RYAN1987M
Newbie
- Messages
- 21
It's finally come together - and beautifully I think. Most importantly, the end result plays and sounds fantastic! I'm confident in saying that this guitar is truly greater then the sum of its parts.
I'm not going to post a full review of every aspect of the guitar, but I'd like to focus instead on a few key things.
Benson Custom Pickups
I must thank John Benson, he is truly a stand-up guy and a real pleasure to do business with. After a few correspondences John recommended that I give his '63 Strat set a try. Given how well (and quickly) John answered all of my questions, and based on all of the positive buzz I had read, I was sold. I immediately ordered a loaded pickguard featuring the '63 Strat set.
No doubt that the pickups/electronics are the soul of an electric guitar. These pickups are just perfect for my tastes, exactly what I was after. To my ears, they do the early '60s Strat thing perfectly. I always measure Strat pickups against my ideal Strat-tone - the clean intro of Pearl Jam's 'Yellow Ledbetter' - this set can do that beautifully (and so, so much more)! These pickups amaze me across all five positions. I love that the bridge pickup has an alnico 3 magnet - it rounds out the sound in a very nice way. Additionally, I cannot get over how quiet this set is - surely a testament to John's skill and the high-quality components that he uses. Finally, when I was showing off my loaded pickguard everyone commented on how cleanly it was wired up - again, John Benson is a master!
http://www.bensoncustom.com/#!strat/c1dpv
Bob's Guitar Service in Kitchener
Initially, I wanted to put all of this together myself. Given my limited experience in this field though, and as I began to amass all the parts and be impressed by their high quality, I decided to leave the final assembly job to the pros. Bob's Guitar Service is located in Kitchener, Ontario and it is an extremely well run and reputable shop. I know, because of geography, many of you will never be able to give Bob's a try, but I'd still like to plug this local business a little bit (and I have no affiliation - I'm strictly a satisfied customer).
Bob's is owned by Bob Egan (who else?) - he's played in Wilco and is currently a member of Blue Rodeo. I'm not sure of his entire back story, but I know he cut his teeth in Chicago where he originally set-up shop. With all of that said, it was actually a fellow named Ryan (that's my name too, but that's where the similarities end, the Ryan who works at Bob's is immensely talented) who did all of the work on my guitar. His workmanship was impeccable and he exceeded my expectations by getting all of these parts to really meld together and combine into something special. Another cool thing about Bob's is that they do a lot of charity work locally - they do a lot of free work bringing instruments back from the dead so that they can be distributed to children who otherwise wouldn't be able to have these guitars. No doubt about it, Bob's Guitar Service is the real deal - highly skilled, reputable, and staffed by genuinely nice people.
http://www.bobsguitarservice.com/index.html
Does a Hardtail Strat still sound like a Strat?
Damn straight it does (at least in my case)!
Build Thread - Specs / Costs / Pictures
http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=26456.0
I'm not going to post a full review of every aspect of the guitar, but I'd like to focus instead on a few key things.
Benson Custom Pickups
I must thank John Benson, he is truly a stand-up guy and a real pleasure to do business with. After a few correspondences John recommended that I give his '63 Strat set a try. Given how well (and quickly) John answered all of my questions, and based on all of the positive buzz I had read, I was sold. I immediately ordered a loaded pickguard featuring the '63 Strat set.
No doubt that the pickups/electronics are the soul of an electric guitar. These pickups are just perfect for my tastes, exactly what I was after. To my ears, they do the early '60s Strat thing perfectly. I always measure Strat pickups against my ideal Strat-tone - the clean intro of Pearl Jam's 'Yellow Ledbetter' - this set can do that beautifully (and so, so much more)! These pickups amaze me across all five positions. I love that the bridge pickup has an alnico 3 magnet - it rounds out the sound in a very nice way. Additionally, I cannot get over how quiet this set is - surely a testament to John's skill and the high-quality components that he uses. Finally, when I was showing off my loaded pickguard everyone commented on how cleanly it was wired up - again, John Benson is a master!
http://www.bensoncustom.com/#!strat/c1dpv
Bob's Guitar Service in Kitchener
Initially, I wanted to put all of this together myself. Given my limited experience in this field though, and as I began to amass all the parts and be impressed by their high quality, I decided to leave the final assembly job to the pros. Bob's Guitar Service is located in Kitchener, Ontario and it is an extremely well run and reputable shop. I know, because of geography, many of you will never be able to give Bob's a try, but I'd still like to plug this local business a little bit (and I have no affiliation - I'm strictly a satisfied customer).
Bob's is owned by Bob Egan (who else?) - he's played in Wilco and is currently a member of Blue Rodeo. I'm not sure of his entire back story, but I know he cut his teeth in Chicago where he originally set-up shop. With all of that said, it was actually a fellow named Ryan (that's my name too, but that's where the similarities end, the Ryan who works at Bob's is immensely talented) who did all of the work on my guitar. His workmanship was impeccable and he exceeded my expectations by getting all of these parts to really meld together and combine into something special. Another cool thing about Bob's is that they do a lot of charity work locally - they do a lot of free work bringing instruments back from the dead so that they can be distributed to children who otherwise wouldn't be able to have these guitars. No doubt about it, Bob's Guitar Service is the real deal - highly skilled, reputable, and staffed by genuinely nice people.
http://www.bobsguitarservice.com/index.html
Does a Hardtail Strat still sound like a Strat?
Damn straight it does (at least in my case)!
Build Thread - Specs / Costs / Pictures
http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=26456.0
