Hello there! Lots of Q's about my first project

[juliancs]

Howdy folks!
After becoming eternally frustrated with my floating bridge and having saved a decent bit of money from my job, I have decided I don't want to settle on a branded guitar anymore, I'd like to make it exactly how I want it. I have thousands of questions and so was hoping you folks could help me out a little here. Forgive me if these questions are asked a lot around here.

1. The "VIP" body is pretty much a PRS style body, right?
2. Is it possible to get the recess around the area where the tone/volume knobs will go? Similar to this: http://www.prsguitars.com/custom/img/main4.jpg
3. Back contour of the neck - at the moment I have an LP and an Ibanez S series. Ibanez is to thin and the LP is slightly to thick. Would the wolfgang be a good choice then? I'm unsure of what an asymmetrical neck feels like.
4. About the neck material, as an alternative to the maple neck/rosewood finger board, could I go with a Padouk neck/kingswood board? Is that a similar sound? I prefer the look of those woods.
5. Is it possible to get a one piece mahogany body with a one piece quilted maple top?
6. How specific can I get with the finish? I want a deep, dark green dye on it, with about a 1 1/2" burn over around the edge...

Here is a little table of what I'm working on:
BODY
Style           VIP
Material Mahogany (One Piece)  + Quilted Maple (One piece)
Control “Fender” Style
Bridge drilling Gotoh 510
Binding None

NECK
Style Warmoth “pro” construction
Head Warmoth
Frets 22
Inlays Mother Of Pearl Dots
Orientation   Right handed
Frets SS6105
Back contour “Wolfgang”
Tuner Holes Gotoh
Neck wood Padouk
Fretboard wood Kingswood
Neck finish Satin
Peghead Black
Binding None


Paint Green dye, with burst stopping about 1.5” form the edge of the guitar. Back painted black


HARDWARE
Bridge G510C
                Installation of studs + angling
Tuner Machines SG38LC
                SG38RC
Capacitor CAP1
Copper Shielding Z35
Humbucker mounts HBRM1C (ARE THERE METAL ONES THAT ARE CURVED?) x 2
Jack MJ1
Jack Plate FBJ1C
Knobs RTK1C x 3
Pots CTS500 x 3
String Retainer BR1B
Switch MS2
Wiring WK1


Many, many thanks in advance.

Julian Culme-Seymour

 

[chuck7]

I'll give it a shot

1. The "VIP" body is pretty much a PRS style body, right?
Based on the PRS yes, exactly the PRS, no.

2. Is it possible to get the recess around the area where the tone/volume knobs will go? Similar to this:
Call and ask to be sure, but probably not. 

4. About the neck material, as an alternative to the maple neck/rosewood finger board, could I go with a Padouk neck/kingswood board? Is that a similar sound? I prefer the look of those woods.
The general consensus on this board seems to be that Canary is the closest substitute to maple.  I think Padouk is thought to be closer to Mahogany.  I have a Padouk neck on order, and I have no experience with Canary, so I am only repeating my understanding of what others here have said.  Regarding the finger board, people seem to say that it doesn't effect your tone that much, so you are probably safe to just get what you think is pretty  :icon_thumright:

Also, the big advantage of Padouk or Canary is you can play it raw, so you can forgo the satin finish you mentioned.  When I ordered my neck, the guy I spoke to said that Warmoth won't finish Padouk anyway because its a bitch to finish, and it doesn't need it.

5. Is it possible to get a one piece mahogany body with a one piece quilted maple top?
As of a few weeks ago when I ordered, they were not doing carved tops out of quilted maple.  Apparently do to a lack of both tooling and material.  Given that, I'm guessing that you probably can get a one piece back, but you wont be able to get a quilted carved top unless you buy one that is in the showcase already.

6. How specific can I get with the finish? I want a deep, dark green dye on it, with about a 1 1/2" burn over around the edge...
From what I have seen here, I think you can specify that you want an extended burst over, but the colors they offer are the colors you get.  You might be able to get the depth and darkness you want by doing both a green dye and a trans green finish, but I don't know that for sure.

 

[juliancs]

Very quick!! Thanks for your reply, despite it being full of disappointments . You don't make them sound very accommodating! Not wanting to do something because it is a lot of work? The thing is I live in Singapore and so am worried the humidity will kill the unfinished neck . Also, the reason I want a one piece top is because I HATE HATE that split line down the middle of them. Looks like a mistake, to me.

