Trying my first electric...ES1F

[Johncoste]

OK, here we go...about ten years ago I bought a very cheap Yamaha acoustic from ebay and did a neck re-set. I then built an acoustic 000 kit from StewMac. That kit required gluing the sides, adding kerfing to glue up the top and sides and shaping a square neck blank. It also required setting, leveling and shaping the frets. So I'm not entirely new to luthiery.

But...

This is my first attempt at an electric. I have minimal experience soldering, so this will be an adventure.

I ordered an ES kit and it arrived about six weeks ago but I kind of planned it as a Christmas present, so it has been sitting in the box untouched for six weeks. I've done a dry fit and the neck is really (R-E-A-L-L-Y) tight. I've ordered Seymour Duncan Seth Lover 55 PAFs and CTS pots. Because I'm in the USA, Adam couldn't ship Dingotone to me but he put me in touch with a US supplier of a similar wipe-on finish, so my spray equipment and compressor will remain unused.

If I can figure this out...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gQyZumMXnkgjK5UC9

The photo doesn't show the highlights of the figured top.

Anyway, Happy New Year,
John

[fender3x]

Welcome, John. I am also in the US. Kit looks good. A tight fit on the neck is good. Great pup choice. The CTS pots will require enlarging the holes a little. Curious what stain Adam recommended?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[Johncoste]

Thanks. I'm hoping those pups will give this guitar an authentic smoky blues/rock tone - think Alvin Lee (RIP). I know the new pots will require some enlarging, but I think I can find my old reamer, and if not I have a small rat tail file. Oh, I custom ordered the kit with an ebony fingerboard...smooth as silk.

The US equivalent of Dingotone that Adam recommended is Wudtone. It's UK based but the US supplier is BYO Guitars in New Hampshire. Very friendly and helpful. The color is called Cherry Flamenco and I'm hoping it comes out sorta like the 335 in your avatar. I had a friend in the early 70's who had a gorgeous Gibson that color. The finish was so deep you could almost see Atlantis.

[Johncoste]

Having read the sticky about Imgur, I'll try posting that pic again:

[Gary B]

Hi John.
I have also just started an ES kit which is going to be finished in Wudtone Cherry Flamenco.
I've used their products on a couple of other builds and been very happy with the results.
The Cherry has an additional stage of application than the ones I have used before - be sure to follow their instructions carefully as the names of each coat don't (to me) coincide with the order in which they need to be applied.
I've done a trial build of mine today and will have pics on my thread later. Agree with you that the neck is rather tight but all seemed to line up nicely.

[Johncoste]

Hi Gary, thanks for the tip on the Wudtone. It sure doesn't look like there will be enough, but I guess a little goes a long way. I got my neck glued in today and will start the finish this weekend. More pics to come, now that I'm remembering HTML...

[McCreed]

Welcome John!
My advice on the tight neck fit is that you do want it to be snug, but not so tight that it has to be forced into the pocket.

If the kit has been sitting in Arizona for six weeks, it's very likely it is well and truly climatised (acclimated as you guys say). In your part of the world it would have dehumidified, so if it's tight in those conditions, it would only get worse with a bit of moisture in the air.

What I would do is lightly (lightly) sand the sides of the pocket with an appropriate sized and very flat, square hardwood block.
Sand it just enough so there is a tiny bit of resistance but enough that it will slide in and away from the bridge to get the scale length right, as well as allow for the string alignment. (also allow for climatic variations)

If you've done a reset on an acoustic, I'm probably telling stuff you already know...

Enjoy the journey!

[Johncoste]

Thanks! I did do a very light sanding of the sides of the pocket and got the neck glued. Our climate is a guitar killer and I have humidifiers in my acoustics' cases.

[FrankenWashie]

That's a lovely looking kit. Look foward to seeing how it turns out.

[Simon Barden]

Nice looking kit. What sized CTS pots have you selected? You can just about get a full-sized pot through the F-hole on its own, though when part of a stiff wiring harness, it will become a lot harder. Mini-pots are really the best choice here.