My First Project - Quilted Maple Soloist with Duncans, Piezos, and GK

C

chazfilter

Newbie
Messages
8
I recently completed my first Warmoth project guitar, and I'm excited how she turned out.  My objective was to create the ultimate rhythm guitar for my needs.  Rather than switching between electric and acoustic guitars and sometimes a keyboard, I wanted a single guitar that could do all three.  I chose Seymour Duncan Parallel Axis Trembuckers to cover the string spread from the extra wide neck.  Both Duncans are wired in selectable series and parallel for flexibility in choosing a thin or thick sound.  The Ghost piezo/GK system provides a bright acoustic sound, a dark acoustic sound, and a GK-compatible signal to my guitar synthesizer.

I am primarily a bass player, so I love the feel of a wide, natural neck.  Thus, I chose a Superwide Warhead neck with wenge wood for comfort and pau ferro fingerboard for a balanced sound.  For a classy appearance, I tried to use only three colors - black, brown, and gold - avoiding chrome, silver, white, etc. as much as possible.  I chose abalone topped knobs to match the abalone dot inlays on the neck.  Single-piece quilted maple body with natural masked binding complete the good looks.

7517601126_e6470d2266_c_d.jpg

7517600424_d1c8e0d46b_c_d.jpg

7517601416_42ec7873ae_c_d.jpg

7517600730_e37af44353_c_d.jpg

7517597140_2af13fbb2a_b.jpg


Additional pictures are available on my flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8316711@N02/

Here's the specs in complete detail:  :party07:

TRIFECTA – Soloist Style Guitar
Three color theme:  black, brown, and gold
Three pickup types:  magnetic, piezo, and GK-synthesizer

Assembly and modifications by Doug Frye of Dmara Custom Guitars & Repairs.

Warmoth Body:
- Flat top Soloist – Showcase Body
- Solid, one-piece quilted maple body
- Tobacco sunburst finish on both front and back (finished by Warmoth)
- Natural masked binding
- Original routs for Wilkinson tremolo, two humbuckers, and battery box
- Additional rout for GK 13-pin jackplate & interface

Warmoth Neck:
- Warhead Superwide (1-7/8” nut width)
- Wenge neck & pau ferro fretboard (unfinished)
- Standard thin profile
- Gold GD6150 frets
- Graph Tech black TUSQ XL nut
- Abalone dot inlays
- Gold Warmoth headstock decal

Hardware:
- Gotoh Wilkinson VS-100 tremolo (mounted flat for dive only)
- Sperzel satin gold locking tuners
- Stacked gold metal & black plastic pickup rings and custom neck plate
- Gold knobs with abalone inlays (to match neck dot inlays)
- Schaller gold strap locks & Slick hand-painted guitar strap
- Optima Maxima gold strings, 10-46
- Miscellaneous gold hardware

Electronics – magnetic pickups:
- Seymour Duncan PATB-2B Distortion Parallel Axis Trembucker bridge pickup
- Seymour Duncan PATB-1N Original Parallel Axis Trembucker neck pickup
- Oak Grisby 5-way, 4-pole superswitch, wired as follows:
  Neck series / Neck parallel / Neck+Bridge series / Bridge parallel / Bridge series
- Fender TBX tone control
- Bourns 500 ohm volume pot with push-pull switch to bypass piezo preamp (Duncans only)

Electronics – piezo-electric pickups:
- Ghost piezo saddles for Wilkinson tremolo
- Ghost Acoustic-Phonic preamp
- Acoustic volume pot with push-pull switch to select either normal or dark acoustic tone
- ON/OFF/ON gold switch to select pickups:  magnetics only, magnetics + piezo, or piezo only

Electronics – Roland/Axon-compatible GK-synthesizer signals:
- Ghost Hexpander GK-interface electronics
- Ghost GK 13-pin output jack
- Hexpander MIDI volume pot
- ON/OFF/ON gold switch to select outputs: guitar only, guitar + synth, or synth only
- Dual momentary switch to select either program up or program down

Sorry for rambling, but this is my first time.  :icon_biggrin:

Bass-ically,
Chaz Filter
 
swarfrat said:
Nice - what's on the other end of your 13 pin cable?
Click to expand...

The GK 13-pin cable feeds my Roland GR-20 synthesizer.  Until recently, the GR-20 was the only synth that handled both guitars and basses.  I chose it since I also have a factory original Lakland 55-94 5-string fretless bass with a GK output.  The new Roland GR-55 synth looks appealing, but I have a few bills to pay first.  :laughing7:
 
chazfilter said:
Sorry for rambling, but this is my first time.
Click to expand...
Never ever need to be 'sorry for rambling' when you show spec's etc like you have.  :icon_thumright:  ..... and pic's too.

