Guitar of the Month

Mathew’s JBA-4 is our Guitar of the Month for AUgust/September 2022

Upgrades I included are:

My aim from the outset was was a black burst over a dark purple base with glassy finish, and matching headstock.

Body
On the body I used Timbermate Ebony Filler to pop the grain; Angelus Purple Leather Dye to create a purple base; Gluboost Fill n Finish to seal; SCA Acrylic Aerosol Clear Gloss to create some separation between the purple base and black burst; SCA Acrylic Paint (Black) to layer the burst; and SCA Acrylic Aerosol Clear Gloss to finish. I used Micro-Mesh pads to wet sand after levelling; and Maguires Polishing Compound, Scratch Remover, and Ultimate Finish to finish and polish.

Headstock
On the headstock I used a similar approach to create the purple base and black burst, but used Cabot’s Clear Stain Exterior Aerosol (Gloss) to finish, with custom waterslide decals (‘OMS’ and ‘Purple Thunder’) between layers of clear coat.

Neck
The neck was finished with Cabot’s Clear Stain Exterior Aerosol (Satin).

I’m particularly proud of the purple ‘halo’ around the pickguard which was created by rubbing purple dye into the edge of the white inner layer. It’s a small detail, but one which brings the ‘Purple Thunder’ together.

July 2022

Johnbamb’s TLA-1 is Guitar of the Month for July 2022

John says, “This was the first kit i got from Pitbull. This is it’s 3rd iteration over 2 years.
Finally happy with the result.

The figuring on the ash body was not done justice to until this time around. My first effort was with poor dye, the second was with a torch, it was ok but just didn’t hit the right spot for me. I have heavily modified the body from the original. Lots of carving, humbucker rout for the neck and a new lower horn. The control plate has been recessed into the body. The stain is from Crimson and I used Dulux Duramax for top coat. Sanded with 600 grit after 1 can. It is not polished as I wanted the texture of the grain to be a feature.

Pickups are a pair of Seymour Duncan’s. Wiring is 3-way with a Single volume control. Mini toggle on neck for South coil/Series/Parallel, Mini toggle on bridge for North coil/Series/Parallel.

3-Saddle Top Load, String-Through bridge with Compensated Brass Saddles and Grover locking tuners.”

April/May 2022

kman43’s ES-1F is Guitar of the Month for April/May 2022

Kman43 says, “Here is my submission – an ES1-F kit that was a 30th birthday present from my wife, parents and in-laws.

The body top has been stripped of the flame veneer, with a cherry red/black blend of Colortone. The rest of the guitar (including the pickguard) has a diluted mahogany/wanut blend using Feast Watson prooftint. The top coat is Cabots Exterior clear gloss, with the neck and fretboard dulled to a satin finish for smoother playing. The pickguard is 3mm plywood.

Upgraded/custom hardware includes Grover mini locking tuners, bone nut, Bigsby B700, Alpha full-size pots, switchcraft output jack, terminal blocks in the pickup cavities (for easy pickup changes), shielded wiring and a custom 3-way rotary selector, switching between bright, full and mellow tones.”

February/March 2022

Mrpearson’s PSH-1 Guitar of the Month for February/March 2022

“Here is my first build PSH-1 kit complete after overcoming a few challenges dealing with glue stains in the veneer and getting my neck angle sorted. Thanks again to the community for all the help.

Finish – Dingo Tone Nullabor Ocre with intensifier coat but not top coat. Back, Sides and Burst Feast Wason proof tint Japan Brown. 30 coats of Truoil on body and headstock. Neck has about 20 coats. Polished with Meguiars ultimate compound

Headstock has a water slide decal from Novo Sublimation who printed my design and serial number. All Parts Schaeler style locking tuners.

