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04-09-2023, 09:50 AM
#2041
Originally Posted By Dominik
My neck with roasted quartersawn maple, ebony, stainless frets, Luminlay side dots, cost $450 shipped across the Pacific to this giant convict island.
$450 is what MIM Charvels SHOULD be charging.

If only I didn’t like their stupid neck carve so much.
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04-10-2023, 09:41 AM
#2042
Originally Posted By rollerball
$450 is what MIM Charvels SHOULD be charging.

If only I didn’t like their stupid neck carve so much.
Nothing to add other than I still reckon the best way to go is to find a body with the ergonomics, pickup configuration, and finish you like and then go the custom neck route if the neck pocket allows for it. Get exactly the specs you want without paying USA custom shop prices. Pay a luthier to assemble it or do it yourself. Ditto for the pickups and wiring mods.

Spoiler!
Drilling neck holes requires some degree of skill or at least being patient enough to do it right. String up the outer E strings on the neck to get the alignment right. Clamp the neck in place and use a sharp brad point drill bit that fits snug in the neck pocket clearance holes to mark the 4 pilot holes. Move to the drill press. Set the depth and use some tape on the drill bit so you've also got a visual guide. Clamp/hold the neck securely, check alignment on each axis, make sure you're at the correct rpm for the wood you're drilling, use a sharp brad point bit for clean holes, and drill 4 holes in the neck. Once you're done apply some bees wax to the screw threads for roasted maple and bolt the neck on. If you have a body with a contoured heel make sure you're using the correct length screws on the short side or there will be tears.

Here's mine on the drill press which I held in place by hand while drilling. Came out perfect.

Or bend over and pay custom shop prices .
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04-10-2023, 09:48 AM
#2043
Originally Posted By Dominik
Nothing to add other than I still reckon the best way to go is to find a body with the ergonomics, pickup configuration, and finish you like and then go the custom neck route if the neck pocket allows for it. Get exactly the specs you want without paying USA custom shop prices. Pay a luthier to assemble it or do it yourself. Ditto for the pickups and wiring mods.

Spoiler!
Drilling neck holes requires some degree of skill or at least being patient enough to do it right. String up the outer E strings on the neck to get the alignment right. Clamp the neck in place and use a sharp brad point drill bit that fits snug in the neck pocket clearance holes to mark the 4 pilot holes. Move to the drill press. Set the depth and use some tape on the drill bit so you've also got a visual guide. Clamp/hold the neck securely, check alignment on each axis, make sure you're at the correct rpm for the wood you're drilling, use a sharp brad point bit for clean holes, and drill 4 holes in the neck. Once you're done apply some bees wax to the screw threads for roasted maple and bolt the neck on. If you have a body with a contoured heel make sure you're using the correct length screws on the short side or there will be tears.

Here's mine on the drill press which I held in place by hand while drilling. Came out perfect.

Or bend over and pay custom shop prices .
I'm a weirdo in that I hate frankenstein guitars. I dislike brandless warmoths and this and that.
Why? Probably because I'm dumb. But it is what it is lol.

If you give me two shirts that are literally identical in every possible way except one is brandless and one has a name brand I recognize and like, I will spend 50% more on that shirt. Why? Probably because I'm fukking retarded.
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04-10-2023, 10:03 AM
#2044
Originally Posted By rollerball
I'm a weirdo in that I hate frankenstein guitars. I dislike brandless warmoths and this and that.
Why? Probably because I'm dumb. But it is what it is lol.

If you give me two shirts that are literally identical in every possible way except one is brandless and one has a name brand I recognize and like, I will spend 50% more on that shirt. Why? Probably because I'm fukking retarded.
No judgement here other than life is too short to piss away years searching for something. Find what you want and enjoy it.

Brandless works for me. I considered painting the headstock until I came to my senses — it'd look like every $200 guitar with a black headstock. I like the look of the roasted maple. Many of the guitarists I grew up listening to had some kind of modded "frankenstein" guitar. I'm comfortable with the fact my guitar does not exist anywhere else. I pieced together what I wanted and that's all I play. I'd feel like a sucker if I paid 2-3x as much for a custom build that might not even feel or sound as good.

