L5S Koa/Korina

[willyk]

It's not wired up yet. The house is starting to fill up with kids and their kids, various relatives, musicians and other dedicated party animals so the soldering iron is going to have to stay cold till after the holiday.

So here's a quick look. Every one of you have a great Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate, stay safe and well and take care of one another.  ccasion14:  Cheers.  Willy

 

[ibob74]

Looks very nice willyk, can't wait for you to hear it so you can tell us about it.

Happy Holidays to you and yours also.

 

[ibob74]

Take a look at what Carvin just came out with...!

 

[brain21]

As much as I love Carvin guitars, it starts at around $1600 and you really don't get much as far as choice of woods.  In fact, no choice at all.  Mahogany body, flamed or quilted maple top.  You can build almost the same guitar w/ Warmoth for several hundred less:

M425 (L5S w/ nicely flamed maple top) = $349
Equiv neck = $500
Hardware (tuning pegs, pickups, wiring, bridge, etc.) = ~$400

So you have roughly the same guitar for arounf $1250 give or take.  That's a $450 savings, unless having a carved top is worth the extra $450 to you (and to some it certainly is).  Oh, and the Carvin is a set neck too, which may be a plus.

Just a thought....

Brain21

 

[Nando Vallart]

Nice guitar, as always, Willy! =)
My L5S body arrived somewhere nearby february  :icon_biggrin:

 

[willyk]

I am aware of Carvin from various magazines and the web but I don't think I've ever actually seen one. I know they are pretty lefty friendly which I am of course in favor of but I don't have a clue what their quality is like. That certainly looks like a nice guitar and from this corner of the planet $1600 is Epiphone money. :dontknow:

 

[RLW]

I wish it was a righty.

:toothy12:

 

[willyk]

I wish it was a righty.

:toothy12:

:laughing11:

 

[simple]

Pretty top!  :icon_thumright:

 

[brain21]

I am aware of Carvin from various magazines and the web but I don't think I've ever actually seen one. I know they are pretty lefty friendly which I am of course in favor of but I don't have a clue what their quality is like. That certainly looks like a nice guitar and from this corner of the planet $1600 is Epiphone money. :dontknow:

I've played (but not owned) probably about 6-10 different Carvin Guitars (including 1 bass).  I can't think of a single bad thing to say about any of them!  Not all of them were necessarily to my taste style-wise, but they are VERY well made guitars and do sound great.  Though I think the overall shape of a PRS is more appealing to me, I would go for one of the Carvin California Carved Tops over a PRS anyday, and I've never played one myself, only read reviews!  They quality is easily on par with the PRS, and it's somewhere around 1/2 the price!  I'd really love to try one of the Holdsworth Fat Boys one day.

Carvin is competitive with Warmoth in that you get an instrument that is of (IMHO) *better* quality than something like a PRS for often LESS than 1/2 the price.  You have so many more custom options with Warmoth & Carvin than with your normal "name brand" guitars.

As far as Warmoth vs Carvin, it really is a matter of preference in a lot of cases.  Warmoth doesn't have a Holdsworth FatBoy, or the acoustic electrics, or any of the neck-thru guitars that Carvin has, and Carvin doesn't have NEARLY the options as far as wood, paint, mix & match woods, necks, bodies, etc. that Warmoth has.  Carvin has no Thin-line teles, and nowhere near the different body shapes that Warmoth has.  In the end, I think it's a matter of personal preference really.  If I had the money I'd have about 3 or 4 Carvins, and about a dozen Warmoths!!!

Carvin does send their guitars to Guitar Player and other magazines for review.  I'd love to see Warmoth send some completed guitars to the mags for reviews.

Back to the L5S discussion in this thread...  Have you gotten it wired up yet?  I am thinking of pretty much the same as what you've got, and I'm dieing to hear a good description of what the guitar sounds like tone-wise, and what other sounds/guitars you'd compare it to!

Brain21

 

[willyk]

Thanks for the Carvin info Brain :icon_thumright:

I hope to get to the L5S next week. I have gotten myself a bit side tracked with house guests and the arrival of another body/neck combination which, according to my daughter, is much more important than "another left handed one of yours"

 

[TroubledTreble]

It's a beauty allright! Another fine build there willyk. But those backward pictures mess with my brain. :tard:

Had a chance to plug it in yet? How does it sound?

-TT-

 

[willyk]

It's a beauty allright! Another fine build there willyk. But those backward pictures mess with my brain. :tard:

Had a chance to plug it in yet? How does it sound?

-TT-

When I get it wired up I hope it will sound great! At the moment it sounds like a Danelectro with hepatitis :icon_jokercolor: :icon_jokercolor: :icon_jokercolor:

I'll put it in the gallery next week after I've given it a road test. Hope you can handle some more backward pictures :doh:

 

[RLW]

When I get it wired up I hope it will sound great! At the moment it sounds like a Danelectro with hepatitis :icon_jokercolor: :icon_jokercolor: :icon_jokercolor:

I'll put it in the gallery next week after I've given it a road test. Hope you can handle some more backward pictures :doh:
[/quote]

Backwards? I remember the first time I went into Southpaw Guitars. I had my neck turned at a 90 degree angle the entire time I was there.

 

[willyk]

Well I'm sure looking forward to you winning that lottery RLW.....my neck's gonna feel just fine!  :guitaristgif: :guitaristgif: :guitaristgif: oh boy!

 

[willyk]

Finally, I got a chance to wire this sucker up. First off I fitted a pair of push/pull pots to split the JB and Jazz model Duncbuckers but I didn't like the split sounds very much so I decided to save the pots for something else. This is so different to anything I have done before it's not funny. The hollow bodies I have already built have been a) right handed, for other people  b) strat and tele contoured bodies and c) fitted with standard thin necks.
This fella has a boat neck, binding, two f holes and is the right (wrong?) way round! Anyway plugging it in was a revelation. Acoustically of course it's heaps more resonant than a solid although it would never be mistaken for a real acoustic. I thought it might be a bit muddy before I wired it up, hence the coil split experiment. No way muddy....very JUICEY! It's got a great honking tone with the gain up and great jangly clean rhythm tones when you clean it up. It also produces lovely feedback if you want to get a bit naughty.
I'm going to really enjoy getting to know this stranger, It's still just roughly set up and needs the usual tweaks, but I couldn't resist putting it on the board.

 

[Xplorervoodoo]

Wow...  She's quite a beauty  :icon_thumright:

 

[Nando Vallart]

Hummmm :icon_scratch: I believe there is a problem on your computer, mate..... well, the pic is reversed  :icon_biggrin:

Nice build Willy, one more time!!!! I can't wait to have mine in hands (I have ordered it solid in the end hehehehehehehe hollow-fear)

 

[willyk]

Hummmm :icon_scratch: I believe there is a problem on your computer, mate..... well, the pic is reversed  :icon_biggrin:

Nice build Willy, one more time!!!! I can't wait to have mine in hands (I have ordered it solid in the end hehehehehehehe hollow-fear)

Are you saving yourself for a thinline perhaps?

 

[m4rk0]

That looks great Willy!!
I wish it wa... oh never mind  :-\ :sad1: