Artist Guitars LP DIY KIT User manual

LP DIY KIT
MANUAL

CONTENTS
Introduction ........................................................................................... 3
Body finish ............................................................................................ 4
Neck finish ............................................................................................ 5
Assembling of tuners ............................................................................. 6
Neck ...................................................................................................... 7
Wiring .................................................................................................... 8
Bridge Assembly ...................................................................................13
Strap buttons .........................................................................................14
Setting up ..............................................................................................14
Notes .....................................................................................................16
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

INTRODUCTION
Thank you for buying the guitar kit. All the wood, hardware and electrical
components of the guitar are contained in this package. Please read the
following instructions for assembly and finishing.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

BODY
The first consideration to be made before assembling is to choose the
preferred finish of the guitar body.
The roasted poplar body of this kit is unfinished and unsealed, allowing you
to apply any finish you like. A wide variety of finishes can be procured from
DIY, timber and automotive outlets in aerosol cans making finishing straight
forward without requiring specialist skills. The use of a dust mask is essential
when spraying.
The first step is to check the fit of the body to the neck joint. The bass guitar
is machined from high-grade tone-woods to ensure optimum alignment. But
all woods have a natural propensity to change the shape very slightly
overtime. If the fit is too tight,a gentle adjustment using a sharp chisel or
sandpaper maybe required. Please remember that the coating of lacquer
will make the neck fit a little more tightly into the cutout.
Before coating the body, ensure that all surfaces are clean and free of dirt
and dust. Conduct all coating processes in a well-aired, dust-free
environment. Slow and patient progress is the key to a good quality of the
body finish and it is recommended to test the colour and technique on a
spare piece of wood first.
A hole is drilled in the neck cutout so that it can be suspended by a hook for
spraying and drying or alternatively, a spare length of wood can be
screwed in place of the neck in the cutout as a handle.
Spray on the edges of the body first and allow the coat to become touch
dry. Once the edges are dry, continue on the rear and then on the front of
the body. Gradual and smooth passes will ensure an even coat. If there are
any imperfections,allow for to become fully dry and then sandout with fine
grade (e.g. 800 + grit) before re-spraying. Apply three or more coats for
full coverage.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

4 5 6
NECK FINISH
The neck of the guitar is supplied sealed with a light coat of matte lacquer
and is ready to use. If preferred, the neck can be finished with a colour or
gloss lacquer. If so, do the following.
The rosewood fingerboard does not need coating with lacquer, so it is
important to mask off the exposed rosewood and frets prior to spraying.
Ensure all parts to be sprayed are free from dirt and dust and that the
environment is dust-free and well-aired. The use of a dust mask is essential
when spraying.
Choose a good quality, clear or lightly tinted wood lacquer aerosol for the
neck and begin at the front and sides of the headstock. Start with a
gradual, even pass to apply a thin coat, allow drying (to be touchable) and
repeat this two or three times. Take care not to apply too much, which may
cause runs. If this happens, sand down the area and re-apply evenly.
After the headstock has become dry, turn the neck over and lay it down on
its finger board. Repeat the above process for the rest of the exposed
maple.
Allow two to three days for the lacquer to fully harden and then, if desired,
polish the lacquered surfaces to get a suitable shine.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

ASSEMBLING OF TUNERS
Before attaching the neck to the body, fit the tuning machine-heads to the
headstock by inserting the thread through the pre-drilled holes and setting a
washer and bush over it. Screw down the bush onto the thread until it fits
tightly to the touch and then adjust the rear of the machine-head so that the
tuning button sits vertically above the top edge of the headstock.
Tighten the nut on the front face of the tuner until it is firm by using a spanner
of the correct size. Repeat this for the remaining five tuners.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

NECK
With the body placed face up on a protective surface, position the neck
into the neck cutout until it is fully inserted.
Turn the assembly over and position the neck plate (with its black protective
seal) over the four bolt holes at the rear of the body and drive in the four
long screws through the neck plate, body and pilot holes in the neck until all
fits tightly.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

WIRING
Wiring is implemented as plug-in modules, soldering is not required.
First take out the cables that are to be connected connected to the
potentiometers. Put the end with the three connectors into the channel from
the control cavity side until they reach the switch cavity.
Then put the potentiometers on the right positions as shown in the following
picture. The Tone and Volume potentiometers on the downside should be
connected to the neck pickup. The Tone and Volume potentiometer on the
upper side should be connected to the bridge pickup.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

4 5 6
Take out the cable without connector (string grounding cable) and insert it
into the pre-drilled bridge hole through the channel. Just leave it in the
bridge hole. It will connect to earth when the boots of the bridge are
pressed on it. String grounding reduces noise (hum).
Lead the cables of the pickups from the pickup cavity through the channel to
the control cavity and connect them to the potentiometers accordingly.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

4 5 6
Secure the frames with dome-head screws into the pre-drilled holes.
Take out the cable that does not connect to the potentiometers and connect
it on the jack plate through the jack hole. Screw the jack plate on the
pre-drilled holes.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

Connect the switch with the three cables coming from the control cavity
according to the marking numbers located on the connectors. Put the switch
on the right position and fix it from the front side.
The rear body plastic plates now can be fitted to cover the control and
switch cavity. Secure the plates with dome-head screws into the pre-drilled
holes.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

Now you can fix the pickguard. This is very simple, just do it according to
the following pictures.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

BRIDGE ASSEMBLY
Use a hammer to knock the threads of the bridge and tailpiece into the
pre-drilled holes accordingly,and fix the bridge and tailpiece on the screws.
Put the knob on the shaft of each potentiometer.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

STRAP BUTTONS
Screw the strap buttons into the pre-drilled holes at the bottom edge of the
body and at the top next to the switch.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

SETTING UP
Fitting strings to the guitar is achieved by threading from the tailpiece to the
bridge, emerging through the relevant saddle on the bridge. Start with the
thickest string bottom E in the uppermost position on the bridge.
Ensure that the string sits smoothly on its saddle and keep taut whilst
winding a couple of turns on the relevant tuner. Thread through the string
post and bend the string back on itself to anchor it in place. Apply a little
tension from the tuner and move onto the next string. Repeat the above
process for all six strings.
Bringing all the strings up to pitch gradually is better achieved with a
digital guitar tuner or pitch pipes as a reference. Please be aware that the
tension of the strings may take some time to settle and re-tuning a few times
might be necessary. Stretching each string gently after reaching the pitch
will help to take up slack.
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL

NOTES
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LP DIY KIT MANUAL