Planning a non-Warmoth build chock full of Paul Gilbert goodness

[Hodgo]

It was going to be a soloist or nomad, but then I found a fella online doing Ibby style bodies over at Five Alarm Guitars and my imagination got going. So here’s the render Five Alarm sent over this morning:



So if you’re not a Paul Gilbert, Racer X, Mr Big fan, let me ‘splain. Paul’s first guitars were these fantastic RG770 based guitars with painted f-holes, drenched in 80s goodness, complete with whammy bar and neon colors.

At some point he switched over to hardtail bridges, keeping the F-holes, dropping the neon colors and the middle pickup. Then, about a decade ago, he worked with Ibanez on a whole new design based on a reversed Iceman, and the f-holes and shark tooth inlays disappeared altogether because he’s a grown up blues man now.



Well I’m NOT a grown up blues man, but I really love this Fireman shape. So I’m going to take this body, paint it jewel blue with neon pink f-holes, put a pair of pink dimarzios in, litter it in cosmo black hardware including a Gotoh GTC101, and add a Indonesian AANJ neck I scored off of reverb that will also be refinished. Sort of an “anthology tribute” guitar to one of my favorite players.

Here’s the neck. Aside from the flamey headstock veneer, it’s got all the right stuff - binding, shark tooth inlays, and a standard nut.



More to come in the following months!

 

[Spud]

It was going to be a soloist or nomad, but then I found a fella online doing Ibby style bodies over at Five Alarm Guitars and my imagination got going. So here’s the render Five Alarm sent over this morning:

View attachment 66760View attachment 66761View attachment 66762

So if you’re not a Paul Gilbert, Racer X, Mr Big fan, let me ‘splain. Paul’s first guitars were these fantastic RG770 based guitars with painted f-holes, drenched in 80s goodness, complete with whammy bar and neon colors.
View attachment 66763
At some point he switched over to hardtail bridges, keeping the F-holes, dropping the neon colors and the middle pickup. Then, about a decade ago, he worked with Ibanez on a whole new design based on a reversed Iceman, and the f-holes and shark tooth inlays disappeared altogether because he’s a grown up blues man now.

View attachment 66764

Well I’m NOT a grown up blues man, but I really love this Fireman shape. So I’m going to take this body, paint it jewel blue with neon pink f-holes, put a pair of pink dimarzios in, litter it in cosmo black hardware including a Gotoh GTC101, and add a Indonesian AANJ neck I scored off of reverb that will also be refinished. Sort of an “anthology tribute” guitar to one of my favorite players.

Here’s the neck. Aside from the flamey headstock veneer, it’s got all the right stuff - binding, shark tooth inlays, and a standard nut.

View attachment 66765

More to come in the following months!

That upper horn really stands up and says hello.

 

[Hodgo]

That upper horn really stands up and says hello.

 

[Tretgeraet]

It was going to be a soloist or nomad, but then I found a fella online doing Ibby style bodies over at Five Alarm Guitars and my imagination got going. So here’s the render Five Alarm sent over this morning:

View attachment 66760View attachment 66761View attachment 66762

So if you’re not a Paul Gilbert, Racer X, Mr Big fan, let me ‘splain. Paul’s first guitars were these fantastic RG770 based guitars with painted f-holes, drenched in 80s goodness, complete with whammy bar and neon colors.
View attachment 66763
At some point he switched over to hardtail bridges, keeping the F-holes, dropping the neon colors and the middle pickup. Then, about a decade ago, he worked with Ibanez on a whole new design based on a reversed Iceman, and the f-holes and shark tooth inlays disappeared altogether because he’s a grown up blues man now.

View attachment 66764

Well I’m NOT a grown up blues man, but I really love this Fireman shape. So I’m going to take this body, paint it jewel blue with neon pink f-holes, put a pair of pink dimarzios in, litter it in cosmo black hardware including a Gotoh GTC101, and add a Indonesian AANJ neck I scored off of reverb that will also be refinished. Sort of an “anthology tribute” guitar to one of my favorite players.

Here’s the neck. Aside from the flamey headstock veneer, it’s got all the right stuff - binding, shark tooth inlays, and a standard nut.

View attachment 66765

More to come in the following months!

It all makes sense now! I didn't know that early PGM in blue/pink until now, but I like it very much.

Cool idea and a nice hommage to a great guitarist and wonderful human being!

 

[Hodgo]

It all makes sense now! I didn't know that early PGM in blue/pink until now, but I like it very much.

Cool idea and a nice hommage to a great guitarist and wonderful human being!

Yep, you can see what I was aping at with the KNS6 and Nomad ideas now! Finding a Fireman body and a matching neck was enough to push this from dreaming to buying.

The blue/pink is the original PGM100, after he moved on from his Ibaphones and his Destroyer/Iceman hybrid. I didn’t get into him until the early 2000s when he was playing the PGM301, which was white with black f-holes, but I’ve always thought it was one of the more fun colorways. Another cool one is the PGM200:



When I saw Paul at G3 alongside Satriani and Petrucci, I thought he was the best in show and those other two were absolutely not slouches. Paul just seems to have more fun and take himself a little less seriously.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

Cool idea.. which Dimarzios do you have in mind?

I think it’s interesting that a few of his more recent signature guitar releases come with a set of air classics. I have no experience with those.

 

[Hodgo]

Cool idea.. which Dimarzios do you have in mind?

I think it’s interesting that a few of his more recent signature guitar releases come with a set of air classics. I have no experience with those.

Yeah, he’s gone through a few - Air Classics, PAF Pros, the Tone Zone, and the FRM stuff. I don’t really know where I’ll land, but they’ll definitely be pink.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

Dual PAF PROs seem to be the most obvious choice for an 80s PGM guitar. Many options though.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I'm definitely a fan.

 

[Hagwood]

I like it ! You gonna do the finish yourself or have it done ? Seems like a nice Satin sheen would look great on that. You got me thinking about a Star body with a Satin or Matte White finish (since I’m a grown-up old fogey). Damn You !!

 

[Hodgo]

I like it ! You gonna do the finish yourself or have it done ? Seems like a nice Satin sheen would look great on that. You got me thinking about a Star body with a Satin or Matte White finish (since I’m a grown-up old fogey). Damn You !!

I’m going to do the finish myself, an Ibanez forum member recommended this as a match:


Since the f-holes will be vinyl I’m going to sink them in quite a few coats of clear, I want it to be shiny like your Meadowhawk!

 

[Spud]

You should dip it!

 

[Hodgo]

You should dip it!

Dip it good? Dip it real good?

 

[Spud]

Dip it good? Dip it real good?

Isn't that a "Salt and Pepper" song about making candles or something?