Simon B's Custom ESB-4 Build.

[FrankenWashie]

HI Simon, Check out this from Jason Beams excellent ES 335 builds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUh8...BTfWa&index=19
Check out the rig he uses from about 21:37, something fairly simple but looks to be quite sturdy.

[Simon Barden]

HI Simon, Check out this from Jason Beams excellent ES 335 builds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUh8...BTfWa&index=19
Check out the rig he uses from about 21:37, something fairly simple but looks to be quite sturdy.

Very interesting, but in that instance, the jig is built into the guitar top itself - the two locating 'handles' are then cut off once the routing has been done. No chance for that in this build.

Finally got round to addressing the over-wide neck pocket, so am in the process of gluing a maple veneer piece to one side of the pocket. I'll be gluing another piece to the other side tomorrow when this one is dry.

[fender3x]

That should take care of the spacing issue. Looks like you have a similar issue to one I had... The maple I could find was darker than what came in the kit. Fortunately, right next to the fingerboard no one is likely to see it.


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[Simon Barden]

Yes, my maple veneer is slightly more yellow than the top. At least it's the same grain orientation as the top, so it should take up the stain in a similar manner.

[FrankenWashie]

Very interesting, but in that instance, the jig is built into the guitar top itself - the two locating 'handles' are then cut off once the routing has been done. No chance for that in this build.

Finally got round to addressing the over-wide neck pocket, so am in the process of gluing a maple veneer piece to one side of the pocket. I'll be gluing another piece to the other side tomorrow when this one is dry.

Yes but somewhere in there there is a secondary jig that he uses to cut the binding rabbet, it has height adjustable legs to clamp to the body edge. I’ll dig around in his footage and find it.

[Guvna19]

New pickups arrived today. At last, an unblemished set!



I've now got no excuse not to learn how to make some templates and rout out some pickup cavities. Apart from the weather, which is currently very cold with some light sleet, and I'm going to need to work outside.

First though I need to get some plywood and other timber to make a cradle for the body and a raised platform to stand over the body that I can rout from. Payday tomorrow!

oooh nice, late on post but great to see the pups arrived in good nick this time.

[Simon Barden]

Well, haven't done much on this recently as I've been concentrating on the ES-1/330 build, but I have now done the same with the headstock as I've done to my ES-1 neck. Namely stuck on some veneer, trimmed that back to the headstock shape, routed out a circle in that and stuck in an inlay logo with black superglue (it's round and almost the same size as the disk on the clamp). There is a sheet of clear plastic between the clamp and the glue, which i know superglue hardly sticks to.



I'm having to work inside as the weather has turned very cold and snowy here, which is not the best weather for working outside in (only a couple of inches here at the moment but it's worse in most parts of the UK). But I need to work outside to rout out the pup cavities, as there's a limit to how much interior mess my lovely wife can stand.

I've since removed the clamp and filled in the remaining gaps in the inlay with more superglue. Now waiting for that to dry.

Just in case you've forgotten, the kit came with an un-drilled headstock. I'm still awaiting my Hipshot mini-tuners as they didn't have enough of them in stock, so have to wait until the next shipment comes from the states. Then I can lay them out and see where I want to put them for the straightest string pull. I many need to reshape the headstock as a result at the end so I can move the A and D tuners in a bit.

[Simon Barden]

Well the inlay work was close, but no cigar. This is the result on the bass's headstock, which I quickly brush painted black with some acrylic just to get an idea of what it looked like with the proper background.



It's almost worked, but I really picked an inlay material with too many dark, almost black, sections. It looks better in the photo than in real life and this is the best viewing angle for it.

The lighter bits look fine, but for the size of the design, the abalone sheet I used has just too many dark areas which break up the logo. I'd also routed out too deep a circle, so the inlay didn't stand slightly proud of the veneer as was my intent, so that I could spray on a some layers of black then sand the whole thing back flat. The abalone would probably work fine with a much bigger design, but not on this scale.

The ES-1 build headstock is the same.

So this will get replaced by a similar design, but using some much whiter MOP materiel, which I've just ordered. I may also try cutting out the letters and circle separately. So, hours of more amusement ahead!

[VonScott]

That looks amazing Simon! But I see what you mean by “almost worked”, especially with the quality of builds you do and if it only really shines on a certain angle. I look forward to seeing the MOP version.


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[fender3x]

MOP is "mother of plastic" right? Here in Miami, poetic folk that we are, it's usually referred to as "mother of toilet seat."

On a more philosophical note, it has been a struggle for me to decide how much cosmetic error tolerate. I have botched a number of things by trying to get the "OK" or even "very good" to be perfect. At some point I decided that I needed to put up with some error if I wanted to be young enough to play the thing when I finished.

Of course, I was building mostly for my own amazement. Simon, your build deserves more care since it will be a playable work of art.

Still, one of my all time favorite guitars is a classical that was built by a new local luthier as an experiment while he was getting his build technique down. It's made of poplar. It is run through with poplar's odd green streaks. It has some visible tool marks, and a couple of slightly misaligned inlays.... But it sounds and plays great, and it stays in tune even in our crazy weather... I have come to love it's cosmetic idiosyncracies.

I know you will get this nearly perfect. So here is my pitch to leave a flaw or two to remind the owner that it this is a unique, handmade work of art and not just another axe made by a well programmed robot.

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