PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
- Thread starter T ROCKER
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T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
The rest of the coats of tru-oil will go on a lot easier with the whole guitar hanging from a rig, so it was time for some glue ....
It was a good way to recycle the maple plank I used as a test piece. I cut out little slots to fit over the frets, then used some strips of material from an old pair of pants to avoid wood-on-wood contact. There was a heap of glue that squeezed out when I did the first clamp, so I undid the whole rig for a minute to clean that up with lots of damp paper towel , also I didn't want to accidently glue the whole rig to the guitar !
The rest of the coats of tru-oil will go on a lot easier with the whole guitar hanging from a rig, so it was time for some glue ....
It was a good way to recycle the maple plank I used as a test piece. I cut out little slots to fit over the frets, then used some strips of material from an old pair of pants to avoid wood-on-wood contact. There was a heap of glue that squeezed out when I did the first clamp, so I undid the whole rig for a minute to clean that up with lots of damp paper towel , also I didn't want to accidently glue the whole rig to the guitar !
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Well the neck is glued in there successfully, and the angle feels very comfortable, although it's hard to tell for sure without actually being able to strum it quite yet.
The parts are arriving in bits and pieces from far and wide. The Orange Drop caps arrived today, and of course the shipping charge was twice what the caps were worth ... I knew a buck a pop seemed too good to be true, but I won't sweat it - still cheaper than a six pack of beer. I got my push/pull pots on the way ; Bourns 500k's x 4 for $25 total (shipping in) from Mouser. From what I read they are just as good as Gibson's for 1/4 the price . . . The TonePros metric bridge and tailpiece I got for $95 including shipping, and they are on the way from NC via Miami according to the tracking info as of today, although I'm sure this big snowstorm is gonna slow stuff down all along the Eastern seaboard. Still undecided in the pickup department ... I might throw some Alnico 2 pro's in there until I can gather enough bread to buy some BKP VHII's, which , according to my luthier friend who knows his stuff and has owned many nice Les Pauls including a '60, are as close to the real thing as one can get. The clips on their website sound pretty sweet, I must say. I know Bare Knuckles have developed a reputation as a harder-edged pickup, but I trust my friend ....
In the meantime I've been hitting the guitar with more and more layers of Tru-oil. I know the stuff doesn't give you a bullet-proof finish like nitro and won't look as shiny and sweet, but I've always felt that any finish sucks some of the tone away, and the thicker it is the worse it gets. I've got an Ibanez Allan Holdsworth signature from the 80's with a chip out of it, and the finish appears to be at least a mm thick. I'm tempted to scrape the whole thing, but I love the color, and it's a beater I turned into a fretless anyway.
Enough words ! Here's some pics ... (sorry - sideways again since I still haven't figured that out)
I'll stain the inside of the cavities because I plan on making some see-through covers out of plexiglass, BFG style, plus those Orange drop caps are huge and funky looking, so I'm going to source some orange wire to match since there is going to be a heap of wire jumping back and forth between the 4 push/pull pots - all of which should be fun to look at if I do a decent job ...
Well the neck is glued in there successfully, and the angle feels very comfortable, although it's hard to tell for sure without actually being able to strum it quite yet.
The parts are arriving in bits and pieces from far and wide. The Orange Drop caps arrived today, and of course the shipping charge was twice what the caps were worth ... I knew a buck a pop seemed too good to be true, but I won't sweat it - still cheaper than a six pack of beer. I got my push/pull pots on the way ; Bourns 500k's x 4 for $25 total (shipping in) from Mouser. From what I read they are just as good as Gibson's for 1/4 the price . . . The TonePros metric bridge and tailpiece I got for $95 including shipping, and they are on the way from NC via Miami according to the tracking info as of today, although I'm sure this big snowstorm is gonna slow stuff down all along the Eastern seaboard. Still undecided in the pickup department ... I might throw some Alnico 2 pro's in there until I can gather enough bread to buy some BKP VHII's, which , according to my luthier friend who knows his stuff and has owned many nice Les Pauls including a '60, are as close to the real thing as one can get. The clips on their website sound pretty sweet, I must say. I know Bare Knuckles have developed a reputation as a harder-edged pickup, but I trust my friend ....
In the meantime I've been hitting the guitar with more and more layers of Tru-oil. I know the stuff doesn't give you a bullet-proof finish like nitro and won't look as shiny and sweet, but I've always felt that any finish sucks some of the tone away, and the thicker it is the worse it gets. I've got an Ibanez Allan Holdsworth signature from the 80's with a chip out of it, and the finish appears to be at least a mm thick. I'm tempted to scrape the whole thing, but I love the color, and it's a beater I turned into a fretless anyway.
