Travis Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 Ok, this is going to be a long term bench project. So, don’t expect frequent updates. But, I’ve decided to do an esquire project. I’ve got 90% of it planned out so I’ve got time to make changes as I go. Talked to josh @JGravelin and I’m gonna have him wind me the pickup. My brother got the wood for the body and made the rough cuts. I was originally thinking of just doing a Tung oil over the raw ash, but I’m also considering a stain and grain filler to make it pop a bit more. Gonna go with a joe barden 3-saddle bridge. Haven’t decided if I want to do the esquire wiring with volume/tone and 3-way switch or if I wanna just do a volume/tone kind of like a LP junior. I am totally open to any and all suggestions. This is going to be a months long thread so we’ll see how it goes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 Esquire wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamerican gigolo Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 A nice piece of ash you have there. I'd do Eldred wiring. Love a great Esquire. Good luck with the build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixlicks Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I like esquires so I wish you well with your build . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGravelin Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Suggestion: Kahler trem. 😃 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Haynie Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Go with a translucent lacquer finish. When the guitar is done it will look like you have a higher skill level (and you will) when you tell people you made the guitar yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 Update: the pickup has been wound... Many thanks to @JGravelin I know this one is going to be a winner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGravelin Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I just got a new phone and these are the first photos I took with it! Not so bad with the macro-zooms eh? 9.25k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakeboy Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Ooh, that pickup is a screamer! Bet it sounds perfect with some amp OD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmatthes Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 Esquires rawk. This is a look at the inside of my next one...well, ONE of the next one(s): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 Playing around with stain options. Got a little progression on some of the scrap wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 Took that last one and applied 3 costs of oil to see what a final product might look like. I’m digging it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 Update: the wife likes blue better than red. I have two bodies available to choose from. Why not one of each color...? Looks like the esquire project is becoming TWO projects!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 These are the inspirations One will be an Esquire. The other will be something a little crazier, but still single pickup in a Tele body shape... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 I'd go with the blue, as well, but only if you can make it look better than the two hideous examples above. Sorry, just sayin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 12 minutes ago, RobB said: I'd go with the blue, as well, but only if you can make it look better than the two hideous examples above. Sorry, just sayin'. Oof... what don’t you like about them...? fyi, I’m thinking about a transparent blue ash esquire with a cabronita style pickguard. the transparent red will be something else... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 27 minutes ago, Travis said: Oof... what don’t you like about them...? fyi, I’m thinking about a transparent blue ash esquire with a cabronita style pickguard. . They have a 70's, high school shop class look. If you're doing a straight blue transparent, cool. Just not a fan of the dyed black grain mixing with the color. That said, your two color examples already look better than the finished guitars above. You're on the right track if you chose to go forward. You've got a great chunk o' ash, there. Maybe you could do the, "double-staining" thing? Do you plan on having the raw-grain texture, or a smooth clear coat? I'm not trying to crush your dreams, far from it. I worked doing finishes at a cabinet shop, so I'm pretty aware of experimenting with coloring wood. "Your finish is only as good as your substrate", as my boss used to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 6 minutes ago, RobB said: They have a 70's, high school shop class look. If you're doing a straight blue transparent, cool. Just not a fan of the dyed black grain mixing with the color. That said, your two color examples already look better than the finished guitars above. You're on the right track if you chose to go forward. You've got a great chunk o' ash, there. Maybe you could do the, "double-staining" thing? Do you plan on having the raw-grain texture, or a smooth clear coat? I'm not trying to crush your dreams, far from it. I worked doing finishes at a cabinet shop, so I'm pretty aware of experimenting with coloring wood. "Your finish is only as good as your substrate", as my boss used to say. I really appreciate that feedback. I wanted to stick with an oil finish to keep the “openness” of the wood and not smother it with laquer. Honestly, I would’ve been happy with raw wood or tung/tru oil over the bare wood. The stain idea was to give it some color. This will be my first experiment with coloring a guitar body. My only previous experience is a straight tung oil over mahogany. I’m not a painter or a finish expert by any stretch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 Cool. Tru-oil is great for bodies, and can be built up to whatever sheen you want. Are you going to level the grain before the color phase? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 33 minutes ago, RobB said: Cool. Tru-oil is great for bodies, and can be built up to whatever sheen you want. Are you going to level the grain before the color phase? Still experimenting with grain filler vs stain and sand back to keep an open grain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Haynie Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 12 hours ago, Travis said: I wanted to stick with an oil finish to keep the “openness” of the wood and not smother it with lacquer. Lacquer will not smother your instrument's ability to resonate. The reason lacquer is so popular is because of the way polyurethane finishes were so thick in the 70s. Even polyurethane could be sprayed thinner, and eventually it was. Think about how thin the finish is on your Hamers, no more than the thickness of a light B string. There is no way that is going to smother anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted May 16, 2020 Author Share Posted May 16, 2020 36 minutes ago, Steve Haynie said: Lacquer will not smother your instrument's ability to resonate. The reason lacquer is so popular is because of the way polyurethane finishes were so thick in the 70s. Even polyurethane could be sprayed thinner, and eventually it was. Think about how thin the finish is on your Hamers, no more than the thickness of a light B string. There is no way that is going to smother anything. I should have been more specific with what I meant. I want to feel the texture of the open grain on the ash as opposed to having a completely smooth feel in the finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 With a bunch of shipping delays and parts I want being out of stock, this build has been on hiatus for quite some time. Got 1 tiny step closer with some additional parts delivered yesterday. This should match up well with josh’s pickup... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biz Prof Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 On 5/13/2020 at 8:04 AM, JGravelin said: Suggestion: Kahler trem. 😃 Pay no heed to this guy. You gotta go with the best: The stealthy Washburn Wonderbar. 😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottcald Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Hey, some folks are still using them: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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