Originally Posted by: Razbo... I am finally onto my "goal" as it were. Either a EVH Frankenstein, but with a single coil along with the HB ...
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Awesome. :) I didn't know EVH was an inspiration in this project.

Originally Posted by: Razbo
I finally settled after having an epiphany, of sorts. VH I was the single most influential album on my entire life...

Anyway, so I figured I would head my build in that direction.

If anybody has info on getting the tone I obviously want or input on my "deviations", please post.

I was also very influenced by "Classic" VH (i.e. DLR era).

There are a few things to keep in mind about EVH's tone on VH1. You might know all this but I thought it was useful enough to post for anyone else who is curious. :)

First, he used two guitars: the original Frankenstrat & the Shark.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstrat

Note that the original version of the Frankenstrat had a standard Fender vibrato, brass nut and only one string tree (holding the E & B strings). And yes the brass nut was important because it more easily lubbed the strings with the 3-in-1 oil he put on it to minimize the string friction which helped keep the guitar in tune through his extreme dive bomb whammy action. All that results in a different sound than a guitar with a Floyd. His later Franks had a Floyd without fine tuners and then one with them. Slightly different tones.

The Shark had no vibrato being an Ibanez Destroyer (Gibson Explorer replica) and only had the one rear HB functioning.

Also important is that the Shark was used on at least two songs (RWTD & YRGM) and possibly others in which there is no vibrato bar techniques present. If you listen carefully to the remastered CD versions there are subtle, yet still fairly amazing differences in the tone from song to song (also from album to album). You can hear for example that the non-vibrato rhythm parts of Jamie's Cryin' & Feel your Love the tone is noticably different from say I'm The One & Little Dreamer. On those last two he is obviously using the B & W Frank.

Second, a great deal of the classic VH brown sound had to do with running either guitar through a maxed out, modded plexi Marshall. Most of what EVH did to his Marshalls (the Variac, the Jose mods, etc.) is exactly why we have modern rock amps with the added gain stage set to add overdrive.

If you listen to old bootlegs and concert footage you can hear that his sound is very naturally "undistorted" and much more simply "natural overdrive" or as EVH said, "Just raw power" from the amp and not a distortion pedal or any other such device.

Third, you can easily buy pickups from StewMac that simulate the classic Gibson PAF sound. You don't need to wind your own from a 335. :)

Finally, Cynical One had good comments about the overall quality of the work being most important. But I disagree with this:
[quote=cynical1]I would bet that most tone snobs could not readily identify an alder, ash, mahogany or maple body blindfolded, so stick with your choice of build wood.

The fact is most people never get a real chance to hear such a difference. How often have you ever gotten the chance to hear identical guitar body styles, pickups, setups and everything, except a different species of wood?

I have worked in at least 10 different music stores as a repair assistant and tech. I worked in two guitar manufacturing companies. So, I have had that opportunity to A/B wood, pickups, etc. in this way. I think most people would be able to hear the difference. It's pretty obvious and amazing how much difference it can make.

The real issue is would you prefer one more than the other after you heard the difference? And in this regard, perhaps, most people would say, "Wow it really does sound different, but I can't say one sounds better than the other."

I think just about any wood can sound good. It just depends upon the quality of the build and the player. Hey, the body of my most loved Strat copy is plywood :rolleyes: probably made from spruce, pine or some kind of evergreen. But it sounds great.

For your purposes I would suggest that either is fine, Ash (typically the "old Fender pre-CBS sound") or Alder (more associated with "post-CBS Fender", post 1966). You might ask a woodworker which is easier to work with. I have each and they are slightly different, I prefer one over the other depending upon what kind of music I am playing with it. The Ash is louder and harsher in the bass and treble ranges (my black Strat). The Alder is a bit more even and mellow, with the mids sounding more in balance with the bass and treble (my main red Strat).

Maple neck is fine. Definitely buy one if this is your first time out, that stuff is tricky. Warmouth and StewMac sell great quality necks.

Have fun!