Enough words ! Here's some pics ... (sorry - sideways again since I still haven't figured that out)
I'll stain the inside of the cavities because I plan on making some see-through covers out of plexiglass, BFG style, plus those Orange drop caps are huge and funky looking, so I'm going to source some orange wire to match since there is going to be a heap of wire jumping back and forth between the 4 push/pull pots - all of which should be fun to look at if I do a decent job ...
crusty philtrum
Vintageologist
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Wow, that looks great ! I was a bit concerned when you used electrical tape, as that stuff has a horrible gooey adhesive that often leaves a residue when the tape is removed, but you haven't mentioned any problem so hopefully it's all good. (the trick is not to leave any types of masking tape in place for more than 24 hours, because the paper type tends to harden and become difficult to remove).
But hey, ya gotta be happy with the results so far, it looks fantastic. Is the whole experience taking you through some kind of personal journey? It's amazing where it can take your mind, esp with the hours spent sanding, the repetitive tasks, knowing every aspect will shape the instrument you will end up looking at and playing in years to come.
Wow, that looks great ! I was a bit concerned when you used electrical tape, as that stuff has a horrible gooey adhesive that often leaves a residue when the tape is removed, but you haven't mentioned any problem so hopefully it's all good. (the trick is not to leave any types of masking tape in place for more than 24 hours, because the paper type tends to harden and become difficult to remove).
But hey, ya gotta be happy with the results so far, it looks fantastic. Is the whole experience taking you through some kind of personal journey? It's amazing where it can take your mind, esp with the hours spent sanding, the repetitive tasks, knowing every aspect will shape the instrument you will end up looking at and playing in years to come.
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Thanks guys ! CTN yes it is arousing ... My wife is always giving me grief for going to the basement to "oil my wood".
Crusty , I've definitely read your thread a few times for inspiration and I do agree that the whole experience has been a personal journey. The repetitive tasks did put my mind in a zen state , but my Wife and I have a 10 month old Daughter who doesn't nap like normal babies, so I'm always in a state of readiness to fly back upstairs. I often have to sneak down there for 20 minutes or so at a time ....
The exception to that was when I stained the top. I waited until the Wife and Baby were asleep cuz I knew that was a process that wouldn't go well if there were any interruption. That night was definitely the highlight so far ... It was a pretty intense adrenalin rush, and of course with stain the whole thing might look completely different in the 10 or so minutes it starts to dry. This whole process has been rewarding on levels I've never been to before, that's for sure. I'd definitely encourage any guitar enthusiasts with even slight aptitudes to do this ...
I practiced every process extensively before attempting anything on the actual guitar, and the electrical tape worked perfectly on the test piece so I didn't worry. It's weird ; I have a roll of black tape from the same company that I know wouldn't work nearly as well and probably leave a bunch of residue
Thanks guys ! CTN yes it is arousing ... My wife is always giving me grief for going to the basement to "oil my wood".
Crusty , I've definitely read your thread a few times for inspiration and I do agree that the whole experience has been a personal journey. The repetitive tasks did put my mind in a zen state , but my Wife and I have a 10 month old Daughter who doesn't nap like normal babies, so I'm always in a state of readiness to fly back upstairs. I often have to sneak down there for 20 minutes or so at a time ....
The exception to that was when I stained the top. I waited until the Wife and Baby were asleep cuz I knew that was a process that wouldn't go well if there were any interruption. That night was definitely the highlight so far ... It was a pretty intense adrenalin rush, and of course with stain the whole thing might look completely different in the 10 or so minutes it starts to dry. This whole process has been rewarding on levels I've never been to before, that's for sure. I'd definitely encourage any guitar enthusiasts with even slight aptitudes to do this ...
I practiced every process extensively before attempting anything on the actual guitar, and the electrical tape worked perfectly on the test piece so I didn't worry. It's weird ; I have a roll of black tape from the same company that I know wouldn't work nearly as well and probably leave a bunch of residue
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
I was dreading doing the back because I was having such a hard time cooking up a good shade of red on my test piece of mahogany, but that Saman stain straight from the bottle just worked out perfectly. It was supposed to be a base coat and I must have stood there fretting for at least half an hour before I decided to let it be.
Speaking of frets, phred, I haven't touched them yet because the strings won't go on for another week or two whilst I wait for the rest of the hardware. They look awful nice when I sight down the neck, but you never know until the strings go on. If they do need any work ,I'll have the luthier do it while he installs the pre-cut Tusq XL nut I bought. I'd do that myself, but I want the slots a tiny bit deeper and I don't own a set of files- plus it's something I don't want to screw up since this project turned out a lot better than I expected. I've done a lot of work on guitars in the 30 odd years I've been playing (and some of those were very odd indeed I can assure you), but cutting a nut is not one of them and I want it done perfectly. My '77 Les Paul custom had a brass nut someone had retrofitted without deep enough slots and the low E had a tendency to jump out. I was in a Sabbath cover band at the time, and it was frustrating to say the least. I miss that guitar . . . But it really never was a 'magic object' as some guitars become, so I didn't think twice trading it in for my '92 PRS ce24. It also weighed a metric ton, and a regular customer at the music store where I worked brought his '59 LP in one day and let me play it, so it was hard to go back . . . .