Electrics all customized from Kit
– Tonerider AC2 pickups
– 2x DPDT on on on switches (from evatco) wired to run pickups in either split , parallel and series modes
– pickup selector is a musiclily 3 way switchcraft style switch
– pots are mini cts taper
– capacitor is a 0.022 mf sprague orange drop
– treble bleed circuit from real tone
– all wiring shielded where possible
– cable jack is a pure tone multi connect
– bridge is a gotoh 510ub
– running 10/46 strings to suit scale length

Finish
– white pickup rings (eBay) finished with a few coats of tru oil to take back the white brightness
– bone nut from pitbull
– vintage style bell volume and tone knobs from eBay.
– strap connectors from kit
– truss rod cover custom made from a bit of scrap plastic and polished (potentially tm dubious word removed)

Setup with Intonated tuning and a 2mm action. Plays beautifully with no fret buzz or electronic hum.”

Here’s what the Judges had to say:

“This is the other 😉 guitar I would go to at the music shop. I love the ochre colour, which works particularly well on this guitar – the flame really pops, and the slight graduation towards the edges enhances the effect. The oil finish looks great, and has a good gloss. Classy headstock logo, and the serial on the reverse is a nice touch. Nice choice of hardware, particlarly with the Gotoh bridge and Tonerider pickups. The pickup surrounds that match the binding are another nice touch. Altogether, evertything goes together really well. With my picky hat on, the toggles do look a bit close to the pickup selector – might be easy to hit the wrong thing if you’re not looking closely.

Love the simplicity of the colours. From simple browns and black, everything comes together nicely. Love the headstock logo as well – overall a great package!”

November/December 2021

This SSCM-1E by JohnWhitear is the last Judges’ pick for 2021

Here what the Judges had to say:

“Black is tough, and good black is even tougher. This is good black. Great finish, nice upgrades, excellent overall look. Beautiful.”
“I like this a lot, simple yet beautiful, the perfectly finished colour goes so well with the hardware and fretboard, would be the first guitar I would pickup in a shop, just simply stunning!”
“Stunning glossy black with some nice tweaks! Not sure what is going on with the logo, but it looks like the photos aren’t doing it justice. Great work!”

Here’s what John says of his build:

“It’s an SSCM-1E, finished in gloss black acrylic lacquer.
Upgrades:

It plays really nicely.”

September/October 2021

Congratulations to Christian_cgs your spectacular, modded DJT-1 build is this months’ Judges’ pick.

Here’s what Christian says about his build:

“Hi everybody, here’s my entry, first build.

Veintidós – (DJT-1)

Body finish: water based black dye and spray can acrylic varnish
Neck finish: tru-oil
Dimarzio ToneZone T bridge pickup
D`adario auto-trim locking tuners
Bone nut upgrade
Custom decals
Custom neck pickup cavity cover
Kill switch (pickup selector)
Alternative knobs
Round string tree
The rest of the hardware and circuit is from the kit.

I enjoyed building this kit and I’m really happy with the results, plays nice!
Here’s my diary, if anyone want to take a look
https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a…ad.php?t=11356

July/August 2021

Congratulations to Mike.L, his Modified DTL-1 kit is the winner of this Guitar of the Month Competition for July/August.

Here’s what Mike.L says about his build:

“So I built this as a gift for good friend, who used to race a black and white drag car nick named “Black Betty” due to the Betty Boop sticker on the dash.

Took just over five months to complete due to the finish and I’m going to struggle to hand this one over, so I’ve decided to build another for myself (with a twist)

Two piece American ash body with a flame maple neck and rose wood fret board, body finished in a gloss black and white ceruse burst with a tri coat pearl white faux binding, neck stained and also full gloss finish.

Parts modified where:
Tusq XL black nut,
Wilkinson bridge with brass compensated saddles,
Black Guyker professional locking tuners,
Iron gear steel twin 2 pickups (second coil activated via mini toggle switch)
Bourns pots, Oak Grimsby 3 way switch and a sprague orange drop cap.
Betty Boop neck plate.”

June 2021

This stunning ES-12Q Quilted 12 String by Jmax is the winner of this month’s Guitar of the Month Competition.

