Greetings.
I am embarking on a custom build. It is due to my really large hand/fingers. I have been playing for about a year. I have put my hands on a good number of electrics and acoustics. After struggling to fit my fingers into various chord shapes (open and barre), I have submitted to defeat. My fingers are simply too large for 1 11/16 necks. I experimented with a nylon acoustic, and found it was a world of difference. (do note, even physically squishing my fingers with my right hand, my fngers still mute surrounding strings - think A shape barre on 9th fret - they simply are too "wide")
So now I am going to drop a good deal of money into a custom neck. I had thought to get a cheaper guitar body, and bolt the neck on, but after lots of research, unless I were to phyiscally measure the neck pocket, the mating of neck to body is questionable. This is my viewpoint based on talking to warmoth and "reading between the lines". How accurate that is might be debatable.
I do not want a strat body. My brother has an ibanez that is quite like the Soloist body, offering just a little more room for my big mitts, so I was thinking of that style. I do not really need a body, but I am able to make the purchase, and rather than dork around with other bodies hoping to find both a body/hardware that I will like, it might be easier to just have one built.
At this point, having read as much as I can stand and talking to as many people who are either seasoned musicians or have GAS syndrome or have had customs made (not warmoth, but luthier made), I am to the point that I have a rough idea.
* I have read a lot of controversy over Warmoth and USAGC. I see many positive and negatives for both. I am really not devoted to either, but Warmoth seems to offer more of what I "think" I want, so I am leaning that way heavily.
Anyway, I was hoping to try a neck with no finish, as my hands do sweat a lot and I have experienced sticking to finishes. After looking at the options, I was thinking Canary for the neck wood - in a Super Wide.
I am concerned with both tone and weight. I had a used EPI SG that was really neck heavy. Nice access to lower frets, but annoying to play. So, while I understand the tone of canary is near that of maple, it is likely a little heavier - which brings me to the fretboard.
I understand (or have read) that Warmoth fretboards are a little thick. Maybe not, it seems that way though from reading. Anyway, I do like a more gritty tone, not the bright stuff. Think cedar/mahagony acoustic vs spruce acoustic. Initially rosewood came to mind for that classic flavor. But, when throwing around money, what is an extra 100$. I have noticed the grain of rosewood being more open, and looked into ziricote. A nice looking wood but that isn't as important as keeping a good tone (or an abstract thought of what the tone might sound like) and maybe having the benefit of a smoother/harder surface.
Now the weight issues arises. Because these woods only come in Pro series, that means the double truss rod. I really don't care one way or the other, as long as it works. But I do care about the added wieght. I realize a light set of tuners will help. So, with this combination, would it be heavy enough to warrant a heavy body?
My body wood was going to be alder or swamp ash, with a laminate, maybe koa. I suppose when spending this kind of money I would rather have the wood show that cover it up with a solid paint. I like wood or stained wood so... Anyway I got to looking and though, why not just do a solid body without the laminate for basically the same price. LPs use mahogany body and maple/rosewood necks. If the canary is = to maple, and ziricote = rosewood (approximately) then it would make sense that a solid limba or mahagony would do well, plus would be med-heavy for the neck.
But, I don't know as I haven't played any exotics.
Tone - is this combination theory I have logical? You will never know the exact tone, I know, and hardware makes a difference too. I am simply following the trail of which exotic sounds like which standard, and matching them accordingly.
Weight - are these wood combinations actual weights what I beleive them to be in terms of matching neck weight to body weight?
I have saved the dough to purchase and outfit a superwide. But, I don't want to make a purchase that wastes my hard earned money either. That is why this is such a long read - Too many detail I left out already but also too many details to "guess" at.
I should state, I don't really care how it looks. I am building a guitar that is hopefully what I want, and I realize it will be of value only to me most likely. That is the whole point I guess, not a wow factor or resale value item. I just want to make the right purchase, and get a guitar that sounds somewhat like what I want.
Thanks for any feedback.
