Corny title I know, but I had to use it…:)
Precision Guitar Kits’ SG Junior Kit. Mick Brierley Vintage Spec P90 pickup, Faber Vintage Spec Compensated Aluminum Bridge, Bourns Pots, Grover Keys, Danish Oil finish. Superb quality guitar kit and great folks to deal with. Very high on my recommendations list!
My personal take on getting a great vibe out SG Jrs:
(1) There seems to be a tendency to go with small light tuners as these guitars tend to ‘neck dive’ due to the inherent weight imbalance with the neck set way out at the end of the body. Resist this urge! Put some mass/weight in the headstock = i.e., full size Grover tuners. If you want an SG Jr. you have to deal with the neck dive.
(2) Get the best P90 you can afford and be willing to try a few. 8k dc resistance seems to be the sweet spot.
(3) Bridge is critical, so don’t cut corners here. I tried a few and settled on the aluminum Faber with standard (plated brass) studs. I’m not big on ‘mystic mojo’ type of stuff but there is definitely a lot more difference than I would have thought between different bridges, especially in the style or type of the bridge. Overall I find the solid compensated bridges and adjustable saddle bridges to be in 2 separate classes as far as tone is concerned with the solid bridges way out in front.
(4) Use good pots and output jack. I don’t find any sound differences between pots or tone capacitors (more mystic mojo voodoo stuff IMO). I like the quality of the Bourns conductive polymer pots and they generally have a more even volume taper than carbon pots. I just used a 500v ceramic cap here. Don’t need the voltage rating but the wire is heavier and easier to deal with.
(5) With the great necks on these kits I set action at 3/32″ clearance of high E string at 12th fret, and 1/8″ (4/32″) clearance of Low E String at 12th fret. Truss rod adjusted so that when fretting the low E String on 1st and 15th frets simultaneously you have just the very slightest clearance in the middle. I find nut setup to be critical (but not necessarily the material) and also one of the more difficult to get right, especially if making your own nut from a blank. I used unbleached camel bone on this one simply because that’s what I had in my little parts box. Best instruction I’ve seen on making a nut is here:http://www.lenaweelutherie.info/page6/page26/page26.html
(6) Of course all of this is subjective. Your mileage may vary J No disputing the quality of the kit though, great bones to work with!
Duane, Sydney Australia