Hello all! Suggestions?

[Garrett]

Found this site a while ago and decided to make an account tonight, so hello all!

Well I'm planning my first build and so far I have a couple of options:

Pau Ferro on Mahogany (showcase) WGD body with Mahogany neck ( haven't settled on a fingerboard wood yet ) and I also haven't settled on pickups. If I custom order it though, like I kind of want to I could get HHH routing, I'm hoping to get a soft sweet but powerful tone mainly for jamming (Funk/blues/jazz/whatnot).

OR

A Strat. Alder or Swamp Ash with a Birdseye Maple neck and some Fralin blues specials or Kinmans. I would probably cover the same genres, Funk-Blues-Jazz jams.

Keep in mind I play a Jaguar which is (contrary to the popular belief) quite versital and I can get lots of SRV tones on there (chitlins con carne and such) which I love and that is one reason I'm kind or leaning toward a soft sweet humbucking sustaining guitar.


Input is appreciated!

-GW

 

[Nando Vallart]

I believe this decision is up to you...
What do you use more? Try to play with a 335 or LP and see if you like it or not...

 

[Garrett]

I've played with a Studio and an SG which I like both, I've also played with a Strat which I very much enjoy.

What do you think of the wood choices, nothing special but I think it'll work.

-GW

EDIT: And, I forgot to add. Is there anything in particular I should know about building a Warmoth? I've taken apart my beater quite a few times and have rebuilt it with no problems, cracked it open and modded some of the wires ( I'm a MAJOR tinkerer  :icon_biggrin: ) I feel that's enough experience, or am I wrong? haha

 

[koshersteel]

howdy,

 The two guitars you describe would be very different and I'm sure in time you'll have both. I the mean time, either can be designed to cover many sounds and styles which is convenient when you don't want to change guitars mid-jam.

 I'd vote for the WGD body. Mahagony is a great warm tone wood and if you added a 25.5" neck you'd still get a lot of that Fender "snap". I'd go with a raw Rosewood neck for a great smooth playability and an Ebony fretboard to brighten up the sound and your presence in the mix. You'll have lot's of options with 3 humbuckers so trick out the electronics with coil splits and series/phase wiring.

 It seems like you have a better idea of what you are looking for with the Strat design. I'd definitely choose Swamp Ash over Alder, it's just a more resonant wood. You might want to consider putting a Fralin Humbucker in the bridge for thicker solo tones. You may also want to consider a Rosewood or Pau Ferro fretboard on the Birdseye maple to warm up the sound.

 What kind of bridge do you want, hard-tail or trem?

 

[koshersteel]

Building a Warmoth is easy. Fine tuning the action can be a little tricky. Check out Dan Erlewine's book "Guitar Player Repair Guide, 3rd edition", you can probably find it at Borders. It is essential reading for everyone on this forum and has everything you need to know and then some.

 

[Garrett]

Cool, will get that book.

Definately a trem though on the Strat on the WGD a TOM would very well suffice.

Haha, yes in time both will be mine...

 

[blue313]

Check out Dan Erlewine's book "Guitar Player Repair Guide, 3rd edition", you can probably find it at Borders. It is essential reading for everyone on this forum and has everything you need to know and then some.

Huge +1.  Killer reference material!

Welcome to the boards!  I agree that you have two vastly different instruments mentioned there.  Both equally cool with huge potential.  However, there's a good chance you'll be able to build that strat off the showcase with a minimum of custom options.  Having one in hand will help you make decisions on the other.  Just my 2 coppers.

 

[gnome]

those pau fero WGD bodies are delicious, thats what i would pick (biased post)

 

[kboman]

Well, there are lots of strats in this world - I'd definitely build the WGD! It would also give you broader sound options together with your Jaguar. And humbuckers are better. (biased post  :icon_biggrin

 

[Garrett]

Haha double biased posts huh?

Sounds cool though guys thanks for the input. I think I'm going to start ordering parts here soon  :icon_thumright:

I'll keep y'all updated!