Photoshop guitar (opinions please)

mindtool

Junior Member
Messages
35
Hey all,

I've never built a Warmoth before, this is going to be my first.  (hopefully i'll order by the end of summer.)  I'm toying with some ideas and i want to know what you all think.  any input is greatly appreciated.  i know that i'm going to have to do some drilling and routing, and i'm fine with that.  I have some pretty decent carpentry skills and all the tools needed (drill press, belt sander, table router, etc.)
i have a photoshopped image of basically all that i want in my guitar.  [i understand the copyright laws of using the "V"... but i don't plan on making a profit or anything using the image.]
anyway, here's my plan:

unfinished, alder, strat body, i'll worry about painting it
maple neck, (maybe flamed or bird) with ebony fretboard, pearl inlays, explorer head
2 humms, EMGs most likely (so i need a double battery box)
a blade switch for the pickup selection (3-position)
2 vol, 2 tone (les paul configuration)
a "killswitch" for the pickups (buckethead and tom morello influenced)
i originally planned on using a tremking but i'm reconsidering an original floyd rose.  if anyone has some advice on this, i'd love to hear it. 

anyway, i like the idea of a white guitar with all black hardware.  and i don't dig pickguards (usually).  however, it looked to "plain" and "blank" when i first started with the idea, so i added a painted "V" from the movie (/graphic novel) V for Vendetta.  now i'm no anarchist, but it had some really great messages throughout that go hand-in-hand with music.  (also related to the censorship of music in the movie).  i thought it looked pretty badass as well.  :glasses10:

now i know it's unnecessary to have a les paul configuration of knobs on a strat, but i really like the idea a lot.  as well as the killswitch with pickup selector.  i have a les paul guitar already that i can use as a template for knob placement as well as routing depths... etc.

thanks

 
Looks cool. The V for Vendetta emblem will turn into < "less than" when you play it. :laughing7:

Check with Warmoth, they may be able to do the Les Paul control knob for positions for you. If you are not using the pickguard you should get the soloist body.
 
I really doubt they'll be able to put the switch at the horn. Maybe if you call and ask nicely...
 
Max said:
I really doubt they'll be able to put the switch at the horn. Maybe if you call and ask nicely...

i'm okay with drilling that myself.  i feel like the more work *I* personally do, the happier i'll be with it.  i want warmoth to do the careful stuff like pickup routes and body layout.  but i can always ask  :icon_thumright:  saves me some work if they will
 
Death by Uberschall said:
Looks cool. The V for Vendetta emblem will turn into < "less than" when you play it. :laughing7:

Check with Warmoth, they may be able to do the Les Paul control knob for positions for you. If you are not using the pickguard you should get the soloist body.

i already emailed one of the guys and they said that they'll only do the strat layout on a strat body.  as for your soloist suggestion, i kinda wanted to keep a classic rock look with some attitude.  soloist just makes me seem too "metal" and serious.  i love the strat look.  it's classic.  i think i want to keep that.
 
If it's rear-route, you can drill the pot holes by yourself. Maybe you could ask for a larger rear route?

Oh, the kill switch may be better closer to the other controls, I think  :icon_thumright:
 
mindtool said:
2 humms, EMGs most likely (so i need a double battery box)
a blade switch for the pickup selection (3-position)
2 vol, 2 tone (les paul configuration)
a "killswitch" for the pickups (buckethead and tom morello influenced)

WIth EMGs, 9v is all that's required (one battery box).  Two 9v in series would yield 18v, requiring the double battery box.  

As far as the killswitch, with 2 vols and 2 tones, a kill switch isn't needed.  Just turn one of the pickups all the way down and the 3 way becomes a kill switch.  Tom Morello's "Arm the Homeless" Super-Strat actually doesn't have a killswitch, just 2 volumes.
 
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom said:
mindtool said:
2 humms, EMGs most likely (so i need a double battery box)
a blade switch for the pickup selection (3-position)
2 vol, 2 tone (les paul configuration)
a "killswitch" for the pickups (buckethead and tom morello influenced)

WIth EMGs, 9v is all that's required (one battery box).  Two 9v in series would yield 18v, requiring the double battery box.  