I was dreading doing the back because I was having such a hard time cooking up a good shade of red on my test piece of mahogany, but that Saman stain straight from the bottle just worked out perfectly. It was supposed to be a base coat and I must have stood there fretting for at least half an hour before I decided to let it be.
Speaking of frets, phred, I haven't touched them yet because the strings won't go on for another week or two whilst I wait for the rest of the hardware. They look awful nice when I sight down the neck, but you never know until the strings go on. If they do need any work ,I'll have the luthier do it while he installs the pre-cut Tusq XL nut I bought. I'd do that myself, but I want the slots a tiny bit deeper and I don't own a set of files- plus it's something I don't want to screw up since this project turned out a lot better than I expected. I've done a lot of work on guitars in the 30 odd years I've been playing (and some of those were very odd indeed I can assure you), but cutting a nut is not one of them and I want it done perfectly. My '77 Les Paul custom had a brass nut someone had retrofitted without deep enough slots and the low E had a tendency to jump out. I was in a Sabbath cover band at the time, and it was frustrating to say the least. I miss that guitar . . . But it really never was a 'magic object' as some guitars become, so I didn't think twice trading it in for my '92 PRS ce24. It also weighed a metric ton, and a regular customer at the music store where I worked brought his '59 LP in one day and let me play it, so it was hard to go back . . . .
OttoMatick
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
very nice, can't wait to see the next picture.
very nice, can't wait to see the next picture.
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
I have enough coats of Tru-oil on the top to finally start experimenting with some steel wool and scotch pads. I found the steel wool, 0000 grade, to work way better than the grey scotch pad (which is supposed to be the equiv of the 0000 steel wool), but messier in the fact that it leaves behind a million little strands that absolutely have to be cleaned up. The scotch pad almost instantly started to build up those little nuggets that proceeded to scratch the top; let's just say I had to use the steel wool to clean up after the scotch pad, then I had to clean up after the steel wool to make sure no tiny little metal strands make it under the coat of finish. Details . . .
I did as much homework, research, and practice as I could before I touched the actual guitar and yet I find I'm constantly inventing techniques and improvising as I go along. I can tell you I'll probably never buy another prefab guitar again unless it's a really smoking deal, or something that's so out there and obscure that it'll be decades before someone comes up with a kit for it - like a 12 string baritone, or something like that. The budget for this project is about $1000, which is exactly what I calculated and expected. Some would argue that my time, I.E. labor and research, is worth a certain amount of dollars, but those people would be missing the point entirely, and they will continue to use the drive-thru instead of parking and going in. Building your own guitar is a buzz, pure and simple, and I will definitely do this again . . .
I have enough coats of Tru-oil on the top to finally start experimenting with some steel wool and scotch pads. I found the steel wool, 0000 grade, to work way better than the grey scotch pad (which is supposed to be the equiv of the 0000 steel wool), but messier in the fact that it leaves behind a million little strands that absolutely have to be cleaned up. The scotch pad almost instantly started to build up those little nuggets that proceeded to scratch the top; let's just say I had to use the steel wool to clean up after the scotch pad, then I had to clean up after the steel wool to make sure no tiny little metal strands make it under the coat of finish. Details . . .
I did as much homework, research, and practice as I could before I touched the actual guitar and yet I find I'm constantly inventing techniques and improvising as I go along. I can tell you I'll probably never buy another prefab guitar again unless it's a really smoking deal, or something that's so out there and obscure that it'll be decades before someone comes up with a kit for it - like a 12 string baritone, or something like that. The budget for this project is about $1000, which is exactly what I calculated and expected. Some would argue that my time, I.E. labor and research, is worth a certain amount of dollars, but those people would be missing the point entirely, and they will continue to use the drive-thru instead of parking and going in. Building your own guitar is a buzz, pure and simple, and I will definitely do this again . . .
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Some of the goodies I've been waiting for from all over N. America have been showing up. I'm really getting addicted to waiting for stuff in the mail, like a Terrier at the mail slot with my tail wagging in anticipation. I kept the coats of true oil going with sporadic steel wool sessions, only because it's getting to the point where I have to be very careful with the application, because of fingerprints and stuff. The Tonepros bridge/tailpiece showed up and looks quite good in nickel. I had to finesse the holes for the lugs with a piece of 240 grit wrapped around a metal rod, because I didn't want to chance messing anything up with a drillbit and the finish ... such is life when the finish gets done first, I guess ...
