First build ES-1GT

Hello,

Today the kit arrived with the mail.
An ES-1GT with gold hardware, upgraded the tuners for grover locking tuners.
Attachment 13359
(Does it matter which way the screws in the pickup are facing, other then the looks?)

This is not my first guitar build, I have had a Stratocaster kit I have built before.
But that kit was not from Pit Bull, it was some unnamed kit from china, very cheap.
It turned out ok, after a lot of work, so I thought to go for a bigger challenge.

Unboxing everything I noticed this kit is of better quality then the strat mentioned before.
But its not perfect.

After test fitting I saw the pocket for the neck pick-up is to small.
The pickup extensions for the mounting screws are bigger then the hole for them.
I did not want to cut in the wood so I decided to file a little material from the pickup.
Not even a mm on each side was enough and there is more then enough metal around the screw to hold it.
Attachment 13358

I also think all the holes for the pots, tunes and switch a bit to big.
I would have preferred a tighter fit.
But maybe after applying a few layers of lacquer that will work out fine, I will wait and see.

Now I have to decide if I want to shape the headstock, not really thought about it yet.
And I am waiting on some stains I have ordered, here in the Netherlands most stuff you guys use is unavailable or very hard to get.

To be continued...

I Don't like the way the nut is glued on.
One side is standing on the binding, the other side is not.
Attachment 13360
Attachment 13361
I need to find a way to fix that...

Hi Eric, your build diary is here!! Nice kit score bro.

As for your question, Does it matter which way the screws in the pickup are facing, other then the looks, I belive the answer is yes, but i'm happy to be corrected. It has to do with the phasing of the pick ups, ie which way the north and south of the magnet in the pick up are facing. Usually both pick ups will be the opposite way that you have in the photos (ie screws outwards), but I check my pick ups with a compass before fitting them. If the pick ups are mounted out of phase when you select the toggle on both pick ups the tone will be thinner.

As for the pick up rout, I used my dremel (rotary tool) to lightly sand the rout a bit bigger so the pick ups fit snuggly.

As for the pot holes, the washer and nut with the kit will hold them perfectly in place.

As for the plastic nut, I'd replace that with a bone nut or Tusq nut. but its up to you.

I think theres a few guys from the Netherlands on the forum...Arzi maybe?

Good luck eric.

I cut a little between nut and fretboard with a thin knife and gently tapped the plastic nut till it came off.
Clean brake, should be no problem to replace it.
Attachment 13368
The nut was standing on a small piece left of the fretboard, but it was not long enough so there was a little gap between nut and headstock. I hated that, so not replacing it was not an option.

And because the cutout on the fret board was at an angle, the binding on one side was so thin it broke away, also leaving a tiny gap.
I have ordered a big bone nut blank so I can cut a new one.
Should be here tomorrow.

I am going to cut away the thin fret board piece so I can mount the new nut directly on the neck wood.

welcome to the forum Eric, kit looks great with the upgrades. Good start to your build. Best of luck !

I cleaned up the place where the new nut will be and shaped the top of the headstock.
Its not perfect symmetry, but me and woodworking never have been good friends so I am satisfied with it.
For now.
Attachment 13369

Now its time to start some sanding....

looks good Eric, that's the beauty of a hand built guitar they aren't supposed to be factory perfect. The top has a bit of a slant (or maybe because the image views upside down) but that is original. Good work

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Andy40

I think theres a few guys from the Netherlands on the forum...Arzi maybe?

Good luck eric.

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I thought Arzi was in Finland?

When I got tired of the sanding I started on the electronics.
Had some braided shielded wire and also a pair of orange drops capacitors from a previous build.
The wire was not enough to finish it, but more is on its way.
Attachment 13377

While soldering the mailman delivered the nut blank.
Nicely oversized, will fit great.
Attachment 13380

Cut it, roughly shaped it and glued it on.
Attachment 13381

Have to wait till my fret files arrive, then I can cut the slots and see how much it needs to be rounded more to the headstock.
Attachment 13382

Certainly not the best looking nut job, but its my nut and I think its a big improvement.

I hope the stains will get here later today....

Time for an update.

Used a darkened grain filler on the neck and body.
Attachment 13520

Sanding again....
Attachment 13521

The back really came out nice.
Attachment 13522

Applied some stain, the top did not show the amount of flaming I had hoped for, but I am pleased so far.
Here its still wet.
Attachment 13523

One side did came out a little darker then the other, but its not that big a difference like it shows on the picture.
But there is a thin line where the 2 halves are glued together that will not take stain.
Tried some more sanding and the wire brush trick but it only got wider.

Also spray painted the front of the headstock black.
But when opening the door of the shed a gust of wind threw up a lot of dust.
Attachment 13524
I will give it some light sanding to see how it turns out.

