New Build: Theories & Opinions invited

Things are going better with an actual target. However, in researching, I find all kinds of conflicting information: Was the body made of Korina wood or not? Possibly the original '58 model was, but one can also read that this was a misconception and it was not made out of Korina.

I am choosing (so far) the information in the Gibson Explorer manual I found here:
http://www.music123.com/Gibson-Explorer-Electric-Guitar-517320-i1149289.Music123

The manual is (C) 2003 and states that body and neck are mahogony. This makes sense, since that's a lot of wood and weight will certainly be a factor. It is probably closer to the materials the Destroyer used, as well.

Fretboard will be rosewood, a fact which I like.

I'm going 24 1/2 scale with 24 frets. (Ordering the neck from Womoth).

Also ordering plans, but having some trouble there. I have had difficulty ordering things from Amazon before getting shipping to Canada. And the only other place I can find the plans is http://www.guitargranny.com/electric/electric.htm Kind of a cheap looking site, but only a $16 dollar risk, so what the heck.

Now on to questions:

In reaching for that 'brown sound' I'm open to suggestions for pick ups. I am not sure I can order the "PAF" any more and I just don't know a thing about pick ups.

Gibson specs call for 2 volume and 1 tone control for this guitar. Would I not have more versatile sound with 1 volume and 2 tone? A lot of people just set the tone knob at 10 from what I hear, but I tend to use it along with my selector and get lots of range on the fly that way. Maybe I should go ahead and have 2 + 2. It is My Build after all! :)

Another mod I am considering is moving the selector switch. It just looks to be in an awkward place. Hopefully I can find and handle an Explorer in one of the local music stores before I get routing and see what it's like.

I will otherwise stick with Gibson specs unless something comes up in the meantime.

That's pretty much it. I'm good to go (well, I've started ordering and waiting for parts at least).

I have hung a picture for inspiration and everything. I'm excited and scared at the same time. :D

p.s. I finally did crank out some VH while restringing the guitar this weekend. It's been a long time since I gave that a good play! Definetly the Shark sound is what I'm after. Though I won't actually get that sound for a variety of reasons, at least now I know what I'm trying for.

Thanks so much for the input so far. Chris, I wish you were my neighbour. lol!

Originally Posted by: RazboIn reaching for that 'brown sound' I'm open to suggestions for pick ups. I am not sure I can order the "PAF" any more and I just don't know a thing about pick ups.

The Gibson 57 or 57T pick ups are probably what you're looking for. They were the redo of the PAF. In the 80's, Gibson decided to bring back that sound and I think somewhere in the late 80's or early 90's started calling them by 57 or 57T. The 57 is a good mellow pick up and ideal (I think) for a neck pick up and the 57T is a hotter pick up (a few more winds of the wire). The 57T might the pick up for the 'brown sound' element you're looking for.

Originally Posted by: RazboWas the body made of Korina wood or not?[/quote]
This issue has never been publicly cleared up to my knowledge. EVH and others have claimed it was made of Korina (a nice wood!). But existing evidence from Ibanez states they were made from ash but the finish was called "Korina finish". Those looked like a light brown wood grain finish. Very nice looking. But there is no photographic evidence that EVH even had one of those!

In fact the only evidence to my knowledge is the opposite. There are several old pix of EVH playing his Destroyer before he modified it and it seems to be white, grey or silverish. He might have painted over the wood finish, though.

In any event, the body wood was ash.

The original Gibson Explorers were made out of korina wood. So perhaps Ibanez was trying to get some kind of similarity in naming the finish after the actual wood. Even though it was a different actual wood. :rolleyes:

FWIW I've played a few original 50s Explorers and two 70s Destoyers (both were the Korina finish on an ash body). The Ibanez guitars were very nice machines. I mean really wonderful things. The Gibsons were nice too, of course. Actually felt a little too chunky for my personal preference. Which is weird because the Destroyers were "supposed" to be almost exact replicas.

Another FWIW I had a star-body Warmoth project guitar years ago. It had a Dimarzio super-distortion HB and an original Floyd Rose. The body was mahogany. Man, that guitar was thick and heavy. The bass end was really warm and rich. The treble end was OK, not quite as bright as I would have liked, but I made up for that with EQing. The mids were really well balanced. So it might be a good choice. Seems like I've heard it's a really hard wood, though. So, it might be a little harder to work with.

Originally Posted by: Razbo
Fretboard will be rosewood ... (Ordering the neck from Womoth).
[/quote]
Good deal. They have great quality. :)

Originally Posted by: Razbo
In reaching for that 'brown sound' I'm open to suggestions for pick ups. I am not sure I can order the "PAF" any more and I just don't know a thing about pick ups.

