So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...

[Surgeon]

There were a few of us no?

How are your builds going? How far are you?

I'm a bit more than halfway through making most of my hardware (except tuners and bridge) from scrap-metal I have laying around... Missing the neck plate and jack-plate.
Then it's set-up time.

The neck is even smoother than the telecaster I built two years ago. I've overdone myself in the polishing department... no finish, just sanded and polished. Probably the best feeling neck I've ever had my mitts on.

She'll be really nice in her own rough way...

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...

Looking forward to seeing this one. I wish I could hold it when it's done.

It's really cool that you're making hardware - definitely another way to make building fun! These days, parts and high quality kits make it almost like snapping Legos together.

Very impressive!

 

[Surgeon]

Re: So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...

I appreciate the compliment Hunter. However, you make guitars from scratch while I buy cheapo kits and make a few pieces (pickguard, control cavity covers, neck plate, etc... easy stuff) with scrap metal and that impresses you?
Still, you're right, it makes building the kits fun. I wish I had time to build them from scratch. So far I only have a slide guitar on the bench that will end-up being built from scratch. I would have the time but I can't afford that kind of sacrifice right now: taking time for this would mean less time elsewhere you know (right, you do, you have kids yourself)...
I'll definitely post pics once it's done. It's really gonna be a "garage" guitar, which is something I really love about the tele I built.
Making a guitar yourself, even just from a kit builds a different kinda bond with this guitar... and it's just fun to do as well.

 

[Detroitblues]

Re: So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...

No pics????

 

[Surgeon]

Re: So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...

No pics????

When I'm done amigo!

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...

Mine turned out to be a bucket of suck. It's going to need refretted and a new nut to even be playable. The frets look like they were done by a 5 year old. I'm going to teach myself how to do refrets, so I'll keep mine around just to experiment on.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...

where did you get these kits?? at first I was intrigued til I read Mr9's post about the fretwork...

 

[darnright]

Re: So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...





The guy that bought it told me he wanted even before the kit arrived at my house. He built the pickguard, etc, himself. Plays it all the time and says he loves it.

-dave

 

[BloodRose]

Re: So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...

thats cool!!

 

[Surgeon]

Re: So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...

where did you get these kits?? at first I was intrigued til I read Mr9's post about the fretwork...

Got mine from 3gmusicandsounds. They are "solo" brand guitar kits.
Dirt-cheap (my tele kit was 100$ and the xplorer was 180$). The necks are worth more than the price of the kits: very good fretwork and perfect shape, no rough spots or anything with nice rosewood boards. Bodies are basswood and necks are maple. Can't expect noce mahogany at these prices but they are cool. The tele body was nice but the explorer is 4-piece that don't match so better suited for solid colors. Still, I decided to show this instead of hiding it... Looks unique to me...
So far, I can only strongly recommend these "solo guitar kits".

 

[Surgeon]

Re: So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...

Not a fan of the diamond-plate stuff but that's an otherwise very cool axe darnright!

 

[darnright]

Re: So, all the guys who bought Explorer kits lately...

Not a fan of the diamond-plate stuff but that's an otherwise very cool axe darnright!

I'm not either, the guy that wanted to buy it is an extreme metalhead and he loves it.. Each to his own..... Thanks for the kind words.

-dave