First Build ES-1

Gaday All
Started looking over the kit, checked inventory and hardware is Ok all seems to be there.
Body looks Ok no majors the neck is good happy to say. The mock build has shown there will be
some hurdles to get Bill up to be a player though (yep this ones called Bill). Two things I can see
most notably will be the intonation cannot be achieved with the current neck to bridge position.
The position needs shortening by around 4 mm looks possible I've about that distance to move
the neck in before the finger board comes into contact with the pickup mounting ring. So some
wood working required to correct that and I guess I'll need to make sure the neck angle doesn't throw
things out when I do that adjustment. The other hurdle is the bridge and tail piece pins are a sloppy
fit in the mounting holes -Holes are 12mm/ OD of pins is 11.9 aprox. no chance of being usable
without some mods to something here. First thoughts is to find another Tun-o-matic with larger
diameter body inserts to suit the 12mm hole any suggestions would be welcome, will have to search
the webs. Would prefer this work around rather than using the under size part, unless there's a easy
option anyone's worked out my guess is this isn't a unique case.
The flame looks good at the center of the body, some heavy scratches near the upper bout that will
challenge me against the thickness of the thin veneer, so might be able to get a nice finish if I get
the process right... time will tell!! There are glue spots to clean up and some filling around the binding
in places I'd like to work. But all the ascetics are secondary to getting 'Bill' up to being a player
first and foremost... Let the fun begin!!!:cool:

Just make sure you double, triple and quadruple check the scale length before you make any alterations. 4mm seems a lot for a kit to be out. Possibly the jig slipped in the factory.

Bursting ‘Bill’ with a black may be an option to hide any damage at the upper bout if you sand through the veneer trying to remove scratches.

All set to go. Have fun with 'Bill'.

Yes Darkmark Black paint is the last resort when all else fails I'm sure a company or two have used Black paint to hide
things before today !! BB's beloved Lucille was a stunner, there's always that route...

http://i.imgur.com/E0dNk3zl.jpg
Intonation issue here
http://i.imgur.com/scTiMKZl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9w4VBV6l.jpg
Not sure to fill this or laminate under the heal
http://i.imgur.com/c2tgsQ5l.jpg happy with the fit
http://i.imgur.com/Dp4tWnJl.jpg action will be good
http://i.imgur.com/YouoGzsl.jpginteresting grain
http://i.imgur.com/QiFO6YYl.jpglooks good just a bit of filler in a few spots around the edges
http://i.imgur.com/25RdGYxl.jpgthe neck is clean, feels good

managed to clean up some glue and fill this weekend small steps but onward !!

Looks like the neck is seated as far in as possible? 313mm to crown of 12th fret is pretty close as optimum is 314.33 mm.

As for the bridge, have you flipped it around so that screws are facing the nut as that is how a lot of them are setup, pretty dumb as it makes saddle adjustment harder but just seems to be how they are done.

When flipped, if inner nut to top of high E saddle is still more like 631 mm than the required 628.65 mm that would indicate bridge posts have been drilled too far south, thus requiring dowel and re-drilling to bring things forward the required distance.

EDIT: For gap under neck heel maybe natural timber mate might work if you plan to stain, not so good if looking to spray a solid colour but a filler would be the easiest solution.

Hi All
I have been experimenting with water based dies on some maple and am wondering how far I can
take the process on the thin veneer. My concern is that the veneer may lift if the surface becomes too saturated.
Do I wait for each application to dry before adding another coat to the surface to be safe or is there room for blending
another coat to a wet coat before it dries.

I always use a rag rolled into a ball and give it a squeeze to remove any excess before applying any stain. Seems to work as I haven't had a problem doing my stains. It also tends to equalize the amount of dye being applied. It's better to add little by little than doing it all at once. Check out my TL1-Q and ES330 tribute.

Thanks for the tip ILR going out to give it a go now. Thanks for steering me onto those two beauties of yours this forum has too much depth to find them all ,that ES330 tribute is a inspiring build. Cheers