Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: juansolo on June 26, 2012, 05:20:49 PM
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It started out as an idea, I got chatting to Wez, he showed me his mystic woods and, well, one thing led to another and this little beauty was born.
May I present to you the WezV English Walnut Stratele (Pictures are all clickable for much enlargement):
(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-1t.jpg) (http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-1.jpg)
(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-2t.jpg) (http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-2.jpg)
(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-3t.jpg) (http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/stratele-3.jpg)
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Wow, I like lots of things about that - pickups, bridge, body shape, timberrrrr!!! :)
Go on then, give us the details..... presumably just the top and headstock veneer are walnut, what's the main bulk of the body wood?
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Nice! Looks very interesting. Happy Playing.
Paddy
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Nice! I like it.
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Wow, I like lots of things about that - pickups, bridge, body shape, timberrrrr!!! :)
Go on then, give us the details..... presumably just the top and headstock veneer are walnut, what's the main bulk of the body wood?
Alder body, English walnut top. Maple neck with a rosewood board. Walnut veneer on the headstock.
Neck has been carved to be a C to a mild V as you get towards the headstock (to ape the Baja neck that I like).
Bridge is a sawed off Fender ashtray.
Pups are an old BKP Flat 50 (now a Flat 52) in the bridge, neck and middle are Irish Tours. Standard strat wiring on a 5 way CRL switch with CTS pots.
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Frikkin gorgeous! :D
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thank god for decent pics - i failed to get any before sending it off!
I have had this bit of walnut for ages and offered it to a few people with no interest, i sent a pic of it to juan as a wildcard. it was completely different to what he had said he wanted but i was really glad he chose it.
there was a bit of a dilemma for me about the scratchplate, there always is when covering up nice wood - but i knew it would be the best aesthetic choice and i really like the contrast it adds.
really happy with how this one came together
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This thread makes me want to phone Wez and give him all my money.
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Originally I was thinking it'd be alot more modern with a spalted top with carved headstock like the Veteran (http://wezvenables.co.uk/Veteran.html). But once I saw that walnut I had to have it and then it took on a more classic vibe. It was interesting to see how the idea evolved into the finished guitar.
The single only thing I can level against it was entirely down to my own pikeyness. The pups I scrounged from the internet. The bridge and neck were ebay specials. The middle I got from Ben (getting a middle on the net was proving difficult). But because of the way Tele and strat pups are wound, I could only have it hum cancelling with one or the other. So I kept the strat section stratty by having it cancel with the neck. Leaving the B+M pos sounding quite nasal. Every other pos is how you'd expect it. But I might have to stick a super switch in there so I can do something else with pos 4. Maybe B+N (tele stylie) or I might stick the Esquire caps on it for something else in that pos.
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looks great for sure... but how does it sound - does it rawk? :twisted:
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looks great for sure... but how does it sound - does it rawk? :twisted:
Only just plugged it in for the first time and I can't exactly crank it at the mo (that'll come later in the week). But it's totally to brief. Pure tele at the back and strat everywhere else. Really loving the ITs and 52. I can't really tell what the walnut does for it to be honest as the last strat I had was a stock Classic 50's which was different anyhow and I've never ran these pups before.
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sweet :D
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Very sweet :D That walnut top looks gorgeous. For the last year or so I have been thinking about getting a cross over between a strat and a tele like this. Seems to me you get the best of both worlds with tele bridge and strat middle + neck.
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There's only one change I'd make to a guitar like this - I'd have a 4 pole switch to give these combinations:
- Bridge only
- Bridge + middle (strat inbetween setting)
- Bridge + neck (tele inbetween setting)
- All pickups on
- Neck only
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That guitar gives me wood. Congrats!
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Beauty.
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love that wood grain! is walnut supposed to be similar to mahogany when it comes to tone characteristics? i imagine it to be a dark wood...
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There's only one change I'd make to a guitar like this - I'd have a 4 pole switch to give these combinations:
- Bridge only
- Bridge + middle (strat inbetween setting)
- Bridge + neck (tele inbetween setting)
- All pickups on
- Neck only
Yeah, you can do all that sort of fun stuff easily with a super switch. The thing that limits me is that the winding/magnet polarity is wrong for the B+M.