Oh and Welcome aboard to Warmoth guitar-aholic's  :laughing7:

Nice guitar  :guitarplayer2:

I've built 2 and (one in process) with internal GK-3 kits. Plus have a Mex Roland Ready Strat.
Use these with my Roland VG-99 and GR-55, combine both with the US-20 ...... Great fun  :icon_biggrin:
The Cigar / GK-3 ..... http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=16573.0
Redback / GK-3 .... http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=17680.0

If you end up getting a GR-55, I would still KEEP your GR-20.
As they are different units and you could still combine both the GR-20 and the GR-55, using a US-20.

:rock-on:
 
Updown, nice job with the Cigar and Redback, both functional and stylish. :icon_thumright:  Even your control cavity looks great with all of the GK electronics included.  I think I'm one of the few people who actually understands all of the controls on Redback.  :icon_biggrin:

I like how well you hid the GK pickup wire in your guitars.  I decided not to have the luthier rout another separate hole for the six piezo cables; instead, he notched the black plastic pickup ring that is stacked under the gold ring and fed the cables through that hidden slot.

Given my experience with GK pickups, I personally like having two push button switches for the Select-Up and Select-Down instead of a momentary switch.  The only change I made while having "Trifecta" built was to not install the two gold push buttons I originally purchased and to stay with the original (horrors!) Ghost nickel momentary mini-switch:

http://www.thecustomsabershop.com/Gold-Plated-Momentary-Switch-P470.aspx

Yes, for this project, I actually purchased guitar parts at a Star Wars light sabre website. :sad:  The Ghost Hexpander & Acoustic-Phonic boards, although very small, only fit well in the same spot that I planned to place these push button switches (near the bridge).  Unfortunately, the Oak Grisby 5-way Superswitch consumed too much space in the cavity for the alternate location of the two push buttons. :(  I fruitlessly searched the Net for anyone with a gold momentary mini-switch, but to no avail.  My "O-C-drop-D" is finally accepting that three switches do not needed to look identical. :laughing7:
 
I routed my piezo wires through the bridge. Totally invisible. Took a diamond file and enlarged the slots in the baseplate. Was tedious and slow, but it looks nice.
My build thread is here. (It's really long though - pretty pictures are at the end)

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=14549.120 
 
swarfrat said:
I routed my piezo wires through the bridge. Totally invisible. Took a diamond file and enlarged the slots in the baseplate. Was tedious and slow, but it looks nice.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, swarfrat.  I've bookmarked your build page for if, rather, when I do this again.  You did a lot of extra work to hide the piezo cables, but it looks much better for that effort.  Hmmmm, the Paulocaster Jr. has wenge neck, gold locking tuners, gold frets, Ghost Acousti-Phonic & Hexpander system, sounds somewhat familar, eh? :laughing7:
 
After going 20 years without a trem, a trem body came up in the showcase and I grabbed it. After playing with it some, I've decided, I really don't need a trem at all. And if I ever do another piezo guitar it will NOT have any kind of tremolo whatsoever. I took the bar off already. I'm debating blocking the trem.
 
That's frickin' awesome, the front and back lam is sweet. Don't see that but once in a blue moon... :icon_thumright:
 
You knocked that out of the park, first build, or no first build. There are too many things I like to mention but I like the way the neck wood works with the colors in the burst. That pulls it all together for me.
 
Death by Uberschall said:
DangerousR6 said:
That's frickin' awesome, the front and back lam is sweet. Don't see that but once in a blue moon... :icon_thumright:
Click to expand...

The back is not a lam,......................
Click to expand...
Solid wild maple... :dontknow:
 
Thanks to everyone for all of the kind words.  The main item that stopped me from doing this years ago was the fear that it may not turn out as desired.  Instead, I actually enjoyed the long upfront planning & re-planning and the "present on Christmas Day" anticipation of playing it the first time.  I have purchased many different basses and guitars over the years, but it is a much greater feel when one hand picks the parts for a unique instrument to fit one's specific needs.

I also respectfully wish to tip my size 7¾ hat to all who do their own woodworking, metalworking, and other handcraft in addition to planning and assembly.

Now for the words my wife does not want to hear:  "Hey dear, I want to do another one... or two, or ..."  :laughing7:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Bruce Campbell
Planning for 2-humbucker Strat
2 3
Replies
54
Views
1K
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Reverse angled Strat bridge pickup - my anecdotal experience
Replies
19
Views
417
oliviaadair
oliviaadair
xld
Strat style for a jazzier style.
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
JohnnyHardtail
JohnnyHardtail
F
My "Anniversary" Soloist Build
Replies
9
Views
3K
PFDarkside
P
G
Guitar of the Month - July 2022
Replies
0
Views
1K
GOM
G
Back
Top