Thoughts on my first build

[matthewp85]

Hi everyone,

(wasn't sure where to post this so went for general discussion!)

I've been lurking for a while as I decide on the specs for my first Warmoth build and this forum has been extremely helpful already so thought I'd introduce myself and see if anyone has any thoughts or advice on the specs i'm thinking of at the moment.

Basically looking for a more or less classic Strat tone but not classic Strat looks, I'm thinking of this body (Spalt Maple on Swamp Ash)

With all black hardware including a recessed Wilkinson trem, Bare knuckle Apache pickups and schaller locking tuners

For the neck, I've read a lot about the feel of unfinished wood and would like to give it a go so i'm thinking Canary/Canary with the Wolfgang profile, SS6150 frets and no inlays. I'm also thinking that it might possibly look better with a darker fretboard though, still undecided on that.

Here's a quick and rubbish mockup, missing the black tuners and Nut it will have, and is also has inlays which mine won't

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=471904B9B54BAB45!43829&authkey=!AH3QxbDRPFWhqJY&v=3&ithint=photo%2cpng

None of this is set in stone so any advice from people who have done this before and made some of the beautiful guitars on here would be great!

Matt

 

[dmraco]

That would look killer.  As long as you do not cover that amazing top!!!  Black hardware would look great. 

Canary would be a great option.  Also look at Pau ferrau.  I think that would match well too.

 

[Cagey]

Welcome to the board, Matt! We have a lotta fun here - I hope you'll continue to participate!

The specs you've laid out sound like a fantastic instrument to me - I don't know that I'd change anything (although I prefer larger frets).

I think with that body finish, you could get away with just about any fretboard wood you'd want. I have a Canary/Canary neck on the L5S in my sig (more detail here), and love it. Great stuff. But, you could put Pau Ferro on there for a denser feel with a slightly darker color, or go all the way to Ebony. Black matches anything.

 

[matthewp85]

Thanks for the replies, I'll make some Pau Ferrau mockups and try to decide!

Regarding the frets, I also prefer them on the larger side. I've got two Ibanez guitars, one an ArtStar AS153 and one an SV5470A. Both have quite large frets but I prefer the Artstar as I find the SV's just a little too big, Ibanez lists the Artstar frets as 'Medium' and the SV 'Jumbo'. I'm not entirely sure which Warmoth sizes these would correspond to, do you have any up close photos of Warmoth frets so I can get a better idea?

EDIT: I see you have pictures in the thread you linked to! What size are they?

 

[Cagey]

Those are gold 6100s. They feel much like stainless as they're very hard, but they have a gold cast to them so they match the gold hardware and lighter woods better.

If you're used to taller frets, they're awfully nice. But, if you haven't worked with very tall frets much, it'll take a while to get used to 'em. That height makes it really easy to sharp notes. Not usually too much of a problem for leads, but you can throw chords off without any effort at all if you get too excited while playing, or are the kind of player that manhandles the neck. On the plus side, you can really get a grip on the strings. It's a very tactile neck.

 

[line6man]

Personally, I would avoid Canary, as a fretboard material. There is a lot of yellow and red in the finish, so you don't want it clashing with the fretboard. A more contrasted wood would be a better fit.

 

[MikeW]

Personally, I would avoid Canary, as a fretboard material. There is a lot of yellow and red in the finish, so you don't want it clashing with the fretboard. A more contrasted wood would be a better fit.

I agree with this. I think Canary as the neck material would be a great match, but I'd go with Ebony as the fretboard. Especially since you're going with black hardware. I did my latest Strat with a Canary/Ebony neck with black hardware. Looks killer together.

 

[swarfrat]

Personally, I would avoid Canary, as a fretboard material. There is a lot of yellow and red in the finish, so you don't want it clashing with the fretboard. A more contrasted wood would be a better fit.

I agree with this. I think Canary as the neck material would be a great match, but I'd go with Ebony as the fretboard. Especially since you're going with black hardware. I did my latest Strat with a Canary/Ebony neck with black hardware. Looks killer together.

Don't forget the black binding. Ebony is the ONLY choice for that body.

 

[ORCRiST]

Personally, I would avoid Canary, as a fretboard material. There is a lot of yellow and red in the finish, so you don't want it clashing with the fretboard. A more contrasted wood would be a better fit.

I agree with this. I think Canary as the neck material would be a great match, but I'd go with Ebony as the fretboard. Especially since you're going with black hardware. I did my latest Strat with a Canary/Ebony neck with black hardware. Looks killer together.

Don't forget the black binding. Ebony is the ONLY choice for that body.

+100

Gotta go with Ebony!

 

[Jumble Jumble]

The one thing I would suggest is not to recess the Wilkinson trem. It doesn't need it for any reasons of playability, and it'd be a shame to cut away any more of that top than is absolutely necessary.

 

[matthewp85]

Thinking you're probably right about an Ebony fretboard matching the body better. When it comes to the neck wood Padouk was another possibility I was thinking of, as it can also be used unfinished and the red colour for the headstock might match the body finish better (I know Canary can get quite red as well, but not so much), anyone have any experience with Padouk? How does it compare to Canary in feel etc...?

 

[Cagey]

Padouk is a more open-grained wood, sorta like Indian Rosewood. If you want something reddish, you might consider Bloodwood (Satine). It's much denser and harder, sorta like Ebony, but red. Feels great.

Actually, you could do an Ebony over Bloodwood neck. They look and feel absolutely fantastic. I have one you can see here that I absolutely love.

 

[matthewp85]

Sounds good, do you know how much the colour of bloodwood varies? The shade in the link would work well but Warmoth don't have any in stock so just wondering if the colour is fairly consistent. Could have a winner with Bloodwood/Ebony though.

 

[Cagey]

Like all the "colored" woods, it will eventually darken, but it takes a long time and is not unattractive. For some examples, see here.

 

[Cagey]

Incidentally, I just checked the Builder, and they're listing Bloodwood as an option for the neck and fretboard both.

 

[dmraco]

The one thing I would suggest is not to recess the Wilkinson trem. It doesn't need it for any reasons of playability, and it'd be a shame to cut away any more of that top than is absolutely necessary.

I agree with this too.  The wilkinson is much more stable when the springs are tightened enough to have the back resting on the body.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

This is true, but also, you can float the Wilkinson just fine without a recess - so long as you only want to pull the top E string up about a semitone.

 

[Cagey]

All my Wilkinson and Wilkinson-type bridges float and are stable. But, I also use locking tuners with minimal wraps and well-cut or LSR nuts.

 

[Jet-Jaguar]

With swamp ash and ebony (or bloodwood) make sure your pickups are good for bright guitars, because all of those are bright-sounding woods. If you get pickups that are good for warm guitars, you might end up with an ear-splittingly bright sound.