Tweaky's ES-3 build...Blonde's have more fun?

[Tweaky]

I finally started getting this kit going as well as the ES-1 kit today.

This build should be finished first I think, if only that I absolutely know what I want to achieve with it, where I'm still testing finishes for the flamed maple top on the ES-1.

I want understated BLING with this build...as the saying goes, simplicity is elegance, so a few changes from standard have been chosen .
Firstly I'm going to finish it in Blonde Shellac...simple, one colour, no worrying about messing up a sunburst.
Second, I've decided to swap the hardware around from the silver than is the norm with this kit, with the Gold hardware that came with the ES-1G kit.



Pickup's are Kinman noiseless Humbuckers, Gold Kluson tuners with pearl knobs, I bought a Gold trapeze tail piece [not too sure about this one, it might get replaced]
All volume/tone pots replaced with 500k Boyle's , same as the Es-1 upgrades, Vintage style Gold volume/tone knobs.

I had a deveil of a time getting the neck flat on the ES-1 kit, pretty easy in comparison on this ES-3's neck, and not much to level...so that's good.
I went for a early 50's Gibson headstock look...still needs some work as it's not quite symmetrical.....and I might veneer it.



I bought a Micro Mesh sandpaper kit a while back, as I thought I'd try it on the ES-3's inlays....well they really POP NOW!... to such an extent that after staring at this neck for a few weeks, I don't think the inlays are going to suit the rest of the build, they are just going to clash.....so I'm going to take them out and replace them with real mother of pearl
I asked a jeweller friend to show me how to etch/engrave MOP, so I bought some tools to do that, and some Indian Ink to shade the etching with.

I have had one small problem with the ES-3's body, and that was after I did a test construction when I first got the kit....when removing the neck, small parts of the very top layer of the ply near the neck joint started to lift and split....I got two scalpels and slide one underneath to lift the top layer, and used the other to spread some titebond in the gap hoping it will fix the problem....it has to a extent, I'm just wondering how visible this small cracks are going to be under a Blonde shellac finish [photo of problem cracks]


On the unfinished wood it is quite noticeable ...not sure how well it shows up in the photo.
Would using some neutral or white wood filler be recommended, or shouldn't I bother and just live with it ...I'd prefer to get it as best I can, as it is right where I would be staring down at the neck when playing.

[Tweaky]

Full steam ahead ATM

I just finished removing the inlay from the ES-3's neck...took about 45 minutes.



Boy that plastic inlay is thick.


It must of been 2mm thick when it was installed, and lost about .4mm with levelling a radiusing the fretboard.....going to be fun filling is the difference between my MOP and the precut inlay holes.....at least I don't have to cut anything on the fretboard.

For anybody wanted to know how I removed them.


Just get a piece of old cotton T-shirt a a soldering iron of at least 40w.
soak the T-shirt material in water, place over the inlays then heat with the soldering iron, it loosens the glue holding the inlay in, and you just pick it out with a scalpel or exacto knife.

I've seen people recommend using a heat gun for doing this ...DON'T !...you have nowhere near enough fine control of where you are heating, there is a very good chance that you could pop the frets and loosen and neck binding using a heat gun....the soldering iron is perfect as it can fit easily between the highest frets without heating them up causing them to pop out.

[dingobass]

Nice tip Tweaky, will have to remember that.... Its a lot gentler than the DB method, drill a hole and dig the bugger out

[Fretworn]

I don't know that I'd bee game to take the inlays out. Hope it works out for you.

[Tweaky]

I've just been spending the last 1.5 hours removing the residue glue from the inlay cavities, pain in the butt, thankfully finished.

I'm not worried about this a bit....I've done my homework on the best was to proceed with this, I've got the necessary jewellers tools to cut the pearl.
I might need to partially fill the inlay cavities prior to cutting the pearl, as they are measuring very close to 2mm deep with my digital callipers.... my MOP is averaging at 1mm to 1.3mm thickness.
The only thing I need to make is a small concave 12" radius block that matches the necks radius, then place sheets of sandpaper on it, and rub the MOP side to side till it matches the neck radius .....it means I won't need to remove the frets to get the new inlays fitted flush to the fretboard, just like the originals.

[FrankenWashie]

The only thing I need to make is a small concave 12" radius block that matches the necks radius, then place sheets of sandpaper on it, and rub the MOP side to side till it matches the neck radius .....it means I won't need to remove the frets to get the new inlays fitted flush to the fretboard, just like the originals.

I'm curious as to how are you going to securely hold the MOP while you do this? would you do them individually or try and get them done en masse? (i.e stuck along a fillet of wood on double sided tape or something like that).

[Tweaky]

Just use small MDF blocks cut to size, put masking tape on the back of the shell, which will be flat, same on the MDF block, also flat, then use super glue to glue the two tapes together.....it won't budge, but is really simple to just peel the tape off the shell.

Works well for sandpaper as well.....I saw this tip on this Crimson Guitar youtube video....credit where credit is due.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub6PsY4cgwg

You can also use the inside of a plastic bucket, put the sandpaper in that abrasive side up, and rub the pearl side to side to get it radius'd....not quite as precise, but then it would suit doing compound radius necks without the need to make multiple radius block.

Here is a shot of the different shell I bought and have been experimenting with.....the pieces at the rear of each pile are how they come from the supplier, the pieces at the front of each pile have been polished up to 12000 grit micro mesh.



Left to right...White MOP...Gold MOP...Red Abalone...Green Lipped Abalone.

The Green lipped is both amazing and a disappointment.
It polishes up great, and when viewed at a certain angle can look amazing, but just change that angle a bit and it looks a dull brown, like a old cup of tea....so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that [I've got 2 oz's of it ]

The Red Abalone polishes up well, and when you micro mesh it the max the 3D effect is something to behold....but it won't suit this ES-3 build I'm doing, it's too similar to the standard fake Paua shell that is fitted to ES-3 necks and I just removed.

[Tweaky]

As I posted in somebody else's ES-3 build.

I've been thinking these builds through a fair bit before starting them, and feel that with a little work the ES-3 design where the neck meets the body could be improved.


If I just left things as they are, I would have a gap between the binding and the body showing on the left, a similar gap showing directly behind the neck heel, and a likely gap where the body meets the neck on the right.....the latter could be sorted if there was a way to clamp the neck / body sideways, but there isn't, so another solution had to be found.



The solution is to cut some appropriate wood to extend the heel, this would A] Cover the offending gaps that would be there if the neck was fitted normally , B] Cover the gap on the right that couldn't be covered in any other way.



So that's what I have been doing to day, cutting the wood and gluing it to the neck heel on both builds.....I'll sort the other extension for the right side of the ES-3's neck once I've shaped and sanded this portion.

[tonyw]

Sounds like a good work around, thats the positive with these kits, they give you something to think about, another idea and or a work around for the future.

[Tweaky]

OK.
I've just finished getting this heel extension around 90% there while watching the return of this season's the Walking Dead [great episode ]



I can't really go much further with it at the moment, as I really need to see where this neck is going to be sitting exactly within the neck pocket, and I won't know that until I know what the correct neck angle is going to end up as.
Plus I still have to shape and glue on the extra fillet that will fit down the right hand side of the neck, so it will cover the gap between the neck and body.

But, so far so good.