Sul.
I am embarking on a custom build. It is due to my really large hand/fingers. I have been playing for about a year. I have put my hands on a good number of electrics and acoustics. After struggling to fit my fingers into various chord shapes (open and barre), I have submitted to defeat. My fingers are simply too large for 1 11/16 necks. I experimented with a nylon acoustic, and found it was a world of difference. (do note, even physically squishing my fingers with my right hand, my fngers still mute surrounding strings - think A shape barre on 9th fret - they simply are too "wide")
So now I am going to drop a good deal of money into a custom neck. I had thought to get a cheaper guitar body, and bolt the neck on, but after lots of research, unless I were to phyiscally measure the neck pocket, the mating of neck to body is questionable. This is my viewpoint based on talking to warmoth and "reading between the lines". How accurate that is might be debatable.
I do not want a strat body. My brother has an ibanez that is quite like the Soloist body, offering just a little more room for my big mitts, so I was thinking of that style. I do not really need a body, but I am able to make the purchase, and rather than dork around with other bodies hoping to find both a body/hardware that I will like, it might be easier to just have one built.
At this point, having read as much as I can stand and talking to as many people who are either seasoned musicians or have GAS syndrome or have had customs made (not warmoth, but luthier made), I am to the point that I have a rough idea.
* I have read a lot of controversy over Warmoth and USAGC. I see many positive and negatives for both. I am really not devoted to either, but Warmoth seems to offer more of what I "think" I want, so I am leaning that way heavily.
Anyway, I was hoping to try a neck with no finish, as my hands do sweat a lot and I have experienced sticking to finishes. After looking at the options, I was thinking Canary for the neck wood - in a Super Wide.
I am concerned with both tone and weight. I had a used EPI SG that was really neck heavy. Nice access to lower frets, but annoying to play. So, while I understand the tone of canary is near that of maple, it is likely a little heavier - which brings me to the fretboard.
I understand (or have read) that Warmoth fretboards are a little thick. Maybe not, it seems that way though from reading. Anyway, I do like a more gritty tone, not the bright stuff. Think cedar/mahagony acoustic vs spruce acoustic. Initially rosewood came to mind for that classic flavor. But, when throwing around money, what is an extra 100$. I have noticed the grain of rosewood being more open, and looked into ziricote. A nice looking wood but that isn't as important as keeping a good tone (or an abstract thought of what the tone might sound like) and maybe having the benefit of a smoother/harder surface.
Now the weight issues arises. Because these woods only come in Pro series, that means the double truss rod. I really don't care one way or the other, as long as it works. But I do care about the added wieght. I realize a light set of tuners will help. So, with this combination, would it be heavy enough to warrant a heavy body?
My body wood was going to be alder or swamp ash, with a laminate, maybe koa. I suppose when spending this kind of money I would rather have the wood show that cover it up with a solid paint. I like wood or stained wood so... Anyway I got to looking and though, why not just do a solid body without the laminate for basically the same price. LPs use mahogany body and maple/rosewood necks. If the canary is = to maple, and ziricote = rosewood (approximately) then it would make sense that a solid limba or mahagony would do well, plus would be med-heavy for the neck.
But, I don't know as I haven't played any exotics.
Tone - is this combination theory I have logical? You will never know the exact tone, I know, and hardware makes a difference too. I am simply following the trail of which exotic sounds like which standard, and matching them accordingly.
Weight - are these wood combinations actual weights what I beleive them to be in terms of matching neck weight to body weight?
I have saved the dough to purchase and outfit a superwide. But, I don't want to make a purchase that wastes my hard earned money either. That is why this is such a long read - Too many detail I left out already but also too many details to "guess" at.
I should state, I don't really care how it looks. I am building a guitar that is hopefully what I want, and I realize it will be of value only to me most likely. That is the whole point I guess, not a wow factor or resale value item. I just want to make the right purchase, and get a guitar that sounds somewhat like what I want.
Thanks for any feedback.
Sul.