Jivin

Well Perry is usually my go-to man for anything guitars, so I would have gone to him anyway, but I really didn't think it would be so painful trying to get some further insight. I stuffed up, I wasnt clear about what I was asking and subsequently made posting here a lot more annoying than it should have been. Don't worry, I won't be making the same mistake twice. I think we should just close this topic please mods - thanks

Well, I will admit I did a horribly job trying to ask my question, but please don't make out like ive just ignored all of the advice you guys have given. I appreciate anyone who has tried to help, however no-one really answered the question I was trying to ask. Sure that may have been my fault in not making my query clear enough, but yeah, in general all most people said was that a strat with a mahogany body wont sound like a strat and that I shouldn't try and create a strat sound if im not willing to use the classic strat materials. That sounds like really good advice, only it doesn't answer my question, and I have understood from the beginning that a mahogany body wouldn't make for a classic strat sound and I have also been willing to appreciate the benefits of that too. I COULD try and explain what I am after again, and if i managed to pull it off maybe it would make more sense, but I have already had a chat to Perry about it since starting the thread, and since in conversation it was easier to convey what it was I wanted to know, he helped me make a decision, which turned out to be what I had hoped from the beginning. Just because I didn't ditch the idea of the mahogany body doesn't mean the thread wasnt useful to me. There were some great posts that made a lot of sense and helped me out, but there were also some posts that made sense, but didn't quite get where I was coming from. I want this mahogany body and I understand it won't be a typical strat. I like the idea of having something warmer than a traditional strat and I am fully prepared to work with that angle, however I still was hoping to use some fairly snappy single coils, and I was just trying to find out if the mahogany would stop me from getting any bite at all, even when I dig in with the single coils. Thats it! I apologise if I have seemed ungrateful for any input people have had, but its just that telling me it wont sound like a typcical strat or that Alder or Swamp Ash are the ideal woods for a typical strat sound doesnt really help me much No hard feelings - Dan

Thanks for your post Maiden, I don't think I ever said that I thought the koa would make a difference to the tone, in fact I think I even stated that I was aware that warmoth only put the 1/8" laminations on the top for the visual benefit I am no stranger to playing the blues, so I am sure that I won't be unhappy with this guitar and I will love playing it regardless, however as I have said there was some more specific tonal quirks (like a bit of bite) I quite like out of my crappy strat and I was only posting so I could get some opinions on whether or not having a mahogany body would completely stop me from getting that, even with quite bitey higher output single coils. I am fully aware that it will not sound like a strat... so although I really do appreciate people offering up some help, there is no need to keep posting that. As of right now I am thinking I will go ahead with this with the mahogany/maple/ebony. After talking to a lot of different people I feel comfortable that with the single coils and the maple/ebony neck the guitar will still have enough bite to satisfy me, and aside from that I am quite looking forward to utilising some of the extra warmth the mahogany will add in some slightly different blues stuff. And regarding why I am buying the stuff from warmoth? I would love to be able to build and finish my own guitar, but its just not something I have the time, money or resources to do right now, or any time in the near future. I am fully aware that I am part of a minority here at PG who don't come here to learn about building a guitar from scratch, but instead I have learn a wealth of other things about the more technical side of the guitar. Right now between working my normal job, studying full time and operating as a freelance web designer I am stretched thin as could be for time, and between keeping my normal gear up to snuff, paying the bills and spending money on my better half I sure as hell dont have the money to invest in even the simple tools that I dont have (almost all of them). I think it goes without saying that if I need a fancyish guitar for gigging I would be pretty silly to assume I can jump in and build a bulletproof guitar in my first go No... for now I will leave it to the pro's - I need quality gear Thanks all though, this thread has definitely been a help - Dan

Thats what they said in the terminator as well I am John Connor!

