ESB-4 - first build - ultimate newbie

[Roger79]

Hi everybody ! Live from baguette land..

As the title says, I'm about to start working on my very first build so I'm a little bit nervous !
I chose the ESB-4 bass guitar.. maybe not the easiest build but I'll do my best.

First, I made a quick mock build and everything looks fine :


I know I've several step from now if I want to success !

As a good student, I read a lot of post, saw many videos, etc.. but.. I didn't understand everything (I'm french and a beginner) so I've a few question before any attempts.

Here we go :
#1 : I noticed a gap between the body and the end of the fingerboard : is this OK ? Or, will I need to do something, like lower the neck (or rise it) ?


#2 : I saw a video about the length between the bridge and the 12th fret (same as between the 1st and the 12th if I'm correct). But, on the ESB4 the holes are already drilled : do I need to be careful about the length when I glue the neck ?

#3 : A few similar diaries said that the 3 points bridge is a nightmare.. can I play with it anyway or do I really need to order a new one ? I don't plan to slap on it.. maybe it will hold ?

#4 : About the look : my plans are only a filler and Tru Oil with only 000 steel wool. Nothing more : natural wood colour is the best for me
But, I was wondering : do I need to put theses products on the fingerboard too ? I compared with my others basses, the fingerboard's kit seems not oily. If I do so, do I need to protect the frets, and how ?

#5 : Do I need to shield my pickups cavities on this ESB4 ?

I think I will make things in this order :
1 : glue the neck
2 : filler + tru oil
3 : soldering and assembling

What do you think ?
Thanks a lot for your answers..

Cheers !
Roger

[Simon Barden]

I'd check the neck pocket for any rough areas that are stopping the neck from sitting snugly in the pocket. You should find that with a small amount of sanding of the back of the pocket, the gap should become a lot smaller.

There is quite a lot of intonation adjustment available on the kit bridge, so you shouldn't need to worry about that at all.

The kit bridge isn't great and the inserts for the height adjustment bolts are rather short and have a tendency to pull out. The kit bolts are M8 threaded, so it has been suggested that something like these would make a better mounting than the kit inserts. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M8-x-15-1...c_xW66R-o32N-Q

Be careful as there are several variations on those hex inserts. I bought ones that were conical in shape, not straight sided like those, and also the hex key part at the top (which allows you to screw the insert in to the wood) was a lot deeper than those I've shown, which left very little thread for the mounting bolts to screw into. But these type of inserts can be had in 24 or 25mm long sizes, and the standard insert is 20mm long. The extra length plus the screw threads mean that these should never pull out. Just check that the mounting holes in the body are long enough.

Otherwise, the Hipshot SuperTone 3-point bridge is a direct replacement for the kit bridge, (great bridge but expensive) but again, you might want to upgrade the inserts (at least for the two main fixing screws at the rear; the central insert is just used as a locating point so has only downward force on it).

The fingerboard material is a composite wood and resin, so doesn't need filling or treating at all. Don't put Tru-Oil on the board itself But it will benefit from some sanding with P240 then P400 sandpaper to get it feeling smoother. The fret ends can do with sanding down as well as there will be some sharp edges. Do all this, and the general neck sanding down, before gluing the beck on as it's easier.

You won't need any grain filler on the neck, and probably only a small amount is required around the edges of the top and back by the binding if there are any obvious small gaps where the grain has split at the ends. Don't apply it for the sake of applying it as the veneer and the basswood ply on the sides and back don't need grain filling to get a smooth finish. This is easier to do before gluing the neck on. Once the neck is on, then you may need to use a small amount of filler to fill up any small gaps around the neck joint.

If you are only planning on Tru-Oil, then it's as easy to apply it with the neck attached to the body as it is with them apart, providing you have somewhere you can hang the bass up when applying the oil. The only difficult area to apply it will be in that area under the neck overhang, so it will be worth putting on a few layers on Tru-Oil in that area before you glue the neck on.

I would advise using a sealer before applying the Tru-Oil, as the Tru-Oil will soak into the surface a lot at first without it. Birchwood Casey do their own surface sealer for use before applying Tru-Oil. You'll only need the smallest bottle they do. I'd apply two coats then sand the finish down flat with some fine grit sandpaper before applying the Tru-Oil.

You can shield the cavities if you really want, but the kit pickups are fully enclosed humbuckers, so are as well shielded and as hum-rejecting as they can be, so shielding won't do much at all. If you ever plan to fit different pickups that aren't covered or have a single coil mode, then shielding may help a bit. If you do, then you'll need to run a ground wire to the shielding in each cavity and then connect that to the back of a potentiometer.

