First coat of TO went on the side back and neck today. It did suck it up very quickly. Will wait a few hours and do another coat I think, then patience...
Arzi is there a wax you recommend I could easily get my hands on in the UK?
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First coat of TO went on the side back and neck today. It did suck it up very quickly. Will wait a few hours and do another coat I think, then patience...
Arzi is there a wax you recommend I could easily get my hands on in the UK?
Hi
I don't know what products you have over there but I've used Auto Glym's products myself. "paint renovator" to polish the TO after final wet sanding - this I found to be inexpensive compared to one auto product I tried that was supposed to be "very fine compound" and AG gave much better results. "suoer resin polish" for final cleaning and polish. Best auto products too by the way - quick and easy to apply and polish and the "resin polish" is also great for removing tough things like asphalt residue etc. The gunsmiths recommended Birchwood casey's wax to put on the TO - should be great cause it's designed for it. I just use what I have in my house if possible.
This build is looking fantastic. I have been throwing the same model together myself. I am quite envious of the black!
Thank you Kemosabe for the comment. The black took a few tries of mixing the dye together to get the richness I was after. I have put down 4 coats of TO now and it's really starting to look lovely. Although it is screaming at me "please sand me!!!!" I will do another coat on the neck and probably do a first sand on it but the body will get at least another 5 coat before getting anywhere near sand paper.
I will post pictures a little later on.
Thanks Arzi for the recommendation on the polishing product I think I will follow them.
Hi Dekka
Yep. 10 coats at least before sanding. Took my neck for wet sanding and soap water today and went through the coats on the headstock with 2000 grit and a block. So... yep - ten at least... Headstock wasn't as level as I thought it would be. More coats and it will be okay though.
When using the polishing compound don't put too much pressure on it as the TO is thin and even thinner after sanding. 20 coats and you should be fine before final sanding.
Hi Arzi,
Did you do ten coats on the neck as well before sanding? After 4 it's already showing a nice gloss. I was thinking 5 coast then sand at 1200 and do another 5 coats after taht for the final TO sand on the neck.
Does that sound right for the neck?
I did ten before first sanding and still went through. I did however sand with water and not TO. Should have done TO - was too impatient and this happened. Should have just mildly level it and not try to achieve totally flat surface. Or maybe I was too rough with pressure. Whatever... now it's five more and then just the polishing compound as it's abrasive as well.
Frustrated and pissed off at myself for cutting corners right now...
The gloss just comes out more with more coats. Every sanding takes out some of it cause it removes the clear. After sanding you have to put 3-5 coats for it to come back. Now that I think of it - I might have put so heavy coats of TO on the RC-4 that the coat might have been about twice as thick as this one.
Which is why whenever I feel I am rushing things with my build. I stop. Put everything down and return much later. Thats a rule that has saved me a lot of heartache...learned the hard way of course!Quote:
Originally Posted by Arzi
Hi Gav
Even at the age of 39 I still find myself battling with these same mistakes - only the circumstances change. Have learned the hard way and some the right way. Sometimes it's worth it to go head first at things but usually it ends up in a headache. Next time I'll be wiser... maybe...
Hi Arzi and Gavin, Thank you for the comments and I am with you on taking the time and be patient (not my strongest point!).
I really want to learn from the heartbreak I saw a few people go through on this forum and really take my time. From the get go, the motto was K.I.S.S (Keep It Slow, Stupid) I feel I might have rushed the sanding when so many people spend 3 4 hours minimum I probably spent 3-3 and a half hours maximum but I was worried about the maple top veneer. it was smooth so I went with it.
I will take your advice and do 10 before sanding (with TO) and then a few more after that.
A few pictures of a tiny glimpse of a reflection on that back and side and the neck for you. I absolutely fell in love with this neck and can't wait to play it.
Attachment 5881 Attachment 5882 Attachment 5883
Now couple of coats (across the grain) tonight and we will be on a lovely even 6 coats!!!
Let's go....
Nice grain and deep black. This is gonna look great! It's good you can keep cool even though this is the time you can see it becoming a guitar you wanted and you're anxious to put it together. Keep up the good work!
looking great Dekka. Love the grain is really popping on the back of the body and the neck has some awesome flaming.
Good motto KISS. So many people have rushed their build and messed up
i like the way the grain shows through the black, nice build
Thank you guys for the nice comments. I am really pleased with how the grain is showing and very happy I went against my initial idea of a glossy black spray can finish. It should make for a very special bass.
