Help me have some fun with my next build.

[mrpinter]

I finally sold the JW Van custom S type guitar that was a great playing/sounding guitar but was unfortunately made NOT to my specs I gave the builder. So as soon as my Paypal money clears into my checking account I'm going to order parts for a Warmoth style replacement instrument. (Bummer that Warmoth doesn't accept Paypal...) I'm going to replace the JW Van, but not necessarily duplicate it's features and components. My only real requirement is that it must have three single coils to get those Strat 2 and 4 position tones you can't get on anything else. That leaves the choice very wide open. (It goes without saying that the guitar should have good ergonomics and be cool looking).

Play along with me... if you were to order the pieces for a guitar to fit my requirement(s) - what would you order? I might show you a few of my BodyBuilder mockups later, but I'm nervous about someone seeing one-only Showcases items and building MY guitar before I do. So what would you build?

 

[Cagey]

If I was building a new Strat today that I wanted to play well and sound more or less "traditional", I think I'd go with an Ebony over Canary neck with SS frets in whatever dimensions make you happy, attach that to an Alder body finished however that makes you happy, with a Wilkinson vibrato and either a set of Bill Lawrence's NF singles or a set of GFS' True-Coil singles, wired into a single volume/tone setup.

 

[mrpinter]

Thanks for playing along. I kind of like those ideas. My trouble is I like a lot of things (different woods, finishes, etc.). What I am set on are: Warmoth Pro standard thin neck that's 1-11/16" at the nut. I also like Wilkinson vibratos. I don't necessarily need a "traditional" Strat sound, I just want to make sure I have those quacky 2 and 4 positions covered.

Just curious, what is it about canary that you like? I've no experience with it. I have two Goncalo Alves necks that I love the smooth ("waxy" I guess) feel of, but am open to lots of other ideas. Heck, I'll even do maple

 

[Cagey]

Canary behaves sonically very much like Maple, but it doesn't require a finish so it feels better.

 

[stratamania]

It goes without saying, so I won't say it but will type it instead that you will need a five way switch at least to meet one requirement.

If it's 1 11/16" I might give one of those LSR nuts a try.

Pickups I like noiseless, perhaps a Kinman set.

 

[mrpinter]

Thanks for the ideas, Stratamania. I don't mind a bit of single coil hum (but then I use pedals a lot, which make their own noise), and I'm thinking about trying out a set of Bartolini Strat pickups on this one. I had a Novax Expression fanned fret guitar with Bartolini soapbars in it and they were fantastic pickups. Ralph Novak uses almost nothing but Bart's, and he knows his tone.

 

[bagman67]

Gotta back up Cagey for the ebony-on-canary neck - I am very very happy with mine on my green 'Hog.  You can get some really nice coloration in canary if you hold out for it: 

 

[mrpinter]

Nice looking neck, Bagman. There are a couple of nice ones in the Showcase now. Question: why is ebony on canary better (or different) than canary on canary? They're both bright toned hardwoods.

 

[bagman67]

Personally, I like the tight grain of ebony for a fingerboard.  And black goes with everything.

 

[Cagey]

Nice looking neck, Bagman. There are a couple of nice ones in the Showcase now. Question: why is ebony on canary better (or different) than canary on canary? They're both bright toned hardwoods.

It's much denser. A good chunk of black Ebony almost feels like plastic, it's so dense. But, that's not necessarily "better", it's just different. Satine (Bloodwood) is nearly as dense, but it is red so you have to have a body finish that won't clash with. Canary fretboards feel good, too. Not as dense as Ebony or Satine, but denser than Rosewood or some of the other popular fretboards. I have a Canary over Canary neck on the L5S in my sig, and it's wonderful. A good choice, if you want something more "woody" looking.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

The perfect srtat? I already build that.  :sign13:

To be fair - the guitar ended up differently from what I first envisioned. Putting together a lot of nice parts doesn't necessarily end up "perfect" so one has to be ready to continue the journey after the first assembly.

The important points for me here:

Pau ferro neck - ebony board. Standard thin. 6130 frets. Basswood body. Suhr FL standards (now they are called ML). No tone pot - volume pot out of harms way. Wilkinson VSVG trem. Planet waves auto trim tuners. Graphtech nut. 

Not so important but still: Candy Tangerine, ebony board and gold hardware looks killer.  :icon_thumright:

But it needed a couple of neck swaps and some other minor adjustments to "get right". IMO and all that.

 

[stratamania]

Yes if you don't need noiseless there's a whole range of choice available and Bartolinis have a good reputation. What kind of body colours are you thinking of ?

Black Bartolinis set against Koa, with black hardware and a Pau Ferro/Ebony neck combo would look quite nice I think.

 

[TBurst Std]

I have canary over canary and love it.

 

[mrpinter]

Hey guys, thanks for your input. This was fun. Here is what I just pulled the trigger on (Photoshop mockup of actual parts is attached below):

Swamp ash on swamp ash chambered 7/8 S body, black-brown-yellow burst, 3 lbs 5 oz!

Rosewood on maple 7/8 neck, 6115 frets and clear gloss finish

black Wilkinson vibrato bridge

the rest of the parts will be the next order. Here is how she looks:

 

[Cagey]

Nice! You're gonna love that thing!

 

[mrpinter]

Thanks Cagey. I forgot to mention the pickups. I'm going to put in a set of Bartolini Strat pickups, black shell. I had a set of Bartolini Soapbars in a guitar I owned, and loved them. Very articulate and punchy. So I'm confident they'll sound great. And if they don't, pickups aren't hard to switch.

 

[stratamania]

That's going to look rather nice I think  ccasion14:

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Oh ... those 7/8 beasts ... 

 

[mrpinter]

"The waiting is the hardest part". I was just told that it takes 4 to 5 weeks for the neck finish. Sheesh!

 

[greywolf]

Mahogany body / figured walnut top , ebony fretboard , abalone markers , gold hardware .