As far as the killswitch, with 2 vols and 2 tones, a kill switch isn't needed.  Just turn one of the pickups all the way down and the 3 way becomes a kill switch.  Tom Morello's "Arm the Homeless" Super-Strat actually doesn't have a killswitch, just 2 volumes.

i thought i would need 1 battery per pickup. both pickups would be emgs... whatever, the extra compartment would be a spare battery to carry around.  i'll just cut a connection or something.

i want the killswitch WITH the tone switch because i don't want to be limited to one pickup.  when Tom uses his toggle, he is only using his lead pickup.  i want to be able to change my tone on my killswitch sound.  i.e. multiple pickups while "killswitching".
.
 
mindtool said:
i thought i would need 1 battery per pickup. both pickups would be emgs... whatever, the extra compartment would be a spare battery to carry around.  i'll just cut a connection or something.

Seems you've put a lot of thought into this and are really familiar with your pickup choice, j/k.  If you did the double battery box, you could do both in parallel.  It would still be 9v but last twice as long.  In series, it's 18v.  On my J-bass with EMGs and double battery box, the tone pot is a DP/DT push/pull that changes the voltage from 9v to 18v.
 
mindtool said:
Death by Uberschall said:
Looks cool. The V for Vendetta emblem will turn into < "less than" when you play it. :laughing7:

Check with Warmoth, they may be able to do the Les Paul control knob for positions for you. If you are not using the pickguard you should get the soloist body.

i already emailed one of the guys and they said that they'll only do the strat layout on a strat body.  as for your soloist suggestion, i kinda wanted to keep a classic rock look with some attitude.  soloist just makes me seem too "metal" and serious.  i love the strat look.  it's classic.  i think i want to keep that.

Wait a moment...you don't want to look metal? Your putting EMGs in...with an Explorer Headstock and a metal looking paint job :icon_scratch:
 
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom said:
mindtool said:
i thought i would need 1 battery per pickup. both pickups would be emgs... whatever, the extra compartment would be a spare battery to carry around.  i'll just cut a connection or something.

Seems you've put a lot of thought into this and are really familiar with your pickup choice, j/k.  If you did the double battery box, you could do both in parallel.  It would still be 9v but last twice as long.  In series, it's 18v.  On my J-bass with EMGs and double battery box, the tone pot is a DP/DT push/pull that changes the voltage from 9v to 18v.

hahah, yeah, right now i'm still in the art design of it.  as the project comes closer and closer i'll look into more of the technical aspects.  i really like the switch idea to change the batteries from series to parallel.  that's why i'm asking for opinions  :icon_thumright:
 
Rouse said:
Wait a moment...you don't want to look metal? Your putting EMGs in...with an Explorer Headstock and a metal looking paint job :icon_scratch:

well the way you say it, it sounds silly  :icon_tongue:
but yeah, i think the soloist looks a little *too* aggressive.  i want the sharp tone of the emgs, i like that.  and i kinda want a "shocking" paint job.  something new and unique.  but i like a classic look with a new edge.
sorry if my tastes don't exactly make sense.
 
If you're going with EMG's you may want to consider staying with 2 batteries.  The 18v mod definitely opens up the headroom.  Plus you can always opt out with a dual battery box, its harder to add it after the fact.
 
Well, you asked for "opinions".  I don't like anything about it other than it's shaped like a Strat......
 
Rouse said:
Wait a moment...you don't want to look metal? Your putting EMGs in...with an Explorer Headstock and a metal looking paint job :icon_scratch:

A lot of metal players play EMGs because they are extremely high output and lend themselves well to effects.  However, Steve Lukather and David Gilmour both had signature EMG sets, not really metal IMO.  EMG also makes Strat and Tele pickups, while those are versatile guitars, not really metal affiliated in the single coil incarnations.
 
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom said:
Rouse said:
Wait a moment...you don't want to look metal? Your putting EMGs in...with an Explorer Headstock and a metal looking paint job :icon_scratch:

A lot of metal players play EMGs because they are extremely high output and lend themselves well to effects.  However, Steve Lukather and David Gilmour both had signature EMG sets, not really metal IMO.  EMG also makes Strat and Tele pickups, while those are versatile guitars, not really metal affiliated in the single coil incarnations.

That answers the question about the pickups, but what about the headstock?  I see nothing "radical" about the shape of a "Solost body, but I deliberately went with a rounded headstock because I didn't want the guitar to look "too metal"...."
 
Headstock, colors, pickups, kill switch, graphics all say metal to me, but I think it looks nice. It should sound nice, too.
 
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