I reached 11 coats of TO and about to do first wet sand at 600 grit before another 5 coats, wet sand at 1200, 5 coats and final wet sand at 2000 (probably another couple of weeks of "patience")
I am about to start work on the wiring. Now this is where it gets a little bit complicated for me. I can solder but my electrical/ electronic knowledge is very limited.
Now my kit has a switch, and 4 pots. The only wiring diagram I have seen so far is the one below:
Attachment 6059
If my understanding is correct I control the overall volume and the overall tone with Master volume and master tone and blend in the two pickups depending on the level of each volume. Am I correct?
That sounds like a good option but I was wondering if there was a way to have Neck PU volume, Neck PU tone and bridge PU volume and Bridge PU tone.
Is that feasible? Is that recommended? I have pretty much always played with bass with one pick up so it's a little new.
My second question:
Is there a way to differentiate the 4 pots supplied in the kit? (I do not own a capacitance meter) My understanding is there are two types but I can't seem to see if they are different at all.
Any clues?
I seem to have completely missed this build, looks fantastic and yes, the slow approach is the best approach. How good does the flaming look on the neck!Quote:
Originally Posted by Dekka28
Hi Dekka,
pots should normally be labeled either in the front as shown below
Attachment 6060
or sometimes I've seen them stamped on the back or sides.
I'm no expert but you should be able to do an LP style wiring. http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...m4Pot%20v5.pdf
As to whether you use the A or B pots for tone or volume is up to personal taste and does seem to vary between manufacturers.
Thank you Andrew. The neck is really, really lovely and the stain has really made the wood pop. Really happy with it. Now to finish this beast properly...Quote:
I seem to have completely missed this build, looks fantastic and yes, the slow approach is the best approach. How good does the flaming look on the neck!
Thank you for that JT. I had seen this diagram but was not sure if I could apply it to a bass. Regarding the stock pots, I have not seen anything indicating a difference between them which is what is confusing slightly.Quote:
I'm no expert but you should be able to do an LP style wiring. http://www.pitbullguitars.com/wp-con...m4Pot%20v5.pdf
No problems with using the LP wiring schematic on a Bass.
My LP headless build has two vol two tone wiring.
Generally, people use 'A' pots for volume and 'B' pots for tone (or 'A' for tone too). But, there's no hard and fast rule as different pots suit different configurations and/or different tastes.
There's no reason you can't use LP style wiring on the bass (like this), it's just the hole layout on the ESB-4SC is a little awkward for the 2 volume, 2 tone config... but whatever works for you. The GR-1SF diagram you linked above would also be fine to use, just with a single cap and the master tone positioned down with the two pickup volumes.
The pots should be marked as either A500K or 500KA etc. on the upper edge (like JT's image), the side or sometimes the back depending on which version of pots were included in your kit.
Wot Weirdy said :)
Hi Dekka
The RC-4 uses two volumes and two tones. You can find the diagram in the guides section of the forum.
thank you guys for all your answers.
the build has slowed down a bit with very crappy weather making it difficult to sand outside (no workshop for me unfortunately)
I am now on 13 TO coats and did the first 600 grit sanding. It's getting really smooth and lovely. Couple of places on the head stock went through to the stain for some reasons but nothing that could be fixed quickly.
I also bought a couple of .047 uF capacitors just in case the stock ones are not working as i can't test them. Can I use 2 of these in a 2 tone, 2 volumes wiring system? and if so what would be the difference with the stock capacitors?
The grain on the neck and body is looking fantastic! I'm sure it looks even better in person. It's hard to get photos to show what you actually are seeing.
You could use those caps in place of the stock ones, but you wouldn't notice any difference. As to them being faulty... they are pretty hardy, and don't fail much at all! Just solder them in according to the wiring diagram you choose to follow.
Keep up with the good work!
Hi Dekka
Good to hear you're making progress. The TO is ultra thin as you now found out. Next with finer grit and finer touch and it will look great. To get it really flat needs alot of layers but it will reward you in the end. Nice going. :)
it's been a while. progress has been really slow but steady.
I have now reached TO coat 15. Did 2 TO sanding (one at 10 with 800 grit and one at 15 with 1000 grit). Loving the results but it's a patience game.
Attachment 6362 Attachment 6363 Attachment 6364
It is starting to look great.
I checked the frets' distance as well and everything looks good ( a whisker off in some places but nothing major)
Probably will start the dreaded wiring this weekend
Looking great! Now putting the pieces together and participating to GOTM ... ;)
Thanks Arzi, That means a lot. I will definitely put it out there. The question is December or January!!!
