Help me recreate a guitar from my favorite player.

[psul42]

My favorite guitarist is the young Haruka Noma aka Hal-Ca from the prog-metal trio Asterism out of Japan. She has her own ESP Snapper custom with published specs: https://espguitars.co.jp/artists/34012/ . I looked into getting one of these made and imported by ESP, but it would be upwards of 9K all said and done to get it to me. So I have decided to recreate it with Warmoth parts.



It is the All Black one on the right that i'm interested to recreate. Here are the specs:

BODY Alder (Thickness 45mm)
NECK Hard Maple
GRIP SHAPE Slim U
FINGERBOARD Richlite®
RADIUS 305R
SCALE 648mm
NUT Carbon(42mm)
INLAY (Top)MOP Dot, (Side)Luminlay SGM-23
FRET JESCAR FW57110, 24frets
CONSTRUCTION Bolt-on (T-5 Ultimate Access/Brass)
TUNER GOTOH SG360-07 MG-T
BRIDGE ESP FLICKER-III
PICKUPS (Neck)Seymour Duncan SH-2n, (Middle)Seymour Duncan STK-S6, (Bridge)Seymour Duncan TB-15
PARTS COLOR Chrome
CONTROLS Master Volume, Master Tone, 5-WAY Lever PU Selector, Mix Variation Switch

So here are my current questions. What is the most economical way to get a jet black fretboard? I know Richlite is an off-menu option but it is pretty much as costly as black Ebony. Is there any other way?

Is the only way to really accommodate 24 frets to have a soloist body? I basically have surrendered to just having 22 frets.

I can't seem to get Luminlay side dots as an option with the neck im trying to make... what gives?

Folks agree that a Warmoth Gloss finish would match that the closest?

How should I get the neck finished? Say if I go with Richlite? do they mask off the fretboard when finishing the back of the neck? I know gettting the headstock painted is an off-menu option.

I'm gonna be a first time builder so any tips etc. you have for recreating a guitar I'd love to hear.

Now go watch some Hal-Ca in action because she is an extraordinary player:

thanks

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

If you really want a Japanese ESP guitar, it may be possible to buy direct from Japan, although it won't be particularly cheap. Did you see the standard "Snapper" models on the ESP website?

SNAPPER-AS

トップアーティストに愛用されるエレクトリックギター＆ベースメーカーESP GUITARS JAPAN

espguitars.co.jp

SNAPPER-AS DRIFTWOOD SERIES

流木のような表面が凸凹したドリフトウッド加工を採用したSNAPPER-ASです。

espguitars.co.jp

SNAPPER-AL

ESPが考えるスタンダードのひとつ答えがSNAPPERです。SSH配列ピックアップとバリエーションスイッチで多彩なサウンドを演出。フリッカー3トレモロ搭載。

espguitars.co.jp

 

[Rick]

Starting withe the Fret board get a black ebony Fret board. That's something Haruka chan would like, and there's a reason it's been used as a Fret board wood for the past 500 years. Of course there are more options but none will be pure black. You could get purple heart but you'd have to wait 10 years for it to blacken. It'll be black black until the end of time.

 

[stratamania]

I know Richlite is an off-menu option but it is pretty much as costly as black Ebony. Is there any other way?

Where have you got information that Richlite is an off menu option? I have not heard or seen that before.

You can put a 24 fret extension neck on a Strat or Soloist but neither will have the same sort of fret access as the ESP due to the cutaways. A shorter scale length in the 7/8 would give you better fret access and has 24 frets on a 24 3/4" scale.

Warmoth don't offer Luminlay but do offer glow in the dark options.

A finished headstock has to have a finished neck, I have one with a satin finish and a metallic black cherry headstock, the black ebony face of the fretboard is not finished.

https://flic.kr/p/2hnBW3T

 

[psul42]

Where have you got information that Richlite is an off menu option? I have not heard or seen that before.

You can put a 24 fret extension neck on a Strat or Soloist but neither will have the same sort of fret access as the ESP due to the cutaways. A shorter scale length in the 7/8 would give you better fret access and has 24 frets on a 24 3/4" scale.

Warmoth don't offer Luminlay but do offer glow in the dark options.

