Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: FELINEGUITARS on August 30, 2011, 12:54:38 AM
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We get to make a few guitars for special occasions.
Sometimes the recipient knows about it before it gets commissioned and sometimes it is a total surprise.
This was one that started as a total surprise about a year ago when one of my customer's wives decided to commission this beast, and then the cat had to be let out of the bag when her husband started serious talk of having a guitar made whilst plans were already underway.
As it happens she was almost 100% on target with what he was requested for hubby Ian (and to be fair I knew what Ian liked guitar-wise as when I have worked on his Fender strat he had told me of his wish to have a Les Paul to go with the strat).
With Ian having to be let in on the plan we only added a few extra details like a Graph Tech Ghost acoustic pickup system.
Their 10th wedding anniversary was last week and today they came to collect the beast (as last week they were busy doing romantic things that a new guitar would only distract from.)
So here is what was finally unveiled:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Ian%20Bentinck%20Lion/bentincklion7.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Ian%20Bentinck%20Lion/bentincklion8.jpg)
As you can see it is very much in the classic Black Custom mould.....
The rear view with the battery box and control panel for the piezo circuit board letting on that more is going on within
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Ian%20Bentinck%20Lion/bentincklion9.jpg)
Of course it had our much liked all access heel - a deep set tenon right under the neck pickup allows the generous carving
I should have dusted it more before taking the photo - the black shows up every speck of dust as well as fingerprints
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Ian%20Bentinck%20Lion/bentincklion10.jpg)
Fingerboard inlays were a split Mother of Pearl and Paua abalone combination into an ebony board
Neck was a 3 piece quartersawn mahogany construction with a volute for strength
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Ian%20Bentinck%20Lion/bentincklion4.jpg)
Our new inlaid catseye logo looks fab inlaid into the ebony headstock fascia
Tuners were Sperzel trimlok in polished chrome
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Ian%20Bentinck%20Lion/bentincklion3.jpg)
As usual we fitted an Earvana compensated Tuning nut
You can see that we prefer to use an ivoroid binding and we use Black tahiti pearl for the side dots - they glow different colours as the light hits them
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I'd better give a few more specs
Body is mahogany (carefully chambered to lessen weight but not lose punch) with a maple cap
The neck is our favourite 3 piece quartersawn, long tenon going under the neck pickups
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Ian%20Bentinck%20Lion/bentincklion21.jpg)
Tailpiece is a lightweight Gotoh aluminium one held in place firmly by Tonepros locking studs
The bridge is a GraphTech Ghost system in a resomax casting
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Ian%20Bentinck%20Lion/bentincklion22.jpg)
Magnetic pickups are a pair of BKP Mules with 4 conductor wiring going to a coil split on a push pull on the tone control
Volume pots are 550k BKP ones made by CTS
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Ian%20Bentinck%20Lion/bentincklion23.jpg)
So we have 2 magnetic volumes, and piezo volume and a master tone for the BKPs
The mini switch switches back and forth between electric guitar and acoustic sounds with a mix position too
Straplocks are Dunlop
And the sound - pretty fantastic!
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O M G :crazy2:!Beautiful !That would be almost perfect for me :?! Love it !Congrats to the buyer & builder :drink:!
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Lovely!! :D
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Beautiful man. Just beautiful.
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Looks incredible Jonathan :)
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Beautiful. He is lucky to have missus like that. Damn, why isn't Mrs 38th reading this?
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Wow, just wow.
I gotta get myself married, fast.
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Boootiful - would love one of those.
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Tarnation... can't see the pics at work :?
Looking forward to seeing it later... :D
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Everything about this is absolute win!
Stunning guitar, the workmanship looks as good as ever, Jon! And congrats to Ian and his Mrs on their 10th anniversary!
Fantastic stuff :)
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is it a curved or flat top Jonathan? impossible to tell with that perfect finish!
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verrrry nice :) lucky man
Gwem, i think you can see the carve in the first picture, reflection of the pink fur near the bottom of the guitar
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Lovely! I think those "triangle in a block" inlays are some of the nicest you use, especially on ebony.
