First Build ES-3 Birthday Guitar

[Taswegian]

Can I turn this welcome thread into my build diary? Moderator is welcome to move it. Did some work on the neck last night. Neck had a bit of a back bow. Read somewhere that Pit Bull kits all have double action truss rods so some careful anti-clockwise tweaks got it fairly straight. Found a lump of dressed granite in the garden that made a good levelly tool with some 600 grit w&d paper glued on. Masked off the frets and "sharpied" them. A few gentle passes confirmed that the frets were already pretty good. Gave them a polish with 0000 steel wool. I will see how it plays and if necessary crown the frets at a later date. We have some crowning files, somewhere.

[Taswegian]

So I am thinking of something Epiphoney (see what I did there?). Still some smoothing to do, but it's getting there. I cut the corners off with a tenon saw and shaped it with a rasp.

[Taswegian]

Getting a bit ahead of myself but I would welcome opinions. The holes for the volume and tone controls have been made in a sort of "Southern Cross" pattern (first photo.) I could fill and re-drill for the neck volume and keep the repair concealed under the knob (second photo.) To get a more accurate ES-175 pattern (3rd photo) would require repairs beyond my capabilities especially as I am considering a natural finish. EDIT: added a photo of an original 175. I suspect that the hole cutting template was applied about 90deg out of whack on mine.

[enikoy]

Getting a bit ahead of myself but I would welcome opinions. The holes for the volume and tone controls have been made in a sort of "Southern Cross" pattern (first photo.) I could fill and re-drill for the neck volume and keep the repair concealed under the knob (second photo.) To get a more accurate ES-175 pattern (3rd photo) would require repairs beyond my capabilities especially as I am considering a natural finish.

Your, lucky one of my was way too close to the binding.

[Andy40]

Is that a brick?

That's the first time i've ever seen a brick on a fretboard.....

I suppose if its flat...no worries

[Taswegian]

Is that a brick?

That's the first time i've ever seen a brick on a fretboard.....

I suppose if its flat...no worries

No, it's a chunk of granite. An off-cut from a gravestone perhaps.

[Taswegian]

I've started a new thread in the Build Diary section:-

http://www.buildyourownguitar.com.au...ead.php?t=5652