A finished headstock has to have a finished neck, I have one with a satin finish and a metallic black cherry headstock, the black ebony face of the fretboard is not finished.

https://flic.kr/p/2hnBW3T

I actually called Warmoth and asked. Richlite and painted headstocks are off menu options. its ~$170 for the Richlite.

 

[psul42]

If you really want a Japanese ESP guitar, it may be possible to buy direct from Japan, although it won't be particularly cheap. Did you see the standard "Snapper" models on the ESP website?

SNAPPER-AS

トップアーティストに愛用されるエレクトリックギター＆ベースメーカーESP GUITARS JAPAN

espguitars.co.jp

SNAPPER-AS DRIFTWOOD SERIES

流木のような表面が凸凹したドリフトウッド加工を採用したSNAPPER-ASです。

espguitars.co.jp

SNAPPER-AL

ESPが考えるスタンダードのひとつ答えがSNAPPERです。SSH配列ピックアップとバリエーションスイッチで多彩なサウンドを演出。フリッカー3トレモロ搭載。

espguitars.co.jp

I actually asked Trogly by email to help me import one. He asked his Dealer in Japan and they said they would not make one. I have no idea why. It also would be like 8K without even getting it overhere... so Partscaster it is.

 

[stratamania]

I actually called Warmoth and asked. Richlite and painted headstocks are off menu options. its ~$170 for the Richlite.

Okay, I know about painted headstocks, as I have one and it is published on the website. But I have not heard of anyone getting Richlite before.

I have to say though that that is quite a markup for something that can be obtained for $20

Guitar Fretboard Blank | BLACK DIAMOND | Richlite

The original color that quietly proved that Richlite was a great replacement for ebony on fingerboards for stringed instruments. Jet black like the best ebony available, inlays and frets pop visually against this fingerboard with no need to dye or stain visually inferior material. Low...

www.richlite.com

 

[psul42]

Where have you got information that Richlite is an off menu option? I have not heard or seen that before.

You can put a 24 fret extension neck on a Strat or Soloist but neither will have the same sort of fret access as the ESP due to the cutaways. A shorter scale length in the 7/8 would give you better fret access and has 24 frets on a 24 3/4" scale.

Warmoth don't offer Luminlay but do offer glow in the dark options.

A finished headstock has to have a finished neck, I have one with a satin finish and a metallic black cherry headstock, the black ebony face of the fretboard is not finished.

https://flic.kr/p/2hnBW3T

Yeah thats very close to the look im going for... blaker than black. Thats gonna be a sweet looking guitar.

Okay, I know about painted headstocks, as I have one and it is published on the website. But I have not heard of anyone getting Richlite before.

I have to say though that that is quite a markup for something that can be obtained for $20

Guitar Fretboard Blank | BLACK DIAMOND | Richlite

The original color that quietly proved that Richlite was a great replacement for ebony on fingerboards for stringed instruments. Jet black like the best ebony available, inlays and frets pop visually against this fingerboard with no need to dye or stain visually inferior material. Low...

www.richlite.com

Yeah I'm now torn between Richlite like Hal-Ca's guitar or real black ebony for $20 more. Apparently its a different process and rarely applied so it entails a premium.

Here is what im looking at: Body $600 (i splurged on chambered) Neck $700, SD pickups $350, Pickguard $30, Trem $100, Tuners $70. puls electronics and misc hardware.

 

[BroccoliRob]

yo I would def go 7/8 so you get that native 24 fret, even if the scale is slightly off ain't nobody gonna notice but maybe you and i have faith that u could adapt to it in like a couple of hours max, they feel totally legit.

like when I asked my gf to share the queen size comforter but she said she was the queen and therefore the blanket was at maximum capacity and I had to "get used" to just folding the flat sheet in half and wrapping myself in thst, and guess what? now it's great cause climate change gave us 95°(F) degree weather for weeks on end and who's laughing all the way to slumber time junction now?

 

[psul42]

yo I would def go 7/8 so you get that native 24 fret, even if the scale is slightly off ain't nobody gonna notice but maybe you and i have faith that u could adapt to it in like a couple of hours max, they feel totally legit.

like when I asked my gf to share the queen size comforter but she said she was the queen and therefore the blanket was at maximum capacity and I had to "get used" to just folding the flat sheet in half and wrapping myself in thst, and guess what? now it's great cause climate change gave us 95°(F) degree weather for weeks on end and who's laughing all the way to slumber time junction now?

