software

k, last one i promise

I know who can finnish crap for like $50 (buddy of mine) and i want an esquire with a rosewood fretboard amp; a hot rail, haven't decided on the rest quite yet, but basically i want it to be bassy as hell, but retain definition amp; lots of harmonics, have a decent top end, i dunno, i guess kinda like my basswood tele with the '59 but more bass, a little tighter, and more defined under gain, i guess more of a 'typical' high gain sound, aaaand, i love chunky tone, but my guitar now is chunky so its not essential, as long as its got some low end to it. anywho, here's the options

squier tele, new tuners amp; electronics, MAYBE new neck

all warmoth

mexi with new neck, tuners amp; pickup

ebay piece crap together

yeah, so i'm budget conscious. I hear people bag on agathis for being a crappy wood for cleans, but, i don't plan on doing much clean work on this guitar so that's that, but i'm also not sure if alder would give me the bass i need, i've never played a hot rodded alder guitar so i dunno, wood suggestions? and which option should i go with?

also, what kinda tuners should i go with? i'm sure they effect tone quite a bit

alder will work just fine...my teles with hotrails can pass for a les paul with no problem...they're real thick but have a kind of bite that no les paul i ever played has...which i love so it's the best of both worlds IMO! also, i'll send you a PM back in a few i just got yours.

oh and if you want to do it real cheap i'll give you some more info on my tele clone i just built (the gold esquire) b/c you'll be amazed at the price i paid for that guitar and how good it actually is.

-Mike

I would go with Ash, personally.

any reason why?

ash seems like it'd be too bright


Originally Posted by drew_half_emptyany reason why?

ash seems like it'd be too brightash is going to be brighter that alder as a general rule.

yes, ash will be brighter if you want dark and thick go with alder IMO. i sent you a PM with a bunch of info...

-Mike


Originally Posted by drew_half_emptyany reason why?

ash seems like it'd be too bright

I just really like the way Ash bodies add definition in high gain situations.

Alder is a good middle of the road option,ash will be brighter and heavier,mahogany will be a little bassier and oak will be a mid tone with a dark edge.
Mahogany and oak aren't as defined as alder is.

what about agathis?

or should i just stay away from it?

i suppose i could also go with an affinity amp; a new neck, they're made out of alder, but is there a big difference in quality between them amp; mexis?

If you want a tele with some real low end to it get yourself an alder body and a short scale 24 3/4 tele conversion neck from Warmoth made from Mahogany and Rosewood..... The extra short scale will add lots of lows!!!!

But even if you just ordered a 25 1/2 scale tele neck out of Mahogany it will add some low end for sure!!!! I have been on an all Maple body with Mahogany neck kick for a few years now!!!! The maple or alder body is solid and sounds great and the Mahogany neck adds the lows.

WhoFan

hm....a mahogany neck may not be such a bad idea

any thoughts on this mahogany neck business?


Originally Posted by drew_half_emptyany thoughts on this mahogany neck business?

Like what?
Also agathis may be expensive unless bought in bulk.I haven't priced it,but people may use this to save on labour.

uhh, agathis is what comes on squier teles dude

Just to make sure that I'm thinking of the right thing-Agathis is a composite material isn't it?

agathis is known as a cheaper substitute for mahogany with almost similar tonal properties.

like mrid, i would suggest a swamp ash body that weighs no more than 5 lbs. tight lows, open mids and sweet highs that screams clarity under high gain. the hot rails is a pretty bassy/middy pickup and it will match well with a swamp ash body.

neck-wise, i would go for all maple. harmonics galore while keeping things really tight. you would want to have a slightly brighter guitar. you can tame brightness with pots/caps value and the tone knob. but you can't add clarity and defination to a muddy guitar.

my .02,
dani

Thanks dani,I thinking of something else.
Sorry drew
Okay I have worked with this stuff before,I made a double cut arched top for a guy with that stuff,mahogany neck and rosewood board.Mellow sounding.

hm, well the j5 bigsby DOES have hot rails amp; an ash body

maybe i'll just clone it, except without the bigsby...or goofy headstock

and maybe push/pull volume amp; tone pots that disconnect each from the circuit, so i can have a neck pickup

okay so its not an esquire anymore, any ideas for a neck pickup though? i want something that's gonna be pretty friggin similar to a hot rail, single coil tele neck size or mini hum preferably

you sure it won't sound too bright though? this has to be a really, really mean sounding guitar


Originally Posted by drew_half_emptyhm, well the j5 bigsby DOES have hot rails amp; an ash body

maybe i'll just clone it, except without the bigsby...or goofy headstock

and maybe push/pull volume amp; tone pots that disconnect each from the circuit, so i can have a neck pickup

okay so its not an esquire anymore, any ideas for a neck pickup though? i want something that's gonna be pretty friggin similar to a hot rail, single coil tele neck size or mini hum preferably

you sure it won't sound too bright though? this has to be a really, really mean sounding guitar

Xssive (Mike) has several Tele's with bridge Hot Rails and Mini buckers in the neck...they sound mean as hell! If your body had a universal route or a bucker route you could pt a neck hot rail or cool rail in the neck. What the move from the Esquire?

well if i can disconnect the pots via push/pull theres really not much point to having a one pickup guitar, sure the extra magnet will dampen the strings a bit but who cares?

is ash really necessary if i can disconnect the pots for clarity? cuz if not, i could pick up a nashville tele, load it with 2 hot rails, and then a QP tele or hot for tele neck