Here’s what Jmax says about his build:

“Wilkinson tuners
Tesla Shark humbuckers from Iron Gear
KAISH tuneomatic piezo bridge that I converted from 6 string to 12 string
Kluson rimless bridge bushings to compensate for the greater height of the piezo bridge and the too-shallow neck angle of the kit
No name tailpiece
No name toggle switch
3 IKN push/pull pots – coil splitting for the humbuckers, on/off for the piezo
Stock pot and cap for the master tone
mxuteuk witch hat knobs
Generic 1/4″ socket
Copper shielding tape in the pickup routes

Finish: Wudtone Azure Lagoon with silver mix-in highlights and extra gloss top coat”

May 2021

An awesome MBM-1 build by Johnbamb and a stunning TLA-1S by Wayne.M tied for this month’s Guitar of the Month Competition.

Here’s what Johnbamb says of his MBM-1 build:
“Here is my custom order mockingbird,
24 fret, spalted maple top with black binding.
I have fitted a pair of Warman pickups with split coil push pull pots.
Mini toggle is set up to switch between .22 and .47 caps and also kill switch.
Top is Crimson stain and finished with a clear lacquer.”

And here are Wayne.M’s comments on his TLA-1S:

“Hi all, here’s my TL-1S, mahogany body with spalted maple top. I didn’t use the pick guard so I could see more of that spalted maple goodness. That left an opening for a bigger pick-up so I went with a Tone-rider Hot90. I didn’t like the look of the open rout with the pick-up just popping out, so I made my own pick-up ring and had it chromed. That turned out well as it matches the rest of the hardware perfectly.”

March/April 2021

Kman42’s inspired ATL-1SB Build is Guitar of the Month for March/April 2021

Here’s what builder Kman42 says about this build:

“This is my ATL-1SB kit, and it’s my first Pit Bull Guitars build. It features a stained neck & headstock, and custom plywood pickguard that I made. The finish is a thin satin polyurethane, which is thin enough that you can still feel plenty of grain.
The guitar is built for live gigs, and includes the following upgrades:
– Tonerider Hot Classic pickups
– bone nut
– Grover locking tuners
– converted to string-through setup
– fully shielded internals
– full size Alpha pots, Switchcraft jack and 5 way selector switch
– shielded pickup wire feed tube for easy maintenance”

January/February 2021

HereIsJT’s exceptional ST-1JR (3/4 Scale) build is the Judge’s pick for GOTM January/February 2021

Here is what HereIsJT had to say about his build for ghis kids:

“So I put together a little ST-1JR for my kids to mess around on. I assembled it on xmas eve, due to a late request from Mr 6 to Santa Claus for a rock ‘n’ roll guitar for Christmas, but followed up post New Years with a bit of work on the nut to make it playable.

The kids are so far loving the chance to pick it up, so it’s turned over to them now… Here’s the pics and specs:

– Custom order hardtail ST-1JR 3/4 scale
– Custom order maple finger board
– Set up as string-through
– Hardtail bridge
– Standard kit nut, strings and tuners (likely to get an upgrade down the track)
– 3 part pearl finish
– Finish in acrylic – SCA filler/primer, Dupli-color Deep Aqua undercoat, ColorSpec custom Blu Cepheus pearl (from Lamborghini) and ColorSpec Gloss clear
– Gibson square output jack cover
– Ferrule neck bolts
– Lightning headstock (as ordered by the young customers in the house – this was masked off for the headstock face and filled with pearl)
– Neck finished with Satin spray on poly (Cabots from memory)
– Fingerboard finished with Nomad F-one oil

December 2020

Congratulations KiMT, your GTL-1 build is the Judge’s pick for GOTM December 2020
Here’s what KiMT says about this inspired build:
“I started with a mock build, checking various alignments and drilling the necessary holes for the hardware. Then I sanded, raised the grain, then sanded again. Next I straightened the neck and leveled/crowned/polished the frets. After all the chores were done, I was quite happy to move onto the fun part!

For the finish I started with some West Systems epoxy stained with black aniline dye to pore-fill and highlight the natural grain, then sanded back to a level finish. Next I stained the body and neck with a basic brown spirit-soluble aniline dye. After many coats of French polish, the surface was buffed to a mirror finish. Then I drilled out the existing fretboard side dots and installed bronze side dots, so it would show up clearer against the brown fretboard. The top is an embossed alligator leather secured with epoxy adhesive and bronze studs.

