Author Topic: Willo's Custom Guitar... (Read 28225 times)

willo · « **on:** September 16, 2005, 11:44:59 PM »

Hi there,

I'm currently talking to a number of luthiers about building me a custom guitar. Unfortunately, my playing experience is limited mostly to Gibson & Gibson style guitars. I always wanted a Strat, and this is what I was going to get (1960's reissue for £1000 + BKPs), but I've since realised that I can probably get a custom made guitar for me for that same money. So I'm going strat based, but with some LP style features and 'modern' features in it too...

Basically, I was wondering if I could every so often ask the opinions of you guys for your help etc in selecting parts and so on for the guitar. I am now selecting the specific parts I want, from the nut to the potentiometers, and have narrowed most parts down to either 1 or 2 options...and I'd appreciate some help in deciding!

So firstly, up comes the choice of wood...In the body, I was thinking either alder or ash. My understanding is that alder is the 'traditional' strat body, but ash offers greater sustain but is considerably heavier. Is this correct? And what kind of necks and fingerboards do you think would work well with the bodies too?

Thanks guys! :D

big steve · « **Reply #1 on:** September 16, 2005, 11:51:17 PM »

for fingerboards, maple gives a brighter, punchier tone; whereas rosewood is mellower by comparison.

jt · « **Reply #2 on:** September 17, 2005, 03:12:12 AM »

:D Hi willo Good luck with the Strat ! :D

OK for what it`s worth i`ve got a U.S.A Strat circa 79/81 it`s a `79 neck attached to a `81 body i think that the body on mine is Ash. It has a maple neck/finger board. It`s very bright sounding & the Ash is very heavy weight wise. But i have to add that mine doesn`t have the Trem cut out. As it was bought without a Floating bridge system. Playing a Maple board takes some getting used to IMHO that`s not to say it`s bad it`s just different. Some people prefer it. Have you tried or played a maple finger board guitar before ? Are you going to get a trem for it ?

:D 8)

indysmith · « **Reply #3 on:** September 17, 2005, 09:08:44 AM »

are yu wanting classic 50's strat tone? hot-rodded super strat high output metal tone? rawk'n'roll tone? tell us the kinda sound you have in your head. i prefer ash to alder by far for a strat body, but thats my own personal preference. I'd go for a rock maple neck (maybe flame, birdseye, quilted?) for cost effectiveness. weather you want to go for rosewood or maple on the 'board is really up to you. rosewood gives some extra warmth, but maple always helps the top end in sounding great; (plus maple fretboards look sooooo much more metal, hehehe)

chrisola · « **Reply #4 on:** September 17, 2005, 10:05:22 AM »

yeah, what type of music\vibe are you aiming for?

willo · « **Reply #5 on:** September 17, 2005, 11:59:27 AM »

Well I love the chili peppers, but I want something a little more powerful. I'm going to be sticking a humbucker in at the bridge as well. I would say that music wise we are talking rock and punk from the 60s to the modern day, my favourite band is Jane's Addiction. I know Navarro didn't use a strat in Jane's but he did in the chilis.

I need some decent sustain! When it comes to metal, however, I'll use my LP. Does that help?

big steve · « **Reply #6 on:** September 17, 2005, 12:09:16 PM »

are you happy to go with hardtail bridge? i'm pretty sure they give you more sustain.

PhilKing · « **Reply #7 on:** September 17, 2005, 01:25:46 PM »

If you are going for a 60's sound, you want a rosewood fingerboard and an alder body. I have a strat copy with a basswood and maple/ebony neck that I love the sound of. I find the all maple necks are brighter than the rosewood or ebony. If you go for ash, try to get swamp ash. It is soooo much lighter than english or hard american ash! I also like the original V-neck profile, or the C-neck slab rosewood, but with a custom you should be able to ask for what you like.

I have both hardtail and tremelo strats. Overall the tremelo has a more of the traditional strat tone, the hardtail is a bit more 'Teleish'. Wait until you decide the woods before getting the pickups.

willo · « **Reply #8 on:** September 17, 2005, 01:46:13 PM »

Quote from: PhilKing

Wait until you decide the woods before getting the pickups.

Aye, thats the plan!

Big steve, I don't want a hardtail option on this guitar. I really want a trem so I can indulge my Jeff Beck-isms.

Neck profile, I will be looking for something similar to my Les Paul, but slightly narrower (and unfinished too). The fingerboard on my LP is ebony, I think I might retain this feature.

I guess I'm thinking along the lines of:

Body: (swamp?) ash
Neck: Maple (sealer-only finish)
Fingerboard: Ebony

Does this make sense? How would these parts combine?

Ratrod · « **Reply #9 on:** September 17, 2005, 02:53:12 PM »

I'm running ahead a little but a Crawler and two Mother's Milks would be a great pickup set for what you want to do.

willo · « **Reply #10 on:** September 17, 2005, 03:10:37 PM »

Quote from: Ratrod

I'm running ahead a little but a Crawler and two Mother's Milks would be a great pickup set for what you want to do.

he he, you're running ahead but along the same lines as me :D

But i really really want to get the wood sorted first, then see whether that kind of set-up would work with it. I've been doing some reading, and now I am thinking along the lines of this set-up:

Body: Alder
Neck: Rosewood
Fingerboard : Rosewood

or maybe a maple neck...thoughts anyone?

indysmith · « **Reply #11 on:** September 17, 2005, 03:15:56 PM »

won't a rosewood neck costa bomb for a rather odd sound? i'd go with the maple neck for classic strat tones. and also i woulda stuck with the swamp ash body

jt · « **Reply #12 on:** September 17, 2005, 03:26:46 PM »

:D have to agree if i remember righty Rosewood is in short supply a neck made of it will cost a fortune ! i`d stick with the Swamp Ash body & go with a maple neck with a Rosewood finger board. Are you going to get it 22fret or the traditional 21 frets ? Remember you can also change the finger board radius as the strat radius is very curved & makes string bending a pain in the arse. You can also up the level of Fret wire to.

:D 8)

P.S are you going to have a Pick Guard or are you going to have it rear routed ?

willo · « **Reply #13 on:** September 17, 2005, 03:33:15 PM »

Quote from: jt

:D have to agree if i remember righty Rosewood is in short supply a neck made of it will cost a fortune ! i`d stick with the Swamp Ash body & go with a maple neck with a Rosewood finger board. Are you going to get it 22fret or the traditional 21 frets ? Remember you can also change the finger board radius as the strat radius is very curved & makes string bending a pain in the arse. You can also up the level of Fret wire to.

:D 8)

P.S are you going to have a Pick Guard or are you going to have it rear routed ?

my bad, with the rosewood neck - i got a little confused there!

-24 frets :twisted:

-but with a pickguard...basically, I want it to be like a vintage strat but with a few of the kind of extras you tend to find only on pointy shred-machines, e.g. 24 frets, humbuckers. Thinking I will go with the 6000 fret wire that everyone here recommends so highly, and either a wilkinson or callaham trem. Oh, and a Les Paul style neck profile (although slightly narrower in width), given that thats what I have always played. So, from a distance it will look like a strat - up close it will reveal its secret shreddiness...

indysmith · « **Reply #14 on:** September 17, 2005, 03:45:37 PM »

now THAT sounds like a good guitar (apart from a LP neck on a shred guitar which sounds a bit odd, but if its what ur used to then fair enough!!!)
it'll be yummy.