[medic24]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

Fix the frets other wise you'll just have a large wooden paperweight.

[Mincer]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

I do appreciate the pictures and an explanation of any problems encountered. It might help someone else who is doing the same thing.

[posite63]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

Each of your comments is appreciated. Based on what you've said, here are four observations:

You have the wood option of routing the tenon deeper....or taking a bit off the neck heel. Both are very precision based operations but additionally will impact how the neck pickup works with regard to height.

1. I'm more inclined to reduce the angle of the heel than to alter the neck pocket. I lack the tools, and the back of the body is pretty thin as it is. So perhaps taking a degree or two off the heel is doable. Is it that simple in theory, or could other things be messed up by altering the angle of the heel?

Have you considered one of the angled wood shims from Stewmac ?

2. Is shimming a set neck really a thing? I mean, I guess if it was all glued securely it would be ok. But what about the visible gap it would leave? Does anyone here have experience shimming a set neck? It would probably be more favorable for the neck pickup height, as kramersteen pointed out, which I had not considered.

I plan on sticking some popsicle sticks in there tonight (twss) to see how drastic the angle change needs to be. There's going to be a definite difference in how high the neck sits depending on the method I use. Shimming obviously adding a few mm, and shaving the heel taking a few mm away. I guess I've never considered how high strings sit of the guitar body and how that might affect picking. Am I over thinking this?

The schaller 3d6 comes with a fat shim for situations just like this. Just make one.

The second area is to work on the bridge. Either by picking maybe a wrap with adjustable saddles for a 1-piece, or sitting your existing bridge up on a small wooden shim.

3. Shimming the bridge is doable. Any materials that would sound less desirable than others? I'm seeing aluminum, brass, maple, rosewood, etc. I assume this does affect the tone? In any case, it shouldn't be too difficult to create a shim. This might be easier than shimming the neck.

And those frets have to go.

Fix the frets other wise you'll just have a large wooden paperweight.

4. I'm quite aware of the shoddy fretwork (can't expect perfection for $5, right?), and I do plan to do something about it. Would you guys recommend a working with what I have, or doing a total re-fret before going any further? I was avoiding re-fretting for a few reasons, the biggest being the inability to radius the fretwire myself. I suppose I can buy pre-bent wire. If you think a total re-fretting job is for the best, I'll dig in to more details in a separate post.

I do appreciate the pictures and an explanation of any problems encountered. It might help someone else who is doing the same thing.

I joined the SD forum after years of lurking and learning from others' experiences. I regularly reference posts from the past decade as I search for solutions. There's a great wealth of knowledge here, glad I could contribute to it with my own problems!!

[hamerfan]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

You should consider a grain filler to get a better surface with truoil. You need only 3 coats vs 10 without.

[posite63]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

You should consider a grain filler to get a better surface with truoil. You need only 3 coats vs 10 without.

I've been kicking this idea around. I kinda like the open grain look. Will 10 coats fill in the grain? Can I get away with less?

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[Nightburst]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

Hope you don't take this the wrong way but reading your post and assessing your experience level I would just take it to a guitar tech and ask him what he can do for you. Looks to me that it needs a fret level and crown and a little wood shaved off the heel of the neck. Get the nut cut properly too and you have a good set-up guitar for a relatively small price to pay. you say you want to spend as little as possible on this guitar: well, paying a tech to do all this would cost you around 100 bucks? Still a good bang for the buck ratio! Spending time on it for just the sake of the result trying to cut corners would probably end up in investing a lot of time = money too!
If you want to have the DIY experience and learn this stuff: there are some good DIY fret level and crown video's on youtube using a staight edge, sandpaper, tape and a cheap file. If you think you can do it then by all means go for it! Could be a fun project.

[posite63]

Re: Chinese PRS kit build

That's not a terrible idea. At minimum I could get the frets professionally done. Being that this kit was a minimum investment, I'm really interested in learning to make it work myself. Gotta start somewhere, right?

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