software

This is what I am thinking:

Telecaster Body
Basswood Body and Flamed Maple Top (Vintage Yellow!)
Maple Neck with Maple (or Ebony) Fingerboard
22 Stainless Jumbo Frets
Wolfgang Contour
Gotoh Wilkinson Tremolo w/ Piezo LSR Roller Nut
Dimarzio Tone Zone Bridge
Dimarzio Air Norton Neck

well, will this sound too bright? I want some Paul Gilbert Tone with little less mid and little more bass (and not muddy)

I was also thinking of going Alder instead of Basswood (since I do a lot of abuse to my guitar) - will that be ok? should I go maple or ebony for the fingerboard?

I'm not too familiar with the Dimarzio pickups, so I can't really be of any help in that department.. but I'd say as far as wood selection you'll be fine.

I'd say you'll definately be in the same ballpark as a standard tele sound (again, I'm not factoring pickups into the equation). Ebony versus maple is probably more of a cosmetic/feel thing than anything.. go with Ebony if you want an unfinished board and don't mind the extra $30/40 upcharge. You'd most likely be fine with a maple fretboard, though.

Personally I'd steer clear of the basswood body. I had a Fender Iron Maiden Strat made of basswood...and all you had to do was look at it the wrong way and you'd get a ding.


Originally Posted by chcjuniorPersonally I'd steer clear of the basswood body. I had a Fender Iron Maiden Strat made of basswood...and all you had to do was look at it the wrong way and you'd get a ding.

but it sounds sooooooooo good!


Originally Posted by Xeromusbut it sounds sooooooooo good!

I couldn't accurately comment on it. I thought it was the basswood I despised tonally....turned out I just don't care for anything that's not a full size humbucker.

I agree, basswood sounds great, but I would never own another basswood guitar because of the softness of the wood.

Ryan

hm.. alder then? wouldn't alder maple top be too bright esp. with maple neck and fingerboard?

Why not ash for the body?

hm... ash... I don't know! definitely not swamp ash, it's too trebly for my taste.

Yo,
So at the risk of straying from the thread, I have a Warmoth question:
Have you, or anyone else out there, ever done the Warmoth thing? If so, how did it turn out?

I priced out my dream axe at Warmoth and it was actually pretty reasonable (excluding the cost of assembly). But is the quality of the guitar the sum of it's parts, or is there a craftsmanship element needed, as in a custom made Jackson?


Originally Posted by Senor SkankyYo,
So at the risk of straying from the thread, I have a Warmoth question:
Have you, or anyone else out there, ever done the Warmoth thing? If so, how did it turn out?

I priced out my dream axe at Warmoth and it was actually pretty reasonable (excluding the cost of assembly). But is the quality of the guitar the sum of it's parts, or is there a craftsmanship element needed, as in a custom made Jackson?

There have been a ton of Warmoth threads lately, you might want to do a search and check them out. In general, yes, the quality is very good. So is the quality at USA Custom Guitars. Both companies offer things that the other doesn't, so you may want to look into both before deciding. Warmoth and USACG necks and bodies are interchangable, so you can buy one part from one place and the one part from the other.

For the original poster, I think mahogany might be a good choice if you want the tone of basswood, but with more durability. Of course, mahogany is heavier, but you can usually get an extra light body from Warmoth for a small upcharge.

Ryan

I would stay away from the basswood and suggest mahogany also. My wolfgang (you'll love that neck profile )is a great guitar but the wood is just too soft. Aside from the dents, I've also had some problems with the strap button screws getting loose in the wood and the trem plate cover screws loosening. Mahogany looks better too. You can finish it in clear or transparent finishes, which you can't really do with basswood because it's kind of fugly .


Originally Posted by Senor SkankyYo,
So at the risk of straying from the thread, I have a Warmoth question:
Have you, or anyone else out there, ever done the Warmoth thing? If so, how did it turn out?

I priced out my dream axe at Warmoth and it was actually pretty reasonable (excluding the cost of assembly). But is the quality of the guitar the sum of it's parts, or is there a craftsmanship element needed, as in a custom made Jackson?

Here's my two cents on Warmoth:

I ordered 3 guitars from them in the last year amp; they all had sloppy neck pockets, one I ordered with a 5A top had the quilt totally sawn and/or sanded-out between the PUPs...and from what I've heard I got off easy - Warmoth's quality has really gone down-hill over the last several years.

IMHO, USA Custom Guitar smokes the doors off Warmoth in every catagory except one, selection of body/peghead shapes - The Carve-top -S- with 1/4 sawn maple/perro ferro neck I got from USACG is flawless in EVERY regard, so much so I'm planning on selling most of my Warmoth items amp; having Tommy and the boys build me some new toys.

Hope that helps...

I am a fan of mahogany, but I am afraid that it will sound extremely muddy with Tone Zone... well, maybe not with the maple top?

USACG seems nice too, maybe I will get one from them! :-)

check out the tele hh black out, or the showmasters

its sort of like what you're wanting, i have one amp; love it, its all basswood but asian basswood, which is damn close to american basswood with a maple top

the contoured heel is also excellent

only thing i can see that may be a problem for you is the fretboard material


Originally Posted by sastoryhm... ash... I don't know! definitely not swamp ash, it's too trebly for my taste.
Well, you could go ash for the body and mahogany for the neck. :-D

I was considering a warmoth. Then I looked at the pricetag.

yeah, warmoth IS expensive. Well, but it's not THAT expensive if you do the finish yourself.

maybe Fender will do the trick, but I am not a bigsby fan... damn the blackout or showmaster does look tempting! (maybe I will skip floyd altogether?)


Originally Posted by sastoryyeah, warmoth IS expensive. Well, but it's not THAT expensive if you do the finish yourself.
Warmoth isn't even necessarily expensive when you think about the service and product they're offering.It's just too expensive for me.