Hello Everyone

[DocNrock]

Some of you may remember me.  I used to love hanging out on this board and talking guitars with all of you.  Then, I tracked my car and instantaneously was seriously bitten by the track bug.  Dropped pretty much all previous web-based activity for car and track websites/forums, and didn't touch my guitars for a few years.  I did still lurk here on occasion, though.  Love seeing all the incredible looking custom Warmoth axes. 

The track phase has gone and I've been back into guitar for a few months now, shaking off the proverbial cobwebs.  I hope to spend more time on this forum.  The people here were always incredibly cool.

So, how is everyone?  ccasion14:

   

 

[SustainerPlayer]

We got GAS.  :laughing7:

Welcome back. 

 

[jackthehack]

Nice to see you back!

 

[DangerousR6]

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

Good to see you again.  Of course we remember you.

 

[Orpheo]

Been busy! Went to see seymour duncan, larrivee and warmoth (my favorite USA companies!) and I'm starting Orpheo Guitars right now. just as a change of pace  :guitarplayer2: glad to see you're still up 'n running!

 

[DocNrock]

Thanks for the warm replies, guys.  Of course I remember those of you who posted above.  I've been lurking occasionally throughout the past few years.  The G/BOTMs have been incredible.

I remember Jack had an entire room full of guitars.  Is it now two rooms? 

Are you still making custom neck plates, Doug?

That sounds like quite the undertaking, Orpheo.  Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. 

SustainerPlayer has GAS?  What are you thinking of making?

Speaking of GAS, 30 years of playing (on and off) and I've never really owned an acoustic.  I've been wanting one recently and I remedied that a couple of days ago.  Picked up a Martin GPCPA5 at Guitar Center.  Traded in a bunch of old gear and had a Verizon rebate card burning a hole in my wallet.  Also had a store-wide 15% off coupon from their website.  Got the guitar and a Roadrunner case and still had a balance left on the rebate card when I walked out the door.    It's an MIM, but you'd never know it.  Fit and finish are 100%, and to me, the tone is fantastic.

 

[Orpheo]

Thanks for the warm replies, guys.  Of course I remember those of you who posted above.  I've been lurking occasionally throughout the past few years.  The G/BOTMs have been incredible.

I remember Jack had an entire room full of guitars.  Is it now two rooms? 

Are you still making custom neck plates, Doug?

That sounds like quite the undertaking, Orpheo.  Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. 

SustainerPlayer has GAS?  What are you thinking of making?

Speaking of GAS, 30 years of playing (on and off) and I've never really owned an acoustic.  I've been wanting one recently and I remedied that a couple of days ago.  Picked up a Martin GPCPA5 at Guitar Center.  Traded in a bunch of old gear and had a Verizon rebate card burning a hole in my wallet.  Also had a store-wide 15% off coupon from their website.  Got the guitar and a Roadrunner case and still had a balance left on the rebate card when I walked out the door.    It's an MIM, but you'd never know it.  Fit and finish are 100%, and to me, the tone is fantastic.

it is I'm making Les Pauls (what else?!) but in any combination of woods, pickups and specs. For example, ash body, maple neck, ebony board and a tele setup. Or alder, maple, rosewood, jazzmaster bridge, jazzmaster bridge pickup, jaguar middle and neck... or a cleaner version of PRS' singlecut modern eagle. All within the range of 1k-2k$. All bespoke. Just for the fun of it.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

SustainerPlayer has GAS?  What are you thinking of making?

I'm currently about to make these two projects.

A 8 ball sustainer guitar:

I have a Fernandes 85s which will be the main donor for the sustainer system.

And a 80's inspired one pickup soloist:

Still contemplating the neck for that one. Thinking bubinga with kingwood fingerboard and black sharkfin inlays. 24 frets.

And then there is that Candy Red Starcaster with white bindings I can't get out of my head ...  :doh:

 

[DocNrock]

@Orpheo - I was wondering if it was going to be a Les Paul boutique, but I thought it wise to let you say it!  Post pics!

@SustainerPlayer - That 8-ball guitar is sweet.  Reminds me of one I saw on this board when I first joined.  IIRC, a Brit named Jim?  But his didn't have a Sustainer.  The single pup Soloist looks sweet, as well.  Single volume control/no tone control, as well?