The hardware is stock with a few exceptions. The pickguard I cut from a sheet of aluminium. The knobs are fashioned from used shotgun shells. The tuners are Grover mini locking tuners. I oxidized the metal hardware to complement the leather top. The electronics are stock – these are perfectly good!

Thanks again PBG and Adam for a fun build.”

November 2020
Andrea.Astarita’s Custom AGM-3Q was the judges’ pick for Guitar of the Month for November

Here’s what Andrea says about his build:

“My third assembled guitar and first with Pit Bull Guitars neck and body:

Mahogany body – Maple top – Transparent blue satin finish
Mahogany neck with blue satin finish
22 Fret Ebony Fingerboard
Duesenberg Diamond Deluxe Tremolo Short Nickel Bridge
Allparts Locking Roller Tune-o-matic
Seymour Duncan ’59 Model pickup
Kluson Self-locking MBT33N Tulip Button tuners
3-position selector
3 Volume and 1 Tone Controls”

October 2020

Darkmark’s Exquisite Custom ES-3 build is Guitar of the Month for October

DarkMark talks about his Custom ES-3 build:

“Hi Folks, finally finished my custom ES-3.
CTS pots and push back cloth wire. TUSQ XL nut.
Tonerider Alnico II Classic Humbucker.
Floating rosewood bridge. Rosewood veneer pickup ring.
Rosewood knobs reused off my ES-5V.
Rosewood truss rod cover made from veneer.
Rosewood veneer headstock with gold glitter inlay.
Gold tailpiece, output jack, screws and gold Gotoh tuners.

Body is gloss poly. Neck is satin poly rubbed with 0000 steel wool.
Fret board is stained with Japan brown and coated with satin poly.
I really like the chatoyance in the headstock wood.”

Guitar of the Month

September 2020

Guitar of the Month for September goes to Ricky for his inspired ES-1GT

Here’s what Ricky tells us about his build:

“This is my first Pit Bull kit build, the ES-1GT.
I would have finished it a month earlier except for a bout of Covid 19!

The finish was inspired by a build on the internet and when I saw it I just thought “I gotta have one of those!”

Finish is done with Crimson Guitars Stunning stains (water based). Then many many coats of Omi Cron 2k acrylic lacquer.
The artwork on the back of the guitar is one of my other hobbies. The method is to complete the picture in reverse by building the base coats, locking back with lacquer, adding more base colours and then scratching through the various colours to reveal the finished effect.
The name chosen was “Eclipse”.

Headstock was veneered and then a homemade waterslide transfer applied.

Trussrod cover was made by bonding 7 veneers together, cutting to shape and then sanding to reveal the various colours of the veneers.

The final finish was achieved by hand sanding through the various grades to 2500 and then G3 compound followed by hours and hours (days) of T-Cut. All done by hand so that I could control it.
Modifications include new pu’s (Warman Tennessee), bone nut, volume switches replaced with the push/pull switches to give me the choice of series/parallel effect, roller bridge, Bigsby style vibrato and Gold/Abalone knobs.

The guitar plays beautifully (the guitar – not me). Intonation was a non event and it stays in tune beyond expectation. The range of tones is more than enough for me and balance is great so a compliment to Pit Bull for getting it right.”

August 2020

TonyV’s stunning GST-1 build is our Guitar of the Month for August 2020

Tony says: GST-1 American Ash body, Maple neck, Jatoba fretboard.
The finish is one coat of black Rit dye, sanded back, then two coats of a 60/40 mix of Opaque Red hobby paint and Scarlet Red Rit dye. Then about 20 coats of FW Wipe on Poly. Neck was coated with Tru-Oil and fretboard with mineral oil.

