Because of the curvature of the top of the ES, i would be reluctant to use a dremel or any other router unless you have a lot of experience using them.....[/quote]
Good advice, for certain!
And of you did grab the router I'd suggest you use one of these with a template (for those who haven't seen them before).
I decided to use a dremmel type bit in my cordless drill. This is the approach I took with the TL-1 and it came out fine. Can't help but be pissed off that two kits have come like this, so am wondering if I go down the Pitbull road for my wife's bass kit. It was clear to me upon opening the box the the two recesses we're not the same width. This annoyance also brings up past angst around the knotty wood near the f-hole on my TL. It was explained to me at the time that somebody decided it was a character-adding imperfection and let it go through, but I think if Pitbull are going to making calls like that then they really need to contact the client and ask what finish is intended, ie an enamel type finish would hide such imperfections, but clear coats would accentuate them. Anyway, rant over. Moving on...
For this ES I'm going with a whitewash look under high gloss clear lacquer. With the gold hardware I reckon it'll look pretty awesome. Here's the masking up in progress.
Here's the first coat of enamel (yes, enamel!) completed. I thinned the water-based paint 4:1 to make it a little thinner. I wanted to have a consistency that I could rub in with a rag. Hard to see in this shot just how good it came up, but I'm very pleased with it thus far.
What sort of bass kit are you looking at for your wife? My p bass pickguard was spot on with the pickups & no issues with the route - esp given that it's a big hole.
Other thing - Adam has already indicated he'd happily replace the kit if that's what you wanted. I think the guys at PBG take their customer service seriously as evidenced by the speed of responses to all sorts of questions and a clear approach to sub standard kits. I honestly think you'll go a long way to find an alternate supplier with this level of support. That said, the business is still getting going and while unfortunate, I can understand that things may not be 100% - 100% of the time (e.g., Robin's ST-1). As a result, Adam and the crew seem to do the next best thing - rock solid guarantee and service to resolve the issue.
In short, I'd suggest giving Adam an email or a call and going through your issues - I'm sure that something can be sorted out - lightning shouldn't strike twice, but it obviously does - and that sucks, but the lack of other comments (appart from the Rickenbacker) from others with too small / different routing holes, means I don't think that every kit is having this same issue.
PS - your axe is looking nice - the whitewash with gold should be fully schmick!
Yeah, don't get me wrong, I have full respect for Adam and his crew. The concept of the business is awesome and these guys seems to have some real passion. A great little start-up! BUT, that doesn't mean that customers shouldn't winge when things go wrong. They absolutely should. This is how the business gets do develop in a positive fashion. Maybe, just maybe, my comments will inspire a process change to help prevent these problems in the future. That's good for the business and it's good for future customers. There's no point walking on eggshells with this kind of thing. The vendor should know that I was truly pissed off. That way they can develop empathy and truly get why they do the things that they do.
No need for Adam to do anything on this occasion. I've resolved the problem pretty easily myself. It only cost me some time.
For my wife's bass, we're probably looking at the JB-4 or PB-4, in Wudtone T-Bird or Surfer Girl.
Thanks for the feedback. I've given it a second coat which has left just the right amount of grain peeping through. I'm thrilled with it! Can't wait to start getting the clear coats on.
What I'm really looking forward to though is the wiring on this axe. Nice and complex with the super-fiddly f-hole to contend with. Awesome challenge! Found my wiring diagram over at guitarelectronics.com; that site is awesome!
That's cool - just also wanting to let you know that I'm stoked with my PB-4 at the moment - no issues with routing on the pickups. Also fully agree on the needing to let Adam and crew know when there are issues - that's the only way for things to get better.
Gav's done a blow by blow on how to get the electrics into the F hole - if you haven't, make sure you check it out!
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