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Thread: Willem's Epi '84 Explorer EXA-1

  1. #1

    Willem's Epi '84 Explorer EXA-1

    Hey Y'all

    I got my first kit in the mails today, an EXA-1 with black hardware and electronics form an ESP-1
    the kit looks great straight off the bat and everything appears to be there
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    First thing I noticed was there is a bit of a gap between the neck and the wall of the neck pocket
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    any tips on dealing with/filling that would be much appreciated
    next thing I noticed was a couple of glue spots
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    I'm planning on doing a solid finish so will these be an issue and if they will how do i remove them? I'm potentially going to be putting the guitar in with Strummers Guitars to do the paint but if I don't I'll be doing it myself with spray cans. From what I've gathered I should apply timbermate(what colour should I use? do I sand before application, after or both)
    followed by primer several thin coats of colour and then a few coats of clear scouring with steel wool between each coat, is this right?

    To Be Continued
    Last edited by Willem; 06-01-2015 at 03:34 PM.

  2. #2
    Part 2.
    Also when it comes to sanding what grade should I be going up too? I've got the pitbull sanding kit which goes to 400 but I've seen people on the forum using up to 2000
    Here is my Mockup:
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    you might notice that the pickups aren't actually in, that's because they don't fit
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    the pickup cavities are slightly too narrow and too short and it gets worse for the neck pickup when the neck is in
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    how can/should I go about sorting this out (I should clarify I have limited tools I'm going to have to do all sanding by hand I don't have a router or a drill press just a hand held drill and I only have a few files but could probably get some more when i get the timbermate)

    to be continued
    Last edited by Willem; 06-01-2015 at 03:37 PM.

  3. #3
    Part 3.
    I'm hoping for the final Product to look something like this:
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    I was originally planing something different but decided I'd save the silver burst for a future full mahogany baritone explorer with push pull single coil split pots that I plan to build from scratch sometime in the distant future
    thanks for reading
    -Willem
    P.S. Sorry for the massive post

  4. #4
    GAStronomist wokkaboy's Avatar
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    Hi Willem,
    welcome to the forum and nice looking kit. I recently built an EXA-1. Looks like you need to slightly resize the pup cavities to fit the ESP pups. Or file off the ears on the mount that the pup screws into. Once you have the neck pup snug in the cavity and neck in place maybe if you can please post a photo so we can see if there is any gaps between the neck heel and pocket.
    I'll recommend you do another mock build, from memory I had to cut some of the fingerboard below the 22nd fret so I could get the intonation correct. I think you will find the 12th fret to bridge saddle distance too far, so once you do a mock build with pups snug please post the nut to 12th fret and 12th fret to heavy E string saddle distances.
    If you are planning solid paint then timbermate colour shouldn't matter but its worth grain filling. I still don't know why people want to put solid paint over sweet ash grain but that's your choice.
    Steel wool between coats is more suited to stains, I'd recommend wet sanding between coats and work through to 1200+ grit as it gets closer to final coats.
    Current Builds and status
    scratch end grain pine tele - first clear coat on !
    JBA-4 - assembled - final tweaks
    Telemonster double scale tele - finish tobacco burst on body and sand neck

    Completed builds
    scratch oak.rose gum Jazzmaster - assembled needs setup
    MK-2 Mosrite - assembled - play in
    Ash tele with Baritone neck - neck pup wiring tweaks and play in

  5. #5
    GAStronomist wokkaboy's Avatar
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    Willem which area do you live in ? With any luck you live near someone with a router. The pup cavities need to be enlarged slightly to fit the ESP pups. I've done this with a hand held drill (DB grimaces !) but its not recommended as you can easily slip and put a huge hole or take out a chunk that will be visible in the body.
    The level of grit paper you sand to is up to the user, some have used 2000 grit, depends how smooth you want the finish. I don't think you need to go over 1200 grit till you get to the clear coats though unless you love sanding !
    Current Builds and status
    scratch end grain pine tele - first clear coat on !
    JBA-4 - assembled - final tweaks
    Telemonster double scale tele - finish tobacco burst on body and sand neck

    Completed builds
    scratch oak.rose gum Jazzmaster - assembled needs setup
    MK-2 Mosrite - assembled - play in
    Ash tele with Baritone neck - neck pup wiring tweaks and play in

  6. #6
    Thanks for the tips Wokka I live around wembley and I can't think of anyone with one I do however have a little dremel style tool that I might be able to use to make the cavities a bit bigger

  7. #7
    GAStronomist wokkaboy's Avatar
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    No worries Willem, have a crack using the dremel with a small router bit, only take off small amounts and check the pup fit. If you still need help I'm happy to help on a weekend, I'm in Willetton.
    With regards the glue I don't think it will be an issue with solid paint. Once the body is grain filled and sanded to 320 or 400 grit see how the first coat of primer goes and if it does react with the primer you will need a small wire brush to remove the glue.
    Best of luck.
    I'd get the pups cavities routed first, pups fit snug then please post me the nut to 12th fret and 12th fret to bridge distances, I ended up cutting a slot south of the 22nd fret with a bandsaw right at the end of the build when I realised ! Was I nervous !
    The gaps in the neck pocket will most likely be filled with glue when you set the neck so I wouldn't worry too much about that
    Current Builds and status
    scratch end grain pine tele - first clear coat on !
    JBA-4 - assembled - final tweaks
    Telemonster double scale tele - finish tobacco burst on body and sand neck

    Completed builds
    scratch oak.rose gum Jazzmaster - assembled needs setup
    MK-2 Mosrite - assembled - play in
    Ash tele with Baritone neck - neck pup wiring tweaks and play in

  8. #8
    GAStronomist stan's Avatar
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    great start Willem, keep us updated - white and black EX will look really cool

  9. #9
    managed to get the pups in very snugly they'll still need some work before painting and shielding but they fit now the measurements are looking like 31 cm from the inside of the nut to the 12th fret and from 12th to the inside of the bridge is 31.5cm and 12th to the outside of the bridge is 33cm so definitely some work to be done might have to try cutting some of that excess off from past the 22nd fret

  10. #10
    Moderator Brendan's Avatar
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    Willem - don't touch the fretboard! Measure again and post some photos first! Generally there is not too much to do to get the scale length right and taking excess off the fretboard doesn't actually help any - it may just confuse the issue.

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