ES 175 Kit?

[WeirdBits]

Quote from adam on October 18, 2013, 21:30
Edit: Is it just me, or does that look like an extra thick cap?

Yeah, it's pretty thick... much more like a LP Florentine than a 175. Which leads to the question: does the kit have cavities and covers on the back like a Florentine, or is access only via the F- holes like a 175?

It's still a nice looking kit either way, but I may need to rethink my build plans if it is more Florentine than 175... guess I'll just have to wait until it arrives before deciding.

[adam]

Access through f-holes, like the ES-1G. I've now made two separate products, the ES-2T (Tune-O-Matic bridge) and ES-2V (Vintage wood bridge and trapeze tail).

[stan]

awesome Adam!

[WeirdBits]

I just took delivery of my ES-2 kit and as I won't be starting a build diary for a while, I thought those of you playing at home may like to see a few pics. It is definitely more of a LP Florentine kit than a 175… in fact, it's sort of a weird hybrid with elements from both. It's got the f-holes, sharp horn and non-cavity back like a 175, but has the carved top, body thickness, semi-hollow body, and LP style neck of a Florentine. Overall, I consider it more of a Florentine kit and think its description on the product page should probably be changed to reflect this, or a Floren175tine (just my opinion).

The kit itself looks pretty good. There are a few undulations and sanding gouges on the cap, but the thickness seems ok so sanding them out shouldn't be an issue. There is a touch of glue here and there and a lip on the binding at the neck pocket, along with a few rough spots at the bound edge on the butt of the cap. The neck fit is a little loose with a small gap at the top of the pocket with the neck in place, but no great drama. The headstock is fully shaped and somehow looks sort of small, but suits the kit well. The cap has some subtle quilting which I think will come up nicely when finished (I tweaked the contrast and saturation etc in the third image below to try and show it better).

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how the kit looks. It's not what I originally envisioned when a 175 kit was first suggested and, given its Florentine leanings, I'm not sure if I'll continue with the planned trapeze and floating bridge or switch to a TOM and stop tail (have to think on that for a while). Either way, I suspect it could become a favourite.

Ok, time for some pics:

[WeirdBits]

More:

[WeirdBits]

And more:

[WeirdBits]

And, finally:

[adam]

Hey Scott, I gotta say, that looks pretty good straight out of the box. I really don't have time to do a kit, but after seeing Andyports ES-GT kit, I'm very tempted to have a go at one of these. (DB's thinking, "oh no, not another disaster coming way to salvage parts from").

As for whether its a 175 or Florentine, I'll take your (and other members') advice. I guess the factory make it a bit of a hybrid to avoid copyright infringements. Happy to listen to those with more knowledge and adjust the description as agreed by consensus.

[stan]

I dont think it matters what you call it - it is what it is. Looks pretty sweet.

How does the size compare to an LP?

[Brendan]

Looks like lots of nice spalty goodness - also love how thick the top looks.