Well, shit - kind of steals my thunder, don’t it. I actually started reading that post when it first started and I’ve read some of his other ones. That guy does really nice work…
Since the Shark has upped the ante - - and since I’m already a little ways into the Esquire project, I think I’ll start a thread on another guitar I’m working on. It’s going to be a body shape of my own design made out of chambered alder and a quilted maple top dyed blue. I haven’t started this one yet, so you guys can see it from the beginning…
Have I mentioned I hate you ;) I have a big document to review and I am stuck in that darn thread.
He trashed a real PAF pickup in order to get the design specs right? That’s a $3,000 - $5,000 pickup right there…
He claims that the “secret” (such as there actually is one) of a PAF pickup is the wire and the windings? I bet he is correct about that being a critical factor, but none of the other stuff?
He asserts that 50’s Les Pauls had to be made with African Mahogany, i.e., Limba wood, aka “Korina” not Honduran mahogany? If that is in any way true, that would be like saying the reason you love old Mustangs is because they really have Chevy engines. Seriously, in geek circles that is a recipe for flame wars I can’t even begin to imagine the scope of…
Oy. Back to work. I hate you (seriously - fascinating stuff - thanks).
You know WordMan, you have room to talk. I wouldn’t even know of the world of guitar forums and build threads if you hadn’t started the ball rolling with your build threads here. Karma’s a bitch ain’t it.
BigShooter,
I’d love to see the build thread on the chambered guitar. Is it going to be more like a thinline or an archtop? What about the Esquire, are you going for an old school blackguard, or something a little more colorful?
I won’t spoil it for you, but suffice it to say that he geeks on every little detail. Wire and windings are just a part of it. He is of the notion that every little thing, now matter how small, contributes to the whole of the tone. No shortcuts in his world.
I’m thinking flame painted red brass or copper, like I’ve been doing with my other guitars. Probably in more of a Tele Jr. shape than your standard tele pickguard…
For the chambered one, it’ll be more of a thinline. Archtops are a little out of my league at the moment. This fall I’m hoping to take an eight week class on building an archtop that’s offered by a luthier here in town.
Just dipping in here to say that I got through about 20 pages of that currently-41-page thread.
That is the BEST FREAKIN’, GEEKIN’ GUITAR THREAD EVER.
Hands down - no contest. I am so not worthy of the geek title in relation to that thread it is not even funny. Not only do you get a step-by-step, photo-by-photo breakdown of building a truly hand-made, luthier-built guitar like a Les Paul (vs. a parts-o-caster - granted, **BigShooter **actually makes his parts vs. me who just buys and assembles, so his stuff counts a lot more than mine in terms of “craft”) - but the thread is chock full of 1950’s Gibson general / Les Paul specific geekery about how the guitars are made, magnetic properties of pickups, types of wood used with Latin species name squabbling…
I have actually fainted while typing this from all the geekery - but that thread is so powerful good that it is keeping my hands moving…
Wordman I know you don’t mean to insinuate that my guitar making skills are subpar*, so I’m not pissed or anything, but this does bring up an interesting question:
Why, in your eyes, do you think a Les Paul is anymore of a “hand-made, luthier-built guitar” than a Caster of some sort?
*However, I’ll freely admit that the guy in that thread is a little ahead of me in the skill department. I’ll get there though
You guys are getting me interested in playing again (it’s been a while). I sort of drifted away when I moved to L.A. It seemed everyone I ran into wanted to have someone else’s sound, and sometimes even someone else’s look, and I’m just not into that. Me, I just wanted to knock around, have fun and if we sounded like crap, so what.
So since this thread has also gotten my guitar juices flowin’, anyone here in the UK want to put together a crappy-but-enthusiastic cover band for getting together and making occasionally-not-awful music?
Glad to be able to contribute something. So do you or do you not want me to point you to some of his other build threads?
I’ll just give you one more, that shows the lengths he goes to to select components for a specific sound and weight for a jazz bass. I’ll leave it to you find others if you want. I don’t want to be responsible for you getting fired.
Not to hijack this thread, But I reckon I need a lil critique here.
A freind gave me an old acoustic guitar a few years back and I plunked around on it for a long time. He gave me a few lessons and I worked at it diligently for a few years. Learned all the basic open chords and maybe a little more, nothing special at all.
My sister came by right before my birthday last month aand asked why I never play any more and I told her quite frankly that the guitar HURT to play. I never had the action or anything checked and it hurt like the dickens to finger the frets!
She had her husband take me to town and told him to buy me a guitar… My choice.$150.00 limit. Found a Yamaha SE 200 in a pawn shop and whittled the guy to $90.00.
It plays like a dream compared to the old accoustic and sounds OK with an old squire 15 amp I bought YEARS ago.
Did I get a good deal? Is it an OK guitar for an old guy just picking up the guitar again?
You guys are the reason I caught the fever again… My wife thanks you! Gets me outta her hair for a few hours every day!
BTW Most of your conversations on this subject are greek to me! I figure maybe by pure osmosis I can pick up some knowlege.