And stained the back
Attachment 13525

This is going to be a really good looking unit with some gloss on Eric, nice job. :)

Hi Eric. That colour looks awesome. I've just bought an ES-1G and thats the exact colour I'm after. What colour is it?

When I saw this guitar I wanted to try and make the same colour.
http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...ead.php?t=2346

But after mixing and testing on a piece of scrap wood I decided to go a little darker.

I did use Clou water-soluble stain.
I had a 1.6 cc powder measure so used that to measure out the stain.
Attachment 13554
Took 100 ml water and 3 parts red.
Then 1 part mahogany and 1 dark cherry.

Cleaning the binding again is fun :(

Eric I missed your photos posted. Colour looks very nice, well done. Don't stress about some dust on the headstock, a light wet sand and another coat of black will sort that out. Worth cleaning up as much dust from your shed as you can so it doesn't happen again !

LOL, I saw that photo and said to myself "A shooter"

Daymmmn I likey!

A few very frustrating days are behind me.
I tried to apply the clear lacquer coat.
The spray cans I was using are horrible, went through 3 different cans and they all started shooting droplets after a bit of use.
Had to sand them back off again and again.
And still it looks like there is but a very thin layer on it.

The cans that are sold everywhere here do have very little lacquer in them, 85-90% of the can is solvent and gas.

So now I have gotten myself 2 cans of this http://www.spraymax.com/index.php?id=361&L=1
Lets hope it will not react with the stuff already on there.
Read some forums about it, several people did it with no problems.

Wish me luck.

This is so much better, almost unbelievable.
No drops,but a nice even spray.
Very easy to get a good even coat on it.

Done the neck with 2 coats, there is a very light orange peel, but that will be polished out.
Its already very shiny.
Attachment 13756

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eric

This is so much better, almost unbelievable.
No drops,but a nice even spray.
Very easy to get a good even coat on it.

Done the neck with 2 coats, there is a very light orange peel, but that will be polished out.
Its already very shiny.
Attachment 13756

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ooooooooo....SHINY. :) We like shiny.

Its looking wonderful Eric, shame about the first spray but your perseverance is paying dividends, the back of that neck looks lovely.

And this is how it worked out.
Attachment 13888
Attachment 13889
Attachment 13890

Made a little sticker to identify the guitar.
Attachment 13897

Because of my troubles with the clear lacquer the finish is not as good as I had hoped for.
And my own impatience messed things up a little.

I mounted the tuners to soon, tightening them damaged the clear coat.
Also cracked the clear a little when pushing in the bridge studs.

The output jack is not good, the jack plug fit is to loose and crackles and disconnects any time it is moving.
I was thinking to upgrade it before but my local parts supplier did not have a gold one in stock.
Made a temporary fix with a little ring around the jack plug so it will not go in all the way.
Then its still under tension a little and it solves the problem.
I will buy an upgrade and redo the electronics.

Will a stereo output jack with the second hot lead connected to ground not insure a better contact?

Overall I am still satisfied, it was fun to build and learned a lot.
I put a lot of effort in fret leveling and setup, it has a very low action and plays like a charm.

I definitely will try another PBG kit in the future.

She looks great Eric, it's all a learning experience and you can never learn enough.

It looks amazing Eric!
I love the sticker!!!

It looks terrific Eric! Congratulations. These little troubles makes some unique instrument, thats what are they for. Handmaded by you for you. Enjoy her.

Is that nitro or acrilyc finish? feels like nitro. :confused:

2k acryl from a spray can

That reminds me of a guitar I owned as a teenager, wonderful job Eric.

great job Eric, looks good from here mate!

about the jack - dont worry about stereo - just get a decent switchcraft one from one of the online suppliers and you'll be fine , some of the chinese stuff can be a bit hit and miss

That's an incredibly pretty guitar!

wow Eric that is a very impressive build well done, it was built very quickly in 3 weeks so maybe next build take your time a bit more. How does it sound and play ? sounds like you need to remove the jack and bend the connecting lugs a little so the jack lead is tighter.
You should enter this in GOTM it is well worthy !

Great build Eric, love the colour. can't notice any blemishes from the photos. how'd you get the pickguard so shiny?

The guitar sounds good, imho.
Never played a high quality semi hollow body before so nothing to compare it with.
The neck pickup has a nice warm sound, the bridge is of course a lot more sharp (don't know the right word for it)
With the switch on both pickups and the 2 volume controls you can find any tone in between.

There are blemishes and I have mentioned a few.
I could point them al out with pictures, but this is a build diary, not a build fail diary.:)

The pickguard came like this, it had a protective layer on it.
Pulled the layer, installed it and cleaned my greasy prints of it.
No polish or anything.

Absolutely beautiful. Hoping mine come out half as good!

Great job Eric, it looks amazing.