Pics Of My Warmoth LP Parts

[jtroska]

That's awesome, man!  I can't wait to see the finished job!!!

What pickups and hardware are you going to use?

I have cream pickup rings and the actual pickups will probably be black.  I'm thinking of installing a Sustainiac pickup in the neck position and that only comes in black or white.  Black would be the better option.  So if I do that, the bridge will be a matching black, too.

Hardware is chrome.  Not very imaginative but I was afraid gold would just clash a bit if not exactly right.  Maybe it would look OK but chrome is the safer bet, I think.

I have two ideas for knobs:

1 is to use wood knobs that would match the fingerboard.  The other idea is pearl knobs that would match the inlays.  I don't want those slip-on Gibson knobs that slip off as easily as they slip on.

 

[Kostas]

You can use both wood knobs and pickup rings since the top is so nice. Think also about zebra pickups or many other colors and combinations. It's easy to order Duncans or DiMarzios in any color.

Putting the sustaniac in the neck you will loose a quality neck pickup. I don't know how much sustain you need, but the combination of Les Paul + humbuckers has a good amount of sustain. There are other ways to obtain sustain with compressor and delay pedals.

 

[jtroska]

Putting the sustaniac in the neck you will loose a quality neck pickup. I don't know how much sustain you need, but the combination of Les Paul + humbuckers has a good amount of sustain. There are other ways to obtain sustain with compressor and delay pedals.

hmmm... I never heard any negative comments on the sound of the Sustainiac pickup--People usually just comment on the driver.  From what I understand, it's almost like having a built-in eBow.

I think the Sustainiac doubles as an active pickup that can emulate both PAF and single-coil sounds.  Unless the emulations are horribly off, I think that would be perfect.

I hardly ever use the neck pickup anyway so I wouldn't mind a little compromise for the sustaining effect.  But, of course, if the pickup sound is completely awful...

Anyway, here's how it looks a little further along. 

I still need to get a proper picture that really captures the colors well.  But I'm just snapping quick shots to document it now.  When it's finished, I'll take a real picture for the gallery.  Put it this way,  it's slowing my work down because I keep stopping to look at it.  Great colors, Warmoth!  :headbang1:

 

[jtroska]

You can use both wood knobs and pickup rings since the top is so nice.

I forgot about wood pickup rings.  That might look really good.  I like a warm woody look.  I wonder if they come angled?

 

[Ted]

Great looking pieces. Why alder, and, is there no heel contour? I thought heel contours were standard on LP.

sundin4prez is correct.  This is a Flat Top LP and only Carved Tops LPs come with standard contoured heels.  In hindsight, maybe I should have sprang the extra $35 for the contour but I think this should be fine. 

I wanted to try alder for a few reasons.  Mahogany would be the usual choice for a Les Paul but I find regular Les Pauls to be too muddy for the kind of sound I want.  And I've had so many mahogany guitars already. I tried a friend's Strat and I really liked the alder / maple combination on that.  But I prefer the way a single cutaway Les Paul hangs and swings over a stiff Strat feel.  LPs just look more "bad ass", imo.   So my Warmoth project will try to combine  my favorite aspects of different guitars I've played and liked.  Plus the yellow on alder makes a nice caramel color that works well behind the yellow dyed quilt maple. 

Cool. This is what "custom" is all about....

 

[rightintheface]

+1 on the zebra pickups!!
bitchin build man, nice and custom, taking something normal and making it distinctly yours. awesome. i'm itching for mine to arrive at the moment.

 

[Orpheo]

You can use both wood knobs and pickup rings since the top is so nice. Think also about zebra pickups or many other colors and combinations. It's easy to order Duncans or DiMarzios in any color.

Putting the sustaniac in the neck you will loose a quality neck pickup. I don't know how much sustain you need, but the combination of Les Paul + humbuckers has a good amount of sustain. There are other ways to obtain sustain with compressor and delay pedals.

not neccasarily. You can have a singlecoilsized sustainer, and something like the hotrail next to it for a great neckpickup. Neal schon has the same thing, and that works just fine, i have it in a guitar too, and it really works fine.

 

[jtroska]

Is the Sustainiac really bad in regular ol' "neck pickup" mode?  (as opposed to sustainer driver mode)