Simon B's ES-3 build

[Simon Barden]

Finally finished the first assembly of my ES-175 style kit. Just leaving it strung up for a while now to settle before I start to look at the action, as it's miles high at the moment.

Hard to believe I started this kit 4 years ago.




The neck angle turned out to be way too shallow (grrrr), and I've had to file down the base of the bridge to get it low enough to have any chance of getting a reasonable action, and I may end up filing it down some more once.

The amber knobs are temporary as I bought them for the other sunburst finish, but they look odd to me, so will be fitting standard gold ones that match the hardware better.

Various knocks and scratches need sorting out that I added sorting the assembly, but they can wait. Bridge pickup surround needs a bit of work to get the top sitting level, as it's angled a bit too much - hard to tell these things without the strings on.

This one will definitely have a scratchplate fitted, which I need to make. But not today.

Fitted with D'Addario chrome flatwound 11s ad Iron gear Blues Engine PAF-style pickups, it does sound nice and jazzy. Less impressed with the Bare Knuckle 550k CTS pots I fitted as they are nothing like as smooth acting and progressive as standard CTS pots. But making and fitting another wiring harness can wait for another day as well.

It's fully hollow, with just a small wooden block under the bridge linking the front and back together - and that's only wedged in. Weighs in at almost exactly 7lbs (3.16kg), so not that heavy. Almost exactly the same weight as the SG kit I made. A lot of that is in the heavy Allparts 175-style tailpiece!

I went for an authentic ES-175-style rubber pickup selector mount, but wished I hadn't as it's a complete PITA to fit the switch in. Lots of cutting out bits of rubber to try and get enough thread showing to fit the locking ring on. Finally worked out that you had to poke the switch through the hole, put the grubber grommet on, then insert the knurled ring in the indent in the grommet. squeeze the grommet so that it gripped the ring and then you turn the grommet to wind the ring onto the thread until it's tight. After that you then have to force the grommet back into the hole, which is a lot harder to do once there's a solid switch body in the middle making it far less compressible. Never again.

[nitroburner1000]

Finally finished the first assembly of my ES-175 style kit. Just leaving it strung up for a while now to settle before I start to look at the action, as it's miles high at the moment.

Hard to believe I started this kit 4 years ago.




The neck angle turned out to be way too shallow (grrrr), and I've had to file down the base of the bridge to get it low enough to have any chance of getting a reasonable action, and I may end up filing it down some more once.

The amber knobs are temporary as I bought them for the other sunburst finish, but they look odd to me, so will be fitting standard gold ones that match the hardware better.

Various knocks and scratches need sorting out that I added sorting the assembly, but they can wait. Bridge pickup surround needs a bit of work to get the top sitting level, as it's angled a bit too much - hard to tell these things without the strings on.

This one will definitely have a scratchplate fitted, which I need to make. But not today.

Fitted with D'Addario chrome flatwound 11s ad Iron gear Blues Engine PAF-style pickups, it does sound nice and jazzy. Less impressed with the Bare Knuckle 550k CTS pots I fitted as they are nothing like as smooth acting and progressive as standard CTS pots. But making and fitting another wiring harness can wait for another day as well.

It's fully hollow, with just a small wooden block under the bridge linking the front and back together - and that's only wedged in. Weighs in at almost exactly 7lbs (3.16kg), so not that heavy. Almost exactly the same weight as the SG kit I made. A lot of that is in the heavy Allparts 175-style tailpiece!

I went for an authentic ES-175-style rubber pickup selector mount, but wished I hadn't as it's a complete PITA to fit the switch in. Lots of cutting out bits of rubber to try and get enough thread showing to fit the locking ring on. Finally worked out that you had to poke the switch through the hole, put the grubber grommet on, then insert the knurled ring in the indent in the grommet. squeeze the grommet so that it gripped the ring and then you turn the grommet to wind the ring onto the thread until it's tight. After that you then have to force the grommet back into the hole, which is a lot harder to do once there's a solid switch body in the middle making it far less compressible. Never again.

Just caught up with your thread Simon. Lots of rollercoasters here, but thats the way we learn. Great comeback though and looking good now. I think mines taken just as long with as many hickups. Cheers.