Haha, yeah well that comment was a little tounge in cheek I have a strat that I have been using which I put together out of a bunch of parts I had around, and it has done the job until now, but its really beaten up and was never that great to begin with. By reforge I mean... I only have the desire to have one strat to do my blues thing, and that will be my 'strat'... so even if i bought all new parts and didnt use a thing out of my old one, it would still be my 'strat' Messed up I know, but thats just the way I see my guitars And yeah don't worry, the camo is here to hold the fort, it won't attack one of his its own soldiers

Thanks for all your input! I am not a huge fender nut either Rich, so like I had said, I probably won't notice the subtleties much... which is why I was trying to find out if people thought the difference would be overwhelming. GuitarFrenzy: Thanks for the suggestion, but perhaps one thing I didn't quite make clear was that if possible i would like something that I can just get all in clear gloss for simplicity. Warmoth just put 1/8" tops on as a visual thing really, and when the top is Koa like I am after they clash with pale woods a bit and its a look that doesn't do much for me. With mahogany however, the koa meshes fairly well though, which is why when I saw this extra light mahogany body with the koa top I thought it might be worth a shot. I got in contact with a few blokes who have built mahogany bodied strats with maple necks before and they had great things to say about them. Both were using the same tremolo I plan on using and both had Rio Grande tallboys installed. The general feel from both was that it was definitely a bit warmer, but still retained the overall snap, which they also attributed to a pickups a bit - no suprise there. I'm very pleased to have had a chance to get that sort of information beforehand! - Dan

Thanks for your input Drak, however I think maybe you've gotten slightly the wrong impression Not your fault at all, but it was probably more that my post was a bit vauge and silly because I was not sure of what I needed to ask and how relevant it was in the end. I should make it pretty clear that my ears or hands are not all that fine tuned to the nuances of a classic strat, so my expectations are not going to be all that finicky or precise. It is just one of those things that is fairly personal, so its hard for me to accurately convey what I am after with regards to sound. I am aware that there are a lot of factors that go into making a guitar sound the way it does, and I am aware its not a science, however in the here and now I am trying to figure out if having a mahogany body with a maple neck is going to stop me from getting any semblance of a 'texas blues'ey SORT of sound. Knowing there is plethora of other variables involved, even I don't need to ask here to know that a mahogany body wont sound like a Fender strat, but since I none of you really know what exactly it is I want and what I will be happy with then I can fully understand your response I have had a bit of a chat with Perry, and seeing as he has a reasonable idea of what I am like he has me thinking that I will probably be satisfied with the mahogany body and maple/ebony neck along with the kinman woodstock set of pickups. I don't want to open up a can of beans at all, but he also said there is a possibility that being an extra light mahogany body perhaps it -may- lack of bit of boomyness relative to some other peices. Just a possibility, and not something I would bank on, but it may end up playing part. So yeah, I am not trying to find out if I can twist a mahogany body into a classic 70's strat by changing the neck wood, but moreso if the Mahogany body will completely stop me from getting a biting blues tone so much to the extent I should just expel the idea, regardless of what neck/pickups I choose. *takes a breath*

Hi Guys, My parts-o-caster is defintely been through the wars lately and has a bunch of problems that I really need to fix before its ready to hit the streets again, so I decided to take this oppurtunity to reforge it into something new... something better Now, I will be getting my body and neck from warmoth most likely, but I wouldn't mind a bit of advice regarding woods. I am in love with the look of this extra light mahogany/flamed koa strat body they have in their showcase, however I know that mahogany isn't a wood usually used for a typical strat. Problem is, I have decided on keeping it all natural gloss, but I don't particularily like the look of a 1/8" laminated koa top over an alder body, so I thought this might be a good chance to step outside the box a litte bit if I stay smart with my selection of woods for the neck. I am not worried about having a totally classic strat sound, but I don't want to end up with something completely and utterly different either. That said, I am after something that can still satisfy in a semi-aggressive blues style... I dont mind having something a bit warmer after coming from a fairly standard strat setup with a full maple neck/fingerboard (and a squire body I beleive is alder, but i could be wrong), but I don't want it to be devoid of that beautiful bitey tone that I love in that style of music. I would love some input or suggestions, but my main question is, if I was to go with this extra light mahogany/flamed koa body, would I be best to go with a full maple neck again to go some ways towards balancing out the sound? Its not essential, but I wouldn't mind a darker fingerboard if I can get away with it. I have read that Pau Ferro as a fingerboard is brighter than rosewood? Perhaps there is a completely different wood I could try for the neck altogether? If it helps at all I have decided on using high quality matched set of Kinman AVn Woodstock regular singe coils and I think I am going to opt for stainless steel frets as well. I know this isnt an exact science or anything... but I am keen to get a bit of input from some people with more knowledge than I Maybe I am just being too finicky and the difference in tone from just the fingerboard/neck alone wont be enough to even partially balance out the sound of an all mahogany body, but thats why I am posting here Thanks in advance! - Dan

