Have just started an EX build. Not sure where it is going but am going to keep it simple.
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Have just started an EX build. Not sure where it is going but am going to keep it simple.
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Simple often turns out the best buddy
Agreed Jarrod!Quote:
Originally Posted by jarrod
I'm always happy to see the start of an EX project. One day I'll join the club. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
Nothing wrong with keeping it simple! Cool kit; enjoy.
am thinking of getting the troll or the conan image from my first guitar developed onto plastic for a traditional explorer shaped scratchplate maybe
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Ibanez QM1 turned up from the States. QM2 is coming. Was going to put them in my destroyer but am wondering if they would suit this build.
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I think they will be an improvement. The stock pu's are ok but nothing more than that.
Well the first coat of stain is on. Is Crimson guitars Amber diluted down 3 parts with water. Doesn't look Amber at all even in the bottle but it is making this look very Gibson Mahogany which is cool enough. One problem I realised as soon as I took the clamp off the neck- I forgot to try the pickup fit and sure enough, it wont fit without cutting a bit off the fingerboard. I measured correctly I think. Set as it is it is 24 and 3 quarters to the middle of the bridge.
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this is a bit closer. You can see there is obviously no room for the neck pickup surround without cutting the fingerboard down a bit. Unless I am doing something totally wrong?
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Yeah, I had the same. Ended up moving mine back until the pickup fit, and just glued it in there. Whether I have intonation issues or not is yet to be found. Haven't set it up yet hah.
You could route out the hole a bit to get the width you need, which will work
Yeah that's definitely too far into the pickup cavity. When I had a similar issue on a partscaster I built I just carved out the pickup mounting ring to suit, not sure if that would work in this situation though. Another option would be to enlarge the pickup cavity, although since it looks like the neck actually overlaps you might see some of it past the pickup ring. This could be a tricky one.
I am sure you are going to think this is crazy but we had a straw vote and are going to chop some mils off the end of the fingerboard so the pick up surround fits without a visible hole underneath. I think setting the neck so the pickup and surround fit the cavity would have put the intonation at the extreme end of the scale length but you should be OK Mr Drifter.
I did triple check and make sure it'll be fine, but yeah, does look like it'll be very close to the end, but should be right.Quote:
Originally Posted by djk7
So yeah, don't do what I did seems to be the case, haha
Would have done flush with the route, but decided to check the pickup surround clearance first, which is why it ended up how it did
I did a double and a triple check on mine before I set it, and there is just enough room, though the very front of the pup ring still jams hard against the neck end. It is one of the mods I am going to do to shave that end a bit to ease the in and out for the pup.
I did everything disastrous I could have done this time. I taped off the head to black the front, used black shed paint forgot to stir it, forgot to mask off the tuning peg holes so it dripped through then I tried to get it all off with a stanley blade and scored the back! It hasn't dried too bad. Looks like ancient Gibson. I am not sure where I am going. May sand the whole thing back and restain it. I was well pist off as the stain was looking great but I have recovered and it is quite funny now
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That looks messy, I'm sure you can fix it up. We live and learn.
About the neck pickup surround/ring being too big, I know for a fact that there are pickup rings designed to jump around this issue but I don't know the actual name of them... I spent some time looking for an image to show what I'm talking about.Attachment 24110
This is a genuine Ibanez part so it is expensive (holy **** $54 for a pickup ring?!) but I'm sure there's cheaper versions made in China that are more affordable.
$54 https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-IBAN...-/141745794551
$33 https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Original...-/282781619660
Cheers, Joe
I feel your pain.
If the paint wasn't well mixed, it may not have dried as well as you think well and affect any more paint you put on top. So I'd sand it back and do it again.
There's nothing to stop you painting all the headstock black if you'd need to take too much thickness off to get rid of the paint marks on the rear. If you do this I'd mask a 'V' shape on the back of the neck with tape (so there's a black point that points down the neck), which is better looking than an abrupt cut-off line.
The rear of the headstock should just sand off for the most part, unless it's stained fairly deep.
Don't know how much thickness you can remove before it's an issue though. In theory a light sanding to remove a top finish should be fine
What a bugger!
Looks like a good save on the back there, djk. What are you going to do on the front? Will it scuff back enough for you to repost or do you think you’ll need to go right back to bare timber?
haha yeah good recovery eh. Has been a really good experience and perversely I kind of like the top. Even the way it is shinnier round the edge because of the uneven mix of the paint. It reminds me of an old gibson or a 60s Yamaha Semi acoustic. I have already sanded the two obvious drips round the tuning peg holes and I think I am going to see if it takes oil well or not when I oil the rest of the guitar tomoro
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Call it Wabi-Sabi and push on eh? I like it.
I think I might cut off the bottom and put new screw holes higher up, or maybe not use it at all and wait for a guitar it suits
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I think that truss rod cover would look good on something with a 3 a side headstock maybe a hollow body.
It did say it was for a Gretsch. I was hoping it was going to be metal. I had a look at the Explorer and they seem to use a traditional one same as the 3 a side LesPaul/SGs
was debating whether to go black or white with the scratchplate but this is flaming so nicely I might not cover it at all.
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That's a nice finish you have there. I would probably opt to leave it naked myself.
Yeah, that looks great as it is. Nice choice on finish
+1 for leaving it as is. Looks great
Unless you make any scratchplate yourself, or get a custom one made, note that the standard Explorer ones will have a hole for the pickup selector switch at the pointy end of the scratchplate. It will look a bit odd (unless you cover the hole with a sticker or some ornamentation).
The PBG kits have the selector switch located between a master volume and master tone knob. When I get round to putting my EX kit together, I'll be routing out a cavity and cable channel and filling and re-drilling the normal selector switch hole so I can have the selector switch and the two volume + one tone control as per a Gibbo EX.
hmmm. you are making me wonder if I want two volumes now...
Chopped a tiny bit off the end of the fingerboard. Not too much harm done. When I find a stone to sharpen the chisel the rest will go and the pickup surround will fit tight up against the fingerboard with no visible hole underneath.
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Nicely done. When you're all done I'm sure it will look great.
Stop the clock
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very nice body :cool:. oh and the guitar looks great too. nice work
Wonderful work, you were right not to pick guard this, it would have been a shame to over up that wood.
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Looks great. I hope you've managed to get it intonated correctly after your hard work on the end of the fingerboard?
Looks awesome djk7! Although it's not helping my growing covetousness for an EX.