Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Nephilim on September 28, 2011, 10:19:10 PM

Title: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Nephilim on September 28, 2011, 10:19:10 PM
I wondered if anyone knew of any people that make good Les Paul guitars for metal music? I'm looking for a Les Paul made with much better better upper fret access more than anything :) I also wanted to ask, what would be a better choice: Neck-Thru or Set-Neck? And should it be Mahogany or Maple? I'll most likely have Miracle Mans in them. Cheers
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on September 28, 2011, 10:45:58 PM
Do a search on this forum for Feline Lion and you will find quite a few inspiring threads on LP type guitars that I have made

Upper fret access as good as anything you've ever seen on an LP shaped guitar

Like this
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/neckjoint002.jpg)


(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/redlion.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/LIONPRIDE3.jpg)

They usually come standard with BKPs and as many cool features as we can cram in
We can do 24 fret versions and longer scale lengths too
Don't be fooled by previous examples that are all pretty maple tops etc - we can do solid colours too

Feel free to ask any questions you might have

Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: FernandoDuarte on September 28, 2011, 10:49:44 PM
I wondered if anyone knew of any people that make good Les Paul guitars for metal music? I'm looking for a Les Paul made with much better better upper fret access more than anything :) I also wanted to ask, what would be a better choice: Neck-Thru or Set-Neck? And should it be Mahogany or Maple? I'll most likely have Miracle Mans in them. Cheers

Go for the above! Feline kills it!!!! :)

I'd just add that go with neck-thru body... And if you're wanting a LP tone, go for mahogany!
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Nephilim on September 28, 2011, 11:03:47 PM
I was actually looking at your guitars, Feline. There's one I saw on your site, which is called lightweight mahogany, and I just wondered if the body's thinner on that Les Paul? It just looks really sexy and thin :)
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on September 29, 2011, 01:28:21 AM
I was actually looking at your guitars, Feline. There's one I saw on your site, which is called lightweight mahogany, and I just wondered if the body's thinner on that Les Paul? It just looks really sexy and thin :)

Oh this beast that I built for myself ? :

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Feline%20Lion%20Special/FelineLionSpecial5.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Feline%20Lion%20Special/FelineLionSpecial4.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Feline%20Lion%20Special/FelineLionSpecialbacklit726.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Feline%20Lion%20Special/FelineLionSpecial2.jpg)

Yes she is pretty fab
I'm planning on making more like her - maybe some a little less ornate as well (although I like the bling factor on my own one)

Thickness is similar to a PRS - same thickness as a strat at the centre of the arched top - thinner at the edge
Light weight - like a medium weight strat
My one has BKP Cold Sweats but any combination can be chosen.

Would be good for metal playing too !

We made a "None More Black" one a few years ago and it was reviewed by a magazine

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Feline%20Lion%20Special/lionspecial-nmb1.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/Feline%20Lion%20Special/lionspecial-nmb2.jpg)
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Philly Q on September 29, 2011, 01:41:32 AM
You definitely came to the right place to ask about custom LPs!  :D
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: juansolo on September 29, 2011, 08:28:45 AM
Jon's da man

Hmmmmm, poiple

(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/poiplelion1.jpg)
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Nephilim on September 29, 2011, 08:42:41 AM
It was actually the guitar below I was on about being thin :) I just wondered, is that a neck-thru? And if so, how does it compared to glue neck and hows the upper fret access?

http://www.felineguitars.com/Guitars/Lion/Lion-special%20mahogany%20JL/lion-special-1-(1).jpg

Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on September 29, 2011, 10:16:33 AM
It was actually the guitar below I was on about being thin :) I just wondered, is that a neck-thru? And if so, how does it compared to glue neck and hows the upper fret access?

(http://www.felineguitars.com/Guitars/Lion/Lion-special%20mahogany%20JL/lion-special-1-(1).jpg)



That is the sunburst guitar shown above - just photographed without paint

The neck is a glued in with a deep set tenon to allow the heel carve
Access is fab to the top end - and with the body being thinner it does feel a bit easier than a full depth version of the same.
Neck thru seriously wouldn't give you any advantage with how we build these
We maximise sustain and resonance as much as possible.

I always have this guitar at the shop so people can try it out, even though it is my own axe.
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Philly Q on September 29, 2011, 10:49:21 AM
^   Jon's slimmed-down Lion really is lovely, and the thinner body (plus the neck joint) does make it feel much more "manageable" than a normal Les Paul.