Don't forget about the ground wire for the bridge. There should be a hole from one of the bridge insert holes into the control cavity, so remember to run a wire into the post hole before you fit the insert for it. I wouldn't fit any inserts until you've finished putting the Tru-Oil on the body and polishing it.

[Fretworn]

Hi Roger,

It is normal for the fretboard extension to sit a little bit above the top of the body. As Simon said, just make sure that the neck is fitting snug into the neck route. You shouldn't need to lower the neck.

[Roger79]

Hello !

Thank you very much for all your advices, it's very appreciated !

I'll do exactly as you say

Right now, I'm applying some good sealer I have, with a light sand using 000, and the result is already astonishing ! It brings more contrasts to natural wood, keeping a "root" side, I love it !! I'll glue the neck later.

About the bridge, I'm checking all hardware stores and wood factories around me but these specific inserts aren't easy to find (and I'm bored by online stores for now ). Anyway, I have time before inserting the bridge and electronics.
If I really can't find long inserts, maybe I'll glue the hole and its bottom (with wood glue or ultra glue) : it will hold but then I know it'll be an issue if one day i'd like to replace it (for now I won't). Don't worry I promise to not do this in the first place !!

Thanks again for the answers about the fingerboard and pickups, it's more doable for me now

Just a small question :
I need to connect the ground wire to the bridge (I see the small hole !) : can I just put the wire there with its end nude, and then insert the insert in the hole so they will touch each other ? Or do I need to solder both parts together (but how ??).

See you !
Roger

[Fretworn]

Hi Roger,

No need to solder, you just need to make sure there is enough wire there to make a connection.

[Roger79]

Dear Diary,

First, thx Fretworn for your answer.

I'm still waiting for my Tru Oil to arrive, and the sealer to dry, so I'm about to start soldering.

First, I'm quite disappointing by the kit's content : they're only 11 wires inside (8 shorts, 3 longs) although the wiring diagram shows 15 wires needed..

And, I find the wires very.. thin..
I hope it is OK.
Anyway, I will probably be able to cut the longest wires in two !

The greatest difficulty I see is to solder 3 wires together (from pickups to volume pot and same volume pot). If you have any tip about that (I plan to make a big solder intersection !).

I reproduced my bass holes :


I will let 2-3 cm of extra wire between each pot.
And won't forget the ground !

Wish me luck

[Roger79]

Dear diary,

Forget what I said about "solder 3 wires together".. I didn't see that pickups' wires both are double wired (one inside and one outside).
So, it make sense now !

It's quite easy to solder, and thanks to all the great videos I could find on pitbull website !

I'm going back now..
See ya

[fender3x]

I just saw something on YouTube that might completely solve the bridge problem .

A guy at Norman's Rare Guitars was reviewing an early 80's Gibson Ripper bass with what looked like a standard three point bridge, but instead of the strings terminating at the bridge they come out the back side and go through the body. Since the ESB-4 has a solid center, this should work on it as well.


https://youtu.be/HVG15PGRx4o

I took a look at the bridge that came with my ESB-4 kit and I think this could work without modifying the bridge. All you would need to do is drill four holes and install some Fender bass sting ferrules.

I am ok now with the trapeze system I came up with, but is am sure I'd have tried this if I had seen it in time!



Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[Simon Barden]

You'd need ferrules on the top and bottom, as the bridge will sit above the body, but it is one solution. The arched top and back make drilling the holes a bit harder compared top drilling them in say a Telecaster, which has a flat top and back, so you'd really need access to a good pillar drill in order to get holes that line up nicely. The ferrules on the top really need to be of a different design to the rear ones as they don't need to accommodate the ball-end, and so swill be narrower, but finding some like that could be hard.

Edit: found some on eBay from China, so if you think it's a good idea, then order now as they'll take a while to arrive. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chrome-La...-/252842732791

[Roger79]

Wow ! That's really a great idea to hold the bridge perfectly.. no chance that it'll pull off then.

I keep it in mind but, to be honest, I'm a little nervous about drilling this bass. I mean, the wood seems fragile, maple veneer too..

For now, I will just sand and glue the 3 inserts, and build the entire bass (when I receive the Tru Oil god damn it !!).

If I'm not happy, it won't be too late to drill four holes and put ferrules in it.

Thanks again guys, you're awesome !!