So I saw that 7/8 stuff on the website and I thought it was for 7 or 8 strings! A .875 scale guitar is super intriguing! I'm checking it out now. I need ot find a picture of some side by side.

 

[stratamania]

So I saw that 7/8 stuff on the website and I thought it was for 7 or 8 strings! A .875 scale guitar is super intriguing! I'm checking it out now. I need ot find a picture of some side by side.

It's not the scale that is 7/8 it has a 24.75" scale like a Gibson and a normal Fender scale is 25.5". What is 7/8 is the body compared to a regular sized body.

 

[TimesNewRoman]

You could get purple heart but you'd have to wait 10 years for it to blacken. It'll be black black until the end of time.

Whoa, my purpleheart fretboard is going to turn black ? I had no idea but I might be happy about this.

 

[Hodgo]

Whoa, my purpleheart fretboard is going to turn black ? I had no idea but I might be happy about this.

I don’t know about that. Torrefied purpleheart is being used as an ebony substitute these days because it is a dark black color, but plain purpleheart usually just oxidizes to a rich dark brown like rosewood.

 

[psul42]

It's not the scale that is 7/8 it has a 24.75" scale like a Gibson and a normal Fender scale is 25.5". What is 7/8 is the body compared to a regular sized body.

Yeah I meant scale in the global sense not the guitar neck sense, poor wording. So yeah I looked into it and watched the video and I am intriuged for sure. I'm a bit scared though, this guitar will be VERY expensive and I don;t want some kind of white elephant noone wants if god forbid I need the cash. I also am hoping this will be my last guitar. I'm not a collector. I have my beat to shit 77 Strat and an Ovation acoustic I got in HS, a Harley Barton Fusion 3 I bought a month ago and thats it.

 

[Hodgo]

Oh - as far as a cheaper option to get an ebony color: you can stain the fretboard. There’s a few options - on the cheap side you can make a solution of steel wool and vinegar to make an ebonizing stain, or on the spendy side you could get something like the India Ink that StewMac sells for this exact purpose. Neither will look as nice as real ebony.

 

[Rick]

https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/preventing-color-changes-in-exotic-woods/

look at the section on purple heart. Maybe not black but it'll be dark dark.

 

[vernschrock]

I'm a bit scared though, this guitar will be VERY expensive and I don;t want some kind of white elephant noone wants if god forbid I need the cash. I

This is my opinion, so feel free to agree or not as you wish:

I don’t think most people come to Warmoth with the mindset that they can unload the guitar and get what they put into it. That won’t happen. You build a Warmoth because you can put together a guitar that YOU want.

And let’s be honest, this guitar is just an all-black Super Strat with the exception of chrome tuners and chrome bridge. As far as the provenance this guitarist will add to the value (while you think she’s awesome), will realistically be close to nil.

Sorry.

 

[Rick]

It’s always good to get inspiration from someplace to build a guitar…. Whether it’s a Japanese metal guitarist, a customer,old guitar, a sunset or your dog. It gives you a lodestar and impues the guitar with a spirit even if it’s subtle or done a million times before.

 

[stratamania]

Yeah I meant scale in the global sense not the guitar neck sense, poor wording. So yeah I looked into it and watched the video and I am intriuged for sure. I'm a bit scared though, this guitar will be VERY expensive and I don;t want some kind of white elephant noone wants if god forbid I need the cash. I also am hoping this will be my last guitar. I'm not a collector. I have my beat to shit 77 Strat and an Ovation acoustic I got in HS, a Harley Barton Fusion 3 I bought a month ago and thats it.

Sadly, almost any guitar made from a set of parts including Warmoth, whether they are 7/8 or otherwise, rarely has a high resale value. Often you will get more by selling the parts. So whatever you do, go into it with that in mind.

 

[Hodgo]

https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/preventing-color-changes-in-exotic-woods/

look at the section on purple heart. Maybe not black but it'll be dark dark.

I’d like to see a pic of an actual piece of purpleheart that has naturally reached that color.

Here is torrified purpleheart aka Royal Blackwood - https://alliedlutherie.com/products/royal-blackwood. I just don’t see an unprocessed piece reaching that color from just oxidization and UV exposure any more than I would expect a chunk of maple to caramelize itself.