Weighing my options

joeyshev

Newbie
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2
Hi all,

I'm a first-time poster planning my first build (how original). I'm already in your debt due to the number of excellent ideas and tips I've gleaned by lurking here.

I'll try to describe what I'm after in terms of tone, then what my plan is so far. Feedback would be very much appreciated.

I'm looking to build a guitar that is warm, balanced and articulate. I'm not good enough to have a real defined style, but I mostly play cleanish with maybe a little bluesy overdrive. I want to be able to pull big, thick, jazzy chords and hear each note. This guitar will hopefully complement my LP Studio and MIJ Tele, giving me a different sound and take me in a different direction when I'm just noodling around with it. I have a Seymour Duncan Jazz/JB humbucker set that I have been planning to use.

Here's what I had in mind:

  • Thinline (I just think Teles are beautiful), routed for two humbuckers
  • Mahogany or Black Korina body
  • Mahogany or Korina neck, Rosewood board

Some specific questions:

  • How much difference would I notice between full Thinline and '72?
  • How do I decide scale length? I feel "at home" on the Les Paul, but would the longer Fender length be better for what I'm after?
  • What do people think of the string-through, recessed bridge option?
  • What else can I do to make this really unique?

Thanks in advance, everyone!
 
If you want something really different, why not put those humbuckers into your LP and go with P-90's? That way you'd be sort of covering the spectrum (single coils in the MIJ, P-90's, HBs in the LP) . Plus from what I understand, P-90's match the sound you describe to a T. The guys on this forum highly recommend Lollar P-90's. They're what I selected for my build (still forthcoming).

I'm a big fan of string-through bodies. With good tuners, they hold tune like nobody's business, and I think they're the best looking option out there.


 
If you are looking for clear articulate notes, try one of the harder woods necks like maple, on up.  That will brighten up your tone, but with a mahogany body it will very warm and help tighten up the notes a bit.  I have a korina tele with an ebony neck and it is very meaty but very articulate.  It is pretty heavy as well, but oh well.  I also have a Fender thinline and a Warmoth chambered guitar and both are not nearly as "dark," maybe not the correct word, as my solid bodied guitars.  The 25.5 inch scale seems to add more brightness as well as a bit of twang.  I am comparing the Warmoth LP I have to the LPS from Gibson that I have.  I am not sure the bridge is going to do that much other than fixed vs trem sound, but that will help with sustain and tuning, more or less depending on the set up.  Although I have said it will brighten up things, it is not an ice pick to the ear.  But, next to a '78 Les Paul the longer scale and hollow bodies are a brighter sound.
Patrick

 
You really want a full Rosewood neck, you've no idea yet, but if you order you'll see...

What kind of tone are you after?
If 335, I would suggest to follow it with a maple body... Jack has a Black Korina Hollow body L5S with Rosewood neck, he said his 335 is only on case now :laughing7:

You could go on that way too...
I think you should say more what you're after with example with guitars or bands, so people can understand better :) I would say gibson scale for everything, but I'm biased :laughing7:

String thru is your friend, don't fear it!
What else can you do it to be Unique? Put Bare Knuckle Pickups on it, put a real nice top (ask for 5A figuration) and finish it nicely (I like the results people here got with Korina and tru-oil:
http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=100.0

Cheers!
Welcome to the forum!  :eek:ccasion14:
 
i'd go with a brighter neck, i find all mahogany guitars with humbuckers too dark
 
Thanks for the ideas!

You know, I'm rather intrigued by the idea of P90s. I hadn't really considered it because I have no experience with them personally. I think I'll have to do some more research there, maybe a trip to the guitar shop to play with a P90-equipped axe.

I'll definitely take the advice on a brighter neck as well. I hadn't encountered that point on here before, but it makes sense, especially because I don't want to end up with a guitar too similar to my Les Paul.

It's hard for me to describe exactly what I want to sound like (which I suppose means I might not be ready to spec out a custom guitar), but here are some of the people who produce tone I envy:

John Scofield
Jeff Parker (Tortoise)
Bill Frisell
Archer Prewitt (the sea and cake)
John Frusciante
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (sometimes they sound just perfect to me)
Dungen
Sondre Lerche

Man, I'm all over the place with that list. I was trying to think of guitar TONE especially, so don't judge me too harshly. I listen to stuff besides this. :)

Korina with tru-oil looks amazing! Thanks for that. I think that is the current front-runner for body wood. Wow.
 
joeyshev said:
You know, I'm rather intrigued by the idea of P90s. I hadn't really considered it because I have no experience with them personally. I think I'll have to do some more research there, maybe a trip to the guitar shop to play with a P90-equipped axe.

I definitely recommend you take the time to check some out. When I was in the earliest stages of planning my Warmoth, I went to GC and they had a P-90-equipped SG. Though I play left-handed and couldn't *really* play it, even just strumming the strings I could tell the pups are very different than what I'm accustomed to, but very very cool. Choosing P-90 routs is the one aspect of my project I haven't been second-guessing a hundred times a day.
 
Sorry I don't know most of guys you said about the tone you want :(

But P90 may be cool if you want something different.. the tone is a BIG single coil. Of course there's many models of it, some with vintage alike tone and some with hot rod rock tone!
Some clips of BKP 90 (vintage tone) and 91 (hot vintage) and 92 (modern rock)
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=search2
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=search2
 
NonsenseTele said:
Some clips of BKP 90 (vintage tone) and 91 (hot vintage) and 92 (modern rock)
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=search2
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=search2
what's with you with the links today?
 
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