ES-3 second build custom.

Hello! Back again (not that I ever went away).
My first build (ES-5V) was a good practice run leaving me six months older and wiser. I knew I’d be frustrated by the lack of cut away in the body so the ES-3 was always the guitar I wanted. Sticking with the philosophy that ‘two pickups is one too many’, I’ve customised it with neck pickup only. Positions for tone, volume and input will be drilled later, but don’t expect anything too revolutionary about their positioning.

I planned to keep this natural with gold hardware and perhaps a rosewood laminate headstock with engraving filled with gold glitter and CA glue. This time I’m thinking of giving gloss wipe on poly a go with Tonerider AC2 currently choice of pickup.

Living in Australia I’m lucky enough to have the rosewood fretboard option. Upon opening the box I was pleasantly surprised by the lightness in colour of the rosewood, I think this will compliment the natural finish nicely.

First inspection looks pretty good to me. Now to put it back into its box and (try to) forget about her for a while. I’ve got a nice guitar to play in the mean time, which I might add has set up as good a guitar as any I have ever played. I’m going to take my sweet time, no corners cut.

Hi Mark, that top has an amazing grain pattern.
Presume you prefer Jazz genre compared to Rock given just the neck pickup only?

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You’ve got it Wazkelly. It’s what I like to listen too and play these days. Having said that I think we always have a soft spot for the music of our adolescence. Perhaps one day I’ll decide to build a guitar to take me back to my Indi/goth/alternative youth. How time and guitar lessons change you. I have no beef with rock though, I appreciate most genres be it rock, surf, spaghetti western etc.

Back to the guitar, looking forward to how that grain looks with some poly on it.

ooooh, this is going to be interesting :D

Thanks Dedman. I’m hoping it’s not going to be too ‘interesting’, straight forward with everything going to plan would be nice.

Just one volume knob then? That would keep it nice and simple.

I think I’ll go all out and give it a tone knob too, Wazkelly.

I am yet to truly discover why they have them on a guitar haha! Purely there for decorative purposes on all of mine.

Had a jap Strat copy that was hot rodded and it ended up with vol for each pickup and 3 on-off-on DPDT mini switches to switch on each PUP independently. Didn't see a need for tone controls 40 odd years ago, even on a Strat, and barely touched them since.

If I understand correctly, turning the pot from the treble to the bass direction increases the resistance. Therefore, if there was no tone pot it would be giving you full treble. I like it almost all the way to the bass end.

Fair call, it all comes down to personal preference.

I use the tone pot on my Teles all the time. So I can go from country, gritty rock or smooth jazz at any time.

Maybe it's time for me to discover what that unused part could do afterall.

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Originally Posted by ILRGuitars

I use the tone pot on my Teles all the time. So I can go from country, gritty rock or smooth jazz at any time.

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The tone pot on my “Tele” is a three position rotary switch. I know what it does, but I don’t know why and I can’t ask my cousin how he wired it until we meet again in heaven.

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Originally Posted by Fretworn

The tone pot on my “Tele” is a three position rotary switch. I know what it does, but I don’t know why and I can’t ask my cousin how he wired it until we meet again in heaven.

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A nice mysterious reminder of your cousin.

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Originally Posted by DarkMark

A nice mysterious reminder of your cousin.

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Agreed, what a nice thought.

Questions for the audience.
1) I have titebond original and PVA glue, is either a better choice for gluing a veneer?
2) Will gloss and satin wipe on poly look and feel the same once polished?

No expert on glues but if you have titebond that should be better to use than PVA.

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Thanks Wazkelly, perhaps I should also add that when I fill the veneer inlay with CA glue quite a strong exothermic reaction takes place giving off a Significant amount of heat.

Not sure about the glue, but I have polished both satin and gloss poly spray on Cabots. You can get a shine with satin, it comes up with a polished leather style finish which is lovely. The teleblaster body in the signature below was done that way.
If you hit gloss with a fine paper then polish U get a similar finish. If U cut back then polish with gloss it will be shiny.

I revisited the Teleblaster Andyxlh, great headstock! Thanks for your input. What is the difference between ‘fine sanding’ and ‘cutting back’? Second ignorant follow up question, in your last sentence do you mean cut back and ‘polished using gloss poly’ (ie. Using the liquid poly like a polishing product) or ‘polished’ a hard gloss poly surface?

