First guitar build - EXM-1

My interest in guitars started about 12 months ago when I picked up a knock-off Fender Strat that had been sitting around the house for years, unplayed, and started mucking around with it.

After doing some research I pulled the guitar apart and changed the pickups to a Dimarzio FS1 in the bridge and Fender Fat '50s in the neck and middle. A cheap, Chinese knock-off guitar became a great sounding instrument.

Then came the Artist Guitar Les Paul. Still standard except for a change of pickguard.

As a lifelong U2 fan there was only one more guitar I needed to complete my collection (for now), an Explorer.

And so, a few weeks ago the PitBull EXM-1 kit arrived. Whilst waiting for the kit to arrive I had decided a few modifications were in order. Move the three-way switch to the traditional Explorer position, a white pickguard and two volume pots and a master tone pot. I have also purchased Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickups to replace those included.

Today was sanding and drilling day and tomorrow will be grain filler. I have decided on a walnut stain and clear coat finish.


Attachment 30263Attachment 30264Attachment 30265Attachment 30266Attachment 30267

I can faintly hear Edge playing Still haven't found what I am looking for.......

Welcome to the unofficial PBG Explorer Owners club. Kit looks great. Presume you will be doing the 3 way switch rout under pickguard as that looks way to long and shallow for a drill bit to create a hole big enough for the wiring loom.

Also a heads up regarding scale length with these kits as on mine and a few other builds the neck pickup rout didn't leave enough room for the mounting ring once the neck has been set. Only out by a few mm's but enough to make you say a few rude words once you have set the neck and realise things may not quite fit as planned or intended. You can check out what I mean in my signature under Build # 2.

Plenty of helpful advice is never too far away and wish you well with creating your own Explorer.

Cheers, Waz

Thanks for the tips Waz.

I had intended to rout under the pickguard from the switch cavity however I was looking at a build manual for a USA based Explorer guitar kit and they had drilled a hole from the switch cavity to the neck pickup cavity. So an extra-long drill bit later and at just the right angle I managed to get a hole from cavity to cavity which the wiring loom should fit through.

During a mock build of the guitar I discovered the same issue with the fitting of the neck. Using the nut to 12th fret and 12th fret to bridge measurement I found that the neck had to sit a couple of mm’s out of the cavity, both to get the measurement as close as possible and also to fit in the neck pickup. The USA build manual also warned against just jamming in the neck and gluing without checking the fit of other components.

I’ll have a look at the links for your Explorer builds.

Cheers. Darren

Spraying the headstock in gloss black in the makeshift spray booth.
Attachment 30458
Attachment 30459

That does the trick.