I also like the fact there's no finish on the neck which isn't really an option with production guitars unless you sand it off. Occasionally I'll apply some gunstock wax but it's not really necessary.
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04-10-2023, 10:04 AM
#2045
Any Kemper users here that play through one instead of a real amp?
Overthinking, overanalysing separates the body from the mind
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04-10-2023, 10:05 AM
#2046
Originally Posted By Dominik
No judgement here other than life is too short to piss away years searching for something. Find what you want and enjoy it.

Brandless works for me. I considered painting the headstock until I came to my senses — it'd look like every $200 guitar with a black headstock. I like the look of the roasted maple. Many of the guitarists I grew up listening to had some kind of modded "frankenstein" guitar. I'm comfortable with the fact my guitar does not exist anywhere else. I pieced together what I wanted and that's all I play. I'd feel like a sucker if I paid 3x as much for a custom build that might not even feel or sound as good.

I also like the fact there's no finish in the neck which isn't really an option with production guitars unless you sand it off. Occasionally I'll apply some gunstock wax but it's not really necessary.
I wish I could be unbothered by my weird petty materialism
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04-10-2023, 10:06 AM
#2047
Originally Posted By 7empest
Any Kemper users here that play through one instead of a real amp?
Kemper is old hat, it's the Tonex pedal now.

Only a fool would buy the Kemper these days.
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04-10-2023, 10:07 AM
#2048
Got a Way Huge Conspiracy Theory ( Klone ). Seems legit.
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04-10-2023, 10:09 AM
#2049
Originally Posted By rollerball
Kemper is old hat, it's the Tonex pedal now.

Only a fool would buy the Kemper these days.
Has anyone here got one? There are so many shills on youtube.
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04-10-2023, 10:11 AM
#2050
Originally Posted By Dominik
Has anyone here got one? There are so many shills on youtube.
I would have bought one if I hadn't sold my HX Stomp. But there's a few people on thegearpage singing its praises.
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04-10-2023, 10:14 AM
#2051
Originally Posted By rollerball
I would have bought one if I hadn't sold my HX Stomp. But there's a few people on thegearpage singing its praises.
I'm on that forum but there's always a flavor of the month they get excited about with a "my rig has never sounded better" thread before quietly putting it up for sale on the emporium.
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04-10-2023, 10:15 AM
#2052
Originally Posted By Dominik
I'm on that forum but there's always a flavor of the month they get excited about with a "my rig has never sounded better" thread before quietly putting it up for sale on the emporium.
True, but I think the general consensus across the board is that the Tonex is very competitive with the Kemper but for much less money.
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04-10-2023, 10:20 AM
#2053
Originally Posted By rollerball
True, but I think the general consensus across the board is that the Tonex is very competitive with the Kemper but for much less money.
You're right. The profiling is impressive. Smuggle that into a music store and profile their expensive amps.

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04-10-2023, 10:25 AM
#2054
Originally Posted By Dominik
You're right. The profiling is impressive. Smuggle that into a music store and profile their expensive amps.

[youtube]8io3fc344ZU[youtube]
Very easy to smuggle in that form factor lol.
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04-10-2023, 10:27 AM
#2055
Well Dom, I literally just ordered a Charvel right now lol despite my irritation with their pricing scheme.
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04-10-2023, 10:29 AM
#2056
Originally Posted By rollerball
Well Dom, I literally just ordered a Charvel right now lol despite my irritation with their pricing scheme.
Which one did you get?
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04-10-2023, 10:31 AM
#2057
Originally Posted By Dominik
Which one did you get?
https://www.charvel.com/gear/shape/d...-qm/2969411521
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04-10-2023, 10:41 AM
#2058
Got it for 10% off at least.
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04-10-2023, 11:41 AM
#2059
Beautiful. Hopefully this one ticks all the boxes and is a keeper.
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04-10-2023, 11:43 AM
#2060
Originally Posted By Dominik
Beautiful. Hopefully this one ticks all the boxes and is a keeper.
We shall see, I think I've bought and returned four Charvel DK24s so far
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04-10-2023, 10:44 PM
#2061
Originally Posted By rollerball
We shall see, I think I've bought and returned four Charvel DK24s so far
There must be a store where you can try them out.

