NGD ..... um sort of

[caldurham]

i've been wanting a les paul style guitar for a while. but i also wanted something a little different as well. precision guitar has this offset carved top les paul kit that i've been lusting after for a while. it's kind of pricey for a kit guitar, but i've heard nothing but good things about their kit guitars. i've even seen a few finished guitars their customers have done.

i started saving for it around november and since i am on a tight budget atm i finally was able to buy it earlier this month. the owner phil would check in on me from time to time to see how it was going and answered any questions i had while i was saving up for it. well it came in today. after unboxing it and looking it over i have to say for a kit guitar it is phenomenal. the fretwork is nothing short of amazing. the maple cap is gorgeous and the body itself is put together very well. the neck pocket fit the neck tenon like a glove. and once the neck is slotted in it fits so well i can actually lift it up and the body does not move at all on the neck tenon. indeed a wonderful fit.

my only problem now is trying to figure out exactly what i want to do with it. i know i am going to finish it in tru-oil. i love an oil finish on a guitar, i think it feels so much better than nitro or poly. i'll probably use gold hardware with kluson tuners and maybe a kluson tune-o-matic and tailpiece. i am thinking about using emerson bumble bee caps. and that's about all i've got planned for it atm. i dunno what kind of pickups i want to use yet and am still undecided as to if i want to put a pickguard on it and if i do what color or what it will be made of. so it may take a few more months before i get it done. i can't wait tho!

and here is what it looks like now, of course i will post pictures of it when i am done.

[Jondog]

Looks nice! I did my strat neck in Tru-oil and really like it. Gives it a nice vintage look after some good playing. Took some time for it to cure to tbe point it wasn’t a little tacky. Not trying to sway you from the bumble bee’s, but if you’re on a tight budget and want to save some money I’d say they’re not worth it, unless you just really want them for. A decent orange drop or similar quality is enough, and the tone caps just filter to ground. Put the extra money into good pots, jacks, switches etc...

[caldurham]

yeah the only reason i am thinking about bumblebee's is because i have never owned a guitar with them. i've used the orange drop's before. my budget is more self imposed than mandatory. i've got wiggle room, i am just trying to give every dollar a job to the last cent out of every check. and i got to stop buying so many guitars. also i am trying to save up to get an x-carve so i can start cnc'n guitar necks and bodies. planning on making a 69 inspired flying v from scratch this year, with or without the x-carve.

as far as pots go i am getting emerson most likely. though i would like to get a kill switch pot as well and i don't think emerson makes one.

either today or tomorrow i am getting the tite bond to glue the neck in. and i will be getting some maple and mahogany scraps to play around with some water based stains so i can get the color combo i want before i finish it with the tru-oil. i really like the tru-oil or oil finished guitars. after finishing my jazzmaster in tru-oil, i've started the process of stripping 3 of my guitars down to refinish with tru-oil. 1 is already done and the other 2 are in the process of getting the sanding sealer sanded off.

i still can't believe how well the neck and fretwork are on this offset kit. it's nothing short of amazing.