EX-1 Lefthandend. My first build ¡¡¡¡¡¡

Hi

First: please forgive my english.. is it not easy for me to writte in this lenguage....

Second: I´m so excited ¡¡¡ Its my first bulid.. all advices will be a great help for me

Today I will make a mock built to be sure everything is in de box..

My plan is not to use paints or lacquers. I will finish it with wood oils and natural wax, to get a clear walnut color.

The steps that I have thought are
1- finish body and neck with oil and wax
2- fix the body and neck (50 times to measure and only one to use glue to get 628mm)
3- isolation electronics (copper tape)
4-soldering electronics.. no experience..... ( fear )
5- final assembly
6-Rock and roll

Thaks ¡¡¡

Hi and welcome Juan.

Your kit looks nice and has a great grain pattern. I think walnut will go well.

Don't forget lots of sanding before step 1.
Good luck!

Hi Juan and welcome.

Just remember to tape up the neck and neck pocket where you'll be applying glue, as you don't want finish on those areas, or the glue won't stick well.

Don't worry to much about the scale length. The EX-1 kits seem to be well made, the neck angle good and the bridge and tailpiece holes drilled in the right place. You just need to place the neck so that the end of the neck sits slightly forwards of the neck cavity (between 0.5mm and 1mm), so there's a very small ledge for the front of the neck pickup ring to sit on when placed against the end of the neck. The end of the neck tenon is not supposed to sit against the rear of the pickup cavity.

mock done...

Did not fit some screews and the bridge supports, but all seems to be nice and the kit is complet... the logo decal has not arrived...

Thaks for the info......... Is usefull ¡

.. I will tape both neck and pocket ( sure wax/oil and glue is not a good way to fix two pieces of wood ¡¡¡¡)
... I´ve made a mock built and realized what you mean.. there will be a 2mm gap between the finish of the neck and the pick up cavity wall

That sounds about right.

Ready for stain, oil and wax..............
dome some test on a simliar wood piece and I do not fell sure about the color... tomorrow need to go to the shop to look for another one

Keep on

Before you put any finish on, see how the neck feels in your hand. My EX-1 has a very 1950s feel to it, more a chunky D rather than a modern C shaped rock neck. I think I'll be sanding my neck down and refinishing it to make it a bit thinner at the sides, so more of a C shape than a D shape.

It's hard to tell exactly without strings on, but swap between the EX neck and one on a guitar you like several times to get an idea of how different they feel. You may like big 50s Gibson style necks (the Explorer was designed in 1958 along with the Flying V so the originals had a similar big profile to a 58 Les Paul), which this kit seems to copy, but whilst comfortable, it's not particularly 'fast' to play.

So you can sand the neck down to get a better feel for you, if you want. Don't take too much off the very back of the neck, but you can thin down the sides. Increasing the angle of the sides where they touch the fretboard can make a big difference to feel, so that they angle in instead off dropping straight down for a bit.

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Thanks Simon... will check it today at night. It is a good idea... and I do not mind to spend someextra time sanding.

First I will compare it with an ST ( mi first guitar and the only one for years) and a LP ( Harley Benton )

As Simon told me, I sanded a little bit the neck to get a more confortable shape

Also the body has been sanded today

Them, afther some test on a piece of wood similar to the guitar, I decided to stain it with a lightly red mahogany color.... Now It´s drying, but later I will post a picture.

I found a little defect on the body in the joint of two pieces of wood... and there the stain make it more noticable.. but It´s ok. I will see afther the second stain layer....

Hi

Here you is the picture after the second stain layer. After oil an wax the tone will be not so red.

Hi Again

too busy with my work this last weeks

No time to post, but stolen some sleep hours to go on with my built

Body and neck are finished and ready to glue

Body and neck

-3 stain layers
-4 linseed boiled oil layers ( for neck 3 was enough )
-several wax layers ( not sure but 12 at least ). I follow one friend advice: "more layers with less wax"

At last I got the walnut color I wanted

Them I sanded an polished all frets, so now all of them are the same hight.

Next step: glue.......

Looking good.

Hi Again

I spent some hours this sunday monrnig in my guitar project

Fixed tuners on the headneck and fit the bridge ( some issues due to a light distorsion with the bolt holes ( slightly more space between them,, but I thing I solved It )

Copper isolation done ( not at the neck cavity jet)

And at last the neck is glued ¡¡¡ with 24,75 propper distance........

I had thought I will only need one clamp but at last I used 3 ¡¡¡¡ . Squeezed as tight as i could

As you can see in the photos I have found that I will have to retouch the finish between the body and the neck. I expected it because under no circumstances I wanted to put oil in the gluing area.

Now I will wait at least 5 days to go on ( no matter, next week will be far form home for a work travel )

Hi again

Had some problems.... At last I´m so stupid I did it wrong when I glued the neck and had has to make some "wood work " to solve It.. but now it´s ok. Just have to move 5mm the bridge's holes

I´ve made a cooper shield: pickups and pots cavities are fitted and with continuity .. I will connect them to the bridge to earth them

I will try to solder this weekend...

Hi friends¡¡¡
Seems that at last I solved all issues and It is almost finished
Soldering was easy
It looks great and it sound nice....
But theres is a bit of work to do before I can say it is ready to rock ¡

Looks good Juan. Nice colour.