Jon's 335-style build

[jonwhitear]

Well, it's been quite a while, and I've been slowly working away on this guitar - I think I'm going to call this done.

I've been playing it for quite a while, but I've only recently got around to the finishing touches - headstock decal and truss rod cover.

This was my first build, and a huge learning curve. The finished product is far from perfect in many ways. I'm not even sure it passes the two meter test! It does, however, play quite nicely, and has seen my poor old strat collecting dust.

Many thanks to all who so generously shared their experience and knowledge. This forum really is a great community.

Cheers,

Jon

[Trevor Davies]

It looks great. Well done.

[DarkMark]

You may have another go at setting up the guitar in the future. I’ve just done this on my first kit and the string height is as low as I’ve ever experienced with no fret buzz. Experience and experimentation will get you there. That guitar has the nicest veneer.

[jonwhitear]

Thanks guys,

DarkMark, the action is a little high (could you tell that from the photos?) At least, it feels like it is, but I've just measured it and it's about 2mm at the 12th fret on the low E string, which is probably OK. I didn't quite get the neck angle right, so it's as good as I can get it with a very slight relief in the neck and the bridge wound all the way down. I have considered filing the bottom of the bridge down (i.e. below the posts) so I can drop it down a little further.

There's certainly some skill in setting up a guitar, and I'm still learning it ;-)

[Simon Barden]

The neck angle on my ES-1/330 build was also a bit too shallow to get a decent low action. I ended up replacing the bridge post bushings with ones that sat level with the top and also cut the saddle notches a bit lower in order to get it low enough for me to be happy. https://www.buildyourownguitar.com.a...l=1#post204201

You'll have to do a search for suitable replacement bushings, as a lot have the lip on top which adds an extra 1.3mm or so of height. I think these were from the TonePros locking stud set I got for my GSJ-1 build and didn't use as the existing bushings were fine. You'll need an M8 internal thread.

You can also use a triangular or square needle file to deepen the saddle slots, but it's neater if you can use nut files. Just don't go mad as it's easy to cut too deep. You may find that deeper saddle slots will

Nice looking guitar, so it's worth a bit of effort trying to get it set up properly.

[jonwhitear]

Nice looking guitar, so it's worth a bit of effort trying to get it set up properly.

Thanks for the nudge;-)

I had a look around for some replacement bushings, but couldn't really find anything, so I converted some spares that I had with the help my drill press and a file. The thought of pulling the bushings was a bit scary, but a simple jig and a test piece made et easier. They actually came out surprisingly easily given how hard I hit them with a mallet to get them in!



Now my action is about 1mm at the 12th fret on both high and low E strings. I am getting a bit of buzz, most notably on the B string. I'm going to play it for a while, and might raise the bridge a little.



Cheers,

Jon

[king casey]

Nice looking guitar.
I have the same pickups in my JM-1...looks much better once the 'Wilkinson' brand is removed.


cheers, Mark.

[Simon Barden]

The good thing about bridge bushings is that they don’t have any upwards force on them, it’s almost all downwards with a small amount of sideways force. You don’t want them sloppy in the holes, but you don’t need them super tight either. It’s the stop piece bushings that need to be really secure.

[jonwhitear]

Nice looking guitar.
I have the same pickups in my JM-1...looks much better once the 'Wilkinson' brand is removed.


cheers, Mark.

Mark, how did you get the branding off? I've had a look at mine, and I'm not sure how to do it without damaging them. Did you use a solvent?

Cheers, Jon