July 2020

This majestic GST-1 build by Royami is the Judge’s pick for July 2020 Guitar of the Month

Royami says: Ash body, Jatoba Fretboard, locking tuners, bone nut, everything else was standard. I wanted to keep the grain and go for a kind of natural look but with some character, ended up with this!
I will maybe look at upgrading the pickups down the track, but for now it plays well and was a very enjoyable build. Off to order another kit now 

June 2020

GregLane’s STA-1 build is the Judge’s pick for June 2020 Guitar of the Month.
This is what Greg says of his build:
“The aim of this build was to give me something with a whammy bar so I can play some Shadows/Hank Marvin instrumentals. Second was to try out some of the gadgetry that forum members had been mentioning during my couple of years membership.

Here are the details of my second build:
– finished this ColorTone Red Mahogany, black Timbermate grain filler, and 50 coats of TruOil.
(the Ash needed a lot of filling and levelling)
– Electronics upgraded
– Grover Mini Locking Rotomatics machine heads
– Babicz Bridge
– ToneRider AC2 pickups

I couldn’t bear to cover the grain with the horn on the pickguard so it was cut off.

I am very happy with the result and tone.”

May 2020

drusso72801’s slick AGB-30 Bass build is the Judge’s pick for May 2020 Guitar of the Month.
Here’s what drusso72801 says of this sensational build:
“This is my first bass build. It’s an AGB-30 kit. It took me approximately 2.5 months to build. The R2D2 graphic is hand painted onto the guitar.
Solid white paint with polyurethane finish. The pickups are custom designed silver foil mini-humbuckers made by Josh Gravelin.
Upgraded hipshot bridge and tuning machines, upgraded CTS pots, added a three-way switch, and the volume and tone knobs actually go to 11.
Plays beautifully. I couldn’t be happier with how it came out. I hope you all like it!”

April 2020

Our first Custom Nylon String.  DarkMark’s Custom GR-1SF was the Judge’s pick for this month’s Guitar of the Month.

DarkMark says: “Customised GR-1SF. No hardware, f holes and neck pocket hole only, dot fretboard markers.
Modified headstock with rosewood veneer, Bone nut.
Rosewood neck heel cap and truss rod cover.
Mahogany stain, gloss polyurethane (steel wool used on back of neck).
Nylon string, pickup glued under floating rosewood/gold roller bridge.”

March 2020

It’s been some time since we have seen an LP Style kit grace our GOTM.  However, this one, by BakersDozen, is definitely worthy.  Great choice of colour and finish execution… who could keep their hands off this one.

Here’s what Bakersdozen has to say of his build:

“Finish on the front is FW (Feast Watson) Golden Teak over the flame maple veneer and SCA gloss. Back is SCA red feathered on over a grain highlight of ebony timber mate, with 3 coats of Tru Oil on to give nice satin type textured finish. My idea here was that I wanted textured look, rather than smooth with a very subtle grain highlight popping through the red (super hard to capture the subtlety in a photo, but I think you get the idea).

Upgrades;
TUSQ nut, Grover tuners, Gotoh bridge stock tailpiece, epi Probucker bridge / Alnico Pro Classic neck pups with coil splits. Handmade TRC, recessed jack plate, aftermarket knobs and pointers, switch / wiring etc.”

Great work Bakersdozen

FEBRUARY 2020

Always refreshing to see something totally unique.  Here’s a new take on an old Classic. Jbuller7, from Ireland, took a Custom ES-1F (with no neck binding) and made it something very special with some Copper Leaf and choice upgrades.

Here’s what Jbuller7 says of his build:

“I always fancied an ES335 guitar but the traditional sunburst and cherry finishes never inspired me to lift them and play them so this is my take on it.

Back and neck was kept simple and just sanded back to 3000 grit and then 4-5 coats of Danish Oil whipped on. The top of the body was done slightly differently… Lightly sanded back and sprayed with coral blue nitro undercoat before applying 5 layers of copper leaf over a 2 week period. During the copper leaf process the headstock was sanded, primed, sanded, sprayed, sanded, sprayed, sanded and lacquered to give a piano black finish before some edging detail was added with more copper leaf.