Now what *might* work with the standard switch and wiring is if I swap the middle and neck around in the guard. I've no idea if that would give me a B+M combo that would work (I should really fire a mail to Tim/Ben about that...).
With the super switch I could leave the pups as they are and have B, B+N, M, M+N, N. Which would give me tele tones in pos 5 and 4 and strat on the others. However this again is providing that the neck pup plays with the bridge pup in parallel. If it doesn't then there are other options with the superswitch open to experimentation. As I say, something for me to have a play with later.
EDIT: It may just be that the B+M is out of phase and I need to reverse the wiring... It won't hum cancel, but it'll stop it being nasal. In theory.
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Ah yes, you'd need RWRP for mid and neck pickups really
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Ah yes, you'd need RWRP for mid and neck pickups really
yeah the middle is currently RWRP to the neck pup. The bridge is stock tele, which doesn't marry up. If you order this as a set from BKP, they make sure it does. As I say, me trying to save some cash and causing myself all sorts of bother ;)
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That's a cracker! Beautiful Super Tele there John, enjoy.
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love that wood grain! is walnut supposed to be similar to mahogany when it comes to tone characteristics? i imagine it to be a dark wood...
its a lot less dark than mahogany. solid walnut guitars tend to be quite middy. in most of its qualities its closer to a softer maple than mahogany
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as for the pickup stuff. i think i would swap the black and white wires on the neck and bridge pickups. which will stop the B&M combo being out of phase, still give the same sounds on all other settings, but may not be hum cancelling. also the bridge and middle where pretty similar ohmage so could be swapped - There should still be plenty of wire on the pickups to try
some of you may wonder why i didnt try that after realising that position was out of phase, i should say i did offer ;) the original plan was to send this without pickups for juan to wire up himself, but i wanted to get it done for testing purposes
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Yup, all my fault and me sending the pups over was a last minute thing. ;)
I do wonder if swapping the wires on the bridge, then swapping the strat pups over might actually fix everything. In theory it should and it should even hum cancel. Might do that this weekend and see.
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you would need to separate the baseplate and ground wire on the pickup, not too fiddly to do though, not for someone with your soldering skills
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That looks sweeeet!
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Nice duvet.
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Lovely wood - yummy!
Very nicely done Wez...
If anyone now has GAS for a strat /tele hybrid I have this beast lurking
(http://www.felineguitars.com/images/Guitars/Tabby/tabby%20hybrid/Tabby%20-%20hybrid%20alder/tabby-hybrid-1.jpg)
(http://www.felineguitars.com/images/Guitars/Tabby/tabby%20hybrid/Tabby%20-%20hybrid%20alder/tabby-hybrid-2.jpg)
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Bloody lovely guitar- congrats to you and nice one Wez. I think the hybrid is stunning to look at.
Also, Jonathan's beauty-if I had the cash going spare at the moment I'd be very tempted!
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There's only one change I'd make to a guitar like this - I'd have a 4 pole switch to give these combinations:
- Bridge only
- Bridge + middle (strat inbetween setting)
- Bridge + neck (tele inbetween setting)
- All pickups on
- Neck only
I've got a wiring diagram somewhere which gives Strat wiring but with Bridge + Neck in one of the "in-between" positions, so you lose either Bridge + Middle or Neck + Middle, according to taste.
So the RW/RP pickup needs to be either the Bridge or the Neck (depending on which setup you want), rather than the Middle.
That would be great on this kind of guitar (if all the polarities/windings were right), you effectively keep all three Tele sounds and four of the five Strat sounds.
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Very nice :D
And (old) BG50 and ITs sounds like a perfect combination to me - hope you get the phase stuff sorted asap. Although, I've never heard a tele bridge and strat middle together in parallel - it's possible I wouldn't want the sound whether it's in phase or not (I'd always be thinking of the strat B/M, and I suspect it's not quite the same :lol:)
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Bridge plus neck on a strat is defintely worth having. I can take or leave 'all on', in theory it's cool, but in practise I rarely use it.
