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

[Juan]

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..

[Juan]

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 ¡¡¡

[Trevor Davies]

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!

[Simon Barden]

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.

[Juan]

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...

[Juan]

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

[Simon Barden]

That sounds about right.

[Juan]

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

[Simon Barden]

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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[Juan]

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 )