Roly's ES12G

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30-10-2018, 06:39 PM
Roly

2 Attachment(s)

Roly's ES12G

Well i did say I was starting after Christmas - but I didn't say which one...LOL.

Looking back, I said hello in December 16 and finally I have started. I have thought lots about changing and upgrading hardware but have decided to build it with the supplied gear and if it is worthy after completion, I will spend some cash on better pickups and other upgrades then.

I tidied up our back room last weekend and looked in the box and decided it was time to start. I had previously sanded the body and so gave it another run over and had a close look at everything to re-acquaint myself with the kit.

My previous experiments didn't really produce the colour results I had in mind. I have since watched a lot of finish applications on YouTube so figured I would give it a go.

I started with a diluted black stain to highlight the grain. Once dry, I sanded well. I then applied a coat of Vintage Amber Colortone, sanded and re-applied. Did this three times. Then I gave the whole top a couple of coats of lemon yellow, sanding in between each time. Then I applied the Cherry Red to the outer edges, blending as I went with the Lemon Yellow to remove the defined edge. More sanding in between coats and re-applying till I was happy with how it looked. Hopefully I will be happy once the clear goes on...time will tell.

I have checked scale lengths on the neck and also center line alignment. I was happy with these and so now the neck and body are one. I will do the frets and neck setup once finished and assembled.

I started staining the back and neck tonight and will post a couple picks when I am happy with the colour. Here are a couple pics of the progress so far. Neck to body fit was pretty good. I transitioned it with a very small amount of filler. It will be Cherry Red at the join so lack of grain because of the filler should not be obvious.

Attachment 28838

Attachment 28839
30-10-2018, 07:05 PM
JohnH

Colour is looking good!
30-10-2018, 07:20 PM
wazkelly

Interesting how the grain texture looks more vertical directly below bridge and tail stop positions through to end pin location.
30-10-2018, 08:54 PM
FrankenWashie

Thats some nice grain and some wonderful colour coming through Roly.
31-10-2018, 05:58 AM
Roly

4 Attachment(s)

A couple of pics from the first lot of stain applications last night. It dries pretty quickly so I got a couple of layers on. I will sand it and continue tonight. I am unsure whether or not to add black to the outside edges yet.
Attachment 28842

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31-10-2018, 06:11 AM
DarkMark

Looking good.
31-10-2018, 12:48 PM
ILRGuitars

1 Attachment(s)

I reckon adding the black would set off the black on the neck and headstock nicely. Just don't add too much.
A thin line would be all you need. Here's the back of mine:
Attachment 28849

From: Non Pitbull ES330 Tribute.
31-10-2018, 05:16 PM
Roly

2 Attachment(s)

Looks good ILRGuitars but I think I am not going with the black.

This is getting pretty close I think. Tried to catch the last of the natural light.

Attachment 28853

Attachment 28854
02-11-2018, 01:49 PM
Roly

I am considering some MOP inlays for the neck and headstock. While applying the stain the nut dislodged. Is MOP suitable for a nut or should I stick with bone?
Cheers
02-11-2018, 01:59 PM
ILRGuitars

Bone for tone!
02-11-2018, 06:16 PM
Fretworn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roly

I am considering some MOP inlays for the neck and headstock. While applying the stain the nut dislodged. Is MOP suitable for a nut or should I stick with bone?
Cheers

I would have thought MOP would be way to fragile for the nut.
03-11-2018, 03:48 AM
Roly

Found this info

https://www.theguitarmagazine.com/di...top-nut-tales/
03-11-2018, 04:28 AM
king casey

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roly

Found this info

https://www.theguitarmagazine.com/di...top-nut-tales/

I read it elsewhere but I've stopped obsessing over the nut.
Really only affects 6 notes on the entire guitar.
Every other note involves a finger/fret.

Cheers, Mark.
03-11-2018, 11:13 AM
wazkelly

Quote:

Originally Posted by king casey

I read it elsewhere but I've stopped obsessing over the nut.
Really only affects 6 notes on the entire guitar.
Every other note involves a finger/fret.

Cheers, Mark.

If you like playing ac/dc rhythm parts they are mostly root chords therefore a few open notes happening.....probably sound better with a more substantial nut.
That said, on my last Ric 4003 it had a plastic looking nut on instrument that retails somewhere near $4k and it sounded just fine. Perhaps not as big an issue on Bass?

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk
03-11-2018, 01:15 PM
Sonic Mountain

Apparently the nut's on those are Bakelite - which is actually the very first plastic ever produced. Commonly found on old saucepan handles and kettle plugs. It is very dense and can be quite brittle - which makes me think its probably a lot more like bone in the way it behaves than a cheaper ABS nut. The ABS is a lot more malleable and would absorb vibration more than transfer it. Which seems to be the point of using a hard material like bone/brass/graphtech.