ES5V first build

[Simon Barden]

I wouldn't want the pickup quite that close to the strings (imagine you are fretting high up the neck so the strings will be almost level with the top of the fretboard). Even a narrow shim would add at least 1mm to the height.

You wouldn't be sanding the cover all the way to the ends of the dog-ears. You'd have about a 2mm reduction in the middle out to the 'start' of the dog-ears, with the last mm being reduced by the screw pulling the dog ear flat against the top of the guitar. You may need to just bend the end of each dog-ear down so they are slightly angled and sit flush on the top of the guitar.

[DarkMark]

Spot on blinddrew. Those measures compare similarly to mine. The only thing I’d remind you is that I had to sand the heal of the neck to get it to sit properly in the neck block. I’m unsure if you had to do this.

[blinddrew]

I wouldn't want the pickup quite that close to the strings (imagine you are fretting high up the neck so the strings will be almost level with the top of the fretboard). Even a narrow shim would add at least 1mm to the height.

You wouldn't be sanding the cover all the way to the ends of the dog-ears. You'd have about a 2mm reduction in the middle out to the 'start' of the dog-ears, with the last mm being reduced by the screw pulling the dog ear flat against the top of the guitar. You may need to just bend the end of each dog-ear down so they are slightly angled and sit flush on the top of the guitar.

Yep, hadn't really appreciated just how thick that cover was, plus you have the pole piece screws sticking out slightly from the top. Doesn't look like I will be requiring a spacer after all.

[blinddrew]

Spot on blinddrew. Those measures compare similarly to mine. The only thing I’d remind you is that I had to sand the heal of the neck to get it to sit properly in the neck block. I’m unsure if you had to do this.

Not really, did a bit of light cleaning up to get a nice interference fit (plenty of wood on wood contact) and then a bit of judicious pressure gave me a nice fit at the bottom of the heel and below the fretboard. Whether that still appears to be the case when I go to stick it all together is another question entirely...

[DarkMark]

While we are on the subject...I initially misunderstood blinddrew’s last measurement and measured the distance from a straight edge across the frets over the top of the pickup. 6mm neck side edge and 5mm bridge side edge. Take off 2mm from the bridge side (I think 1mm could be sanded off the neck edge to sit flatter) and we have a length of 7mm plus the extra length associated with bridge height and nut height/fretted string position.
As a side note I had no idea how strong the pickup magnets were until I tried to use my metal rule as a straight edge for the above measurement. Smack! No wonder you don’t want the pickup too close to the strings.

[Simon Barden]

The kit ones probably have ceramic magnets and so are pretty strong.

I'm halfway through the process of swapping out the ceramic magnets in a SD-made P90 from a '93 Hamer and replacing them with much weaker alnico ones from a Gibson P100 pickup I had lying around. Also doing it as I'd already replaced the neck pickup for a much nicer and cleaner sounding Iron Gear alnico P90 pickup, and it's out of phase with the bridge, so it gives me a chance to swap the polarity of the bridge pickup round so it's not really honky in the mid position. The bridge pickup also sounds too muddy when clean (it's as powerful in output as a humbucker) which is now highlighted by the new neck pickup, so a change to a less powerful magnet seemed the right thing to do. As I only just changed the strings when fitting the new pickup, I'm holding off taking the strings off again to change the magnets until they are a bit older and I can justify a new set.

[DarkMark]

Scratch plate idea.

[wazkelly]

Nice contrast

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[DarkMark]

I knew someone would pick me up on that as soon as I posted it.... I will stain it.🙂

[wazkelly]

I seriously thought you were going to do a natural finish on it and didn't mind that look.

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