Neck joint was spot on, initial set up was easy, once frets had been levelled polished, and the guitar plays and sounds like a dream. It will need another setup in a few weeks once the neck has got used to the string tension but that’s normal as far as I am concerned.

Copper strap locks and an amazing Richtone strap finished the build off perfectly. I cannot walk past this guitar without stopping and looking (and normally playing it) so I’m a 100% fully satisfied builder. 3 other guitarists have seen it, played it and tried making off with it in their gig bag. Good gob its a 335 size and wouldn’t fit in their gig bags.”

DECEMBER 2019

Blam! The Graphic Novel inspired EX-1 Guitar build by HardCoreTroubadour is our Guitar of the Month

Please read Hardcoretroubardour’s full Build Description here (scroll down): https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=9916&page=2

November 2019

This slick KH-1 build, by PJSprog, is our Guitar of the Month for November.

“Here’s the KH-1 Klein headless kit I’ve been building off and on (more off than on) since February. Finally finished. Paint is Krylon Dark Matte Gray from a rattle can, and Krylon clear satin finish, also from a rattle can. The neck is Minwax Classic Gray stain with Tru Oil finish. Everything is stock from the kit, with the obvious exceptions of the “Overlord of Music” tremolo bridge and head piece being replaced with J-Custom parts from HeadlessUSA.” PJSprog

October 2019

Congratulations Step1507, your stunning ST-1 build, for your Daughter, is the Judge’s pick for Guitar of Month.

Here’s what Step1507 says about his amazing ST-1 build:

“I’ve finally finished the second Christmas present for my daughters, this one’s a right handed ST-1, again.  I’ve tried to make it as personalised as possible, without it being tacky . This one is also, basically, stock, apart from the black pickguard and tremolo cover (again I went with the “Gilmore Black” look with the pickups and controls).  The finish is also DNA Custom Paints, colour shift this time, in “Red Rush” (Red/Bronze/Green), over a black base, with lots of clear over the top.

Again, the name of the guitar “Starfish”, was her childhood nick name (she’s also now in her 20s )

Hope you all like it.”

(We do, very much)

September 2019

Congratulations Daniel, your Custom PRS-1H is the Judge’s pick for Guitar of Month.

 

Here’s what Daniel says of his complex build:

I wanted to build a travel guitar, but I also love Jazz.

This started out as a PRS-1H kit. I removed the top and replaced it with a hand carved, X-braced arch-top made from a one-piece billet of Huon Pine. I have fitted a floating Gretsch Mini-humbucker mounted to the end of the neck. I completely hollowed out the body, removing the center block.

To enhance the acoustic properties the finish is a very light coat of French Polish over a soft yellow honeyburst buffed to a satin finish. I have converted it to a bolt on design so I can remove the neck to make it fit into over-head luggage on a plane. I fitted threaded inserts into the end of the neck for longevity.

August 2019

Kac’s exquisite Fabric TL-1 is Guitar of the Month for August.

Kac says:

Hi All, took me 2 months, but I have finally finished my fabric top TL kit.

Modifications:
1. String through body.
2. Bone nut.
3. Belly cut.
4. Wilkinson Bridge.
5. Noiseless neck pickup.
6. ToneRider Hot Classics bridge pickup.

July 2019

July 2019 GOTM goes to Bakersdozen for his stunning JTL-1 build.

Bakerdozen says:

JTL-1 Kit
Natural TruOil finish.
TUSQ nut, Grover mini rotomatic tuners.
Fully adjustable TL bridge.
MusicLily pups.
Recessed Jack.
Oakes Grigsby 4 way switch wired for 4 way TL options. Orange drop cap with cloth wire.
String thru body with neck ferrules.

You can even hear how sweet it sounds here

June 2019

June 2019 GOTM goes to Wayne Mumford, for his ES-12G.

Wayne says

“ES-12 with mahogany body. I did a few alterations like the headstock shape, as the stock shape was way off centre so I chopped it off. Then added some mahogany strips for a bit of character. I also added a gold output jack and a gold truss rod cover to go with the rest of the hardware. I was going to go with a straight color on the front but the amount of glue around the bindings needed to be covered with a burst. l hope you like it.”

