@SwedishLuthier, "Northstar DoubleNeck"
"Toddlers double neck thread reminded me about not having showcased my double neck. So, on popular demand (OK, Chris wanted to see it at least....) here is the NorthStar DoubleNeck, a guitar I built as a "showstopper" for guitar and trade shows. I brought it to the Holy Grail Guitar Show in Berlin in November and also to the Fuzz guitar show in Gothenburg this May. It didn't exactly stop the shows, but it got a bit of attention....
The Specs
Design - Peter Naglitsch NorthStar DoubleNeck
Body - FSC-approved Spanish Cedar with a quilt Maple top
Neck - FSC-approved Spanish Cedar with laminated Maple and graphite reinforcements
Fretboard - FSC-approved Ebony
Scale Lengths - 25" and 25,5
Pickups - StarStruck custom made
Hardware - Grover Mini
Bridge - Gotoh string through
Nut - Earvana
Controls - 1 Vol, 1 Tone, Freeway six-position-switch
Frets - Medium
Fret Markers - Mother Of Pearl
Finish - Waterborne lacquer on top of body and heads, Tru-Oil on back of body and Tung oil on the back(s) of the necks.
"The web page's promotion text....
This is really something special. A few very talented players have made the combination of 6-string and 12-string necks iconic. However the design of those instruments have left a few things to wish for. Better ergonomics might be the first things that come to mind. But also pickups specialised for those instruments and maybe a better switching system to make it possible to access all tonal combinations without having to fiddle with three different switches. Add to that the pretty wide 12-string neck we have been used to and the weight of the common double necks and there are certainly room for improvements.
Enter the NorthStar DoubleNeck. First thing to notice is that the necks are not parallel. By Angling them out with 2 degrees the strumming hand can be left in the most comfortable position, regardless of what neck is being used. The 12-string neck has also been made slightly longer than the 6-sting to make the most out of the chiming sound of the double chorus setup. A clever use of light FSC-certified Spanish Cedar for the body and neck make sure that the body is really light and resonant. The 12-string neck is also unusually narrow to make playing easier while still retaining room for complicated chord shapes.
The custom made StarStruck pickups have been tailored to suit the guitar with two full size, but Filtertron-ish pickups in the bridges (both customised for each neck) and mini humbucker sized Filtertron-ish pickups in the neck positions, and just like the bridge pickups, customized for their individual positions. The use of a 6-position Freeway switch means that the guitar can be operated with one single switch. Go from full throttle 6-string bridge pickup rocking to warm and lush 12-string neck pickups with the flick of a single switch. Brilliant!
And the look! Vibrant curly maple tops and body and heads, luxurious bindings works and flawless finish works makes this guitar stand out, even if it would have had only one neck."