Regarding the Sustainer, I built a VIP a while back that I put a Sustainiac in.  Fun toy! 

 

[mayfly]

Welcome back!  Tired of the track?  Oh well.

I have I think the only 8 ball telecaster in existence.  It's pretty cool 

 

[DangerousR6]

@Orpheo - I was wondering if it was going to be a Les Paul boutique, but I thought it wise to let you say it!  Post pics!

@SustainerPlayer - That 8-ball guitar is sweet.  Reminds me of one I saw on this board when I first joined.  IIRC, a Brit named Jim?  But his didn't have a Sustainer.  The single pup strat looks sweet, as well.

Regarding the Sustainer, I built a VIP a while back that I put a Sustainiac in.  Fun toy!

Yip, Jim did have the first 8 ball, and it was the first neck plate I made for someone else. And yes, still making plates Doc, just did 3 over the weekend..

:icon_biggrin:

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

Been busy! Went to see seymour duncan, larrivee and warmoth (my favorite USA companies!) and I'm starting Orpheo Guitars right now. just as a change of pace  :guitarplayer2: glad to see you're still up 'n running!

Orpheo Guitars?  Photos of prototypes?  You know, all the stuff we'd all like to know about custom builders?  ccasion14:

 

[DocNrock]

@ Mayfly:  Thanks for the welcome.  Not really tired of the track, per se.  Still love it, but have to put things into perspective.  Tires and brakes add up fast.  Now I understand why a lot of people track Miatas.  There are three desirable characteristics to a race car:  fast, cheap, and reliable.  You can only have two.  I would go through a set of tires every three track days.  Now consider that I have done over 25 track days.  Front brake pads, the same.  Even front rotors only lasted 18 track days.  So now when I go, it is more laid back and I'm not pushing for that last 1/10th of a second.  At least my guitars have been there waiting for me.  :icon_smile:

@DR6:  Those are cool!  Love the Black Dog Pawn Shop one.  This past December I just got re-connected with the guys from my old band from back in the early 90s.  Just sent a pic yesterday to our other guitarist of your neck plate with the dead dancing bear!  He loved it! 

 

[DangerousR6]

@ Mayfly:  Thanks for the welcome.  Not really tired of the track, per se.  Still love it, but have to put things into perspective.  Tires and brakes add up fast.  Now I understand why a lot of people track Miatas.  There are three desirable characteristics to a race car:  fast, cheap, and reliable.  You can only have two.  I would go through a set of tires every three track days.  Now consider that I have done over 25 track days.  Front brake pads, the same.  Even front rotors only lasted 18 track days.  So now when I go, it is more laid back and I'm not pushing for that last 1/10th of a second.  At least my guitars have been there waiting for me.  :icon_smile:

@DR6:  Those are cool!  Love the Black Dog Pawn Shop one.  This past December I just got re-connected with the guys from my old band from back in the early 90s.  Just sent a pic yesterday to our other guitarist of your neck plate with the dead dancing bear!  He loved it!

Cool Doc... :headbang1:
And exactly why I never did track days with my R6, takes too much of a toll on parts and parts aren't cheap. I've often thought of a spare bike just for track, but there just aren't any tracks close enough to me to sink the money into it.. :-\

 

[Orpheo]

Some pics of the prototypes...

I make Les Pauls, all by hand. But, it's not like a gibson, at all. The only thing like gibson is perhaps the ebony board and maple top. I source my mahogany from Honduras, my necks are indian rosewood (standard, if matched with a maple top). I also 'fender-ize' the les paul, by using a body of ash or alder, with a neck of maple with an ebony board (rosewood can also be done). tele or strat setup, or a jagmaster setup (jaguar pickup in neck and middle, jazzmaster in bridge, with a jazzmaster tremolo). Unconventional? you bet. Tone? hell yeah. Affordable?! Absolutely. Tone and playability are the priorities. Looks are secondary. The finish is french polished shellac, so don't expect the polished turd look. Seymour Duncan pickups (my own design humbuckers, 'standard' fender singlecoils, my design p90's). gotoh hardware, cts pots and switchcraft switch + jack is standard as well as a hiscox case.

Uhm what did I mention. Oh, pricing. Won't tell on this forum, cause that'd be inappropriate. I think?