May 2019

This gorgeous FS-1 by Neverwas is the Judge’s pick for May 2019 GOTM.

Neverwas says:

Kit came with a rosewood fretboard, yes it’s that old, and that probably influenced the colour choice. All hardware has been changed,
Frankentone filtertron style pickups with dress rings made by pablopepper (haven’t noticed him on the forum for a while)
Full size 500k CTS pots, 0.022 Orange drop caps and treble bleed mod, Epi 3 way switch and Switchcraft jack
Gotoh TOM bridge and stop tailpiece (instead of the trapeze that came with the kit)
Grover locking tuners, PBG bone nut and Kluson string tree, also strap locks
Headstock has flame maple veneer added and routed the lower level to include a MoP inlay
Stains are a colortone mix over black base and then acrylic lacquer clear.
Had some stain bleed into the binding and painted those areas (it’s in the build diary if you’re interested)

March/April 2019

Marshi’s Custom IB-7 with Reverse Headstock is GOTM for March/April 2019.

Marshi says:

“Latest build, its a custom order based on the GS-2. I modified the kit to include: Floyd Rose tremolo, reverse headstock and rosewood fretboard. I then modified the stock tremolo to include an Allparts brass block. Other modifications include a Gotoh locking nut and Floyd Rose fine tuners. The guitar was finished with the Dingotone finishes, Bushfire Sunrise on the body and clear on the neck. I also added a timber back electronics cover to match the body, as best as I could. Plays great and has a lovely blues tone from the neck pickup but shreds from the bridge. I modified the wiring to include a volume control for each pickup and the 3 way switch, no tone. Great fun building this guitar even more fun to play. Thanks everyone Pit Bull Guitars.”

February 2019

Richy17’s JTL-1 is GOTM for February 2019.  Congratulations on a stunning build.

Richy17 says:

Heres my JTL-1 kit “The Blasteroid

Modifications & Upgrades

Both horns cut and reshaped
Reshaped the forearm bevel
Made a custom pick guard
Painted Block “inlays” on the neck
Countersunk washers instead of a neck plate
Brass screws for pick guard and selector switch (To accent the brass bridge saddles)
4 Layer 2K Paint
Joe bardon Vintage TL bridge
Kluson tuners
Tonerider AC2 Neck pick up
Tonerider Vintage Plus Bridge pick up
PIO Cap
4 way oak grigsby switch
Recessed jack socket

Overall i really enjoyed this build, Its really nice to play and has that twang about it but with a little more oomph in the neck. The string through drilling didn’t go the best but i learnt some valuable lessons there. Probably if i was to do it it again i would take a little bit more off the top horn.

January 2019

Congratulations Yo_Wattup, your TLA-1 is the Judges’ pick for GOTM January 2019.

 

This is a Pit Bull Guitar kit I bought a few months ago and finally got around to finishing. It’s the TLA-1 with ash body and black hardware. I replaced the bridge and bridge pickup. For me, kit guitars are all about the look, I spend a lot of time on the finish.

As you can see I’ve added bevels to the top and a curved edge on the bottom side. What isn’t so obvious is the ghost gold pearl over the white top. This is very hard to capture on camera and its visibility depends on the lighting, basically its completely white under ubiquitous light (shade), and the gold pearl emerges when under sunlight or artificial light.

For the back and sides I wanted a mirror gloss finish of the ash – no texture. So I filled the grain, stained it walnut and sprayed it with varnish until there was enough layers to wet sand and get completely flat. Something like 20 coats.

I also stained the neck a walnut colour to match the back but I left the fretboard its natural maple. Both the neck and fretboard are gloss. Actually the whole guitar is now that I think about it .

All finishing done with a spray gun. You simply cant get as glossy/flat a finish using a brush or cloth.

December 2018

SonicMountain’s Steampunker YB-4 Bass kit is the Judges’ pick this month.

   

SonicMountain says:

“It’s done!

Formally introducing ‘The Steampunker’

As per the build thread I finally got some suitable strings and completed setup today.

