Pathfinder 01 - Explorer with upgrades (1st build)

[v8torrie]

I have just received my EX-1 kit myself. Please let me know how you go with the gluing process. My neck also has a weird angle if i clamp it with zero gap on the bottom face, but if i clamp it at the pickup end there is a straight neck and big gap. I will be interested to see your results...

Also there are videos on setting screw type necks on the website, but havent found the one on gluing a neck yet..

[wazkelly]

Happy New Year Lappa.

Glad we did our overseas trip in 2019 as current pandemic has put an end to international travel for quite some time.
Our eldest Son lives in New Zealand and we went there for 5 days to celebrate his 30th Birthday. Younger Son was living in Manchester at the time so we then went to UK for 2 weeks then headed to Berlin to catch up with a Neice and her son for a few days before embarking on the Central Europe leg of our trip. Austria was our favourite country, particularly around Salzburg. Switzerland was ridiculously neat & tidy but also expensive. Would love to go back and spend more time in some places where we only stopped for a night or two but cannot see that happening for several years.
Cheers Waz

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[wazkelly]

I have just received my EX-1 kit myself. Please let me know how you go with the gluing process. My neck also has a weird angle if i clamp it with zero gap on the bottom face, but if i clamp it at the pickup end there is a straight neck and big gap. I will be interested to see your results...

Also there are videos on setting screw type necks on the website, but havent found the one on gluing a neck yet..

Hi V8torrie, setting or gluing a neck is confronting but if you take your time and make lots of measurements you will successfully conquer it.
Scale length is the most important part of any build, set or bolt-on neck. With a Gibbo body shape using the tuneomatic and stop tail piece neck break angle is also a crucial element to consider. A metal ruler at least 1m long is a handy investment as it can help with figuring out neck truss rod adjustments and also where neck break angle interacts with the bridge. Once neck is flat you can insert it in the pocket, lay the ruler length ways like a string to get an idea how high strings might be at the bridge. If bridge is all the way down, flat on the deck this will give an impression of how low or high the action might end up, and this correlates to neck break angle too. If stitting too high that may indicate a shim could be required at the pickup end of neck pocket. Plenty of YouTube videos if you feel the need to get a visual on this topic.


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[Lappa]

Hi Waz, you guys really travelled pretty much all around the globe! Interesting: my family is also quite spread out, they are in Italy and the US, but noone on the southern hemisphere unfortunately. Once this pandemic is over I’d definitely try a Xmas during summertime...

Hi v8torrie, congrats on your choice of kit! 👊
At first, I was also a bit puzzled by the two planes on the back of the neck that goes into the cavity:

I am pretty sure the longer one towards the headstock should be up against the body cavity, to create the angle between the body and the neck. Seems a bit odd, but here is a picture of my set neck Epiphone for reference.

And I hope someone will correct me if I am wrong...!

[wazkelly]

The bit at end of fretboard slides in neck pocket and ends up sitting below neck pickup.
Just beware that end of neck may not need to be hard up against body as this has been done on purpose to allow for adjustment to find right Scale length before gluing & clamping.
Cheers Waz

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[Lappa]

I have a question about preparing an ash body for French polishing: pore filling or no pore filling before the polish?

[wazkelly]

Never done French Polish, just used Tru Oil where I grain filled with ebony Timber Mate to pop the grain.
Check it out under build #4 in my signature....Red J Bass.
Cheers Waz

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[Lappa]

Thank you Waz!!

Can anyone please share some experience and advice about French polishing ash? I read it can be done with and without pore filling as well?

[Lappa]

I worked on finetuning the bevels on the body today. I went for a subtle but visible and even look, but screwed up a bit on the top side of the upper horn: took off a bit more than I wanted to 🤦*♂️
Anyway, as a first, I think I can live with it.

[wazkelly]

You could use some 180 or 240 grit sand paper to help smooth things over to look more uniform unless you want to keep the angular bevel appearance.

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