First ever Warmoth Strat! Natural binding trans red with black burst

[Tony Ounsworth]

As discussed originally here:

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=21966.0

After a mere 7 weeks, it's arrived here in the UK!

It's a hardtail, Swamp Ash in Transparent Red with a Black Burst over and natural wood binding.

Currently toying with various neck and pickguard options, but my main 4 ideas are:

At the moment I favour option 1, but it may actually get an Eric Johnson bound neck at some point, or a Warmoth one. I'll see.

Other quirks - no tone controls (I never use them), and a Gibson style reflector knob for volume placed waaaay over in the tone 2 position where I can't accidentally knock it. I've even got a volume pot which clicks in at position 10 to send the signal straight to the output.

Pickups will probably be a SD combo of Lil 59, duckbucker, and Lil Screamin demon, but I'm still thinking about my options there. Oh and the neck plate will be this custom one with my band's logo on it:

I have to say, the service from Warmoth has been superb. I'm really pleased with it.

 

[Updown]

Yep I'd be very happy with that too  :headbang:

Don't they just do a wonderful job .....

That a nice puppy choice too  :icon_thumright: 

OR ...
What about this neck. 

(sorry it's one of mine, and ya can't have it)  :icon_biggrin:

I know how it would look on yours, as ....
It's going on this. Same colour as yours on the back, Trans Red / Black burst.

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

Love the red dot markers.

I'm a bit of a traditionalist in that I tend to like glossy maple necks (I don't sweat much when I play), but I'd be up for something different for this if it was special enough.

 

[anorakDan]

That is one pretty Strat body! Love the trans red/black burstover!

 

[Cederick]

Great looks!!! And yes, a red dotted rosewood fretboard would make that super duper cool!!! :hello2:

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

Thanks guys. To be honest it is a bit more red than I was expecting, but that's not a bad thing.

The vibe I'm going for here is almost a bit Gibson. Sacrilege eh? But I'm going for an SG style reflector knob, and the body colour is also more of a Gibson finish I think.

Here's some mockup shots I took last night:

This isn't the final look, it's just what I had to hand. If I go for the SD pickups they'll have black covers. And I'll probably go for the RW neck, I just put the maple one on for now to see what it was like.

Also got a parchment pickguard to play around with. It's an HSS, because I'm still toying with the idea of a humbucker in the bridge position. Maybe that'll be the next guitar though.

Check out the binding!

Really pleased with the Callaham hardtail bridge incidentally. Pure quality.

 

[Cagey]

That's gonna be a mighty fine fiddle, Mr. Ounsworth!

 

[keeper006]

I like your option 1 with the rosewood fretboard too.

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

Yeah, that's my first choice. I just haven't had time to attach it yet.

However, I am thinking about a Warmoth neck as well. Possibly a really stupid question - is Swamp Ash ever used as a neck wood? I ask because I think it might be rather nice to have the natural masked binding continue onto the neck. I'd then go for a rosewood or other dark wood board.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Nope. Presumably not stable enough.

Here are the neck woods:

http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/NeckWoods.aspx

If it was me I'd go for a really dark wood like Wenge or something, or maybe rosewood with an Ebony board. And leave it unfinished.

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

Morning stranger.

I don't think I'd like a dark neck colour. Fretboard yes, neck no.

What would be a close match for the colour of the binding on the body do you think?

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I think White Korina might get close. And actually, maple with no tint probably isn't far off either. I'm not sure they'll do the masked binding but you could ask.

It took me a long time to get used to Strat necks (esp. headstocks) in dark woods, but now I think it's quite a classy look. An acquired taste though, to be sure.

Hmm, looking at this WK neck - perhaps a bit dark.

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

I think that's pretty close though, and I rather like it. If I was going to to do that I probably wouldn't have binding on the neck, rather I'd want the neck wood colour and finish to match the binding on the body. Does that make sense?

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I think it's nice too. "Limited availability" on Black and White Korina necks though, so you might be waiting a while. Having said that, it does seem to crop up in the showcase reasonably regular.

Makes sense. You'd be going none-more-black ebony right? The red dots don't do it for me personally but maybe those too?

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

Yes, black ebony board or very dark rosewood. I wouldn't have the red dots for this guitar, but I'd have it on one of the other colourways I mocked up - black body, B/R/B guard, red numbers and lettering on the knobs, red switch, red dots on the neck. Either a Tele or a Strat.

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

Hmmm, no White Korina option in the neck builder. One for an email request I guess, if it ever comes to it.

 

[Updown]

Just so you know, those red dots on my neck are called 'Red Coral Stone'

Since I bought that neck, they have other inlays now.
The 'Bloody Basin Jasper' is even better than the Red Coral Stone.

Have a look at the inlay section with an Ebony fretboard  :headbang1:
http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/Inlays.aspx

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

Oh man. That is pretty sexy!

Feeling that a lot.

 

[Ddbltrbl]

+1 for Ebony & Bloody Basin Jasper!

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

It's definitely one to consider.

Did some tentative drilling yesterday. All I did was drill the pickguard holes, which went off without a hitch, but man was I nervous! I was incredibly careful though, masking tape on the body where I drilled etc. Satisfying to get right.

I have a question about how to locate the jack plate before I drill the holes for that. Is it just a question of doing it by eye so that it looks right next to the pickguard, or is there a certain distance the screw holes should be from the edges of the rout? Only there seems to be quite a lot of leeway in terms of where I could locate the jack plate and still have it covering the rout.