Explorer build FINISHED!

greggreg66

Progress is slow. Trying to build up the gloss coats, but it seems to be taking me a while. I'm definitely going for a PU finish on the next one, think I'd be finished by now had I gone down the PU route. Ah well!

PeteC

The finish looks great on your pics - very nice neck/heel transition too. 
...keep em coming ! 

greggreg66

I think I've done enough clear coating on this, but in any case I wanted to pull the tape off the fretboard and have an oggle at it coming together. I've decided I'm going to let it dry 1 more week then polish it. 

My humbucker routes were a tad small for the ones I bought so I hacked them a little larger. It looks really poor so I will neaten it up with a new jig & route it properly. 

PeteC

Looks great - lovely Rock machine ! 

greggreg66

Starting to look even more guitar like with new added plastic : )

As I'm a total cop out, this is booked in with the guitar tech for a week today so I need to get it ready for then. I'm going to do all the finish polishing this coming weekend. I'm very close to finishing otherwise. I think. He's going to do all the fret & nut work and the wiring. Wiring doesn't bother me, but it's the fret & nut work that I'd prefer to hand it to a pro. As the luthier I'm sending it to wired the pickups he's also a guitar wiring boff so it's best to leave it with him for that. 



Lol-tastic ABR-1 posts for the pic. 

greggreg66

Woo... it's all but finished. I'm sending this off to a tech to complete all the wiring (Joseph Kaye / Sonic Monkey Pickups / he also made the pickups so he's best to finish the wiring!), the fret-job and cut the nut. I like doing this because having a pro tinker with it it'll hopefully be a better guitar than I can finish. It's also nice handing over an unplayable guitar and receiving a finished one.

I've had a small nightmare with the finishing, but not using a sealer (I still don't see why a thinned top coat can't be used) or using grain filler, the top has remained open grained... which I'm fine with.... but it's trapped the white haze from the buffing compound therefore creating white dots everywhere. I'm mitigated these to an extent with black wax, but they're still there. I'm OK with it, it's a learning curve, this is only the second build and the second time I've used nitro. I'm so used to PU where it's so much more forgiving! 
 





(yes the stop piece is the the wrong way round, it just stops it falling out for the pic ; )





While it's with the tech it's time to start thinking about build No3 a little more seriously. 

usedtobe

That looks smashing!

PeteC

Looks amazing with the hardware - what are you planning for No3 ?

greggreg66

usedtobe said:

That looks smashing!

Thanks!

PeteC said:

Looks amazing with the hardware - what are you planning for No3 ?

Cheers Pete!

Guitars on the list for No3 were Firebird non-reverse or a Nik Huber Krautster ii single cutaway style guitar. But just this morning I was thinking how I've recently bought a bag press and so.... don't laugh.... I have ordered myself some es335 plans. I don't think I have the skill for it, but I might give it an attempt. I think it'll depend on whether I can get the mould right for the front and back (let alone the sides!), because I'll go for a laminated one. I thought it might be fun to put on a Trini Lopez style headstock. I really like the idea of a walnut one, but we'll see. I do have some walnut veneer, which I've had for years so it'll be good to use it if I do. 

greggreg66

So then. It's done. Woohoo! 

I sent the guitar to Joseph Kaye to complete the build, including: full fret dress, full nut work, full set up and wiring. Joe made the pickups (his Sonic Monkey brand) so it made sense for him to also do all the wiring. He sent me all these pics... I've not even laid my hands on it yet, but I'm too excited to not share the pics. He changed the p-up surround screws & pickguard screws as he felt the ones I had looked cheap and his were more suited to the guitar, and I love that level of detail that would have sailed me past. Needless to say I'm so pleased with how it looks and I can't wait to try it out tomorrow!!



















335 next... year. 

 

: )

sawyer

Looks proper cool! 

grinder

As a mega Explorer fan I approve  

usedtobe

The more I look at it, the more I like it!

Cirrus

Yeah, that looks fantastic! I love a bound Explorer.

Jalapeno

Very cool !

mikem8634

Cirrus said:

Yeah, that looks fantastic! I love a bound Explorer.

Hope Bear Grylls doesn't read that

Cirrus

mikem8634 said:

Cirrus said:

Yeah, that looks fantastic! I love a bound Explorer.

Hope Bear Grylls doesn't read that

hahaha!  Brilliant 

greggreg66

Thanks so much for all the comments! I wasn't able to collect it from the guitar tech today, so will have to wait a little longer to get my hands on it!

greggreg66

Some sound clips;

https://www.instagram.com/p/CH0duDQnKar/

A short one:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CH0rxcynPnK/

Springywheel

Looking great!