I was thinking about what you said about headstock logos. It's interesting how you'd baulk at one on a nylon string, ditto for inlays, but on an electric it looks a bit odd since we're so used to advertising a brand.

Anyway it's still the most affordable way to get a guitar to your specs. Charvel neck starts at $215 . With a licenced neck like that you could put a waterslide decal on it and no one would be any wiser.

Here's my thought process. I wanted my own sig model no one was going to build for me unless I dropped a lot of dough.

Compared to Joe's latest Ibanez offerings:

Don't want…
Skinny neck
24 frets
Narrow 42mm nut
9.5" radius
Puny 6105 fret size
Inlays
Rosewood
Nickel silver frets
Tiny vintage style side dots half in fretboard

Prefer…
Meaty neck
22 frets
Roasted maple
Ebony
16" radius
Stainless frets and a medium jumbo size
HH — 2 low wind full size humbuckers with raw nickel covers
Lo-Pro Edge vs. Edge
Luminlay side dots
Locking Gotoh tuners
Various wiring mods and much cleaner wiring and better shielding and components than stock

I could have spent years searching for unobtainium or made it happen myself. You've made your thoughts clear on "Frankenstein" creations but I reckon a lot of guitarists could benefit from going that route.
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04-11-2023, 07:16 AM
#2062
If you really think about it all guitars are partscasters. Like I said many times in here. " A guitar is just a sum of its parts"

They are not born they are simply put together after a machine probably makes the parts

4 of my 8 are partscasters and they are exactly what I wanted except one because I have to swap out the pickups yet

Plus it's fun doing that
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04-11-2023, 07:24 AM
#2063
Originally Posted By bignpisst
If you really think about it all guitars are partscasters. Like I said many times in here. " A guitar is just a sum of its parts"

They are not born they are simply put together after a machine probably makes the parts

4 of my 8 are partscasters and they are exactly what I wanted except one because I have to swap out the pickups yet

Plus it's fun doing that
I ain’t into it.
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04-11-2023, 08:13 AM
#2064
Originally Posted By bignpisst
If you really think about it all guitars are partscasters. Like I said many times in here. " A guitar is just a sum of its parts"

They are not born they are simply put together after a machine probably makes the parts

4 of my 8 are partscasters and they are exactly what I wanted except one because I have to swap out the pickups yet

Plus it's fun doing that
I'm still looking to build a custom Tele similar to the Kotzen model only with roasted maple, stainless frets, and probably black with a white pickguard. A friend of mine has one and it's a really versatile guitar.

I'm always tinkering so if I think there's a better pickup out there then I'm going to bust out the soldering iron and find out. Understandably when you drop a lot of money on a guitar you're probably more inclined to keep it stock so it holds its value which is another vote for the partscaster. It's funny how people will pay ridiculous $$$ for a replica of something that was hacked together by a famous guitarist.
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04-11-2023, 10:04 AM
#2065
Originally Posted By Dominik
I'm still looking to build a custom Tele similar to the Kotzen model only with roasted maple, stainless frets, and probably black with a white pickguard. A friend of mine has one and it's a really versatile guitar.

I'm always tinkering so if I think there's a better pickup out there then I'm going to bust out the soldering iron and find out. Understandably when you drop a lot of money on a guitar you're probably more inclined to keep it stock so it holds its value which is another vote for the partscaster. It's funny how people will pay ridiculous $$$ for a replica of something that was hacked together by a famous guitarist.
There was a loaded Kotzen tele body for sale not long ago. I had it in my cart and then I cheaped out. The pickup combo on that guitar is pretty killer
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04-11-2023, 10:09 AM
#2066
Originally Posted By Dominik
There must be a store where you can try them out.

I was thinking about what you said about headstock logos. It's interesting how you'd baulk at one on a nylon string, ditto for inlays, but on an electric it looks a bit odd since we're so used to advertising a brand.

Anyway it's still the most affordable way to get a guitar to your specs. Charvel neck starts at $215 . With a licenced neck like that you could put a waterslide decal on it and no one would be any wiser.

Here's my thought process. I wanted my own sig model no one was going to build for me unless I dropped a lot of dough.

