ES-5V First Build

[smp976]

Hi all, kit arrived today and am really excited to get going. Test fitted the neck and noticed quite a gap between the fretboard and body. I put the bridge on and used a straight edge to check the fret board aligned with the bridge and all is good. My question is has anyone filled the gap with veneer or is it best to smooth it off and leave it?

Also, gave the body a sand with 280 and applied a layer of sanding sealer to the back as a test. Hoping to seal the body and neck before starting a tru oil treatment. I did use a Wattyl sanding sealer and after I applied it read that it should only be used under Wattyl polyurethane top coats. Hoping the tru oil takes? I'm sure it'll be right...

Have to say, kit has met all expectations so far. Really nice grain and well put together on first inspection.

See below photo for gap.

Cheers and looking forward to picking your collective brain power for advice along the way.

Scott

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[Fretworn]

The fretboard is meant to overhang the body. Make sure you have the neck sitting flat in the bottom of neck route.

[smp976]

Great, thanks for that. I'll clean it up and leave it overhanging then.

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[smp976]

First layers of sanding sealer down. Will sand to about 800 before starting the tru oil process. Does that sound about right?

Also, looks like some parts of the veneer on the sides of the body have been worn through at the factory. See photo below. Any ideas to blend the colour or should I just tru oil over the top?


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[Sonic Mountain]

I think that looks more like glue?

[smp976]

Could have sworn the veneer had worn through but I'll check this afternoon with some glue remover. Would be brilliant if it is glue!

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[smp976]

First layer of tru oil applied. Sanded the body to 600. Will let it dry for 24hours before applying the next coat.

Definitely arrived with some of the first layer of veneer cut through on the side which is disappointing. Hopefully it's less noticeable with more coats of oil.

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[DarkMark]

Careful with the glue remover. It may contain acetone which will dissolve the binding. Perhaps try a light sand first and see how it looks. The binding around the top is quite thick.

[smp976]

Thanks heaps for the tip Mark. I ended up not using glue remover and instead lightly sanded the area to see if it would clear up but instead sanding seemed to increase the size of the marks. Would be no worries if I was staining the body but is not ideal with an unstained tru oil finish.

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[DarkMark]

My misunderstanding, I thought you were talking about the binding. I see the problem much clearer in the photos you posted while I must of been half way through my message. I had a similar problem with a small patch on an ES-3. Actually, the same area.

I once saw a guy on YouTube fix a chip and used a colour pencil to draw some ‘wood grain’ lines on the repair match up the pattern and make the repair look less obvious. This might be a bonkers idea, but... I wonder if you had a range of brown coloured pencils you could match the Tru Oil coated shade? If it’s something you think might be worth a try, experiment first on a test piece.

Edit: By the way, it looks lovely!