Ml Style Guitar

[GuitarGoat]

Hey guys, I've been hanging around here a little while now and finally got a name. I just had a few questions for you guys if you have any experience on any of this stuff. This is for my second guitar, a guitar styled like a Dean ML. My first one was a super strat with a headstock kind of like an ESP reversed, EMG-81s, custom wiring with an EMG Afterburner, Original Floyd Rose Bridge, 24 fret rosewood fretboard, full maple neckthru construction. A real shred guitar. Anyways, my next one i want to be a Dean ML Styled guitar like I said. I want it to be full maple again because the sound is killer, real bright but with enough low end for me. I was wondering if this would be way to heavy for the ML body because the strat is 10 pounds if im correct and the body is even thinner than the normal 1-3/4". Could I hollow out chambers on the body without affecting to much like strength and would the sound not be as bright as the solid body? Another thing is the strap button placement. I have heard that the button being too high will make the guitar unbalanced so I am not sure if i should put it on the heel or the upper horn that hardly exists on this guitar. One last thing: has anyone here compared the Bill Lawrence 500XL pickup to the newer Seymour Duncan Dimebucker? I hear they are both good but can't decide and don't know the difference totally. Thanks!

[ihocky2]

I can't answer all of the questions, but I'll try and get what I can. you can definitely chamber the maple body to reduce the weight. Search through the forum and you'll find plenty of posts on it. As to how much it will affect the sound, is (and probably will be) debated. I would tend to say that simply because of the lack of material and density, it will mellow out a little bit. It is just a question of how much which I can't answer. Some people leave barely any edge of the body and it is still strong enough, others will leave like a half inch but both will keep a strip down the center for the pickups and bridge to mount to. As for the strap button, I know a lot of people that play Jackson's other than the strat shaped, like to move the strap button onto the neck plate, or at least that area. Since again there you have either no, or little front horn.

[GuitarGoat]

Thanks a lot. I almost don't want to chamber it just because there is the risk that bright snappy maple sound will be mellowed out. No one has played either the Bill Lawrence or the Dimebucker though? Thanks again.