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Originally Posted by DarkMark

I revisited the Teleblaster Andyxlh, great headstock! Thanks for your input. What is the difference between ‘fine sanding’ and ‘cutting back’? Second ignorant follow up question, in your last sentence do you mean cut back and ‘polished using gloss poly’ (ie. Using the liquid poly like a polishing product) or ‘polished’ a hard gloss poly surface?

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Ooh yes, my reply was a bit cryptic wasn't it!
Generally to get a super shiny surface I have wet sanded with a very fine paper, 2000 or even 3000 grit, that's the sanding bit, then used cutting compound, the automotive type, to put a shiny surface on it, finishing up with an auto polish like Maguire's.
The wet sand removes any imperfections such as dust and orange peel from the surface making it very smooth, the cutting compound removes the scratches from the sanding.
Poly takes a while to go nice and hard, a week or two, before polishing.
You can do this with gloss or satin. You will get the finish on the body of the teleblaster with satin. The neck is gloss, both poly.
Thanks for the cudos for the headstock, it made me smile, still does!

Thanks Andyxlh, I think I’ll take the glossy path.

Headstock roughly reshaped.

Nice classy shape :)

Thanks Kick. If I can’t get those off centre bits symmetrical I’ll consider taking them off altogether.

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Originally Posted by DarkMark

Thanks Kick. If I can’t get those off centre bits symmetrical I’ll consider taking them off altogether.

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Well they look symmetrical to me. If somebody pulled me up on it I'd say 'They are meant to look like that!

cheers, Mark.

Yep, I reckon it's very close!

Ha, good response king Casey. But I know, and you know that I know, that they are not symmetrical. I think the knobby bit might go. Not that I’m looking for an easy life, but it will make my life easier as the project progresses.

Ok, well I’m keeping the headstock shape for now. The base of the neck has caught my attention. Seems to me the angle of the overhang is going to dig into the body quite a bit if left as is. Does this look familiar to anyone who has built an ES-3? Should I square it off a little more?

I agree with Kick, that headstock shape is nice and classy. As for getting it symmetrical, if you have a router and a flush cut bit you can always 'trace' one side of the headstock on a scrap piece of wood and use it to shape the other side so it matches perfectly

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Originally Posted by DarkMark

Ok, well I’m keeping the headstock shape for now. The base of the neck has caught my attention. Seems to me the angle of the overhang is going to dig into the body quite a bit if left as is. Does this look familiar to anyone who has built an ES-3? Should I square it off a little more?

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Best to do a mock fit to see how it looks.

On my recently completer ES1 that angled edge looks familiar and wasn't too big a problem to work with. I ended up filling the crack with natural timber mate once neck and body had been glued together as it was visible from a side on glance. If what you have isn't visible, not as big a problem to deal with.

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Originally Posted by trv

I agree with Kick, that headstock shape is nice and classy. As for getting it symmetrical, if you have a router and a flush cut bit you can always 'trace' one side of the headstock on a scrap piece of wood and use it to shape the other side so it matches perfectly

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Hi Trv! I’ve got a coping saw and a pencil.

[QUOTE=wazkelly;173053]Best to do a mock fit to see how it looks.

The neck join is fairly tight, I couldn’t put it all the way down. Probably needs a little sanding to get it to fit. I’ll deal with that issue in the future.

I also have dowel and painters tape. He is my depth gage.

Who said you always need expensive tools? ;)

My ES-3 took several weeks for the wood to settle after transport before it fitted perfectly, being too tight before to go all the way in. I'd leave it at least a week before sanding just in case it then shrinks further and the neck's then loose in the slot.

Agreed Kick.
Know what you mean Simon, another reason to put it off.

DarkOscar, “You have done an extremely bad job of gluing the veneer on, DarkMark.”
DarkMark, “Wait and see DarkOscar, ‘it was meant to look like this’.”

Got three pieces of rosewood veneer. Disappointed with the direction of the grain but didn’t want to waste the rosewood. This was my solution and liked the way it mirrored the triangular fret board inlay.

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Originally Posted by DarkMark

Got three pieces of rosewood veneer. Disappointed with the direction of the grain but didn’t want to waste the rosewood. This was my solution and liked the way it mirrored the triangular fret board inlay.

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That’s hot! Grain chevrons for the win!


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