Mooncaster ?'s

[rauchman]

Greetings,

I picked up a Gibson Midtown late last year and LOVE the sound out of it (my best sounding guitar).  It has tuning issues, which allows me justification to think about building a Mooncaster.  I don't know about you, but the smallest smidgey widgey of real or made up justification is enough to think about a new guitar.  I understand construction wise, they are very similar.  Basically a big piece of mahogany that is routed/chambered and a maple cap.

Mooncaster ?'s.....

Assuming 2 standard humbucker size routes are used, is the spacing between the routes the same distance as say a Gibson Les Paul?  I've seen some pics where the routes look closer together.  Almost like a 24 fret 25.5" scale guitar where the pups are more squished together to fit the 24 frets......like a 24 fret PRS, Ibanez, Charvel, etc.

Can a Mooncaster with binding be ordered without a finish?

How does one access the toggle switch electronics if the option for the lower horn placement is selected?  In the pics I've seen, it doesn't look like there is a cavity accessible from the rear of the body.

Lastly, any chance someone could show the size of the body relative to a 335 or similar?

 

[spe111]

What are the tuning issues with the Gibson? If I were you, I might fix that and build a more different guitar, justified by the fact that I want a different guitar.

I'm pretty sure you can order binding with no finish. Don't know the answers to the other questions.

 

[rauchman]

What are the tuning issues with the Gibson? If I were you, I might fix that and build a more different guitar, justified by the fact that I want a different guitar.

I'm pretty sure you can order binding with no finish. Don't know the answers to the other questions.

Basically, the guitar goes out of tune while playing it, very tempermental.  Not sure if it's the nut, tuners or other.  The G and B strings seem to be affected the most.  Otherwise, it may just be my fav' guitar of the ones I own ('75 LP Deluxe w/ standard hb's, '92 LP Custom, late 90's MIM Strat, mid 2000's G&L USA Legacy Special, 2016 Ibanez S770PB).  The sound is just delicious.  I think the neck is asymmetrical and plays so nicely.

 

[Cagey]

I can't answer the pickup spacing question accurately, except to say I don't remember any oddities in that area.

I believe all Mooncasters get binding by virtue of their construction. They can be had unfininished, but for as good a job as Warmoth does and as little as it costs, you've really gotta want something they can't/won't do to justify passing up their offerings.

There's no access cavity for that lower horn toggle placement, and installing that switch is no fun, but it's doable.

They're slightly smaller than a 335. Finding a case that they'll fit in is a bit of a challenge.

 

[rauchman]

I can't answer the pickup spacing question accurately, except to say I don't remember any oddities in that area.

I believe all Mooncasters get binding by virtue of their construction. They can be had unfininished, but for as good a job as Warmoth does and as little as it costs, you've really gotta want something they can't/won't do to justify passing up their offerings.

There's no access cavity for that lower horn toggle placement, and installing that switch is no fun, but it's doable.

They're slightly smaller than a 335. Finding a case that they'll fit in is a bit of a challenge.

Very much appreciated.  Thank you.

The only reason for an unfinished body would be to reshape the heel into something like what Ibanez or the Fender Elite series uses for their heel.

 

[1960es]

I am planning on getting a mooncaster...already have the neck waiting for it but haven't pulled the trigger. I will add that I "think" binding is optional because it looks like some for sale now do not have it. Of course, I might not be looking at them correctly.

 

[Fat Pete]

Binding is the default option because double-lam tops are the default and that double seam apparently needs hiding.

As you say though, quite a lot of unbound non-double-lam tops go through the showcase. IIRC The Aaron posted a while back stating that custom orders are possible - you wouldn't be able to pick from the UC tops though and, if you wanted a fancy piece of lumber on the front, availability could be limited and prices probably on the high side.

 

[Ace Flibble]

I've inquired before and yes, binding is optional if you e-mail or phone in your order and you opt for a simple wood top which can be done with no lamination. (Or at least it was when I lasted checked in with them, which admittedly was a little while ago.) I don't know why they make it mandatory even with a laminated top, though, since you still see the lamination through the f-holes and other routings. And why they can't just let you order no binding but with a solid finish to cover the lamination instead, I've no idea. In terms of actual construction stability the binding isn't serving any purpose; those laminated tops are glued on solid and aren't going to go anywhere.

I just replied to another thread on the pickup board about matching tone to a Gibson archtop, a Dot, and much of the same advice applies to matching a Midtown; match the construction as close as possible, then tweak the tone with slightly different pickups to compensate for the areas of construction which can't be made identically. It's not hard to make a Mooncaster match a Gibson archtop, you just gotta use your brain and compensate electronically for the bolt-on neck, slightly smaller body, etc.


BTW there's no reason why OP's Gibson Midtown should have trouble staying in tune. The tuners, bridges, and nuts on those are good and even if there was a technical fault with one of those parts, buying a replacement part for that guitar will be far cheaper than trying to duplicate the guitar with a parts build. I'll also add that in my experience the vast majority of tuning issues come down to the user simply not stretching out the strings and lock-wrapping them to the posts properly. When there is a technical fault to blame it's very rare and always immediately obvious, as it's very hard to not notice a tuning peg that has had its gears stripped, a nut slot full of debris, or a bridge that is wobbling around.
I highly recommend you scrutinise your restringing technique before you go blowing a big wad of cash on a parts build which may well be completely redundant. There's no such thing as a guitar which falls out of tune magically; there will be an explanation for why your guitar is going out of tune regularly and that explanation is very likely to be far simpler (and cheaper) than you think.

 

[rauchman]

I just replied to another thread on the pickup board about matching tone to a Gibson archtop, a Dot, and much of the same advice applies to matching a Midtown; match the construction as close as possible, then tweak the tone with slightly different pickups to compensate for the areas of construction which can't be made identically. It's not hard to make a Mooncaster match a Gibson archtop, you just gotta use your brain and compensate electronically for the bolt-on neck, slightly smaller body, etc.

Could you expand on this?  How does a bolt on neck flavor tone?

Also, this thread is not about the tuning issues on my Midtown.  It is about the Mooncaster.  Let's keep it there please.

 

[swarfrat]

The best way to fix the tuning issues is to take some sandpaper, starting around 200 grit, and sand that 'Gibson' logo off the headstock. That alone should improve things quite a bit. Then refinish.

 

[rauchman]

The best way to fix the tuning issues is to take some sandpaper, starting around 200 grit, and sand that 'Gibson' logo off the headstock. That alone should improve things quite a bit. Then refinish.

Yeah, that's really helpful and on target to the questions about the Mooncaster.