new guitar????

[Zeiler]

hello everybody...

this is going to be my first post, and I hope this is the right forum to place this post :$

first of all I should make a small intro to let you understand my story...
I play guitar for arround 1.5 years now, first half year acoustisc, learned myself all the basic chords etcetera,
while I was on the waitinglist for lessons. When I got lessons I bought my first electric guitar, it was a SWING S2,
a cheapstratocaster, for arround 160 euro's... A great guitar, for beginners...

http://www.tonefactory.nl/shop2/product_info.php?cPath=176_285&products_id=2885

thisone with a maple fingerboard...

I play arround 2 houres a day, and I learned a bunch of new things, went realy good! And now I have reached the
moment that I want to get another guitar....

guitars which I had in mind were, for example the Blade Texas Vintage and the Blade Texas Standard Pro...
But then a user of a Dutch (yeah, I'm Dutch!)  guitarforum told me there existed something like Warmoth...

I talked with him, he advised me some stuff I could buy and advised me as well to ask a bit arround at this forum...

---

Ok, the thing it is all about   the guitar...

I have like 800 euros to spend, may be little more, or little less... Altough it frightens (spelled correct?) me to buy
a guitar whithout having played with it, 800 euro? I need to work 230 houres for that, so I have to believe people on
their word on choise of pick-uos etc, and if the result sucks??? anyway, altought that frightens me, I want to consider
this option, couse I thnk I can keep money in my pocket on this way (if I get help from a guitarbuilder in a place nearby) ...

Altough Orph gave me some good advices, and helped me really good - thnx-  I would like to ask you about some things as well...

here it comes ...

I prefer a maple fingerboard, just like my guitar now, I'd prefer the same fret-size and radius...

Then comes the hard part... wood and pick-ups... I want a stratocaster model, works best for me...
it needs to have a great clean sound, but also a nice overdrive (good term I hope )...

got some vids in which I can show you some...

I realy like music as Eric Johnsons Cliffs of Dover, really great!!!

further music as Hillsongs Australia (in this vid he is playing a Gretsch, but the guitarist of HIllsong London uses a strat)...
1st song: 0:00 (littje more rough)
2nd song: 6:30 (clean sound)

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=AkO5HJLHO7k

also I like music as this:
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=TvNPrKOYrgQ

so I need a really clean sound, and a overdriven sound, but I don't need much more power thn what you just have heared ...

As you may have noticed I like to rock, but also normal pop with a real clean sound is what I like!!! Metal, Heavy Metal, Hardcore
and all those styles I really dislike...

--------------------------

ok, can someone advice me with wood and pick-up choises???

I got like 800 euro to spend, that includes shippingtaxes and so!
I need a normal trem which I can use a few times (so no Floyd Rose stuff )
maple fretboard (as shown on picture)
3 sc's or 2 sc's and 1 hb on the bridge is what I prefer most!
just a cool guitar with which I can play for the forthcomming lots of years
body prefer to be blue with white pickguard or blank, so you can see the
drawning in the wood with a white pickguard... but that is secondary to
how the guitar plays...

can someone help and advice me?

thanks in advance!

Jaap / Zeiler!

 

[Orpheo]

just to complete the picture:

I've known 'zeiler' from another forum, and I gave him this advice:

for 800 euro's (in dollars, thats almost 1200 dollars!) you can get  an alder or ash strat with maple/maple neck with kinman pickups. but because his taste is so wide (les paul-esque p90 sound, real strat-sounds, and in his email he told me he liked thin lizzy like-sounds aswell) I told him to get a wenge/ebony neck (I think many would agree ) and a korina stratbody with prails, to get the real strat-tone (I can confirm that pickup's claim in tone) , the cool p90 sound and everything in between, from howling humbuckers to sweet stratty quack tones.

the price of that axe would be around 1000$, with 250$ tax (in the Netherlands). His question to me was:

1: is it worth it? is warmoth worth the money?
2: is it easy to assemble? how fool-proof is it?
3: how much is the value of this guitar if you wanna sell it?
4: is it like a kit-guitar, or is it really a world-class guitar?

I will refrain from answering these questions, because I think my opinion is already quite known

 

[Zeiler]

yeah

Thats why I like my guitar atm, you have got 1 humbucker in the bridge and 2 single coils in middle and neck position ...
I prefer a guitar with strat sound with humbucker, and not a guitar with LP sounds and strat sound (if you know what I mean )...

Thin lizzy is not my style, but just says that I liek it for a few times (got memories on boys are back in town )...

So I don't need a guitar which is fitted to the Thin Lizzy sound ...

Orpheo made some good questions there, but there is one more
if you order for example Korina wood, can you see the drawing before you order it?
mean, that is most cool about the look of that wood

I made a Kisekae (or how it is called?) from the looks, and look how sexy it is

think I didn't tooked Korina wood, but something simulair ...  (hmm, forgot the input jack... stupid )
should be metalic)

number 3 I asked becouse of, when the project doesn't ends like I want too, what would it be worth then?
So it is not for the trade or whatever...

number 2 I asked becouse, altough I do have experience with building electronic curcuits (made a stereo in
my room with second handed music equipment!) and so, there remain stuff which is difficult, intonating the
guitar and all, to mount the bridge, and so...  and to experimentate with this ammount of money? I dislike it
so I do need elp I decided, that is something I just want as an insurance

further, I remain open for advices!!!!

thank you in advance,

Jaap / Zeiler!

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

nice man.

Go gonna put some kind of trans finish on it, or a clear coat, or just leave it?

 

[GoDrex]

I read recently that "Cliffs Of Dover" was recorded with a Gibson ES-335.  Just sayin... :toothy12:

 

[Zeiler]

nice man.

Go gonna put some kind of trans finish on it, or a clear coat, or just leave it?

hi there

yeah, I should have a transparant coating over it

I saw the guitar at http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=4136.0 !!!

that looks realy cool btw (the whole guitar pwns qua look!)

and I meant more like this:

[youtube=425,350]http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=VnqpOFcBiMM[/youtube]

thnx for answering btw!!!

ty,

Jaap / Zeiler!

 

[m4rk0]

Welkom op dit forum Zeiler!

I would definetely go for a raw neck as opposed to Maple/Maple. it's a win-win situation! You save on cost (finishing), get a better feeling neck, better tone, and a way more unique guitar!

Here's one I did for under $800:

the body is Swamp ash (like in your example) and the Neck is Wenge/Ebony (like in Orph's Example)
Works great, but you will have to finish the body yourself (I did mine in Tru Oil and some light stain)
now if you don't want to deal with the frustration of grain filling an Ash body, go for Alder!

 

[m4rk0]

Here's a Swamp Ash/Maple Strat I did for a friend for just under (maybe a bit over) $600

again, you will need to finish both neck and body yourself..which in my opinion makes it even more fun

 

[Patrick from Davis]

First off, the quality of the stuff that I have bought from Warmoth is outstanding.  I would say go for the wenge neck, but I already know I like that option.  My advice for determining whether you want something like wenge is to try out some bass guitars that have the more exotic wood necks.  I know that Warwick basses frequently use wenge for a neck material.  It obviously will not feel like a strat neck, but it will give you an idea of what the unfinished neck would feel like.

The music you listed sounds to me like you would like a more "Vintage" spec style pickup.  There are quite a number of very good brands, and keep asking around with examples of songs or solos that you like to narrow down what sound you are after.

The Bridge in both of Marko's examples were Gotoh Wilkinson trems.  They have two posts that the trem sits against, and Warmoth will install the posts for a minor fee.  I would suggest that bridge if you are concerned about the set up.  And further on that point, you can have a guitar shop, or tech set up the guitar for you.

If you have built a stereo, you should be more than capable to set up the electronics in the guitar.  There are several options that you can try, or just go the standard wiring route like the large majority of guitar players out there.

If you want to finish a guitar that is up to you.  If you do, take your time.  It seems like some of the folks around this board can produce a guitar in no time.  It takes quite a bit of time.  The experience that some people have around here is incredible, which allows them to produce guitars quicker.  If you are worried about messing up the finish, just have Warmoth do it for you.  They do an incredible job and you can choose exactly what you want.

Finally, a word of caution.  If you build a guitar from Warmoth, the guitar you build will be better than pretty much anything that you can buy for that price, or a lot more.  This usually starts the process of buying more and more and more Warmoth stuff.  Quite possible even a bit more Warmoth stuff.  Because lets face it, everyone need a figured bubinga neck in their arsenal, right?
Patrick

 

[Mor Paul]

Try a bridge P90

 

[Orpheo]

I still say: use korina for your body in stead of ash (unless you get Willyk to finish it for you!) korina looks killer, and the sound is kíller too. right, marko?

a p90 is cool in the bridge, lemme say. but I would stick to the prails, because they're just as expensive/cheap, but you can get more tones and more versatility out if it. and if you wanna swap in a real humbucker, you can, because its exactly a humbucker in shape (but a p90 in sound).