I have a feeling Carvin do something like that? Maybe not, but it might be worth a search

There is only one thing I think of whenever there is talk of the French... http://www.intriguing.com/mp/_sounds/hg/french.wav

Haha, yeah, you can't even buy fosters here in Queensland anymore - at least not that I have seen anyway. Still, 'Fosters' is also behind at least 5 others beers I can think of off the top of my head, so I guess they caught on eventually and took that one overseas

I doubt I even need to bother saying which one I voted for

I just wanted a cheap amp I got a panic business call after I had been there for about 45 minutes, and I can't say I was all that worried that I had to leave Ahhh well, not the end of the world. - Dan

I posted a picture of the speed shelf at the beginning of this thread :D And yeah, the the PA2 is just a variable gain booster, up to 20db as far as I know, hence the trimpot. - Dan

In a nutshell, the shredder option is where the frets get thinner higher on the fretboard: http://www.funkyshack.com/camo/pics/22-FretsInstalled2.jpg and the speed shelf (to my knowledge anyway) is just the recessed area around the heel: http://www.funkyshack.com/camo/pics/39-WhitePaint2.jpg Clearly Perry will need to explain it in more detail, becuause I have no idea in what way the banjo frets relate to the neck joint... but im sure Perry will, seeing as he coined it - Dan

What, you mean in like sheer agony over the unbearable suspense? The really beautiful thing about all of this is that camo will arrive JUST in time for my uni finals - Dan

The soundclip guy had the guitar for freakin ages But yeah, perry still had a bit of work to do once he got it back from him. That said though, I've made my last payment and paid for postage, so I will have it soon! Muahhaha!

Oh I am SO going to be there! Cheers for the heads up buddy - Dan

That was a cool song though

Thats a fair point, but if we had a fairly comprehensive, accurate FAQ then it would be a breeze to just refer new people to it rather than just telling them to search through the haystack. All it would take is for someone to say "Your question has been answered in the FAQ... link here". Hell, we could all just keep it somewhere and copy and paste it so that way we don't get people taking out their frustrations on new people because they woke up on the wrong side of the bed I mean, I know you could say thats the same as telling someone that its been covered and to go search for it, but this is a LOT simpler and efficient in the end will make it easier for people to learn. - Dan

Very cool design Matt! I like it, but for what its worth, if it were my design I would probably adjust it a little something like this: Sorry if this moves right away from the look you were going for, I just thought there was a serious lack of balance Can't wait to see you start building this one dude! - Dan

Too much shred, not enough music Maze wins it for me - Dan

Actually at the time I saved more like $50, but yeah For the record, I COULD get a refund from them if I post them back the dead item, but I really can't be bothered because of all the hassle. So the moral of the story is really the same - Dan

He does have every right to ask the question. However, I think the problem lies in a.) the accusatory tone this particular poster used and b.) the fact that the post deals with the business of a well known and well respected member of this forum. The post would have been appropriate in a forum where you had a but not b. However, in this case it would have been preferable for the poster to contact Perry directly rather than accusing Perry with the posters very first post. ← You took that line of mine a little out of context The "do it with PM" thing had been made clear by some senior members already, and I went on to say basically what you said there about the original poster making it sound like he was investigating perry for doing something shady. - Dan

In a sense I see where you are coming from sort of, but even though I can't really answer your question here goes: Perry is a bit of a crazy sob as far as I am concerned, but he is a good bloke and he has gone to a lot of effort to be able to supply a PROPER range of luthier stuff to Australian people, including a full online pricelist, which is extremely uncommon. If your comparing directly with American prices then he will be a bit more expensive yeah, but thats the same everywhere in Australia, and when put in that perspective Perry's prices have always been reasonable in my experience. Don't take what I say as gospel, but yeah, there is a chance some stuff may be StewMac stuff, but so what? That doesn't mean he is trying to rip anyone off, as a LOT of poeple don't like buying things from overseas and having to worry about international return policies and the extra postage and longer waiting periods. You have a question, fair enough, and although everyone is saying you should be gearing up for a smackdown, I also beleive you have full right to ask what your asking, but Perry is NOT trying to rip anyone off, and he is actually doing a very good thing by even going to the hassle of offering the stuff in the firs place, so I think everyone would appreciate it if you reworded your question so that it doesn't sound like your insinuating that Perry is doing something underhanded. Thanks, and welcome to the forum too - Dan