Pathfinder 01 - Explorer with upgrades (1st build)

[Lappa]

I got the new push-pull potentiometers today - and they fit the factory default holes. Yay!

[wazkelly]

Gap is so small it is hardly worth worrying about. The tightbond neck glue will also help to fill the gap.

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[Lappa]

Thank you @wazkelly! I took a note to use a bit more glue on that side to fill the gap and wipe off the excess pushed out.

[Lappa]

Next question: should I sand the side of the fretboard too? (I mean the darker wood - or should it be masked? It seems to be much smoother than the ash neck and also there are the markings - wont they be messed up if I sand that surface?)

[wazkelly]

Light sanding with no finer than 180 grit is recommended then tape up the darker rosewood looking timber before applying stain or top coats on the maple neck.
In the final polishing process darker timber should be treated with either lemon oil or fretboard wax to seal it and prevent build up of grime from playing.

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[Lappa]

Thank you @wazkelly!!

Further neck questions:
1. Do the frets need any work or are they OK as they come from the factory?
2. The neck is in a bit of a negative bow - is it OK?

[wazkelly]

Hello mate,

To check frets you need to start with a level neck. You could do it before gluing or afterwards. My personal preference is to do neck and fretwork towards the end of the build as the neck bow will change once string tension becomes part of the equation. Investing in a slotted straight edge could be handy but I have built 4 guitars & 3 Basses without one and not too many dramas along the way. 1st build had a couple of frets that were sitting a bit high between 14th & 17th and needed to be tapped down but this mainly became apparent through playing than microscopic analysis during the build process.
Ends of frets can be dealt with when doing the initial sanding prep work.
Cheers Waz

PS. Where abouts in Hungary do you live? Was on holidays in Europe during Sept 2019 and spent 3 nights in Budapest. Stunning place and rated it # 1 ahead of Salzburg & Prague. Monte Carlo was up there, as you would expect, but Budapest was our favourite.

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[Lappa]

Thank you Waz!

Actually I live in Budapest 😎 - thank you for your kind words about the city! : ) (message me the next time you are around and let’s have a beer ) I have never been to Australia - and the way things are nowadays, it will be quite some time before I can even consider traveling... Never the less, as I saw on the map, it must be pretty good to live so close to the ocean... a rare sight for me, but I love it!

As for the neck and frets, thank you for your guidance, I will leave this till after the glueing then.

[wazkelly]

Best beer encountered on our 6 week trip. Soproni IPA. Cheap too, about 1.50 Euro on Margaret Island watching the musical fountains. Beat everything in Prague, and just shaded a great boutique brewery in Bratislava and of course Haufbrauhaus in Munich.
Parliament House on the river at Sunset highlighted it's beauty and once the lights came out we were speechless.
As for the frets, if they feel sharp or scratchy as you run your hand up and down the neck best to use a sanding block with medium grit to make things smooth and comfortable.
Cheers Waz

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[Lappa]

A six week trip, wow! Was it all across Europe? I am glad you have such good memories of Budapest!
Any time you happen to be here, shout out to me and you are my guest for some good beers : )

The frets do feel scratchy, so I will have to work on them for sure.

Today I sanded the body (and headstock) all the way to 400 and the neck with 220. I’ll sleep on it now and check for things to correct tomorrow - aka next year.

BTW: Happy New Year to you!