So, it’s based on the Y-B4 kit it has a maple neck (With an awesome flame in it) and a bass wood body. Finished in Japan Brown stain with Cabots satin exterior poly. Fretboard stained with Japan Black and sealed with poly.

Stock pickups, after market pots and 3 way switch and ‘custom’ wired similar to a TL.

Hand carved (with a dremel) tentacles, TRC and full custom bridge out of 3mm brass plate (thanks Frankie!)

Modified for string through.

PBG replacement Black Tuners

D’Addario Flat Wound Super Long Scale strings.”

You can see the impressive amount of work that went into creating this Beast in SonicMountain’s Build Diary, here.

November 2018

EdGomes surprised everyone with his TLA-1 with “Double Purfling”.  So good.

Here’s what Ed has to say about his build:

“It was a challenge to decide which finish style I would like, then I found a very famous guitar brand that unfortunately I can’t afford it, called Knaggs. I put my skills as Designer plus my interest in resin art. Few drawings after I decided to start with a TL style looking like Knaggs (double purfling).  The specs:
– TL kit from Pit Bull Guitars; ash body, maple neck, maple fretboard
– Tonerider Vintage Plus pickups
– Standard electronics
– Oil finish Birchwood Casey (back&neck)
– Coffee + Black Japan Stain (darken ash)
– DingoTone Black Stump (top, faded black effect)
– Clear resin (top)
– Clear resin + Blue pearl powder (Purfling)
– Bridge: Gotoh BS-TC2
– Grover Chrome 6 Inline Mini Locking Rotomatics
– Wooden Custom Pickguard (Aussie wood sandwich)

The guitar looks good, plays smoothly, more mods will come such as electronics, nut, jack and strap locks. The pickups are very balanced, I love it.

Hope you guys like it.”

October 2018

DarkMark’s ES-5V was the Judges’ selection for GOTM October 2018.

“ES-5V hand stained burst with Tru Oil finish. Stock apart from strap holders, Tusq nut, rosewood knobs, truss rod cover, modified bridge, chromes strings and standard size audio and linear pots. Made a scratch plate but couldn’t bring myself to put it on.”

  

September 2018

GOTM for September 2018 goes to Andyxlh’s Custom AG-1 in Mahogany finish.

 

Custom AG kit, ordered with block inlay bound neck, Mahogany neck and body.
Finished in Feast Watson Mahogany and cleared with spray pack Cabots poly gloss
Pickups Tonerider AC2
Bone nut (still not glued in!)
Roller string saddle, otherwise all the bits are stock. The tone controls are not wired in (like Angus) and the knobs are unused castoff from my RC4 kit.
The machine heads are stock with buttons bought from eBay and adapted to fit.
Managed to lose the treble rhythm washer, but I’m ok without it!

August 2018

Blinddrew’s understated ES-5V, with clear stain and handmade touches is the GOTM for August 2018.

 

Grover tuners, bone nut, upgraded CTS pots, Schaller strap-locks, home-made knobs, scratch-plate and truss-rod cover.

March 2018

Congratulations OzzBike on your JBA-4 Build, our Guitar of the Month for March 2018

PBG Jazz Bass Ash Body with Blackwood neck.

Body:
Walnut Timbermate ONLY….then Feast Watson Fine Buffing Oil then Gilly Stephensons cabinetmakers wax then Bowdens Own Carnauba Wax

Neck:
Vintage Amber Colortone stain….about ten coats of Tru Oil and then Bowdens Own Carnauba Wax.

Hardware:
Gotoh elephant ear tuners
Tusq nut
Wilkinson Bridge
All parts bridge and neck pickup chrome ashtray covers
All parts thumb rest
Strap Locks

Electronics:
1 x Bourns Premium 250K push pull series/parrallel pot, 1 x dishback CTS 250K A curve volume pot, 1 x dishback CTS 250K A curve tone pot
Orange Drop .473uf cap
Switchcraft jack socket
Tone Rider Jazz Bass neck and bridge pickups
Vintage push back wiring everywhere except for bridge earth wire.