Sanity Check on My First Warmoth Build

[gregsuarez]

I have finally decided to construct a totally unique Warmoth build since I can't find a Fender Strat (my weapon of choice) that I am completely happy with (combo of woods, hardware, finish, etc.). I am no expert when it comes to designing guitars, so I would like some feedback (no pun intended). I own a Fender American Deluxe Strat that I love that gives me classic rock/blues tones (using Fender N3 pickups), but I am looking for a complementary guitar for progressive/instrumental metal... more aggressive tones. Here's the build I'm considering:

Swamp ash body (chambered) with swamp ash laminate top and clear satin finish
Maple neck (1-piece)
Floyd Rose
Bridge: Screamin' Demon
Middle: None
Neck: Jazz

I chose ash for its slight tonal difference from alder (slightly scooped mids), and I wanted the chambered body for extra resonance and sustain. I'm considering the Screamin' Demon based on the description on Seymour Duncan's web page, and I'm going with the Jazz because I have used one before and I thought it was the best neck pickup I have ever used.

Will the ash be too bright for the kind of music I want to play?
Will the chambered body be a liability with high gain styles (feedback, etc.)?
Are there better pickup options I should consider?

 

[Strat Avenger]

I love the Screamin' Demon and have it in several guitars.

As for the Jazz, it's a great neck pickup for a Les Paul, but I found it to be too thin & bright sounding with the Floyd Rose. I ended up swapping it out for a Dimarzio Air Norton, which cured that problem.

The chambered body is not gonna introduce feedback. Hollow bodies do that. Chambering is not the same.

 

[gregsuarez]

I love the Screamin' Demon and have it in several guitars.

As for the Jazz, it's a great neck pickup for a Les Paul, but I found it to be too thin & bright sounding with the Floyd Rose. I ended up swapping it out for a Dimarzio Air Norton, which cured that problem.

The chambered body is not gonna introduce feedback. Hollow bodies do that. Chambering is not the same.

Thanks for the response. I used the Jazz on a semi-hollow Ibanez, and it just blew me away.

I have heard about the nightmares hollow bodies can have with high gain, but I wasn't sure the point at which chambering becomes a problem (if at all).

 

[mrpinter]

Let's see if I can address some of all the different parts of your question.

I have a 72 Thinline (all guitars I'll discuss are Warmoths) with a Swamp Ash body. I like it a lot - it is fairly bright with scooped mids, but not overly bright. Another good choice for the kind of music you describe might be Basswood with a maple cap (not quite as bright as the Swamp Ash)

The Screamin' Demon pickup is also fairly bright, with a sweet spot in the upper kids. It is probably my favorite Humbucker pickup; I have it in the thin line and also as a neck pickup in a Soloist (makes a very good neck pup, btw). If you want a beefier accompaniment to the Demon for the neck for Progressive metal type music, I'd probably prefer something like a Full Shred. This is the combination I have in the thinline, and it has lots of definition, lots of tonal range and versatility.

I'm not a Floyd guy - my Wilkinson trem (or hard tail) and Sperzel lockers keep me in tune just fine.

As others have stated, I wouldn't expect any feedback issues with a chambered body.

 

[gregsuarez]

Let's see if I can address some of all the different parts of your question.

I have a 72 Thinline (all guitars I'll discuss are Warmoths) with a Swamp Ash body. I like it a lot - it is fairly bright with scooped mids, but not overly bright. Another good choice for the kind of music you describe might be Basswood with a maple cap (not quite as bright as the Swamp Ash)

The Screamin' Demon pickup is also fairly bright, with a sweet spot in the upper kids. It is probably my favorite Humbucker pickup; I have it in the thin line and also as a neck pickup in a Soloist (makes a very good neck pup, btw). If you want a beefier accompaniment to the Demon for the neck for Progressive metal type music, I'd probably prefer something like a Full Shred. This is the combination I have in the thinline, and it has lots of definition, lots of tonal range and versatility.

I'm not a Floyd guy - my Wilkinson trem (or hard tail) and Sperzel lockers keep me in tune just fine.

As others have stated, I wouldn't expect any feedback issues with a chambered body.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

It's really interesting you mentioned the basswood/maple combo, as someone on another board made that exact same recommendation. I'll have to seriously consider it. Another benefit of that combo, simply from an aesthetic point of view, is maple caps look nicer than ash (just my opinion). But they're more expensive.

I'm still up in the air about pickup choices. I'm thinking of maybe putting in the EMG DG20 David Gilmour single coil trio with the expander and presence controls. I had a Strat years ago with the DG20 set, and I could get everything from metal to blues out of those - they're quite impressive. And with the battery box option on Warmoth's bodies, it would be way simpler than using them on a Strat, as you have to remove the pickguard to change the 9V battery.

I'm also still up in the air about the Floyd. Maintaining a Floyd does not bother me, I'm just wondering if I'm going to use it enough to justify it. The Fender 2-point trem on my American Strat (with locking tuners) is surprisingly very stable, as long as you don't go all Eddie Van Halen with it.

It occurred to me that one of my guitar idols (aside from David Gilmour), Brian May, has spent the last 45 years playing a guitar with a chambered body. The Red Special doesn't seem to have feedback problems during any concert I ever saw Queen play (only on video, unfortunately).

Thanks again for your input! Once I decide on what I'm doing, I will definitely share it with the community.

 

[Cagey]

The body has less influence on a guitar's character than is commonly thought. And certainly, the chambered versions are more about weight reduction than any tonal influence. So, I wouldn't get too worked up over that choice, outside of aesthetic concerns.

The pickups and the neck are major influences, though. You want to watch those items closely. I would say the bridge is quite an influence, too, but most of the modern designs are good. Just stay away from the "vintage" crap. Personally, I wouldn't run a Floyd, but I may be less masochistic than most. If you install locking tuners and a good nut, a Wilkinson will work as well as a Floyd for less money and aggravation. Or, you could see if you can find one of these Schallers...

...very nice parts. Tough to find, though. Unless you're somewhere in Europe.

 

[stratamania]

Cagey, Schaller have an online shop and you can order direct as you are in the US.  I will have to look for a distributor as I am in the UK and cannot order direct.

 

[Ace Flibble]

Honestly, it doesn't sound like what you're after is that unique. Fender and ESP both make Strat guitars with Floyds and HSS, HSH or HH pickups; even guitars which don't come stock like that are often routed for HSH and replacing the pickguard and pickups is much cheaper than ordering a whole new body and neck.

As for pickup choices, the Screamin' Demon is much lower output than you may think. Prog metal makes me think a DiMarzio Evo 2 in the bridge and an Evo or SD Full Shred in the neck. An SD Parallel Axis would also be worth looking at.