Ultralight Swamp Ash Soloist

[fuzzyoctaves]

Specs:
Warmoth Ultra light 1piece swamp ash body
Warmoth Roasted maple neck with bocote fretboard. unfinshed and hand burnished to ultra smooth. Frets were Pleked
Low output 50's style custom singlecoils
Bareknuckle Aftermath humbucker
5 Way rotary pickup switch. I don't split the bridge as it is much higher output and ceramic. The 5 way includes Middle+Neck in both series and parallel.

 

[bagman67]

SEXY.

 

[u.9]

Great color and I love the use of a 5-way rotary switch!

 

[Strat Avenger]

Nice. What did you use for grain filler?

 

[fuzzyoctaves]

Nice. What did you use for grain filler?

This is a Warmoth satin finish...

 

[DGW]

View attachment 63446


Specs:
Warmoth Ultra light 1piece swamp ash body
Warmoth Roasted maple neck with bocote fretboard. unfinshed and hand burnished to ultra smooth. Frets were Pleked
Low output 50's style custom singlecoils
Bareknuckle Aftermath humbucker
5 Way rotary pickup switch. I don't split the bridge as it is much higher output and ceramic. The 5 way includes Middle+Neck in both series and parallel.

What is the weight of the guitar

 

[fuzzyoctaves]

What is the weight of the guitar

6lbs 12oz

I wish I could have made it lighter. It is my heaviest guitar now that I have a 5lb Kiesel. Warmoth didn't offer roasted swamp ash when I got it and soloists aren't chambered. That Bareknuckle weighs 2oz more than the PRS HFS I put in originally. I did have them add a double battery box just for a little more weight reduction. This is my trem guitar and all trems are simply heavy. The Sperzels were the lightest locking tuners I could find.

 

[supertruper1988]

6lbs 12oz

I wish I could have made it lighter. It is my heaviest guitar now that I have a 5lb Kiesel. Warmoth didn't offer roasted swamp ash when I got it and soloists aren't chambered. That Bareknuckle weighs 2oz more than the PRS HFS I put in originally. I did have them add a double battery box just for a little more weight reduction. This is my trem guitar and all trems are simply heavy. The Sperzels were the lightest locking tuners I could find.

The Gotoh 510 trem with their zinc block is lighter than then American Standard you have on there now. I can get exact weights soon-ish for you.

 

[fuzzyoctaves]

The Gotoh 510 trem with their zinc block is lighter than then American Standard you have on there now. I can get exact weights soon-ish for you.

If the Gotoh is a drop in replacement, then yes, I'd love to know the weight!

 

[ruscio]

I've successfully dropped in a Gotoh 510 in Fender bodies routed for their 2-point trems a couple of times, but I've also once had to expand the route fractionally at the rear and on the side where the arm inserts. The Warmoth bridge route page shows that the dimensions are ever so slightly different on their routes. You may or may not be able to drop it in, and if not a few moments with careful measuring, marking (e.g., w/painter's tape), and dremel work can get you where you need to be.

Another consideration is the inserts + posts. You can use the Fender posts with the Gotoh trem, but the posts it comes with are better (in part b/c they lock for added stability over time). To replace the posts you'd need to remove the inserts and ever so slightly expand the holes. I believe you're going from something like .375" to .388", just enough that you want to do it rather than try forcing the wider inserts in there and cracking the body. This I've done a couple of times, very easy but not reversible. Just something to consider. I think the Gotoh is a significant upgrade over the Fender bridge.

As for weights, I didn't weigh any of the Fender bridges I've had, but the Gotoh assembly (plate, block, saddles) is 10.0 oz (0.62 lbs). That's for a 510T-FE1; they offer many varieties, some with different metals for saddles or blocks. I probably chose the model likely to be the lightest weight.

With some shoulder/neck pain in recent years, I've become a bit obsessed with weights of guitars + parts. I'm surprised and disappointed that I hadn't weighed the Fender bridges before selling them. I'll be curious to see what @supertruper1988 can tell us about how they compare to Gotoh.

 

[supertruper1988]

I have the fender bridge in my parts box but the gotoh in installed in a strat that needs a string change. I plan to do that over the weekend and I can compare the weights then.

 

[supertruper1988]

If the Gotoh is a drop in replacement, then yes, I'd love to know the weight!

As @ruscio mentions, its pretty close to a direct swap.

 

[supertruper1988]

You might also look at the Hipshot open gear locking tuners, I remember them being very light weight.

 

[fuzzyoctaves]

You might also look at the Hipshot open gear locking tuners, I remember them being very light weight.

Per this link: https://docs.hipshotproducts.com/6GL0_GRIP-LOCK_OPEN_DIMENSIONS.pdf
The Hipshots are 1.23oz each, for 6, that's 7.38oz or 0.46125lbs

Per this link: https://www.stewmac.com/parts-and-h...ines?queryid=e8dcbb56955b331450f997d2a05587f1
The Sperzels I have on there are .443lbs

I too am very concerned with weight as I tend to have my guitar on my shoulders for many hours when in the studio and it has directly caused me back issues in the past. This whole industry is mostly opaque around the weight of parts and it is really annoying. This guitar has a double battery box rout that I did just for weight reduction. I am seriously thinking about drilling more holes in the back for weight relief.

There was an old-school mentality that a heavier guitar sustained better. My lightweight guitars sustain just as well as all the boat anchor guitars I have owned.

FWIW, I now have a Kiesel headless with a fixed bridge as my main because it is 5lbs. Headless saves a lot of weight due to combination of bridge and tuners. But if you want a trem, you are SoL because the Hipshot trem is very heavy and also, I find that it is a huge pain to tune because the tuners are on the trem which moves when you adjust the tuners. I wish that Warmoth had a headless option, but they told me it is not likely to happen in the future.

 

[ruscio]

I also can't discern any systematic relationship between total guitar weight and sustain or "tone". I ran into the same brick wall when looking for a headless option with a conventional tremolo bridge. I understand the design challenge in doing that. I hope someone develops a workaround or a really nice trem bridge in its own right for a headless guitar.

 

[supertruper1988]

I also can't discern any systematic relationship between total guitar weight and sustain or "tone". I ran into the same brick wall when looking for a headless option with a conventional tremolo bridge. I understand the design challenge in doing that. I hope someone develops a workaround or a really nice trem bridge in its own right for a headless guitar.

It really depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go and how deep your wallet is. Aristedes makes headless guitars using bridges made from titanium made by Hantug. But I think its an excusive deal and they arent cheap.

 

[rockandroller]

It really depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go and how deep your wallet is. Aristedes makes headless guitars using bridges made from titanium made by Hantug. But I think its an excusive deal and they arent cheap.

I have a Hantug trem on my tele-headed strat, awesome bit of hardware!