Sure you can. Look at StewMac.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Pickups:_Guitar,_electric.html

I think any config of pots and switches will be fine. Won't affect the tone too much either way if they are standard passive electronics. Unless you go with active electronics or on-board pre-amps or some other stuff.

Pickups are typically measured in ohm resistance and voltage output. What is interesting is that years ago a "hot HB" was like 8-10 ohms. Nowdays a "hot HB" for a metal guitar can be like 12-15 ohms!

So you might get more "crunch" out of a hotter pickup. But to get a less "buzzy" tone and thus more like the classic EVH "brown sound" you might be better off with a "classic" or "vintage" HB with a lower ohmage. Just a thought.

Another thing here: The EVH "brown sound" on the albums is a bit more complex in a couple of other ways.

1. It was recorded in a studio very loud. So his Marshall (and various EQs) were pumped through his power amp (supposedly H&H) and then through at least 2 Marshall 4x12 cabs for maximum punch. Nothing, I repeat, nothing moves air like a power overdriven Marshall 4x12!

2. It was recorded in a studio totally dry. But then it was mixed with that huge Templeman reverb. So what you hear on the album is a tone that was very loud and totally dry (no reverb or echo) and has been somewhat compressed and lots of reverb was added after the fact.

Point: you and I aren't going to simulate EVHs brown sound in exactly the same way he did. So we are trying to duplicate it by "re-engineering" as opposed to "reverse-engineering". :)
[QUOTE=Razbo]
p.s. I finally did crank out some VH while restringing the guitar this weekend.

About time! :p
[QUOTE=Razbo]
Thanks so much for the input so far. Chris, I wish you were my neighbour. lol!

Welcome! Fun to finally use all the trivial info I've stored over the years on EVH's tone. :p

Originally Posted by: CSchlegelBut existing evidence from Ibanez states they were made from ash but the finish was called "Korina finish".

I priced out the mahogany neck and with only a couple enhancements from the base model and it gets up to $368 with Shipping & Taxes.

Since I don't believe there is any sort of alchemy or magic involved, I'm going to learn to build one of these, too. I fully expect to screw up my first attempt in one way or another, so I will probably price out what's economical to start with, which is probably maple. On my list is a trip to the Exotic Wood store I am told exists somewhere in the city.

I think this is actually a good turn out in a way. As a bolt-on design, I can change it out later and it gives me an opportunity to compare the sound the different neck woods make. I can test all the assertions I've been reading with my own ear. :)

The Destroyer was ash, but I'm sticking with the mahogany body for now as per the Explorer. Especially with the (expected) maple neck, it might turn out to be a nice combo. Then with that experience under my belt, I will try building a mahogany neck. (The weight shouldn't be an issue as I'm sitting most of the time. I am anticipating this design will push the whole guitar to the left as I hold it which will make it easier to get at the top frets in a sitting position.)

As you pointed out, there are so many variables between me and EVH's sound that I can't really expect to achieve it in the end.

In the meantime, I'm still waiting for my plans from guitargranny.com. Not an abnormal time for snail mail sometimes, but I already received a new Stew-Mac mag that I ordered days later. I emailed him and he assured me it was being sent.

Also ordered this book http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Make-Your-Own-Electric-Guitar-Melvyn-Hiscock-Brian-May/9780953104901-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527melvyn+hiscock%2527 which was highly recommended on another site.

Well, don't want to clutter this up with more thoughts on what will be. I will post next when have something that IS. :) Thanks again for your thoughtful input.

Well, I've been building radius blocks & fret benders in the meantime, but finally, the parts are here! I'll get myself organized and post some progress links soon. This weekend commences the build. I'm back at the Fender-ish HSS style for a number of reasons. Got a Schaller FR for it as well.

Think positive energy at me. :)

Sneak Preview! I bet you thought I was all talk :)

Maple neck, RW fretboard, Ash Body, Schaller FR Trem, Grover Tuners, Stew Mac Pick Ups. My only concession to prefabrication was getting a preslotted fretboard.

My "Company" is called "Scar" Guitars (a play on my first & last names lol!). This one is called First Blood. I know, not very original, but it does have actual blood in it! =P

The HB is coil cut, so I have "Strat Mode" & "Humbucker Mode". I will probably put separate Vol/Tone controls on the HB before I am done.

This pic is form a couple of weeks ago. It has since been deconstructed and rewired to correct an embarrassing wiring mistake and to reduce the thickness & width of the neck. (I had heard how some people liked a fat neck, so I experimented with that first and didn't much care for it.)

After re-assembly, it is quiet as a kitten. My only problem now is I'm not getting the correct pick up combinations working. Seems to be a problem with the switch, but maybe I have some signal bleed. As in any Strat style, Neck PU is wired to pos 1, middle on pos 3. Pos 2 should give both, but it is not, and have the same issue with position 4. It's working that way in both Strat & Humbucker Mode. I obviously have some kind of problem, so there's my project this weekend.

For finish I was originally going shiny black (hence all the black h/w), but I have recently acquired a Epiphone Les Paul copy that is super glossy black and it's such a major fingerprint magnet! =P I'm still going black, but going to use a rubbed oil finish for that and environmental reasons.

Will post the finished product soon!

[Edit] Fixed my image tag. :)

Originally Posted by: RazboSneak Preview! I bet you thought I was all talk :)

Well done! I hope it sounds as good as it looks.

Thanks! It sounds pretty nice imo. (Of course!) Darker tone in Strat mode than my Squier, mostly due to the Alnico pick ups I suppose. (I bought a set for the Squier, I liked the sound so much.) The pick ups get rave reviews and seem to be a good bang for the buck.

I still have to build the mahogany version neck. I did not this round, since maple was a lot cheaper and I expected to frig this up. Turned out easier than I thought (or I was just lucky). And I think I will try a wood pickguard.

I know this is not a build site, but I have to say, for anyone wanting to really know a guitar, I would recommend going thru the process of building one. (Not parting one, that's like cut-and-pasting a novel and saying you wrote a book.) I have learned a ton of stuff.

If you have access to a drill, a dremel tool and a jigsaw, you can do this. It's highly educational and more fun to play with than a diploma. :)

I have been long remis in posting my finished product. This is "Denny" :)

Denny is on his 3rd neck with slight body mods because of it. Finished with simple min wax ebony oil stain and polymerized tung oil (similar to the Tru Oil, which is polymerized linseed oil). This was very easy to finish with and after deglossing the neck, it feels as good as any neck I have.

It could use some more leveling, but I gave up for the moment. It turned winter here and it's impossible to get a dust free environment in my basement. But this is basically it:

Congrats man! How does Denny play?

I can honestly say as good as anything else I have. I'm still tweaking (don't ya love intonating a FR?), but the buzz-free action right now is about 3/64. I've got about .012 relief in it though.

I don't know if I'm lucky, or have an unto-now hidden skill, or building necks is just not that hard, but every one I've done has been fine in that regard. Nice and straight and level. Where I've gone wrong is making them too narrow to suit my taste, which is pretty hard to fix. :D

Originally Posted by: RazboI'm still tweaking (don't ya love intonating a FR)[/quote]

Not particularly

[QUOTE=Razbo]Where I've gone wrong is making them too narrow to suit my taste, which is pretty hard to fix. :D

Ummm, yeah, cuz last I checked, they still had not come up with a board stretcher/thickener

Well, I'll even let you in on what I think is the secret... Instead of using a file for fret levelling, I use a stone. It was one of the methods described in Hiscock's book, and it sounded easier than filing, so I bought one.

Just a regular ol' sharpening stone about 2 x 8 inches with a med grit on one side and fine on the other.

I had one significantly high fret in this neck, and I didn't even look for others yet because I could find this one without even a fret rocker. Went over the whole board with a few passes of the rock & voila! Didn't have to touch another fret.

I've never used a file, so maybe it's just as easy, but the rock seems foolproof. (Just don't make too many passes.)

Ummm, yeah, cuz last I checked, they still had not come up with a board stretcher/thickener

True, but I saved Neck One. As a side project, I plan to pull the frets and route a flat edge on both sides. Then laminate some maple to it. Reshape, reslot, and refret. The appearance should be like a binding. Hopefully.

I might be able to use it on my next project... Here's a pic of the inspiration for the body shape


This is actually the body of a Washburn guitar. I have some carving ideas from a "Solace" brand guitar in a nearby shop. Hopefully I will advance my skills as I have not done a carved top yet. Will still be a bolt on neck. I'm still prone to "things happening" so I don't have the confidence to go for a set neck yet. Maybe #3 :)

Damn you Razbo...

You got me wanting to build again. I was going to over my vacation, but bought a bass instead. One of these days I'm going to build my explorer. Well, a hybrid anyway. Will be an explorer body with a Peavey Tracer neck. I already have the neck. Need to do a fret job on it though.