My 'jolly roger' Stratele has a BG52 plus an IT and it's a great combo.
Congrats Juansolo and Wezv on the new instrument!
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OK less facetious comment this time...
I really like this and it's something I've often thought about. The neck is my favourite Strat pickup and who (Roo aside) doesn't like a Tele bridge? Also I'd imaging that it's a great mix of pickups. Wiring issues aside I'd love to hear what a Flat 52 (nee 50) sounds like with an Irish Tour. I also like how you've combined the Strat and Tele shapes and functionalities have been combined very well. You see a lot of Teles with Strat type appointments that just don't work, but this one really does. The walnut probably helps with this as it's very un-Fender. Very pretty top too.
Still like the duvet though.
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Still like the duvet though.
Worryingly I always seem to have the same one on when I photo guitars...
The current stock:
(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/TVMaster.jpg)
(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/Badger3.jpg)
(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/SoS-t.jpg)
(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/poiplelion1.jpg)
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Those woods....still wow. Congrats.
And I still love that purple one too...the only purple guitar I like at all.
Now I want a PRS, more Felines and now also a WezV....darn I will never get to save money for long....
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Still like the duvet though.
(http://www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/misc/Guitars/TVMaster.jpg)
Oh. Oh my. I may have just nutted in me pants.
Paddy
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Bought that one from seconds out here from Andrew W. :)
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You certainly know how to upset a man.
Paddy
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I could be really cruel and put a link to it (https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26063.0) ;)
Interestingly the bridge on that was the one that got sawed off and ended up on this new one. Pots went over too. Recycling, I'm good to the environment me.
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I could be really cruel and put a link to it (https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26063.0) ;)
Interestingly the bridge on that was the one that got sawed off and ended up on this new one. Pots went over too. Recycling, I'm good to the environment me.
I did wonder what you did with all the bits when the PowerTron went in. :)
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Don't like to waste :) (though I sold the GFS pup).
I succumbed and went over to Mr Cleggs to sort the wiring. Phase swapped (which sorted it as expected) and I now have an 'interesting' wiring scheme that'll screw anyone used to a strat up.
The first three positions (from the back) are essentially tele:
1 - Bridge
2 - Bridge & Neck
3 - Neck
The front section of the switch is strat but arse backwards (as it's the only way to do this without a super switch)
3 - Neck
4 - Neck & Middle
5 - Middle
Works brilliantly. The IT matches well with the Flat 52 and they do a great combined tone. 5 great tones. It'll just wierd people out that the neck is in the middle and the middle is all the way forward ;)
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Love the wood on stratish page 1 but really want the lion
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Feck me ....that treeeeemendous :D
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Don't like to waste :) (though I sold the GFS pup).
I succumbed and went over to Mr Cleggs to sort the wiring. Phase swapped (which sorted it as expected) and I now have an 'interesting' wiring scheme that'll screw anyone used to a strat up.
The first three positions (from the back) are essentially tele:
1 - Bridge
2 - Bridge & Neck
3 - Neck
The front section of the switch is strat but arse backwards (as it's the only way to do this without a super switch)
3 - Neck
4 - Neck & Middle
5 - Middle
Works brilliantly. The IT matches well with the Flat 52 and they do a great combined tone. 5 great tones. It'll just wierd people out that the neck is in the middle and the middle is all the way forward ;)
And it sounds so awesome that the NOS Mullard ecc83 couldnt take it and gave up the ghost :(
Very impressed, it sounds just like the original idea, the best of both.
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does that mean its been played at significant volume now :)
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does that mean its been played at significant volume now :)
Not that significant, only a 10 watt amp, but dimed.
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Now wondering if wez can get or do a Lp body in that wood
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i dont have another bit like it - the guy i got this from a few years back had an identical set but that is long gone. i do know where he got it from so there is a chance part of the billet remains, but its doubtful
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Ah damn, have lp neck needs a new body to be whole
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Really nice looking guitar John. Wez, the woods look great.
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I was on holiday, so my reply comes a bit late, but anyway, this guitar looks absolutely fab. The timbers are fantastic!