I was hesitant to create an account here for whatever reason, but figured why not? A bit of a TL;DR post filled with boring story ahead!
In the past few years, I've been searching for a 7 string explorer to spotty avail. I own a Peavey rotor, an LTD EX-Outlaw, an old Warmoth explorer build, and even a legit Gibson explorer. The closest I have managed to my dream of a 7 string explorer though has been a Perle guitars iceman/destroyer build, and an LTD EX-307, but both venture a little too far from the shape of an explorer that I like. (really didn't like the LTD in general either.) My frequent scouring of eBay has turned up next to nothing in the vain of a "proper" explorer 7. Even if I could find one, I'm not sure I'd want to spend the $1k+ on a guitar with active soap bar routes, and ideally I'd like one without a pickguard. The one thing I found time and time again during each of my searches on the bay was the kit from Pit Bull. I've built many kits in the past, and have come to terms with what is to be expected. I haven't found a kit yet that can't be made into something decently playable... I was consistently tempted, but I was also consistently put off by the fact that it was from Australia, and was unaware of how importing things to the states worked. Turns out after a bit of research that it's not a huge deal, so I figured "what the hell" and pulled the trigger on the kit. And now I get to play the waiting game, hopefully for not too much longer. (Probably looking at mid week next week.)
Anyway I've been slowly saving up and buying tools and materials so that I can actually build my own. I have pretty much zero wood-shaping skills, so I figure I'm going to go through a lot of trial and error as well as crumby builds. (on top of still missing some expensive/usefull tools, a band saw being at the top of the list.) So why not put the comparatively negligible ~$200usd aside and have a bit of instant gratification and fun with something I'm confident will be better than my first dozen or so attempts at a custom build?
As for the guitar, my plans are minimal at the moment as I have no idea of the specifics of the actual guitar I'm to receive. Dependent on how pretty the wood is, I may attempt a transparent finish. Ash is a gorgeous wood, but too many plies can ruin the aesthetic. I'm not against a solid finish though, so there is no losing out for me. I intend to swap out the tuners with a set of silver Grovers I have lying around just because I have them, they're good, they're not being used, and they're in all likelihood just better than the stock tuners. I intend to direct mount the pickups since I'm not a huge fan of rings, and I have a Crunch Lab 7 that's currently unused that I'm going to stick in the bridge. I might come up with an overall theme, and as such I'm unsure of what I want on the headstock. (or the colors I intend to use for that matter.)
All in all, I'm very excited to not only finally get an explorer 7, but get one that affords the opportunity for so many of my personal preferences. Passive routes, option to go ringless, and a longer scale than Gibson makes are all wins in my book. (not a huge difference, but I like my 7's to be at least 25.5".) I have no trouble saying that if this build goes well, I'll be a return customer. I love me some customized guitars, and this place seems to have the best selection with a fairly decent community behind it.
I'll probably create a build thread once everything arrives. I'll try to keep it updated even if for nobody other than myself. Might head to the hardware store and pick up a few things in anticipation. Lord knows I could use more sandpaper.
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