If I ever succumb to GAS for a custom guitar, that one'll be my starting point.  :)
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Nephilim on September 29, 2011, 10:58:38 AM
I think that's the exact shape I'd go for, honestly. It is sexy as hell :P Since the neck is glued on, would a maple neck be good with the mahogany body for metal music, since the pickups will be loaded into the mahogany, rather than the bright maple of a neck-thru? It's just I like fast necks, or do you recommend a mahogany neck (if you can make them feel fast too)?
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Philly Q on September 29, 2011, 11:02:51 AM
"Feeling fast" shouldn't have anything to do with the neck wood, it's more about the shape and the finish, surely?  :?
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Nephilim on September 29, 2011, 11:21:18 AM
I mean as in, maple necks can have a Satin/Tung Oil finish, which gives it that 'Naked Wood' finish. Zakk Wylde's Gibson Les Paul for e.g. - But mahogany guitars are usually finished with a glossy finish, which is meant to seal the wood, but IMHO doesn't feel as fast. If you can make a mahogany neck feel as fast as a Tung Oil/Satin finished neck...then that's fantastic. Means I can narrow it down by tonal qualities (which is of course, the whole point, lol).
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on September 29, 2011, 12:41:51 PM
We have done a couple of stripped neck Lions with oil finishes  in the past but they only awkward issue that we have is that because of the almost seamless nature of the heel it is really tricky to get a neat transition between oiled and painted sections.

Here is one we did for Catalyst77 from this forum

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/lion-stripped1.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/lion-stripped2.jpg)
Front view
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/silverburst.jpg)

Analternatiuve idea is to have a totally oiled finish on the rear , whilst having gloss on the front and the headstock
Here is one we did for someone that had a maple neck on a mahogany body - so you can see what is possible

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/lion-oiledback1.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/lion-oiledback2.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/CUSTOM%20BUILT/lion-oiledback3.jpg)
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Nephilim on September 29, 2011, 12:44:36 PM
How about stopping the gloss abruptly where the neck joins the body (as seen on the bottom example)? I've seen ESP and Gibson do this on most of their Maple necks. Come to think of it, I like the look if the Black Gloss (colour I'm wanting) stop abruptly around the neck join, where the maple hits the mohogany, then have naked maple :)
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on September 29, 2011, 01:05:46 PM
How about stopping the gloss abruptly where the neck joins the body (as seen on the bottom example)? I've seen ESP and Gibson do this on most of their Maple necks. Come to think of it, I like the look if the Black Gloss (colour I'm wanting) stop abruptly around the neck join, where the maple hits the mohogany, then have naked maple :)

Yes , but to a small extent the border line will need to be a bit feathered or you'll have an uncomfy step in level
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Nephilim on September 29, 2011, 01:27:07 PM
How much more tonal difference does a Maple actually make over a Mahogany neck with a Mahogany Body and Ebony Fingerboard?
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Nephilim on September 29, 2011, 01:57:59 PM
What I mean to say is, seeing as the neck will be set-neck rather than neck-thru, this won't make the guitar as bright as say, a Les Paul with Maple neck-thru and Mahogany wings, since there's more mahogany and the pickups are mounted into mahogany rather than maple. Am I correct in saying that? Secondly, would a maple neck compliment the mahogany body well for the type of music I play compared to mahogany?I ask this because, if I got a mohogany, I'd have to have it finished anyways, so if a maple will balance it better, I may as well have a maple neck that's finished. The exact type of metal I play is the same type as bands such as Bullet For My Valentine, Killswitch Engage, All that Remains, etc. Bands that have fast riffs and harmonized passages, and the occasion 20 breakdowns per song (lol). It'll be a BKP Miracle Man I'll be putting in it btw.
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on September 29, 2011, 02:23:21 PM
Mahogany is actually brighter than maple in terms of the real top end frequencies, but maple has a strong upper mid focus.
An all mahogany lp has a bit more crispness and the sound compresses a touch more . A maple cap focuses he top end sizzle and smooths it out a bit.
A maple neck will make it sound a bit more direct (to my ears)

Mahogany necks can have an oil finish - they just take a bit more oil compared to maple
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Nephilim on September 29, 2011, 04:54:54 PM
So which one would you recommend? A lot of the bands I listen to play maple necks, and they seem to get a good sound. I've heard a few of them, Zakk Wylde in particular, say the maple neck gives it a bit more presence, tighter, more precise sound - which is ideal for metal, am I right?. If I was to get a maple neck, would you be able to do the gloss/satin blend? I'm just really set on a glossed body, with a naked wood neck if I'm to be honest.
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: Nephilim on September 29, 2011, 04:57:11 PM
Oh and also, would you recommend a maple cap? I'll be having a solid colour, so it won't be for decoration. Allthough I've read thinner mahogany bodies, kind of ballance the tone out compared to a thick mahogany/maple body, so perhaps just Mahogony Body/ Maple neck/ Ebony Fretboard would be perfect for me :)
Title: Re: A few questions about having a custom Les Paul made.
Post by: darkbluemurder on September 30, 2011, 05:12:34 PM
my oh my do these guitars look sexy.

Cheers Stephan