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Hi there guys. I just got my new kit, an ES 5V. I have found a slight nick out of the neck as if a machine tool has swiped the end of it. It should not affect the play ability of it but it does look a bit unsightly. See the pictures attached. I figured I could chamfer the other edge to match it up, but this would maybe mar the appearance of it. What do you guys think?
Hi Doug, what a shame the rosewood fingerboard has some really nice grain. It can't be covered up but think about a chamfered bottom edge.
Looks like a router bit has been set too high and swiped that corner of the neck heel.
EDIT another option is to cut about 3mm of the length of the bottom edge of the fingerboard, have you got access to a bandsaw or a good handsaw ? you could then sand it smooth. There looks like there is enough fingerboard overhang to cover the heel/neck pocket join. If the rest of the kit is nice I'd do that !
if returns aren't an option then i think a chamfer would look fine alternatively you could turn this into a positive and remodel the end of the fretboard (with some files) into a more interesting shape
Attachment 12702
If it were me, i would just round over that edge to neaten it up. A chamfer would look nice too though.
Thanks guys, I love Arte's little suggestion, (looks great mate) but I might play it safe & just round the edges of it as you all suggest. I'll put some pictures up once I have done the deed. Again thanks for the advice & happy building.
Got the neck ding sorted & have started the staining process. The starburst I would like to achieve is on the board in the background
black sides and headstock look good Doug. You mean the end of the fingerboard ? did you chamfer or put a rounded edge on ?
Another ES 5V, love it. Coming along nicely Doug. I must get on with mine but cannot putdown the fretless bass!
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Nice progress Doug, these are nice looking kits
Looking great Doug!
cheers,
Gav.
Thanks guys, I forgot to put up a picture of the neck fix so here it is along with the sunburst effect I put on today
i am saving up for 1 of theses kits i love those guitars be looking forward to see it finished look pretty darn good so far
Very good saving Dougr! It looks nicely clean.
Oh yes very nice with the burst great job and neat fixup at the fretboard end
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Dang Doug, that's an incredible vintage-style burst.
wow, well done on the burst ! I was going to do mine today but the weather is cold overcast and generally not spraying weather.
nice work Doug the darker burst looks great and nice fix on the end of the fingerboard. Should look sweet with clear coats on !
I'm glad you got the fingerboard sorted, and that burst is killer.
Love your work Doug! :)
What a brilliant second build so far, that burst its great. what dyes are you using?
Got the body & neck polished up, now for fitting the neck. I'm happy enough with the final finish however the plywood veneer used on the front & back were very open grain & I did not use sanding sealer. This has meant that I do not have a 'mirror' finish as any more sanding might have seen me put holes in the body. As it is, I have used 1500 & 2000 grit wet and dry over a couple of thick coats of clear finish, followed by Meguiars ultimate compound. The sanding has resulted in the outside area becoming a lighter colour than originally intended. I was trying to have it look like the original Gibson colour scheme I might have to just get another one after this one & perfect my technique!
it looks fine Doug, you should be happy
Very tasty.
This is lookin great, I agree with the not wanting it mirror finish glossy, the style really suits a more subdued finish, I'm going to try for a "off the gun dry satin" look
Can't wait to see this one finished.
Feast Watson Black, Teak & Cedar (from Bunnings) rubbed on with a pad made of t shirt material with cotton wool inside & rubbed in.
coming along very nicely Doug, you did a great job of the tobacco burst. Pretty cool looking workshop you have too !
Great burst! She's looking really nice Doug.
cheers,
Gav.
well done Gav for breaking the 6 hour forum drought !
Thank you guys for the positive comments. I got the electrics in today after gluing the neck yesterday. I have noticed that the pickup is flat whereas the body is arched. This leaves a pretty fair gap (see pictures) I was going to take the black cover off the pickup & carefully shape it to suit the arch but I dont know how this particular pickup is constructed as the 2 phillips head screws on the rear of it only seem to allow the brass backplate to come off. Any suggestions?
Hi Doug the build coming along very nicely now the neck is set !
I've removed the plastic cover of a PBG P90 pickup so not sure about yours, I would think the plastic cover is glued onto the pickup. Maybe apply some mild heat to the cover and see if the cover can be wiggled and removed from the pickup. Don't force it. I'd say the 2 phillips screws on the back are internal mounting maybe for the pickup bobbin
Thanks Wok, you're right. I eased it off after realising that it was 'just'glued to hold it together.
good stuff Doug glad the cover came off with no issues
Have carefully shaped the P90 cover to make it sit comfortably on the curve of the body, then fitted the Grover machine heads & tailpiece to get everything lined up for the intonation stage. Now assessing any future problems I might face. One worry is that I might have the neck sitting too high, although the socket & neck went together like a hand in a glove! I did notice that I had a gap of a millimetre or so where the very end of the fingerboard meets the main body but it seemed insignificant at the time. I tried to obtain a drawing of the neck angle to make sure before I glued it but couldn't find anything apart from one site mentioning a 3 degree slope downwards. This is roughly what I ended up with so here's hoping!!
The mock up of the bridge fitting seems quite high to me in order to clear the last fret wires but I wont know until I put strings on it & try to get it in tune. I have not gone into sanding the frets just yet, but, if push comes to shove, I will invest in a decent flat bar to accomplish this task as I really want to be able to have this beauty as my 3rd gig guitar.
nice work Doug, I wouldn't be too concerned about the gap at the fingerboard.
You might find the bridge height and location changes slightly as you put strings on and intonate.
nice one Doug that looks very cool. As Stan says bridge height can be tweaked later. Think you are winning the ES-5V race have it closest to making noise !
Is the wiring complete I can see the 2 pots are fitted ?
Yup Doug is going to be first one finished, and its looking great
Yep, tested & making a noise when tapped with a screwdriver! That's even though my soldering work is s...t!
This is looking great Doug. You're way ahead of me on this build. I've done precisely nothing since my last post due to the distraction of my fretless bass...
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Hi guys, I put the strings & bridge in today & it works. I need to do some fine tuning, (forgive the pun) but it has a nice acoustic sound, with & without amplification. I had to set the bridge at a very high level to avoid fret buzz but it will be comfortable to play & with a bit of work sanding the frets & maybe even going for a bone nut it might get even better. Again the electrics leave a lot to be desired but not having $3000 to $6000 USD to spend on a real one this is a pretty good alternative & I had some fun building it. If nothing else 'It's just another Guitar on the wall.'
I look forward to seeing the results of your efforts with this model over time guys. Meanwhile I might consider what I might like to build next.
Ps, you will notice that the bridge is angled somewhat. This is because of the scale length of 627mm on my unit. I watched a video yesterday in which a guy in the USA said that the tailpiece can also be adjusted by shifting the position of the nuts holding the bar in position, ie tightening or loosening them so that the string anchor bar can be at an angle which should help when setting the intonation. I have not fiddled with intonation yet but tomorrow is another day!