I notice the Earvana isn't the "shelf" type - do you think either type has any advantage over the other?
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is it a curved or flat top Jonathan? impossible to tell with that perfect finish!
Yes - that and my obsessive photo technique of trying to avoid reflected light from the flash where possible
Here she is on the bench
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Ian%20Bentinck%20Lion/bentincklionbench.jpg)
Lovely! I think those "triangle in a block" inlays are some of the nicest you use, especially on ebony.
I notice the Earvana isn't the "shelf" type - do you think either type has any advantage over the other?
Yes - those inlays are a nice touch - think I've used the same on a few now
The Earvana is the OEM version where you shorten the fingerboard by a set amount - although I think they are discontinuing that one soon- so may need to resort to shelf nuts in future
I find that they work equally well provided your fingerboard shortening is accurate.
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if it sounds as good as it looks (and i'm sure it does) then it's perfect.i would love to know all of that effort and considerable skill went in to one of mine. one day maybe.
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oh wow, that's awesome
love the binding, inlays and the side dots
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Seen the pics now...
Oh yeah, it's a stunner :D
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I shall send a link of this post to my wife
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Very nice indeed. One day I wilhave to get a Lion.
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I shall send a link of this post to my wife
so jonathan can look forward to a divorce present commission? :lol:
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When you say "one of his wives", just how many does he have? I think we ought to know.
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When you say "one of his wives", just how many does he have? I think we ought to know.
Damn - did I get the receipt in the wrong place!
I've had a few wives - just haven't had one of my own
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Big, black and beautiful!
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Stunning-He's a lucky fella!
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I love the neck joint!
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I've had a few wives - just haven't had one of my own
:lol: Loved this. I've had a few wives as well, but in my case the majority of them were actually mine.
Luckily for me, the one I've ended up with tends to see musical equipment in the same way that this guy's missus seems to :D
I don't think my previous wife did... (but the other one, the one who wasn't mine, would probably have encouraged/bought guitars etc... unfortunately she would also have kept nicking them for herself - she was a sensible/grown-up music teacher and worship-leader, but underneath, along with the black stockings and suspenders, she was a frustrated wild and abandoned pop-rock chile).
Anyway, that's a fine looking guitar. I wonder what I'm getting for our 10th wedding anniversary...? Ooooh... (oh sh!t... I just realised, I wonder I'm getting her for our 10th wedding anniversary! :roll: :lol:)
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I shall send a link of this post to my wife
:D Me too (although I'm not married). Jane wants a trip to Paris for her 40th, which is next year, and didn't baulk at my suggestion of getting a nice guitar for me when I got to my 40th (quite some years away yet!)
Back on thread - that is a lovely looking guitar indeed. What a great anniversary present!
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I will do a thread on it in a few days but the prototype of our 20th anniversary Ltd Edition is looking very nice too
I'm getting more excited about it every day.....
(http://www.felineguitars.com/images/index/20th%20lion.jpg)
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That is some top of that guitar. The other one was nice but the 20th aniversary one is even more special. Is this one going to be for you? What pickups did you decide to use in the end mules? Look forwards to full spec and more pictures.
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That is some top of that guitar. The other one was nice but the 20th aniversary one is even more special. Is this one going to be for you? What pickups did you decide to use in the end mules? Look forwards to full spec and more pictures.
Believe me I'm tempted by it, but as I have already used some of the same ingredients in my Lion Special (seen below) I feel that I have enough guitars of my own for now.
(http://www.felineguitars.com/Guitars/Lion/Lion-special%20mahogany%20JL/lion%20special%20726.jpg)
Pickupwise I am still testing out favourites - currently loaded with Abraxas pickups , although I may treat it to Crawlers
Having said that any advance orders on the 2012Ltd s can choose whatever their hearts desire
More stuff to come in the coming days and weeks on the 20th anniversary model
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They both look great! I'd love an LP that met my sort of spec - i.e. lightweight, neck profile of my tele, 6105 frets, 9.5 radius, honey-burst. I can get the last from Gibson but not the others!
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Beautifull guitar.
That ivoroid binding looks stunning.