Build One: ES-1GT

Hey everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to check out the build.
Cannot wait for whatever journey the next few weeks have in store for me.

I guess I'll start with the unboxing.
So the kit had just arrived and in my excitement, as i was taking it out the box, i dropped it...
Just kidding! The only thing that dropped was my jaw.
There is just something about these es1s that I absolutely love.

I have just finished trying a little test fit, I'm currently at work so I cannot do anything too time consuming but it seems all the parts are here and accounted for. I have only one issue that has come out of the woodwork. Yes, pun intended.

The neck pickup does not fit into its new home. Bridge pickup fitment is spot on, really nice but it seems to me like the routing jig has slipped on the neck end. Now it doesn't seem to be a massive problem as I am planning to either sand it down a fraction or grab the router and give myself the extra bit needed to fit the pickup. That should solve the issue and anything i do will be hidden under the pickup itself. I will supply photos of both the kit and the issue I'm having.

Anyway, like I said before I am really looking forward to this.
I will post again with the plans for the guitar and how I think I'll go about it.

Welcome aboard.

Welcome & enjoy your journey

For a bunch of photos of it straight out of the box: http://https://imgur.com/a/zQ0f0nD

Will be doing a full test fit soon.
Otherwise here is the full kit laid out with all the hardware bagged up.

Attachment 30461

Welcome to the forum.
On my ES1 it needed a small amount of sanding out in the corners so that pickups would fit properly.
Timber is way too soft to attack with a router without doing some damage and sanding doesn't take much effort or time.
Cheers, Waz

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

Welcome Rhys

So after my fair share of sanding, I have decided I want to go for an "old timely" look.
I have found a couple of glue spots and a scratch on the flame maple cap but rather than do away with them, I'm going to embrace them.
Any imperfections in the maple cap will only add to how perfect this ends up being, or at least i hope so... :cool:

It's all part of experimenting and chasing what image I have in my mind for the guitar. If i wanted a perfect finish I would certainly take my time but I feel that going with the 'mistakes' and making them work for me seems like such a great sentiment for not only this but for life in general. I bet you didn't think this would wind up as philosophical as this did you? haha

I have stained the guitar this morning with black colourtone stain, did a single coat of this to bring out the grain and get a bit of variation in the following coats which I have since done. 3 coats of tobacco brown colourtone stain and here we are. This is currently where the kit is at. (See attached photos)

I will have 2 posts that follow this, 1 on my plans for accents, custom hardware and bits. The other for regarding how to finish the guitar itself. Would really love some educated input.

Thanks for following along, its been awesome so far! LOVE IT! :D

Attachment 30549
Attachment 30550

So regarding custom bits and pieces for the build, Im am looking at doing a bunch of copper patina parts for it.
I like the idea of this old timely colour (seen in above photos) and the patina copper look mixed in with some chrome parts.

Im going to do a mustard (red patina) & table salt (blue patina) mix on some copper plate and copper rod, then submerge in ammonia. This will quickly colour the copper giving me a really amazing look. (See photos attached)

I will do copper rod and cut to size and make some knobs.
Copper plate for a pick guard, truss rod cover and logo/symbol.

Cannot wait to see what it will look like!!!

Attachment 30551

Now on to how to seal/finish the stained guitar body and neck.

Would would be a good option? Tung oil or linseed oil? Maybe a wax?
I honestly have no idea when it comes to this so any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated!

Don't mind if it ends up glossy, matte or somewhere inbetween. I just want the flame maple and colour to really pop.
I am thinking an oil will help achieve this. As the stain dries it becomes dull and very matte, while the stain is wet it really pops with heaps of depth in the timber grain and flame maple itself. SOS!!! ;)

Hi Rhys, I'm only really new to the forum as well and received my ES-1 kit yesterday. Will post shortly. Really excited to see the copper work that you do. I am doing a full copper top and have had some very good results during my wait for the kit to arrive. I've been adding 3-4 layers of copper leaf and using a mix of vinegar and plant food to get a natural patina in a day or 2. Plant food and water gets a slightly different patina colour so a mix of the 2 works really well. Good luck and keep the updates coming
J