 

[Zeiler]

as the fingerboard I still prefer maple, tried a lot of different fingerboard woods, but maple suits best for me ...
had a discussion about that lately, so thats actually something which is not gonna change...

further I have 0 experience about woods and their sounds (allready reading posts here and on a Dutch forum)
to learn more about it...

---

the problem now is that things are happening which I allready expected... The idea of building your own guitar
and choosing the parts you want yourself is way too cool, and somethings I was dreaming about for a while...

tough I didn't thought it would be able this fast allready via something called Warmoth ...

what wood for the body and which pick-ups?

What if I spend all my money (earning not even 4 euros per houre) in something which, when it is put together,
totally not my guitar? not my sound? and I don't get a right feeling about it? Selling everything again? Still would
get me 190 euro's lighter, if I can sell everything, which is the question as well (for taxes and transportation)...
of course you can't play the guitar before you build it, so little crappy ^^...

Orpheo allready asked if I wanted to visit him to hear some of the sounds these pick-ups make or even to come
over so he can help me building the guitar up ... thats way too kind, I would like to take that offer to come over
so he can help me building it, but just for hearing the pick-ups? we live arround 170 kilometers apart... and I
don't have driverlisence yeth, plus the public transport here in the Netherlands is sooo slow, so 1 time will do, but
2 times doesn't work!

p.s. thought the body was allready coated, and Warmouth is willing to install the bridge for a small fee? nice!

thanks for responses,
 
Jaap / Zeiler!

 

[Ted]

I'd just like to say my two warmoth builds are my best guitars. take the plunge it will be worth it.  :hello2:

 

[nathan a]

In my opinion, warmoth stuff is the best value for money available in electric guitars.

One note though about trying to sell your parts. Because warmoth isn't a big brand name, the guitar becomes more difficult to sell. If you order something very unique or uncommon, or do a weird finish, you'll have a tough time getting your money back in resale. It doesn't sound like this is the case with the parts you are looking at though. It seems like your best luck reselling is to sell as parts. Since your woods and finish selection sounds pretty normal, IF you hated the guitar (which I doubt!) you could probably sell the parts on ebay without losing much money.

 

[GoDrex]

When put a guitar together from parts, you definitely are taking a chance and you'll never be quite sure what you'll get until you put it together (unless you have tons of experience with different woods, hardware and pickups etc). If you're not adventurous the best thing to do is go traditional and use wood and parts that are nearly certain to give a particular result (copy a known instrument). That way you pretty much know what you're getting. I do think though that if you go for a more adventurous build you should accept the sounds of the guitar it makes and learn to use them. Appreciate the unique instrument for what it is. For the most part your amp is going to determine more of the sound anyway. And pickups, which can be easily changed if you really chose something you dislike strongly. Of course if you try to make an educated decision, you should get in the ballpark for the kind of sound you want.

btw - Warmoth will install the bridge studs - not the bridge itself.

 

[rahimiiii]

Just my 2 cents...

Neck finishing isn't really a big issue for me, you can just put tru-oil over maple necks and the Warranty is still valid with Warmoth. I prefer oiling because this means less frustration with finishing a maple fretboard. I like maple fretboard by the way, it goes well with most things. I like ebony too but really can't tell a difference in tone...

For me its mostly cosmetic...

 

[Orpheo]

as I told zeiler, I am willing to buy the guitar if it isnt what he expected.

I still say: use wenge instead of maple.

@zeiler: if you come over, you can try a wenge/ebony neck with a korina guitar, so you know what to expect if you say there's no differnce in feel between a maple neck+oil and wenge/rosewood/whatever, I can't take that seriously. even if you say 'a small difference, but not major'. I think, again, that marko agrees with me.

 

[m4rk0]

ben ik het helemaal mee eens!

 

[Orpheo]

ben ik het helemaal mee eens!

for the non-dutch-guys here:

I totally agree!

 

[GoDrex]

Is a wenge neck heavier than a maple neck?