Frets: you chose your favorite.
scale: standard is 24.75, to keep that LP feel.
headstock angle: 12 degrees.
neck angle: 3.5 degrees. (in other words: the tip of the headstock is higher than the plane of the back of the body, so if the guitar lies flat on the table, it lies FLAT on the back: not partially on the body and on the headstock!).
backplates: ebony, grafted on steel, held in place by magnets.
2 way trussrod
ebony headstock veneer is standard.others are optional. Trussrod cover is also attached with a magnet.


Docnrock; sorry for the slight hijack!

 

[MikeW]

Welcome back. I think the best way to sum up what's happened while you've been away is this: The more things change, the more things stay the same.

 

[DocNrock]

Very cool, Orpheo.  So if I understand correctly, you are building the bodies and necks yourself?  Excellent workmanship.  It must take a while to crank out one of those.  What are you using for truss rods?  Interesting idea to secure the covers with magnets.  I assume the one(s) on the back cover don't interfere with the magnetic field of the pickups.  Are these bolt-on or set-neck? 

So you have Seymour Duncan making you your own pickup?  That's cool as hell.  Can you tell me more about specs?  Output, EQ, 2 or 4 conductor, overall sound?

@MikeW:  Actually, that is good to hear.  Some forums start out awesome, then something changes as they get larger and trolls show up.  This happened on the GT-R forum I was on.  In the beginning, most everyone was cool as hell.  Over the last couple of years, some to many of the newer members displayed "undesirable" forum behavior.  A good number of them were also quite outspoken about it.  It really brought the forum down.  Even though I steered clear and was never a target, I pretty much stopped posting.  Then I just stopped visiting altogether.   

 

[Orpheo]

Very cool, Orpheo.  So if I understand correctly, you are building the bodies and necks yourself?  Excellent workmanship.  It must take a while to crank out one of those.  What are you using for truss rods?  Interesting idea to secure the covers with magnets.  I assume the one(s) on the back cover don't interfere with the magnetic field of the pickups.  Are these bolt-on or set-neck? 

So you have Seymour Duncan making you your own pickup?  That's cool as hell.  Can you tell me more about specs?  Output, EQ, 2 or 4 conductor, overall sound?

Great questions.

I do make everything myself. Nothing is done by CNC, all by hand. It takes me approximately 2 months, but since the work is so streamlined I can crank out 3 guitars a month, right now. Trussrods are LMI's double action trussrods. The magnets I use are so small, they don't interfere at all The maple neck versions are bolt on (to tie in with the fender feel and tone) the others are glued in. but much, much deeper and totally different than Gibson or PRS. maybe a bit like Huber, but still... very much my own.

SD makes my pickups. Only the humbuckers are totally my design. I use 3 versions. Two bridge pickups and one neck. that neck pickup is a crossbreed between the jazz and the 59. maple spacer. 2 or 4 conductor whatever you want. Alnico 2, 3, 4, 5 or even 8. The first bridge pickup is a cross between the jb and the fullshred. the second the pearly gates and the custom. same mag choices.

the neck pickup in its basic form is smooth yet very clear and articulate. Flute-y overtones and harmonics are rich and the feel is fluid but very accurate.

The pearly based pickup is gnarly, sweet and rude with a push in the mids. 'brown' ish tones but also with enough sizzle and cut to do so many tones besides just 'brown'.

The JB based pickup is hot, screaming yet fluid, so crunchy but never harsh. The highs are very articulate and with so much cut, the mids push and the lows are TIGHT. There's nothing this pickup can't do. With the tone I can roll off the highs and make it a bit more 'vintage' in its tone and response.

I tweak the tone to match the player, the chosen woods and the desired tone via the magnets and some minor tweaks inside the pickup.

The 59/Jazz is slightly hotter than the 59 itself, and I can 'boost'it a bit with the alnico8 magnet. that pickup works in all setups and is a great bridge pickup on its own with singlecoils or p90s or even minihumbuckers if so desired. I'm also having a few singlecoils made to my design. Completely unique, totally different. Think jazzmaster jangle, tele bite and bark and twang, strat quack. But that's just for my personal guitar, just for fun.

 

[DocNrock]

Very nice, Orpheo.  That's cool as hell.  :headbang1: