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.