Compared to Joe's latest Ibanez offerings:

Don't want…
Skinny neck
24 frets
Narrow 42mm nut
9.5" radius
Puny 6105 fret size
Inlays
Rosewood
Nickel silver frets
Tiny vintage style side dots half in fretboard

Prefer…
Meaty neck
22 frets
Roasted maple
Ebony
16" radius
Stainless frets and a medium jumbo size
HH — 2 low wind full size humbuckers with raw nickel covers
Lo-Pro Edge vs. Edge
Luminlay side dots
Locking Gotoh tuners
Various wiring mods and much cleaner wiring and better shielding and components than stock

I could have spent years searching for unobtainium or made it happen myself. You've made your thoughts clear on "Frankenstein" creations but I reckon a lot of guitarists could benefit from going that route.
I'd rather have a:

skinny neck
compounded radius
jumbo steel frets
roasted maple neck and fretboard
locking tuners
bone nut
gotoh 510 bridge
suhr body carve with a charvel neck (non-fender headstock) but I would NEVER frankenstein those two together
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04-11-2023, 08:03 PM
#2067
Originally Posted By rollerball
I'd rather have a:

skinny neck
compounded radius
jumbo steel frets
roasted maple neck and fretboard
locking tuners
bone nut
gotoh 510 bridge
suhr body carve with a charvel neck (non-fender headstock) but I would NEVER frankenstein those two together
Your specs are a lot more production friendly than mine but still a candidate for a custom neck on a more affordable Fender or Charvel body. Put a waterslide decal on there and no one would know unless you told them. Put the original neck back on if you want to sell it. At the end of the day it's about making music with tools that sound and feel right.

Spoiler!
I have no regrets about ditching the pointy Ibanez headstock which banged into desks and ceilings. It's lived in a box for the last 5 years. Of course it would have been nice if they had a custom shop that would build me a neck to my specs but my last name isn't Vai. Thankfully Mr Joseph Satriani insisted on a square heel Fender neck pocket instead of that proprietary AANJ sorcery and I could go full Frankenstein with my axe. The funny thing is if I was a big name player there'd be people prepared to pay big bucks for what I created.
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04-12-2023, 09:54 PM
#2068
Originally Posted By Dominik
Your specs are a lot more production friendly than mine but still a candidate for a custom neck on a more affordable Fender or Charvel body. Put a waterslide decal on there and no one would know unless you told them. Put the original neck back on if you want to sell it. At the end of the day it's about making music with tools that sound and feel right.

Spoiler!
I have no regrets about ditching the pointy Ibanez headstock which banged into desks and ceilings. It's lived in a box for the last 5 years. Of course it would have been nice if they had a custom shop that would build me a neck to my specs but my last name isn't Vai. Thankfully Mr Joseph Satriani insisted on a square heel Fender neck pocket instead of that proprietary AANJ sorcery and I could go full Frankenstein with my axe. The funny thing is if I was a big name player there'd be people prepared to pay big bucks for what I created.
But that Ibanez headstock is such a cool one.
Less cool is the AZ version of the Ibanez headstock. But here's a question, does anyone know where this dude's AZ is from? Why is this one not more available.

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04-12-2023, 10:01 PM
#2069
Charvel finishes are fukking straight trash. Absolute garbage aesthetics - fukking misty pink or drab ass grey in MATTE and chit for over a THOUSAND DOLLARS. Dafuq outta here with that chit Charvel.

BRB Charvel either pay $1200 for a gross finish or $4000 for a finish that doesn't make you want to puke. Thanks Charvel.

That DK24 in Chlorine Burst I ordered partly because the veneer quilted maple top for this particular one comes in one piece. This is important because I noticed that in many of the Chlorine Burst had veneer tops with a seam in the middle HOWEVER the seam wasn't actually in the middle, it was frequently OFFSET by several mm and looked fukking janky as chit.

I love the playability of Charvel but fukking-A they and Fender are cheap ass cost cutting motherfukkers.



Inb4 Dom once again extols the virtues of frankenstein guitars.
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04-13-2023, 04:48 AM
#2070
Originally Posted By rollerball
But that Ibanez headstock is such a cool one.
I agree but I haven't missed it.

Originally Posted By rollerball
Inb4 Dom once again extols the virtues of frankenstein guitars.
Inb4 rollerball returns another guitar. sorry mang, couldn't resist. I'll chill with the Frankenstein fetish.
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