2nd Build 335

The first one isn’t done yet...but it’s close....and the second one is here.

Going to do a 335 style thing.

Hardware and pickups still up in the air.
Was impressed with the vintage kluson style grovers so will use those.

Was thinking classic red, but on reflection, I think it’s going to be stained black japan with golden teak underneath for some warmth. Tru Oil finish again.

Going to make a headstock veneer out of some brown tortoieshell celluloid, maybe a pickguard too.

Going to simplify the wiring somewhat since I never use it (with humbuckers...what are tone knobs for? You want it muddier?), just go for one volume, switch, output.

Anticipated issues:

1. Finishing.
Can’t bolt it up on a stick like a bolt on...don’t see anywhere I can really suspend it since I’m just working on my desk....feasible to stain and oil in a rotation?

1.a getting the neck join to look seamless...gonna assume there is a trick there.

1.b glue and scratches on the veneer
The veneer looks a little beat up really, I think there are a few glue spots around too, not really sure. But even if I go through the veneer, the dark finish allows me some leeway so not too worried.

2. Setting the neck
Terrifying. Never done anything like it.

3. Getting the electronics inside the damn thing.
I read the 5mm tubing trick, genius. Wish I knew that when I was 21 and gigging with an epi 335 whose output and switch kept falling into the body no matter what I did. Still, this seems damn fiddly.


Any other unanticipated issues with these kits?

The kit is very handsome and after wiping with some turps the flame looks lovely, but its certainly rougher than the DCjr.

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The neck seems to slot in pretty tight, looks pretty right to go...but before I start sanding...anyone see something I don’t? Is that neck pocket unevenness okay?

Some people use a G-clamp holding on to the inside faces of the two pickup routs and suspend the guitar from that. It is still a bit of a balancing act. I just did one side of the body at a time on mine. A bit slower, but easier.

If you build a wiring harness using stiff wire with no excess cable lengths, you can put the electrics inside the guitar using just your fingers and some needle-nose pliers. I've done it. Some cotton around the toggle switch helps but it's not really necessary.

The neck really is simple as you can't go wrong with position.

I'd smooth the bottom of the pocket out a bit, but not too much. The small 'wings' on the top of the neck cut-out by the fretboard will hold the bottom of the neck off the bottom off the pocket if you aren't careful are remove too much wood just in order to get it smooth. Which is why you need a few good clamps to hold everything together when gluing it in, and leave it for the full 24 hours before removing them as the neck joint will be under tension.

If in doubt and there is a bit of a gap, you can stick a thin piece of maple veneer in the bottom of the pocket first and sand that back a bit if necessary. But make sure that gets the full 24-hour clamp treatment as well.

I've just glued the neck in on my ES-1 and it's fine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

If you build a wiring harness using stiff wire with no excess cable lengths, you can put the electrics inside the guitar using just your fingers and some needle-nose pliers. I've done it. Some cotton around the toggle switch helps but it's not really necessary.

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It's a bugger of a job Simon I have 5 here I got to do and it still frustrates me to death its the worse jobs of building a guitar id rather have a big dent in the body than tackle the pots on a hollow bady 😫

Had them all in and fully done up within 5 minutes on the one I did! If you have a stiff harness that keeps everything exactly in place, then it really is simple. Fine for a 335-style anyway. Not as good on other hollow bodies.

Thank for the input guys.

I’v been making a real hash of it.

At first all was well, didn’t think there was much in the way of glue marks....obviously I was wrong.

Sanding went well, staining on the back went well. Really happy with it.

Attachment 35463

The front showed some really messy glue stains pretty much all over, heavy through the join in the veneer, then splatters pretty much everywhere.

Okay I thought, I’m not attached to the veneer and I actually like thhe figuring on the back better any way...I’ll just sand through.

Now...this was going okay getting a nice grain coming through....but then these shiny patches emerged that seemed to be under the grain or something.

Attachment 35464

Now...is this glue that I should just sand through or remove in some way? Or am I know in ‘find out how to paint solid colours’ territory?

Decided to abandon the front for the moment as my headstock veneers came early.

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This went a lot easier than last time with timber.

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Just gotta cut the hole for the truss rod and polish it up now. Heard brass polish is good for this....anyone else done it before?


My thinking with the body is to leave the sides and the back how they are and do a solid gold top.
Never done this before so any advice would be welcome.

Thinking it is a 1. Sand it smooth. 2. Prime it. 3. Colour it. Clear coat it. 4. Wet sand. 5. Polishing
Think im going to with just acrylic from duplicolor.

Might do some kind of gold glitter clear on the back and sides too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jomasgaard

Thank for the input guys.

I’v been making a real hash of it.

At first all was well, didn’t think there was much in the way of glue marks....obviously I was wrong.

Sanding went well, staining on the back went well. Really happy with it.

Attachment 35463

The front showed some really messy glue stains pretty much all over, heavy through the join in the veneer, then splatters pretty much everywhere.

Okay I thought, I’m not attached to the veneer and I actually like thhe figuring on the back better any way...I’ll just sand through.

Now...this was going okay getting a nice grain coming through....but then these shiny patches emerged that seemed to be under the grain or something.

Attachment 35464

Now...is this glue that I should just sand through or remove in some way? Or am I know in ‘find out how to paint solid colours’ territory?

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Well, you have sanded through the veneer, so this would have been the glue holding the veneer to the top. If you keep sanding the veneer off it will be sanded off.

Had a go at it....think it might be completely soaked into the timber underneath.

Anyway, warming to the idea of a gold top, so went and picked up some grey primer, aurora gold, and a couple of cans of clear. Now for a warm day. Don’t know...might be waiting a while in the hills.

In the meantime I’ve had a go polishing up the headstock with 1500, 2000 then turtle wax polish.

Looking pretty good.

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Oh, yeah, headstock looks nice

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Wish me luck....

Ha ha, good luck!

I like the spray set up

Don't place the body directly against anything. You really need to get it so that it's not touching the floor or sides/back of the booth. Spray will get in the places where it touches and you'll get ridge lines of paint building up there. You can get stuck in a never-ending loop of sanding and repair spraying if you're not careful.

I almost always spray the body flat, one side at a time and place it on something soft in the middle to raise it up from the table. That way, you don't get paint directly spraying the places where it's being supported. Or else hang it from a support.

You can always drill out a small hole where the rear strap button will go and fit a small eye screw (I use one with a thread that's thinner than the strap button screw so that I don't make the hole too big) if you want to hang it up. You do generally get less runs if spraying flat. However rattle cans do spray best when held upright.

Thankfully, I am just spraying the top. All went pretty well, colour looks good. had some spatters towards the end so I think I’ll be sanding back a little and getting a new can and waiting for another day over 15 degrees.

Good advice for the next build though thankyou.

I have a large cardboard enclosure almost identical to yours, but I hang the guitar from an overhead beam into the box. That might be an option if you have something to hang from. If I didn't have a convenient beam, I would try something like this (from Ikea):
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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jomasgaard

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Wish me luck....

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You should have glued the neck in before you primed it on those hollow bodys when your painting them getting the paint off the binding can be a real pain I use a 3mm and 6mm fine line tape on them, when you remove a masking tape or scraping the binding makes a real mess. Fine line tape isn't expensive and it's a lot better for going around a bend, make sure you're using a high build primer and feather it towards the edge of the binding, if you aren't good at painting take your time and before you shoot the primer give a couple of coats of etch primer it works great as a sealer

3mm fine line tape press herel

6mm fine line tape press here

Mark

Definitely wish I had taped off the edges first go around. The scraping on top isn’t too bad though, I think I’ll tale for the next coat after I sand back a little just to ensure a clean line.

The binding is already pretty stuffed on the sides due to bleed through during staining (thanks feast watson spirit stain) but that’s okay.

If it wasn’t clear, the back and sides are staying black and won’t be sprayed gold. Doing a gold top thing. Like the look currently, hopefully it comes up well on the next coat. Just needed that one more and started getting spatters everywhere.

Decided the binding was always going to shit me. So it is now gone. Didn’t take photos of that process because it was so fiddly and lengthy. They sure liked the glue on this one.

All off now, minimal damage to the sides which I have since filled, but a slight bit to the top so it’ll be repriming and spraying the top.

I’ve ordered some lengths of white-black-white and black-white purfling for the top (it had to go as it got damaged stripping off the binding. And Brown tortoiseshell binding for front and back to match the headstock. Looking forward to that fiddly process! Anyone done it before?

I ended up sanding back the neck and sides as I felt my black japan stain was a bit cold. I added some passes of light and dark oak through as well and I am much happier with the result.

First coats of oil going on the neck, back and sides today. Happy with how that bit is looking.

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Haven’t taken many photos of the rebinding process, it’s mainly been a lot of glueing, fiddling about with acetone and lots and lots of sanding.

Finally getting there though.

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Polishing up nicely. I’ll have to restin the sides and a but if the back, but that aint no trouble. Respraying the top as well.

Would definitely recommend not trashing your binding first time around, it# nit for the faint of heart.

Top marks for having a go at re-doing it.

Okay, so second spray is done. It’s okay....long way from perfect, but I think I am happy with its rustic charms.

Got an issue though. Everything is ready to glue down the neck, however the action seems crazy off. The bridge and stop tail are screwed down to the bottom of their adjustment and the string height is still very high. I’m not particularly familiar with tuneomatics or set neck guitars so any advice would be very welcomed.

How flat is the neck? Is there much bow in it?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

How flat is the neck? Is there much bow in it?

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Ahhh neck was real flat.....but it sure did take a lot of adjustment in the truss rod to get it there. Action is still a little high for my taste, but going to give it a few days and see how it settles.

It’s pretty much finished. Just some small cleaning up work to do, thinking about an ivory pickguard and waiting on some amber speed knobs, but playing and sounding pretty good. Surprised by these cheapo pickups. It sounds and feels so close to the old epiphone custom shop 335 I played the majority of gigs with in my late teens and early twenties.

Was my first time doing any fret levelling and recrowning, and it went pretty well. All good except I t(ink the second fret which seems a little high and buzzy.

I’ve loved soldering since getting a spool of tinned copper wire. Having that rigidity really helps get a good connection for me anyhow. Getting the electronics in was another matter, but it got there after I bent a cake tester into a hook to pull the input through.

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Check out my high tech template.

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My partner snuck up on me while I was playing in the yard doing a burn off.

Nice stump :D

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

It is a high tech template indeed - it's laminated! I just use a single piece of cardboard.

Looks great. I think a gold top suits the 335 shape a lot better than it does a LP (and I do have a gold top LP).