Chambered Strat body : too light ?

[Strat Avenger]

And;

Posted by: Street Avenger
« on: Today at 10:14:22 am » Insert Quote

"Why are the edges of this body so hard (squared off)??"

Comment withdrawn because "if I can't say something nice, shutup!"

Whatever that means. 
Is that you're way of saying you don't know the answer to my question?

 

[Hbom]

And;

Posted by: Street Avenger
« on: Today at 10:14:22 am » Insert Quote

"Why are the edges of this body so hard (squared off)??"

Comment withdrawn because "if I can't say something nice, shutup!"

Whatever that means. 
Is that you're way of saying you don't know the answer to my question?

Not at all.
I had started a nasty statement about a company whose name is an F word, I thought better of it and reduced it to the
Comment withdrawn because "if I can't say something nice, shutup!"
I wish I had reduced it further. :doh:
Sorry for any bad vibes.Non intened to anyone here.

 

[Hbom]

Back on topic.
Croquet, in general I stand by the idea that it's hard to beat Warmoths finish.
But if you are doing it for all of the reasons you are talking it is certainly attainable.
This guy does pretty interesting stuff, without all the fuss.
I've only seen the bluesburst but I think you will enjoy what he has to say.
http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/topic/46213-poor-mans-burst-with-various-dyes/
:rock-on:

 

[Strat Avenger]

And;

Posted by: Street Avenger
« on: Today at 10:14:22 am » Insert Quote

"Why are the edges of this body so hard (squared off)??"

Comment withdrawn because "if I can't say something nice, shutup!"

Whatever that means. 
Is that you're way of saying you don't know the answer to my question?

Not at all.
I had started a nasty statement about a company whose name is an F word, I thought better of it and reduced it to the
Comment withdrawn because "if I can't say something nice, shutup!"
I wish I had reduced it further. :doh:
Sorry for any bad vibes.Non intened to anyone here.

My bad. I've just never seen a Warmoth Strat with hard edges like that. Is that a Warmoth body, or did I "ASS-U-ME"?...

 

[croquet hoop]

It was simply a Fender body, as stated right above the pictures (Fender Select series) 

 

[croquet hoop]

I know there are good alternatives to sprayed finishes...

Not really. Not for anything you're going to use. Don't get me wrong - you can certainly get some super-fine finishes from the various polymerized oils, shellac, french polishing, etc. - many excellent examples exist - but they're only suitable for display. Use them, and you lose them. They go to hell in a handbasket in a hurry.

For an instrument, you want at least lacquer, but polyurethane is the best. Lacquer is handy for the DIY guys, as the price of entry is low and forgiveness is high if you're patient enough to go through the steps and repair mistakes if necessary, but poly is where it's at. It's as attractive as highly-polished lacquer right out of the gate, low labor, Incredibly robust... what's not to love? Other than it's not something you can do in your basement or garage and it's very unforgiving about application. But, that's where companies like Warmoth come in. They have the talent and they're set up for it, which is no mean feat. Imagine... a poly finish for $170-$225 with guaranteed pro results? What could possibly be wrong with that? You could go second best and do lacquer, but it's going to cost you twice as much because there's a ton of labor involved. Then, the stuff chips/scratches if you even look at it wrong.

Unless you want something Warmoth can't/won't offer, or you end up with a naked body outside their factory, I think it's foolish to get any other finish.

Back at it : I have done my share of reading, and taking into account the cost of the material, the time and effort needed to get the finish and the uncertainty of the result, I'm now more inclined to getting a finished body from W

But then, no burst I see in the gallery seems to match the one pictured here (the differences are subtle, but significant in my eyes). There also the problem of the edges — I think that part of what makes this body look sharp is the harder edges, I feel that a classic strat body with the exact same burst would look totally different. Maybe that is why no burst in the showcase can found favour in my eyes. So I might go for something totally different that what I intended, but I feel the possibilities are much more open now.

Thanks for having given me food for thought 

 

[Marco78]

I had an Alder bodied Strat, and I switched the body for an Ash one. Everything else the same. No discernible difference in sound. And don't worry about the weight, it would have to be impossibly light before it made a difference.