Now that the pots and caps were here I had no excuse not to get right down to business. I've seen lots of pics of people using plywood or cardboard for a 'workboard' to mount the pots on while soldering, but I opted for plexiglas since I occasionally want to check my work from the undercarriage, so to speak. I had to perform this surgery last night until the wee hours, and the Wife wasn't too pleased to find me crawling into bed after 2 am, but I once again had to do this without any interruption. I do slightly technical stuff for a day job, but nothing that involves soldering, let alone something this intricate. To Crusty: Yes, this portion was a personal journey indeed ....
Now I simply have to wait until the rest of the parts show up and devise a scheme to ground everything properly. I do have a nice piece of bare standed ground wire jammed under the one of the bridge bushings, but my question to you cats is this: Do I bother with copper foil ? Has anyone ever had issues with 'loops' because of a funky ground path ? Thanks in advance , and here is a nice overexposed pic of the shiny top ....
Some of the goodies I've been waiting for from all over N. America have been showing up. I'm really getting addicted to waiting for stuff in the mail, like a Terrier at the mail slot with my tail wagging in anticipation. I kept the coats of true oil going with sporadic steel wool sessions, only because it's getting to the point where I have to be very careful with the application, because of fingerprints and stuff. The Tonepros bridge/tailpiece showed up and looks quite good in nickel. I had to finesse the holes for the lugs with a piece of 240 grit wrapped around a metal rod, because I didn't want to chance messing anything up with a drillbit and the finish ... such is life when the finish gets done first, I guess ...
Now that the pots and caps were here I had no excuse not to get right down to business. I've seen lots of pics of people using plywood or cardboard for a 'workboard' to mount the pots on while soldering, but I opted for plexiglas since I occasionally want to check my work from the undercarriage, so to speak. I had to perform this surgery last night until the wee hours, and the Wife wasn't too pleased to find me crawling into bed after 2 am, but I once again had to do this without any interruption. I do slightly technical stuff for a day job, but nothing that involves soldering, let alone something this intricate. To Crusty: Yes, this portion was a personal journey indeed ....
Now I simply have to wait until the rest of the parts show up and devise a scheme to ground everything properly. I do have a nice piece of bare standed ground wire jammed under the one of the bridge bushings, but my question to you cats is this: Do I bother with copper foil ? Has anyone ever had issues with 'loops' because of a funky ground path ? Thanks in advance , and here is a nice overexposed pic of the shiny top ....
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Thanks J E C ! Actually I'd like to thank everyone else as well for all the encouragement and advice. Even if it all goes to crap I would still consider this to be one of the most rewarding things I've ever attempted, and it's a good feeling knowing I can share it as it goes along .... When this is complete I will definitely post a vid of this thing in action ... Consider that a promise !
Thanks J E C ! Actually I'd like to thank everyone else as well for all the encouragement and advice. Even if it all goes to crap I would still consider this to be one of the most rewarding things I've ever attempted, and it's a good feeling knowing I can share it as it goes along .... When this is complete I will definitely post a vid of this thing in action ... Consider that a promise !
ratherdashing
Kablamminator
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Boner.
Wow.
I never knew an oil finish could look so good.
Fantastic job!
Boner.
Wow.
I never knew an oil finish could look so good.
Fantastic job!
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
I have to admit I opted for tru-oil because of the 'ease' of application, but now that I'm getting close to slowly backing away with my hands up and telling myself 'it's done', I keep going back for more punishment. . . . but I'm really liking the results . . .
I sanded the top like crazy before any stain or tru-oil, but some of the properties of the maple are telegraphing their way right through, which you can see if you look carefully at the spot of light in this shot. I can't do anything about it now so I'm actually starting to dig it !
I have to admit I opted for tru-oil because of the 'ease' of application, but now that I'm getting close to slowly backing away with my hands up and telling myself 'it's done', I keep going back for more punishment. . . . but I'm really liking the results . . .
I sanded the top like crazy before any stain or tru-oil, but some of the properties of the maple are telegraphing their way right through, which you can see if you look carefully at the spot of light in this shot. I can't do anything about it now so I'm actually starting to dig it !
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
T-rocker...That is absolutely GORGEOUS!!!! I have built some of the cheaper kits and never had results like this. You should be so proud.... Congratulations! I am very much looking forward to seeing more. Thank you for taking the time to document all this for us!
-dave
T-rocker...That is absolutely GORGEOUS!!!! I have built some of the cheaper kits and never had results like this. You should be so proud.... Congratulations! I am very much looking forward to seeing more. Thank you for taking the time to document all this for us!
-dave
