Got my custom walnut guitar...experienced builder/luthier help!

[Vejichan]

Ok got my walnut guitar today. Can you guys check out the guitar and see if there are any problems or anything seems off.
Here are a few things I noticed
1) the distance between the bridge pickup to the Floyd is a little far...is this a problem?
2) the neck is 24 fret and..take a look at the way the neck is attached the body.. It's a little high? Now is this something I can fix? To make it deeper to the body.
( I originally was going to use my Suhr gig bag to put this guitar in...but the neck sticks out. So I am forced to use a different bigger bag)
3) the volume knob isn't low enough to the body...can I fix this?
4) the body is walnut ..I expected it to be heavy. I asked the builder to use black walnut and that it would be a solid body. Now is there anyway to tell if it is a solid body not chambered?
4) when I got it.. The strings were too close to the frets.. A little truss rod action and it's ok.l still some dead spots on the upper register.. Is this normal?
5) also the control cavity? Should it be this wide?looks like too much wood was taken out

anything else..now all this is nitpicking

Here are the pics






Thanks.. Also should the control cavity be routed out like this? Looks like too much wood was taken out





What do you think? Is it a good build?

 

[Cagey]

1) the distance between the bridge pickup to the Floyd is a little far...is this a problem?

Doesn't look far to me, but it's tough to tell with such a large shot. It's typically 3/8" to 1/2", so measure it and see if it falls in that range. Regardless, an 1/8" or so one way or the other is not a game-changer. Plus, you want some wood there to solidify the bushing mounts for the bridge posts, otherwise you risk stress cracks.

2) the neck is 24 fret and..take a look at the way the neck is attached the body.. It's a little high? Now is this something I can fix? To make it deeper to the body.
( I originally was going to use my Suhr gig bag to put this guitar in...but the neck sticks out. So I am forced to use a different bigger bag)

Again, it's tough to tell without measuring if you want an exact answer, but it appears to me that it may be an optical illusion since the fretboard wood is the same shade as the neck wood. Makes it look taller. Standard neck pockets are .625" deep, so you could pull the neck and check that. Also, most neck surface edges end up ~5/16" from the body surface,  so you could measure that as well.

You can have the neck pocket floor lowered, but then you'd have to lower the bridge as well. It's already recessed, so you may not have room to do that.

As for your gig bag, whaddaya gonna do? Some cases/bags fit, and some don't . If that one doesn't, you'll need to replace it.

3) the volume knob isn't low enough to the body...can I fix this?

Sure. It looks like a set-screw knob, so you just loosen the set screw, lower the knob, and re-tighten it. If the pot's sitting too high so you can't lower the knob, you can pull the pot, raise the backup nut, and reinstall it so it'll sit lower. The knob will follow it down as far as you put the pot.

4) the body is walnut ..I expected it to be heavy. I asked the builder to use black walnut and that it would be a solid body. Now is there anyway to tell if it is a solid body not chambered?

All wood weights vary. Some dramatically. Swamp ash is a good example - two bodies of the same design can vary by as much as two pounds. I think it's a pretty safe bet your body wasn't chambered by mistake; it's not a trivial process. Anybody who does that would want to charge substantially for it. If you're worried about tone, don't. There isn't a great deal of difference between solid and chambered bodies, and bodes in general don't have as much to do with electric guitar tone as is often touted. If it were me, I'd be thankful for a Walnut body that didn't weigh a ton. You won the lottery.

4) when I got it.. The strings were too close to the frets.. A little truss rod action and it's ok.l still some dead spots on the upper register.. Is this normal?

Not really what I'd call "normal", but it's not unexpected. New necks always have some variation in fret height, some more than others. They're usually close enough to play well, depending how close you like your action. But, getting them perfect requires some serious attention, and neck manufacturers don't often spend that time because it's expensive and not always appreciated. They're more interested in manufacturing and selling necks, which is good. Leave the fine work to the owners and their support people. I'm a super-picky fret guy, so to me nearly every neck looks wrong from a setup point of view, but not every player or setup guy is like that. Many will tolerate variations that would drive me nuts.

5) also the control cavity? Should it be this wide?looks like too much wood was taken out

Looks like a standard rear control cavity to me. You just don't have much in there, so it looks drafty.

What do you think? Is it a good build?

Looks like a very good build to me. I'm surprised you're picking at it. Is there some reason you're pissed at the builder?

 

[Vejichan]

1)so you guys can clearly tell the body wood is black walnut? and the neck is quartersawn 1 piece maple neck? what grade? how could you tell?
2) is there anything i can do to have the neck move deeper to the body? or is it ok to have it the way it is now?
any other problems? again nitpicking because its my first non suhr and non tom anderson guitar
thanks

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

That's a stellar looking build.

If it plays great, intonates well, feels, and sounds great, I cannot perceive any problems.

 

[mayfly]

It looks like a great build to me.  If it plays well, intonates, and sounds good then I think you're done.

 

[Strat Avenger]

'Looks normal to me.  If you wanted the neck lower in the pocket, you should have ordered the .720 mod. It's a bit late now to try and change that.

 

[Timmsie95]

As pretty much everyone has said, the neck looks fine to me.. your neck pickup may be lower than what you're used to, so it seems high? Maybe? :dontknow:

 

[swarfrat]

Also, that's Walnut. The only crime here is bursting Walnut.  :sad:

 

[Timmsie95]

Also, that's Walnut. The only crime here is bursting Walnut.  :sad:

Agreed. I like walnut natural with tru oil finish.. pops out the grain, and the semi-gloss sheen looks beautiful on darker woods.

 

[Wolfie351]

Looks like you got a two piece quartersawn neck.  No skunk stripe and what, from the side view, looks like a faint fingerboard line.  Don't forget that black walnut refers to the actual nut, not the coloring of the wood.  I've got a huge black walnut tree in my backyard and am quite familiar with the droppings.  Both kinds of walnut wood comes in a variety of colors and figuring, I'd be impressed if someone could tell the difference just by looking at a finished piece.  I think a rear Tele control round would have been preferable. 

 

[Vejichan]

Thanks,,so what grade do you guys think the walnut and the maple is? Do you think this walnut needed a top? Any problems also any advice to improve this guitar?

 

[dmraco]

There really is no grade for that neck.  It is not flame or Birdseye.    Only those types of maple get a grade.  It's simply quartersawn

Same is to be said for the walnut.  Unless it has some figuring, it would not normally be graded.

I know the body is not warmoth but is the neck?  Fret heights are usually very good.  If you have a dead spot the the neck action, and bridge height.  If that does not fix it start checking the effect areas frets with a straight edge.  I have NEVER had a high fret on a warmoth neck.

 

[swarfrat]

Perhaps this should be reiterated:

Looks like a very good build to me. I'm surprised you're picking at it. Is there some reason you're pissed at the builder?

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I'd be careful not to overthink it.
It's a great guitar, looks like it was assembled/setup well.

Plug it in, turn it up, and put some hours in with it! :guitarplayer2:

 

[Vejichan]

Can anybody verify if the body is 100percent solid black Walnut and the neck is 100percent quartersawn maple?

 

[mayfly]

Can anybody verify if the body is 100percent solid black Walnut and the neck is 100percent quartersawn maple?

Hmmm.  As others have said, black walnut affects the color of the nut - not the wood.  So no on that one.
Quartersawn?  Sure looks like it, but hard to know without the neck in your hands.

If you don't mind me asking, why are you worked up about it?

BTW - nice hello kitty and shiny shoes in the background.  Sure glad I have boys. 

 

[Cagey]

Not easily by looking at it. For the body, you'd probably have to have it x-rayed to see if it's solid. For the neck, you could look at the back grain or pull it and look at the end grain. This will show you what to expect...

 

[Vejichan]

But Is the body walnut? And the neck maple? I think I might have a dud

 

[aarontunes]

Vejichan: Neither the body nor the neck pictured in your OP are Warmoth products. If you have a beef with their quality or the specs, your best bet for help and information is to take it up with the whoever made them. The folks here have offered you about as much help as they can, based on your pictures.

 

[Cagey]

I think we're going in circles here.

I've had some conversations with Mr. Vejichan and his concerns relate to the amount he paid to have this guitar built and the quality of the instrument he received. Understandable, of course. But, I've explained that some of what he's asking simply isn't something that can be determined with pictures, and that as far as anyone can tell he got what he asked for. As far as anyone has been able to tell, it's a well-built and attractive instrument made of the materials specified. Past that, some third-party involvement might be the best way to get a professional determination.

Since I've had some complaints, I'm just going to lock this thread rather than remove it, so it'll still be here for reference. I don't think there's any more to add that would be of any value.

Of course, Mr. Vejichan is still a member in good standing with all the privileges accorded to any member. I'm sure we all look forward to hearing what the final determination is on this instrument.