Tony's ESB

Hey all, I'm new to the site and new to this game.

Anyway, my ESB kit came on Monday and I've made great progress with it I think.

After a quick sand all over with 320 grit, here's the first coat of stain and varnish hanging up to dry.

Attachment 4623

I'm using Feast Watson Stain and Finish in Aged Teak for the main colour. There's 4 coats on now and the body has stopped absorbing colour so it's time to switch over and do some clear coats. I'm using Feast Watson gloss varnish for that.

Here it is with the faces coloured. The edges have just this morning got their second coat of stain on, so the masking tape will be on for a couple more days at least.

Attachment 4624

For the neck, I'm just clear coating in the same varnish as the body, and I've oiled the fingerboard.

For now I'm also planning the headstock label (will probably draw that on) and the wiring. Hopefully I'll be able to start assembly next weekend some time.

I'm really enjoying the build so far.

Now, comments on the kit itself:

The packaging was top notch and everything was easy to find. There's even an amp lead in there.
No glue marks or anything like that that I could find. A couple of rough spots in the pickup holes but that's nothing.
The neck I needed to sand back a touch as it would not fit into the slot. It was only just too wide so that didn't take much at all.

The front panel is in two pieces, while the back is one piece. Personally, I'd have reversed that, but it's not going to be noticeable once the hardware's all on I think.

I think this is going to be one nice bass and I'm really looking forward to seeing it in my rack :)

I think the front panel is often two pieces with a flamed top to give it a symmetrical look. Once the front has all the gear on it you probably won't notice the line as much.

Be interested to see how you go, I was considering doing one of these ESB kits too.

Yeah I've read that. It's just that the back is turning out so nice that it seems almost a shame for it to be the back lol :) The extra coats of colour are really bringing the beauty out of this one.

Well I've got the headstock nearly done. The pic is after 2 coats of varnish and I've added a logo.

It's my name in elvish - done by carbon tracing a printed version onto the wood then filling in with light-fast permanent marker. I bought a "proper" archival grade pen for the job.

I've since added another coat of clear varnish to seal it all in and that boosted the colour a bit too.

Attachment 4650

This is just a quick shot of the neck dry-fitted to the body. No glue yet (It's in the clamps right now).

Should be able to get to the hardware and electronics tomorrow night - excited!

Attachment 4656

Oh yeah, I've just done a quick visual comparison to my "store-bought" axes. Adam - you'll have a repeat customer :)

Looks sweet man.

Ok, I didn't feel like I was rushing it - but the beast is built already. Here's some more photos.

Attachment 4691
I've got the bridge and head hardware on and the pickups mounted. The whole thing was then put aside in the guitar stand so I could clear the rack for doing the electronics.

That is, put aside after test fitting the controls etc to plan the installation of the electronics.
Attachment 4692

At this point I'd actually soldered one pair of components together - If you've got good eyes you'll see on of the caps sticking out. I put that pair in the other hole when it was all done.

Speaking of soldering, this was the one down side of the kit. The supplied wires were sections that looked to be ribbon cable. I really don't like ribbon cable as the core is too fragile for my liking. I didn't have anything else spare so I used it anyway, but next kit I'll buy the cable I like using first :)

After a couple goes installing the loom and removing and fixing broken wires and reinstalling, it was time to check that everything worked as expected.

I checked with the electronics outside the axe first, then after each component was loaded. This saved time with breakages and once I calmed my excitement it went a whole lot more smoothly (funny that).

So here's the final beasty. Not the best photo, but you can see it all.

Attachment 4693

Now it was time for testing. Acoustically, it's not as loud as the acoustic bass in the background - that's to be expected. But it's got enough oomph for private unplugged practise. It's a nice balance that way. Intonation is dead on target.

So, I've plugged it into my 50w amp...

and it sounds as good as it looks. A very fat bass growl with no hum at all.

I'm a happy man, but still got one empty slot in my rack...

Looks fantastic Tony! Very classy indeed.

Fantastc job Tony! Hope you love your ESB as much as I love mine. A real pleasure to play.

cheers,
Gav.

Welcome to the forums Tony and a nice build!

awesome build Tony looks fantastic, love the colours you have chosen.
It's not a race to build the kit so I hope the finishes weren't too rushed.
How does it sound and play ?

I left each coat a minimum of 24 hours before touching it. There's 4 colour coats and a couple of clear coats over the top to "lock" it all in. I don't feel it was rushed, but I did think it would take longer.

Acoustically, it sounds and plays great. But last night my soldering bit me in the a*** again. It was awesome for about five minutes then the neck pickup dropped out.

So this morning I bought a supply of the cable that I like using and this weekend I'll be redoing the electronics "properly".

Sounds good Tony,
yes the wiring of these semi acoustics can be a real pain in the bum, but worth it once its all working well

Hey Tony

Not sureif you have seen this thread....may assist.

http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...ead.php?t=1826

I've got the rewiring done. The wire I've used in the past (and for this one) is much more flexible than ribbon cable and was much easier to do. Of course having done it before helps :)

Same goes for installing. Having done it once it's a lot easier second time around. I've also created for myself a couple of "hole-hooks" that really make the pieces further from the f-hole a lot easier. They've gone straight into the tool box for the next one.

Thanks for the encouragement all, already saving for the next kit - just don't tell my wife lol.