I reckon there is another 5 coats minimum. The head stock has given me problems on a couple of occasion when applying steel wool and sanding where I went right back to the stain in a couple of very small areas. So more TO it is...
That finish is looking great Dekka.
Hi Dekka
The headstock gave me problems too - especially when using a sanding block. It's not as flat as some parts of the body and easilly goes thru. I decided to do the final wet sanding without a block and just very carefully sanding a small area at a time with very little pressure and a 4cm x 4cm piece of 2000 grit paper. The polishing compound could actually be enough if the surface is already smooth - as it is a gentle abrasive it also removes inconsistencies.
By the way - tried Turtle wax's "nano polishing compound" on a small area on the TO and will never use it again! That compound was heavier on the surface than 800 grit paper! I could not use that crap with my car without damaging the laquer permanently. Auto glym is finer than the finest of an expensive pro series product sold at the same shop here. Great product all together - works for the guitar and car.. :)
The finish is really looking great Dekka. Love the black dye job, especially the grain on the bacl of the neck. The TO is also starting to shine nicely. Great work!
cheers,
Gav.
Thank you Arzi, Fretworn and Gavin.
It is slowly getting there. I can't wait to put this together but patience is the key...
So I started applying the TO to the front of the bass. It's coming along nicely 5 coats so far. Once I have done 15 coats I will go through the last wet sanding at 2000 grit and then we are on to the assembly.
I have started the wiring but I wanted to check videos or the ESB and I can't seem to find any videos regarding wiring this type of guitars.
Does anyone know where I could find it?
thank you
Gavin's 335 style wiring tutorial should help guide you with wiring your ESB-4SC, the approach is basically the same for both semi-hollow's and hollow's. The main difference is you can feed the wiring in via a pickup cavity in hollow-bodies rather than squeezing it through an F-hole. When/how you connect the pickup leads to the harness depends on which access point you're using etc.
Thanks weirdbits that's perfect. That will come in handy when putting everything in place. I was hoping someone might have done a video on soldering the harness like the ones available for the other type of guitars. I jumped into it and will have to see if it works.
I started on the wiring a little bit.
I don't think that I have used a soldering iron in 25 years. So it was a little bit daunting.
I went with the Master tone, Master volume and Neck and Bridge volume as it made more sense considering the layout and my needs.
Attachment 6711
I have done most of it now. I need to add the capacitors and test the pickups to see if everything is working. I have been tempted t upgrade the pickups so I am holding off on finalizing it until I make a decision.
I have been looking into a decent upgrade options for a while and luckily today I stumble on this brilliant thread that kind of confirmed my feeling.
Off to Ebay to source some bargain GRETSCH filtertron.
I however need some advice on my soldering: I am worried that the way I have approach the soldering on the bridge volume pot might be a little bit "off". Should each wire make direct contact with the pot or is the way I have done it OK? It looks a little cramped and I am not sure whether this is ok or not?
Attachment 6712
Hi Dekka
I've been wondering to upgrade the stock pup on my RC-4 and thinking of doing that with Filtertron too. Seems like a good choice.
With braided wire you want the inner core to carry your 'hot' and the outer braid to be the 'ground', that way your signal is shielded from noise and you have hot and ground in one wire. For example, to connect your output jack the inner core would connect to the 'hot' lug of the jack and the braid would connect to the jack's 'ground' lug. The other end of the wire would then have the inner core connect the 'hot' output lug of the volume pot (or switch etc.) and the braid would connect to the common ground point like the back of the pot.
It's important to push back and offset the braid from the exposed end of the inner core on any of your 'hot' wires, otherwise the braid could become 'hot' too from touching it and can then short against any conductor it touches... other braid, pots, shielding, switches etc. causing all sorts of headaches. Heatshrink tubing can also help prevent any shorts between the braid and exposed inner core.
Edit: This is a nice clean example of where the braid is soldered to the back of the pot as the 'ground' and the 'hot' inner core connects to the pot's lug. It's not a hollow body, but you get the idea.
Attachment 6730
Hi Weirdbits,
I am a little unsure as to what would be defined as hot and ground in the following diagram.
Attachment 6763
It looks like I might have to start from scratch. Which is ok as I kinda anticipated that the wiring would be a little tricky.
I will see if I can do a diagram with the way I understand your great feedback and see if I am correct