From this video I can hear a difference, I can imagine that if I'd play the guitar the different would be a lot of bigger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0jfoPbNlT8

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Me too, but it's not all the same parts on two different bodies, it's two guitars. Two different pieces of maple for the neck so that's a huge thing right there already.

 

[Cagey]

Right. You can't change a couple dozen variables and then credit only one for a difference in character.

 

[croquet hoop]

Back on topic.
Croquet, in general I stand by the idea that it's hard to beat Warmoths finish.
But if you are doing it for all of the reasons you are talking it is certainly attainable.
This guy does pretty interesting stuff, without all the fuss.
I've only seen the bluesburst but I think you will enjoy what he has to say.
http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/topic/46213-poor-mans-burst-with-various-dyes/
:rock-on:

Wow, I can't believe I missed your post. Thanks for the link, they are really inspiring!

 

[Great Ape]

Good luck nailing down something definitive on THIS topic, kids... :icon_biggrin:

 

[croquet hoop]

I have no idea where you're getting this from  :icon_biggrin:

But hey, at least I know I want a swamp ash chambered body. Which is what the topic was initially about.

 

[Great Ape]

I simply meant that it's highly unlikely that you're gonna have a large group of guitar-freaks agree on exactly what the many variables of weight, neck, fingerboard, pickups, and color of the strap will ultimately do to the tone of the guitar  :icon_biggrin:. It's getting very close to being in the realm of subjectivity/personal opinion. The good news is, you've decided to get a chambered swamp ash body, and you can't go wrong with that!  :icon_thumright:

 

[MikeW]

Back to the OP: I notice that you're thinking Warmoth Pro construction neck and a Wilkinson with locking tuners. Are you considering an LSR nut as well?

One thing you may want to think about are those components mixed with a superlight body (<3lbs or so). The double truss rod in a Pro construction neck and the extra weight of the tuners may have an issue with neck dive. (The neck is heavier than the body and winds up slipping towards the floor.) I think the Strat offers the best balance between weight of the neck and weight of the body, but that still might be something to consider.

That being said, I've not played a chambered body and really prefer the ash-alder bodies in around 4 - 4.5 lbs, so I may be way off base. YMMV.

 

[Cagey]

Neck dive on a Strat is unheard of.

Case in point, I have a sub-3lb. Strat body (they don't get much lighter than that) I put a Pro-style Ebony over Pau Ferro neck with locking Schallers on it (they don't get much heavier than that), and it's a million miles from diving.

The forward strap hanger is too far forward for neck dive to ever be a problem, unless your girlfriend/wife/dog could manage to sit on the headstock while you're standing with it.

Neck dive is for some Gibson designs where they put the forward strap hanger too close to or behind the center of gravity, or basses where the neck weighs 4 pounds and is 3 1/2 feet long.

 

[swarfrat]

Look at the locations of the strap button some time.  Center of gravity on both my strats is somewhere in the vicinity of the neck pickup or end of the neck.  On a strat, the button is close to the 12th fret.

Body weight * 6.125  = body torque
Headstock only * 12.25 = neck dive torque
Neck itself minus the headstock is neutral, since the strap button is in the center.

Unless your headstock weighs 1/4 what the body weighs, your strat will remain proudly pointed to the sky.

 

[croquet hoop]

This is something I wondered a bit before I read about the center of gravity/forward straplock thing on this very forum. Besides, the neck will actually be a Vintage Modern, not a Pro, and I thing the locking tuners I will use (Kluson-style Gotoh SD91 HAPM) are not as heavy as other designs (it would be cool to check for the record, but as you said it souldn's be an issue anyway).

 

[Cagey]

My heaviest neck is a "Pro" version Ebony over Bloodwood part with locking Schallers on it, and it weighs in at exactly 2 pounds (.9Kg). Pretty heavy neck, for a guitar. It's on a VIP body, but those enjoy the same strap hanging arrangement a Strat does so of course, there's no neck dive issue with that, either.

I worked on a neck for somebody here not too long ago that was a "Vintage Modern" version, Maple over Maple, with Klusons. It weighed in at 1.1 pounds. So, that gives you some idea of the range these things will fall in.

 

[stubhead]

i wonder how many necks jimmy page had to weigh before he could get that zepp-thing to work?  :guitaristgif: