My new Velocity build

[PumpinIron]

Okay, so I've been wanting to build something different for a while, and I settled on a Velocity body.

I found this one in the Warmoth showcase. It's a chambered body with a Zebrawood top, swamp ash body, ivory binding, and a honey burst finish.

I'm going to put Seymour Duncan Antiquity P90 pickups in it, and a Warmoth neck.

It's going to have a Gotoh TOM bridge setup with a stop tail and all the hardware will be chrome. I ordered it with Strat controls, though I'm debating whether I need two tone switches or just one tone and one volume.

I've done a quick mockup to show what it should look like for the most part. I'm thinking of having the headstock on the neck painted with honey burst to match the body.

 

[rgand]

That's beautiful. A matching headstock would really be nice. Congrats.

 

[PumpinIron]

That's beautiful. A matching headstock would really be nice. Congrats.

I'm talking to Warmoth about making me a Zebrawood neck, but leaving the fretboard unpainted, while painting the back of the neck and the headstock in honey burst to match the body. That seems like it would be very cool.

I'm only concerned that Zebrawood may be really heavy for a neck. Not sure how much heavier than maple it is.

 

[Cagey]

Zebrawood is a little heavier than Maple, but not terribly so (50 lbs/ft3 vs 44 lbs/ft3) and Maple isn't a very heavy neck. I have a Bloodwood neck that's double the weight of an equivalent Maple neck (2 lbs. vs. 1 Lb) and I don't notice it, so you should be in good shape with only a 13% bump.

The Velocity is a great player, too. Very comfy. I put 3 Strat-type pickups (Fishman Fluences) in mine and single vol/tone for that. Plays and sounds great.

 

[PumpinIron]

Good to know! I'm going to stick with a solid Zebrawood neck then, and have them paint the headstock honey burst to match the body. I'll do an ivory binding on the fretboard to match the binding on the guitar.

I like the look of these Velocity bodies, I wish I had discovered them sooner (I was too hung up on Strats and Teles). The chambered body should make it a bit lighter too.

I might just ask them to change it to a single tone and volume. I've got it with two tone switches right now, but I don't think I'll need two of them with the P90s.

Warmoth's showcase is a dangerous place to spend time, I'll say that much.

 

[dmraco]

Nice concept.  You may want to consider the 24.75 inch scale.  These Velocity bodys are a bit smaller and the slightly shorter neck matches up well

 

[PumpinIron]

Nice concept.  You may want to consider the 24.75 inch scale.  These Velocity bodys are a bit smaller and the slightly shorter neck matches up well

Oh yeah, I've decided on a 24.75" scale for sure! I agree completely with what you're saying.

 

[PumpinIron]

Here's a mockup with a headstock that is painted to match:

 

[Cagey]

That's so fine!

You probably already know, but I'll mention anyway, Zebrawood often has finer and more numerous grain lines than what's showing up in either of those pieces. So, your neck may actually look scaled a little different in that regard. In other words, even though it's much smaller, it may have the roughly as many grain lines as the body, rather than the more sparse lines you have pictured.

 

[PumpinIron]

That's so fine!

You probably already know, but I'll mention anyway, Zebrawood often has finer and more numerous grain lines than what's showing up in either of those pieces. So, your neck may actually look scaled a little different in that regard. In other words, even though it's much smaller, it may have the roughly as many grain lines as the body, rather than the more sparse lines you have pictured.

I know, and that's the part that I think I have to leave up to Warmoth. I just told them to find me a piece of Zebrawood in which the headstock might have somewhat similar lines to the body.

I realize they aren't going to match up perfect, but if we can get it close enough, I'd be happy. That mockup was just a sample of the body I used in Photoshop and put it on the headstock. So it's just me being optimistic with that mockup, haha.

Of course I think that the body matched headstock is what's going to really going to make it pop!

 

[Cagey]

I don't know. As I was writing that, I wondered if what I was describing might not look kinda cool. In any event, I'm positive the whole thing is gonna be kickass.

 

[PumpinIron]

I'm pretty excited about it. I'm glad I stumbled upon this body!

Now with the Seymour Duncan Antiquity P90 Soapbars I have, how would you wire these things?

• Two volumes and two tone knobs and three way switch(Les Paul controls)
• One volume, two tone knobs, three way switch (Stratocaster style controls)
• One volume, one tone knob, three way switch (Telecaster style controls)

Also, what do you suggest for pots, 250k or 500k? This will be my first P90 guitar, so I'm not sure what most prefer with P90s.

 

[Cagey]

One volume, one tone knob, three way switch (Telecaster style controls).

I always use 500K audio taper long shaft pots on everything unless I'm forced to do otherwise. Some worry that with single coils that pot spec may be too bright, but the difference is minimal and you can always adjust it out if you have to, whereas you can't regain lost high end if you deliberately throttle it with undersized (250K) pots. Leo wasn't right about everything  :laughing7:

Also, I meant to mention it earlier but got distracted, but at this stage of the game it's probably not too late to change if you're interested. You have a Warmoth headstock pictured, and the Vortex headstock is very similar except the tuner mounting holes converge toward the top a little closer together, so you end up with a straighter string pull. Straight string pull is desirable for stable tuning. Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[PumpinIron]

That's what I was leaning towards as well, the Telecaster wiring with 500k pots. Sounds like we are on the same page there then.

Ahh! See, I had no idea this Vortex neck existed. There's so many necks they offer that I must have accidentally skipped over this one.

It's not too late to change my neck order at all. I'm still waiting for them to get back to me about the Zebrawood neck. I know for sure they can make it, they just have to get approval from their shop saying that they agree to make me one.

I think the fretboard will be Zirocote, just like in that mockup. That looks great with no inlays.

I don't know why, but these days I'm very anti-inlay. It wasn't always that way!

 

[Cagey]

Ziricote is a fascinating wood. It's so unusual, it almost doesn't look real. People see it and ask "what the hell is that?" I managed to luck into a 1 piece some years back. Saw it in the showcase and didn't even hesitate  :laughing7:

As for inlays, the same thing happened to me 6 or 7 years ago. Unless I get a really super deal on a used neck that I can't pass up, I always order without inlays.

 

[Logrinn]

One volume, one tone knob, three way switch (Telecaster style controls). No question about it.

 

[PumpinIron]

I've never had a Ziricote fretboard (or anything for that matter). I really like the grain though, and while I could go with something simple like Ebony, I figured I'd try something new (since many of my guitars already have an Ebony fretboard).

Yep, that's how I am as well. The no-inlay thing seems to have come with age or something. I liked them when I was in my twenties, but once I got into my thirties I started to dislike them. I already know where all the frets are, and if I really need a reminder, I can just look at the side dots.

Besides, a nice fretboard looks so much cleaner without inlays.

 

[Cagey]

Especially something that has as much character as Ziricote. You don't want anythig in the way of that grain pattern. Besides, why mark the neck twice? Side dots are enough. Although, to be fair, I understand some stage situations can make side dot visibility an issue. But, I've never had to deal with that.

 

[Fat Pete]

Just to be the contrary one for a change, for 2x P90s I'd suggest 2x volumes, as many tones as you like (though probably something in the 1 - 2 range) and a selector switch.

Usually I'd side with the 'minimum number of controls to get the job done' crowd, but there's something about P90s that lends itself to individual, interactive volumes - tweaking one or both pups volumes slightly can yield quite a range of different tones. YMMV and all that.

 

[PumpinIron]

I didn't know that about P90s! Like I said though, this is my first time around with P90s!

And as for the neck inlays, I agree. I wouldn't want to ruin an exotic wood with some huge inlays.

Not to mention (and this is just my personal opinion) that some of those Warmoth neck inlays are just hideous. Crosses and lighting bolts.... ugh...