Maple top, Honey Burst, Velocity - Code name: Bee

[sdeeg]

I very much appreciate all the responses I received on this forum as I was planning this build. I ultimately decided to forego the idea of a LP style control setup as it would ultimately be somewhat crowded. I don't generally name my guitars, the closest being my partscaster that I call The Strat of Theseus, but this one invoked ideas of a bee and when I found the truss rod cover it cemented the idea. It's also a bit of a homage to my grandmother who was always called Bee and used a bee as her signature on the many (many!) paintings she did. But I digress.

Chambered Velocity body, roasted alder body and maple top. I should have called W and upgraded to extra light as it came in at a somewhat disappointing 3.76lbs. I'm such a wimp about weight these days! Drilling the holes for the controls was a fun exercise and allowed me to try a non-standard configuration. I'm actually really enjoying the controls. It's still a work in progress though as I've decided I'm not a fan of the neck, and already have a new on on order. I've also replaced the chrome pickup rings, although I'm thinking of making some custom ones along with a back cover. Opinions on a good color appreciated! (The chrome was to much bling, black is a little stark, cream doesn't look good at all.)

Anyway, pictures are worth a thousand words (in person the edges are much more amber than red).

 

[bagman67]

Very handsome work, and a wonderful tribute to your grandmother Bee.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

Neck looks fine in the pics. What is the reason for changing it?

 

[ghostrider25]

That truss rod cover really ties it together!

 

[sdeeg]

Neck looks fine in the pics. What is the reason for changing it?

Good question. W has so many interesting and intriguing options, but it's impossible to know what you like without actually playing things for a non-trivial amount of time. In this case I got the Gibson scale, Wolfgang profile, and based on Aarons thoughts in one of his videos the 41mm nut width as the best compliment for the profile. This instrument is a replacement for a Les Paul Studio, so these choices seemed sensible, and I also copied the white pearloid trapezoid inlay from the LP. When it came I finished it with hand rubbed shellac as I've done with all the other necks I have finished, and that came out fine (although I still need to do some touch up) and put on a set of Gotoh SG301-MG-Ts.

Short story long, I've enjoyed playing it more than the LP, and I get why you'd use the narrower nut with the Wolfgang profile, but while it's interesting, I'm not sure how much I personally dig it. I also think the white pearloid is a bit stark on the otherwise warm color scheme and the maple headstock didn't tie in as well with the clean line on the body as I had expected. Cue me browsing the W site (which I do way more then is good for my pocketbook) and thinking I'd really like to try an exotic wood neck that I can run unfinished. Then it hits me - a canary wood neck with rosewood fretboard and the nightswan inlay pattern in gold pearloid sure would look spanky with this body. I can get the feel of an exotic wood neck, widen the nut a mm and get a feel for 42, and go back to my preferred thin profile. Click click click ... and a new neck is on the way.

I LOVE how Warmoth has so many interesting options that you can really customize and tweak your instruments!
I HATE how Warmoth has so many interesting options that you can endlessly fuss and tweak your instruments! <maniacal laugh/cry emoji>

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

The neck makes sense. The 1.625” nut seems more suited to those who have tiny fingers, so its seems like a risk. I don’t mind the white perloid blocks at all, but I definitely be watching out for the nightswan gold inlay.