 

[chuck7]

You have to remember, Warmoth rides a fine line between "Custom Shop" and "Replacement Parts Vendor".  The amount you will pay to custom order an entire guitar seems like a lot to you and me, but compared to what you would pay, say Fender, for the same amount, or less, customization Warmoth is cheap. 

 

[Orpheo]

singlepiece quilt is not really possible. quilt maple billets are just not wide enough. flamed maple: perhaps. Just bare in mind that you will have to barf up some major dough....

 

[juliancs]

Flamed or quilted I don't really mind, just is there away to avoid that dreaded line? Or at least ensure it's a piece where you can't see it?
http://www.music-man.com/jp_BFR7.html
http://www.music-man.com/jp_BFR_barritone.html (like this!!  :hello2
http://www.music-man.com/jp_BFR.html

I'm thinking about getting a forearm contour on the VIP body? guessed which guitar I'm modelling after yet?

 

[chuck7]

If the symmetrical pattern on those you linked is what you are looking for, a one piece top is not going to get you there.  All three of those guitars are still book matched, they are just done so very very well so that the pattern matches perfectly (at least on the ones they used to take the photos)

You are in luck though if you are ok with flame.  You can use the One-Of-A-Kind top option and pick the exact top wood you want. 

http://www.warmoth.com/guitar/bodies/vip.cfm

Scroll to the bottom.  Several of the Flame ones look to match up perfectly. 

the Burl top for $995 extra is extraordinary.


As for the forearm contour, the VIPs are carve top only I believe, so I don't think you can get it with a forearm contour.

 

[juliancs]

Basically, I don't want the "obvious" line, like a picture that does not match up. Either one piece, or symmetrical. Does warmoth only offer symmetrical ones in the "one of a kind" category?

Cheers guys, you've been great so far!

 

[dbw]

Something like this?

http://www.warmoth.com/showcase/sc_guitar_bodies.cfm?type=guitar&start=1&itemNumber=VIPP113&menuItem=9&subMenuItem=0&subMenuItem2=0

 

[juliancs]

Something like this?

http://www.warmoth.com/showcase/sc_guitar_bodies.cfm?type=guitar&start=1&itemNumber=VIPP113&menuItem=9&subMenuItem=0&subMenuItem2=0

To turqoisey..don't want binding . Is the more "A"s i have in the grade, the 'closer' the line will be?

 

[GoDrex]

Something like this?

http://www.warmoth.com/showcase/sc_guitar_bodies.cfm?type=guitar&start=1&itemNumber=VIPP113&menuItem=9&subMenuItem=0&subMenuItem2=0

anyone not happy with that is way too picky or has too much $$ in my opinion

 

[juliancs]

Yea, the line there is grea (is that what you meant? I was only staring at the colour ). My problem is that its a hit and miss, eh?

 

[chuck7]

If you order without specifying a top, its luck of the draw I think. 

 

[nathan a]

My understanding is that the tone of padouk is very similar to maple, not mahogany. There's a guy on youtube with an LPS with a padouk neck and humbuckers, and it definitely sounds maple-y.

 

[Orpheo]

well, this is the top I got when I ordered an AAAtop:

but these are tops aswell:

its just so incidental. they cant really specify 'perfect match' because when the wood is uncarved, it might match up perfectly, but get a bit mismatched when carved.

those MM's you posted, have that 'line' too, very clearly by the way. if you say that this:

doesnt match, thats true. but to dismiss a perfectly fine, good guitar, just because that 'line', thats, imho, just ridiculous.

I have by the way, a padouk neck, and its really like maple, It plays like rosewood though! you have to play on it a while to make it even more smooth, but well... I was spoiled by my ziricote neck...

 

[juliancs]

Thanks all for your replies! I will see about the "line", and guess I will just make do, eh!.

About the padouk neck/kings wood board. It's just that a maple neck & rosewood board is bright/warm, and by warmoth's charts, padouk is bright and kingswood is warm. I just would like a dark neck if possible. I'm not sure whether to paint the headstock black or not. Did anyone else get so paranoid about their project the first time? I'm just so worried it's going to be... "wrong" .

Also, I'm looking at all the guitars on the warmoth galleries. It seems the ones with high A numbers (what does this mean?!) have better symmetry at the line...does this have anything to do with it? I assume a 5A quilt top is going to cost me like 1000 US?

Thanks so much so far, much faster and more informative than the sales staff . This is all very exciting!

 

[Orpheo]

Thanks all for your replies! I will see about the "line", and guess I will just make do, eh!.

About the padouk neck/kings wood board. It's just that a maple neck & rosewood board is bright/warm, and by warmoth's charts, padouk is bright and kingswood is warm. I just would like a dark neck if possible. I'm not sure whether to paint the headstock black or not. Did anyone else get so paranoid about their project the first time? I'm just so worried it's going to be... "wrong" .

Also, I'm looking at all the guitars on the warmoth galleries. It seems the ones with high A numbers (what does this mean?!) have better symmetry at the line...does this have anything to do with it? I assume a 5A quilt top is going to cost me like 1000 US?

Thanks so much so far, much faster and more informative than the sales staff . This is all very exciting!

to be a bit 'paranoid' is very, very understandable. we had it all, and trust me; it's addictive!!!!


about those high a's: the more A's as a grade, the more flame, the more quilt, and the better the symmetry is. the les paul I posted, the sunburst, will be an AA top, my purpleburst is a 5A top, the quilt a 4A top, the fireburst a 4A or 5A, the tobacco 3A or maybe even a 4A top. PRS would call all of them by the way a 10-top...

about padouk/kingwood. kingwood is not really 'warm'. Rosewood is warm, but kingwood is a bit brighter, bit more middy than rosewood. Kingwood/padouk will sound awesome, thats for sure. the kingwood will give it a nice rounded sound with some edge. if you wanna have a nice, fat, howling tone, take wenge, bubinga or rosewood. your sound wont be a mush or too bassy with these woods (paired with a kingwood,ziricote or, my favorite, ebony boards), it will be just nice and warm and round, but still clear and open.

the fact that the 'one of a kind hand picked tops' are very, very expensive, has to do with the fact that

a: they are one of a kind
b: are some of the nicest tops around
c: they have to be selected, photographed, etc etc.

I'd leave the headstock clear, just as is. C'mon, you're buying an exotic neck, to paint it is just... a crime! quilt tops arent there anymore, they're phased out, because supplys are so limited. Perhaps they can do a 1/8'' laminate on normal maple, but I doubt that. Flame is more likely, or just keep an eye on the showcase

the idea that it can go terribly wrong, I had that too. But just look at my purpleburst. that was my first one, and its my mainaxe right now. just make sure you have everything inyour order: neckplate, screws, pots, tuners, nut, bridge, switch, etc etc etc. You really dont wanna go to your dealer around the corner to get crappy stuff because you forget them in your order. oh, and dont forget the headstock decals!


oh, by the way: I get the feeling that you're a real nitpicker about your guitar (which is gooooooddd!!! hahaha), make sure, unless its intended, you match up all the hardware correct: gold jackplate, gold neckplate+screws if bridge and pickups and tuners are gold. or nickel, or chrome, or black, etc etc.


just my $0,02!

 

[juliancs]

thanks mate. Yea the hardware is all chrome!!

Back to the neck...the kingswood is as warm as brazilian rosewood, on their meters. And the padouk is as bright as the birdseye maple, on their meters  :icon_scratch:.

 

[spauldingrules]

"That line" will TOTALLY ruin the tone of the guitar.  Don't you know about that???

 

[Kostas]

5. Is it possible to get a one piece mahogany body with a one piece quilted maple top?

Everything is possible with Warmoth, but... Only the body will be way over than $1000. Also, the quilt maple carved tops are very rare these days and very expensive. One piece tops are also very expensive. A couple months ago they had three Les Pauls in the showcase with one piece maple tops. Their prices were $899 & $1149. VIP's are limited in the showcase so waiting for the "perfect" top is not an option for you. You should make an order and ask for a top with symmetric lines. I don't know if they can do that but I understand your requirement. I have three bodies (2 quilts + 1 flame) and all have symmetric tops. Though I bought all of them from the showcase and I knew what I was getting.

Good luck :glasses10: