PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
- Thread starter T ROCKER
- Start date
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
All I can say is DO IT ! You'll enjoy the heck out of it , I promise you .... Months ago I got the idea in my head that I would build one of these kits , so I went to a store that sold pieces of hardwood and started seeing how well I'd do with staining and finishing, as well as sanding. That's a good way to tell if you've got the aptitude and (more importantly) patience to do it. Luckily there are a lot of resources on the interweb when it comes to every aspect of construction . It's a whole new level if guitar appreciation , that's for sure .... Check out the link from my first post in this thread. These guys know what they are doing and there are a lot of really awesome pics of kits people way better than me have built ... Very inspiring ....
All I can say is DO IT ! You'll enjoy the heck out of it , I promise you .... Months ago I got the idea in my head that I would build one of these kits , so I went to a store that sold pieces of hardwood and started seeing how well I'd do with staining and finishing, as well as sanding. That's a good way to tell if you've got the aptitude and (more importantly) patience to do it. Luckily there are a lot of resources on the interweb when it comes to every aspect of construction . It's a whole new level if guitar appreciation , that's for sure .... Check out the link from my first post in this thread. These guys know what they are doing and there are a lot of really awesome pics of kits people way better than me have built ... Very inspiring ....
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Well my headstock plan might be an affront to the sensibilities of some of the purists out there given my color choices for the guitar , but I went for it anyway ......
The Hipshot machine head buttons are interchangeable , so I might decide to go with a Grover shape (Hipshot doesn't have a Kluson style button yet) down the road, but in the meantime I give you the SPACE INVADER !!!
Well my headstock plan might be an affront to the sensibilities of some of the purists out there given my color choices for the guitar , but I went for it anyway ......
The Hipshot machine head buttons are interchangeable , so I might decide to go with a Grover shape (Hipshot doesn't have a Kluson style button yet) down the road, but in the meantime I give you the SPACE INVADER !!!
ratherdashing
Kablamminator
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Oh ... my ... God ...
You put a ... Space Invader on the headstock?!?
There is only one appropriate response to this:
T ROCKER WINS
FLAWLESS VICTORY
Oh ... my ... God ...
You put a ... Space Invader on the headstock?!?
There is only one appropriate response to this:
T ROCKER WINS
FLAWLESS VICTORY
TheLivingDead
Dawn Of The Shred
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
I greatly approve.
I greatly approve.
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
I decided to go for the copper shielding on the inside, only because I'm following these instructions to the letter for my Jimmy Page wiring scheme:
http://www.newenglandluthiers.org/contents/Articles/Tips_Techniques_Tools/JPLP_wiring/Intro.html
the article goes into pretty good depth explaining mechanical ground vs. signal ground . . . also it has all kinds of pretty pictures that are really easy to follow with a soldering iron in one hand whilst wiping sweat off the brow with the other. The space invader looks like it is indeed ready to go into space .....
I decided to go for the copper shielding on the inside, only because I'm following these instructions to the letter for my Jimmy Page wiring scheme:
http://www.newenglandluthiers.org/contents/Articles/Tips_Techniques_Tools/JPLP_wiring/Intro.html
the article goes into pretty good depth explaining mechanical ground vs. signal ground . . . also it has all kinds of pretty pictures that are really easy to follow with a soldering iron in one hand whilst wiping sweat off the brow with the other. The space invader looks like it is indeed ready to go into space .....
Low_fidelity2100
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
+1
I don't even like LP's, and I'm now thinking about buying a DC Junior kit. Nice work T Rocker.
+1
I don't even like LP's, and I'm now thinking about buying a DC Junior kit. Nice work T Rocker.
GAS-a-holic
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Outstanding job! I think a few of us have gotten the building bug after watching this thread!
Now string her up and play the bejeezus out of that thing! :yourock:
Outstanding job! I think a few of us have gotten the building bug after watching this thread!
Now string her up and play the bejeezus out of that thing! :yourock:
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Funny you should bring that up, GAS-a-holic. I decided the pre-cut notches in the nut would probably work fine, so last night I sanded the bottom down on a flat piece of sandpaper, careful not to remove too much material. This entailed putting strings on the guitar, then getting the bridge height in the ballpark, then popping the nut in there, testing, then out again, and sanding, and popping it in again until it was just right . . .
Once everything felt pretty good down at that end, I lowered the bridge to see how low I could go and reveal any fret issues. VERY low before any buzzing out started, so I sighted the neck and gave it a tweak. Double action truss rod is very responsive ... I actually had to go back and forth a couple of times with turns that were not much bigger than an 8th or so ,waiting the required several minutes for things to 'settle' between cranks.
It plays AWESOME ! ! Obviously there aren't any electronics in it yet, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to put it down long enough to install that stuff. It's LOUD !! . . . and not in an annoying "boinky" way. Strumming it is a dream, and every note in a lead run just 'chimes'. The Hipshot locking tuners aren't too heavy, and there doesn't seem to be any issues with the little pistons inside the shafts, which can sometimes have problems with the skinnier strings in other brands. The Tonepros locking bridge and tailpiece are doing exactly what they are supposed to. I'm very glad I did my research when it came to choosing the hardware, and I would highly recommend any of these parts (of course all that might change when I plug it in, but I highly doubt it). I'm so stoked I can barely form proper sentences . . . . .
Now I'm just waiting for the pickups to arrive, which for some dumb reason I ordered from the other side of the continent . . .
Funny you should bring that up, GAS-a-holic. I decided the pre-cut notches in the nut would probably work fine, so last night I sanded the bottom down on a flat piece of sandpaper, careful not to remove too much material. This entailed putting strings on the guitar, then getting the bridge height in the ballpark, then popping the nut in there, testing, then out again, and sanding, and popping it in again until it was just right . . .
Once everything felt pretty good down at that end, I lowered the bridge to see how low I could go and reveal any fret issues. VERY low before any buzzing out started, so I sighted the neck and gave it a tweak. Double action truss rod is very responsive ... I actually had to go back and forth a couple of times with turns that were not much bigger than an 8th or so ,waiting the required several minutes for things to 'settle' between cranks.
It plays AWESOME ! ! Obviously there aren't any electronics in it yet, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to put it down long enough to install that stuff. It's LOUD !! . . . and not in an annoying "boinky" way. Strumming it is a dream, and every note in a lead run just 'chimes'. The Hipshot locking tuners aren't too heavy, and there doesn't seem to be any issues with the little pistons inside the shafts, which can sometimes have problems with the skinnier strings in other brands. The Tonepros locking bridge and tailpiece are doing exactly what they are supposed to. I'm very glad I did my research when it came to choosing the hardware, and I would highly recommend any of these parts (of course all that might change when I plug it in, but I highly doubt it). I'm so stoked I can barely form proper sentences . . . . .
Now I'm just waiting for the pickups to arrive, which for some dumb reason I ordered from the other side of the continent . . .
GAS-a-holic
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Great news T Rocker!
Hopefully we're all a few steps closer to some clips of her when she's finished.
I'm waiting with baited breath... and a bad case of G.A.S. of course:lol:
Great news T Rocker!
Hopefully we're all a few steps closer to some clips of her when she's finished.
I'm waiting with baited breath... and a bad case of G.A.S. of course:lol:
ImmortalSix
John Mayer's Mankini
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Really nice work man, from start to finish.
I like that you did a non-standard headstock logo. The world has too many "Less Pull"s
Really nice work man, from start to finish.
I like that you did a non-standard headstock logo. The world has too many "Less Pull"s
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
My pickups showed up yesterday, so I hoofed it to the basement to finish the wiring before dropping them in . . .
I was starting to have serious regrets about such an ambitious wiring scheme. Putting the finishing touches on this harness made me invent new swear words
I stuck the pickups in their rings, then carefully set them in place to line the pole pieces up with the strings by putting on the two E strings and punching my drill holes
It was time to finish the wiring . . .
up next ....... NGD !!
My pickups showed up yesterday, so I hoofed it to the basement to finish the wiring before dropping them in . . .
I was starting to have serious regrets about such an ambitious wiring scheme. Putting the finishing touches on this harness made me invent new swear words
I stuck the pickups in their rings, then carefully set them in place to line the pole pieces up with the strings by putting on the two E strings and punching my drill holes
It was time to finish the wiring . . .
up next ....... NGD !!
T ROCKER
New member
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Everything came together quite well, but not without some difficulty. When I installed the jack I had a pretty severe problem with the signal dropping in and out. I inspected everything closely and realized the prong for the 1/4" plug tip was touching the copper shielding when the cord was plugged in. Some trusty electrical tape solved that problem. I strung it up and took it through it's paces. I have one issue I have to work out, which is either a bad soldering job or a faulty switch on the neck tone pot, but most of the sounds are working just fine .....
I promised you guys a clip ... so here is one I uploaded of me playing a sloppy version of a certain 'public domain' piece, then some improvising to give you some idea of how the coil splitting options turned out. Enjoy !! (disclaimer: the sound isn't perfect because it's done with my camera phone, but you get the idea) Maybe I'll do a better version when my hands aren't so cramped from doing surgery the whole freaking day before this. I have to say I am VERY happy with this instrument, and it'll only sound better from here on in. I'd encourage anyone to build one of these kits . . It's definitely as nice as any brand new gibson I've ever played , and that includes the super expensive ones we used to get at the music store back in the 90's. Precision Guitar Kits actually just came out with a swamp ash Tele kit, as well as an alder strat kit ..... and a korina flying V !! I'm gonna start saving right away ......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zyxasWRZgM&feature=youtu.be
Everything came together quite well, but not without some difficulty. When I installed the jack I had a pretty severe problem with the signal dropping in and out. I inspected everything closely and realized the prong for the 1/4" plug tip was touching the copper shielding when the cord was plugged in. Some trusty electrical tape solved that problem. I strung it up and took it through it's paces. I have one issue I have to work out, which is either a bad soldering job or a faulty switch on the neck tone pot, but most of the sounds are working just fine .....
I promised you guys a clip ... so here is one I uploaded of me playing a sloppy version of a certain 'public domain' piece, then some improvising to give you some idea of how the coil splitting options turned out. Enjoy !! (disclaimer: the sound isn't perfect because it's done with my camera phone, but you get the idea) Maybe I'll do a better version when my hands aren't so cramped from doing surgery the whole freaking day before this. I have to say I am VERY happy with this instrument, and it'll only sound better from here on in. I'd encourage anyone to build one of these kits . . It's definitely as nice as any brand new gibson I've ever played , and that includes the super expensive ones we used to get at the music store back in the 90's. Precision Guitar Kits actually just came out with a swamp ash Tele kit, as well as an alder strat kit ..... and a korina flying V !! I'm gonna start saving right away ......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zyxasWRZgM&feature=youtu.be
TheLivingDead
Dawn Of The Shred
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
Hell yayuh!
Hell yayuh!
ratherdashing
Kablamminator
Re: PGK carved top '59 kit ... first build !!
