RAS 57403 Manual Download Page 1

INTRODUCTION 

Congratulations on your purchase of your RAS Kit. While it can be a great 
challenge  for  an  inexperienced  builder,  with  care  and  attention  to  details,  it  can 
produce an excellent instrument that can last a lifetime. 

TOOLS 

You  will  need  some  tools.  Mostly,  they’re  tools  you  probably have  around  the 
house, anyway

Very good straightedge. 

I use a long aluminum yardstick, available at

most home repair stores

An electric drill

. A 3/8 standard drill works just fine. However, I use a 

drill/screwdriver  with  torque  control,  which  will  keep  you  from  stripping 
most screws. 

Screwdrivers. 

Get good quality; it will save you a lot of grief.

Finishing supplies

. That includes sealers, stains, polyurethane or 

lacquer, sandpaper, brushes, etc. Complete instruction on finishing is beyond the scope of 
these instructions but there are tons of great resources at:
-

Stew Mac

http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Resources/Finishing/

-

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+a+body

Masking tape

. Get the good stuff. At a minimum, use the blue tape that is 

good for 7 days. Anything less than that will bleed through, leave residue, 
and otherwise disappoint you. Get a wide roll and a narrow roll. 

TEST FITTING & ASSEMBLY

Before you are ready to put a final finish on the guitar, you need to be sure 
everything is going to fit properly. Take each piece and check it’s fit on the body 
and neck. Once you have found everything to fit properly, apply your finish to the 
wood. For these instructions, we used an unfinished kit to demonstrate assembly. 
However,  you  will  not complete  your final  assembly  until  after  your  finish  work  is 
complete.

ATTACHING THE NECK

This is a bolt-on neck kit which simply means that the necks is joined to the body 
with the 4 screws provided. Be sure the neck is snug to the body and secure it to 
the body form the back with the 4 screws.

Summary of Contents for 57403

Page 1: ...eat resources at Stew Mac http www stewmac com How To Online_Resources Finishing Youtube https www youtube com results search_query how to finish a guitar body Masking tape Get the good stuff At a min...

Page 2: ...from the top of the headstock Next slide the tuning machine into the hole from the back of the headstock Be sure to mark and drill pilot holes for the tuning machine screws The Maple neck is very har...

Page 3: ...ttom of the bridge You may need to strip some of the insulation off the wire Failure to get a proper ground will result in an open circuit and no sound when you try playing If this wire is not visible...

Page 4: ...on the horn above the neck when holding in a playing position SETTING UP YOUR BASS Like all guitars set up is a very personal thing in the sense that most players have their own preferences However in...

Page 5: ...t each string for the proper length and desired amount of winds Pull the fourth string 3 76 mm past its tuning post and cut it make sure to pull each string taut Insert through the eyelet in the tunin...

Page 6: ...tion to avoid rattles First check tuning Using a 6 150 mm ruler measure the distance between bottom of strings and top of the 17th fret Adjust bridge saddles to the height according to the chart below...

Page 7: ...ments Re tune play and make further adjustments as needed ADDITIONAL HINTS There are a few other things that you can do to optimize your tuning stability that have more to do with playing and tuning h...

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