Like this guitar? (link to some sort of online classified with a pic)
If so - then heck yeah, you did great! As a rule Yamaha’s are well-made guitars and an electric can be much easier to play vs. a poorly set-up acoustic. Good on ya.
Glad to hear you are enjoying the geekery - as for the Greek, feel free to ask for explanations - we geeky types can then squabble over the details.
Absolutely not, sir - your stuff looks really cool.
Okay - I am between meetings on a heavy day, but want to log in a few thoughts:
When viewed as a tool for a guitarist, set-necks and bolt-ons are simply different design / build groups - one is not better than the other.
When it comes to the equivalent steps that both guitars share - e.g., shaping the back of or fretting a neck; finishing the guitar; selecting and setting up the electronics and giving the overall guitar a final playability set-up - the two types are equivalent.
Bolt-ons are easier to assemble.
> I can, and have, bolted a new neck onto a new body and checked it for true, shimmed it where necessary to get a better neck angle, etc. I can’t, and won’t, carve out a dove-tail joint and set a neck into a body and glued it. Even if I got the parts pre-carved and ready-to-glue I am sure I would blow the clamping or something.
> I can’t carve an arch top onto a body like a Les Paul has. Non-issue on most Bolt-ons. In fact, when Gibson decided to go with the Les Paul in '52, finally goaded into solid-body land because of the success of the Broad (renamed Tele) caster, they specifically went with a carved top so the guitar looked more craft-made vs. the “you can make it with a bandsaw” construction of a Fender…
So I guess I am in the Groucho Marx camp - I have a deeper appreciation for stuff I can’t do. Again, I can’t actually make a bolt-on body - I bought mine pre-carved on line - nor did I finish it myself, which is why I tip my hat to you…
I went to a show called Experience Hendrix last night which had a ton of great guitar gods playing some classical Hendrix tunes.
But what really made it special was that through some very far fetched coincidences my two friends and I got to spend about an hour on Eric Johnson’s tour bus talking with him about, well, guitars and guitarists.
Eric’s a very down to earth friendly guy and just listening to him give his perspective on touring and other musicians was a once in a lifetime treat.
Wow - cool. I am going on March 24th in NJ, I believe.
What did you discuss with Eric? I stood next to him at a booth at the annual Arlington Vintage Guitar Show last year, but we didn’t exchange more than a hello - he was too focused on a '54 Les Paul goldtop…drool…
Actually WordMan, that exactly the same guitar.(Not the same ONE but one exactly like it. Even down to the color!)
It seems to have the equipped pickups and tuning machines. I am able to play more frequently and longer stretches of time than the old accoustic. Quite enjoyable! The old accoustic will be sent to shop for refurbishment possibly but for now will reside in it stand just watching and weeping.
Now I am thinking maybe some commercial lessons just to make myself grow a bit.
Thank to you guys I now have the gumption to take it all up again. I KNOW I’ll never be on stage or anything like that. But just the self enjoyment I find whe I remember an old riff or chord from way back when is a gift.
Chris Layton has a way of pushing you yet relaxing you at the same time. He really enjoyed performing with him as it puts him into a mood where he can comfortably push out past some of his norms.
Susan Tedeschi was a joy to work with. I would have melted had I met her but the only other musicians we passed on the way to the bus were Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Noah Hunt (yep Noah wasn’t mentioned in the preview info but I was glad he was there. I think he has a vocal presence similar to Hendrix)
Eric said that he believes Susan and hubby Derek are due for a combined tour.
He talked a bit about his early years and how he was playing at a hotel club when Eddie Van Halen came over and started chatting him up. Eric didn’t realize at first that it was Eddie as VH was known but just starting to gain real success.
Really the only guitar subject he mentioned was a correcting me on a comment I made about KWS playing a left handed guitar upside down. It’s a right handed guitar with a left handed neck on it. (I was in the balcony and the designs on his guitar made it look like the pots were on the high side and the Fender neck head was obviously left)
I wanted to ask him a question about how he got the tone on one of his songs (Good to Me) but didn’t really want the conversation to turn into an interview.
I know you’re going to enjoy the show Wordman. My favorite parts were of course Eric Johnson’s set (especially when Susan Tedeschi joined him), Johnny Lang’s and Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s sets. Joe Satriani was just blazing but I think the soundman may have faltered on his set because it was muddy. I expect the Satriani set would be improved for your showing.
Wow - all cool stuff; thank you for sharing! I will chime in with a report when I see it in my neck of the woods…and yeah, I saw Derek Trucks last December and Marley indicated that it would be the last dTb show in a while because Derek and Susan are forming a Trucks/Tedeschi band - which sounds very cool…
And **Craneop2 **- again, looks like fun! You might - if you haven’t already - do a search on this forum on the word guitar or something that isn’t so broad. There are a large number of threads on tips for starting out, or getting back into guitar, etc. - I bet you might find some of them pretty good reading…
I actually started reading that post when it first started and I’ve read some of his other ones. That guy does really nice work…
- and since I’m already a little ways into the Esquire project, I think I’ll start a thread on another guitar I’m working on. It’s going to be a body shape of my own design made out of chambered alder and a quilted maple top dyed blue. I haven’t started this one yet, so you guys can see it from the beginning…
I’ll get there though
