Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: prozacbear on December 26, 2007, 05:46:57 PM
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Hello
Wez Venables is currently making me my nice new custom guitar, and in January he is ordering my Bare Knuckle pup's to go in it. I've got some thoughts on what I want but was wondering what you lot would do.
The guitar is as follows:
*Black limba body
*Spalted top, maple
*3-piece flamed maple neck with CF reinforcement
*Ziracote fretboard
*Scale length 25.5”, 22 frets.
* 2x BKP humbuckers –camo finish
I'm looking for a good rich, mellow clean tone, without feeling it's lacking when I crank it up. Am I asking too much?
Please let me know what you think.
Thanks
Sue
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hey sue!!. We might as well get a nice picture of the guitar
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/s2.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/WezV/s3-1.jpg)
some unusual black limba in this body. For a tone reference limba and korina are very similar to mahogany but not at all muddy. Its a very rich sound to begin with and the maple neck with ziracote fretboard will add a decent amount of top end. The spalted top is set in acrylic so is super hard and tonally will be like a normal (i.e 3/4" thick on a les paul) maple top. should be a very nice tonal balance!!
I think most of the BKP range would suit the guitar just fine, but i reckon we should be looking at the 4 humbuckers in the 'vintage hot range' - which seem to be often neglected on the forum.
I know Sue likes her nailbombs in her other guitar and thats what we were originally going for, but now leaning towards something lower powered for a different flavour.
as always - all suggestions are appreciated
I have a crawler in a guitar with the same wood combo and really like it. Certainly cranks nice but maybe a little too bluesy for this new one
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Vintage hot range....hum....I will go and listen to the sound clips.
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Nice guitar Sue!. Very nice concept you got there Wez!. Rebel Yells?.... Happy New Year!!!!.
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I think it's screaming for an Abraxas set. But Crawlers would work wonderfully too.
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Mules?
Awesome Ravelle!
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Awesome Ravelle!
what da ya mean!!!! ................ nothing like a ravelle :wink:
well at least its less like a ravelle than a PRS SC was like a les paul so i think i am ok
I call this shape VENDETTA. I know there are other guitars called that but at lest the shape is completely different and the name was too good to pass on. It makes it 'The Wez Venables Vendetta'
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If you ask me, that guitar is begging for Rebel Yells.
What's the color going to be?
Natural, orange or chocolate would all look very nice IMO.
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I'd say, Mule IV neck unpotted and a 4 conductor crawler bridge, would be covering the range and tones you have in mind IMO. You could consider doing the neck also in 4 conductor to wire an out-of-phase mode, but i just think a PAF should be unpotted and braided..... :wink:
PS. @wez: What can be wrong about a bluesy mellow tone???? NOTHING 8)
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Hhhmmmm
Ok now I really dont know what to do. Although as problems go this is not a bad one to have :D
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PS. @wez: What can be wrong about a bluesy mellow tone???? NOTHING 8)
absolutely nothing... its what i have in my main guitar. not sure its what sue is after though!!
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These are the kinds of bands I usualy play if that helps people for ideas.
Muse
Pink Floyd
Radiohead
David Bowie (pre 80's)
Metallica
Black Sabbath
Led Zepplin
White Stripes
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
I probably play clean and dirty sounds in equal proportions depending on my mood.
And basically I just want it to sound awsome clean and dirty (no pressure Wez :D )
Thanks for the ideas so far
In terms of what colour it will end up you will just have to wait and see. I'll be sure to post lots of picks when it's done
Thanks again
Sue
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Hello again
I've just had an email from Tim ( I asked him the same question) this is what he said:
"spalted maple and limba is going to produce quite a hard mid range so I wouldn't suggest going too hot with this set.The trick to getting this combo of tone woods to work is going for lower output,more dynamic humbuckers. I'm going to suggest Riff Raff humbuckers-plenty of bite to drive all that maple(which isn't as bright as everyone says!), great crunch tones and good cleans too.You'll get a much more responsive guitar by going this route and you'll be surprised at how much gain you can heap onto the cleaner tone for the heavier material".
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Excellent!!!
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Wooow very nice looking guitar!
Good luck with it, and I would go with Tim's suggestion by the way (just because he knows best, not because I have any knowledge of the matter :oops).
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It makes it 'The Wez Venables Vendetta'
Ooops Vendetta it is!
So i'd definately get some coil taps in there with the Riff Raffs.
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OMG! I really like Spalted Maple! It looks so badass! :twisted:
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I'm going to suggest Riff Raff humbuckers-plenty of bite to drive all that maple(which isn't as bright as everyone says!),.
Must admit i hadnt considered the Riff raffs but i am sure they would be a good choice. The guitar isnt that maple heavy though, well not in the traditional sense anyway!! Tims right though, I have done a couple of limba/maple guitars and they were all naturally nice and crunchy and very satisfying to play even unplugged.
although for all you tone cooks its best to think of the top wood on this as something denser than maple. Usually spalted maples tonal characteristics are non-existent and its just decorative because its so soft but in this case its been acrylized so is much harder and denser than even normal maple. And dont be put off by the 'acrylic' word - The wood gets fully impregnated all the way through with a special polymer of some kind - afterwards it has all the properties of wood with very few of its weaknesses.... but it still sounds like wood.
I have used the acrylised B/E maple for a fretless bass fingerboard and it sounds and feels like an ebony board but wears even better than that