Calling Out To Builders: Whats Your Preference?

[Drunkagain]

I was just wondering what your preferences are in a guitar? If you were having another luthier build you a guitar what options whould you guys go with? Maple vs rosewood fretboard? Trem or hardtail or something else. You get the idea.

Thought it would be fun to hear what your ideal specs for a guitar would be.

[Guitarpentry]

:munch

[John Mayes]

Set neck. Mahogany body & Neck. Rosewood board. Then I'd let the Luthier take over the rest....let em have free creative reign....things turn out good that way.

[Mike Navarro]

Well John, my guitar player side definitely prefer the maple fretboard for a couple of reasons, in 23 years repairing necks of all kind in the repair section of the shop, necks with maple fretboards are more stable than the others, of course, the one’s with lacquer finish all around. There’s an explanation, I live in one of the worst weathers mix conditions in the planet for a string instrument, hot & humidity, different for example from Texas or Florida with hot dry weather conditions, hot temperatures mixed with high levels of humidity are the elements you need for bending woods application as acoustic guitars sides etc, so imagine this weathers elements creating a “fight” between the pull string force against the truss rod!. The thing with the all around maple neck with lacquer is that the neck is protected and sealed from humidity all around different than others traditional “no lacquer requisite” fretboards. The rose/ebony fretboard conditioning with oil or sealing protect something, but never as a lacquer finish cover, plus as dry the wood maintain, it will maintain it’s brightness for longer years. I based this in years of experience in this terrible weather condition, not in what I read in books of others opinion. In the 80’s I was a studio/live performance professional guitar player and I toured the most important cities in north, central and south America, all the time my guitars stayed in neck perfect conditions country from country except when I return to the island, as soon as I “touch down” in the San Juan airport and open the cases I got to re adjust all of them!. I prefere Bolton necks because I fell better attack than set necks or though, and its better in the moment of “repair solutions”. In pickups I love all of them, each one has their own personality and sound. Floyd when I just want to carry one guitar to a gig to maintain in tune all night long, but I also like traditional tremolos. I love the maple/mahogany combination in guitar bodies and also heavy northern ash. And a brass nut, there’s a lot of myths about this matter, brass nut sounds as a cero fret, maintains the brightness in the fret notes as in the air notes as well, so it’s more balanced for example when you make a D open chord in the second fret were all notes will sound identically brightness, also gives more sustain in the open notes and transmit more vibration pass through the neck to the body, and, does’nt need to readjust the strings groves for years!. In my business is different, I built guitars of all kinds of woods (except basswood and poplar), and from set necks to boltons etc.
Mike Navarro
http://guitarzonepr.com

[semore butts]

First of all Thanks for providing your opinion.

I am trying to figure out what I want in a custom guitar. I don't know all that fancy guitar technology about necks and pickups and so forth.

I have been looking at Ron Kirns, he does some beautiful work.

Second of all, Mike, your guitars.........Wow!

The blue one on your website? What does something like that cost?

You made my day Mike, so many guitars! So little time!

[Mike Navarro]

Thanks Semore!! The blue one was for $2,200.00, but I don't do anymore those models, I just have it there for record, I can make the same concept with my new bolt on model (as the rosewood & cooper candy) with my headstock & body shape, I have more models coming up in bolt on & set neck, the "Guitar Zone" web site is about the shop and services (repairs, custom works etc), the Navarro Guitars web page is under construction and soon you can check my new models!

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/GuitarZonepr/IMG_0345.jpg

The head stock in my set neck guitars is diferent than the bolt on, this one is one of my set neck models in progress
http://guitarzonepr.com

[Denyle_Guitars]

I prefer the ones with strings. Seriously, I play them all equally bad. Righty, lefty, fretless, 18 strings, just doesn't matter much. Maybe all of the above. :)

[Guitarpentry]

LOL!! Me too! I think that's why I decided to start building them....cuz I suck at playin' 'em. At least it keeps me connected to a guitar/bass somehow...

[Chris Rice]

Tough question, as I need many things as a player. The variety of different instruments connects me to music in different ways.
So I'll list off what my current project has going on.

Mahogany body
Maple/Cocobolo bolt-on neck
44 frets (quarter tones)
Fernandes Sustainer
Stetsbar trem
Osprey body shape

[Guitarpentry]

44 frets?? :D Yowza!

[Chris Rice]

Not to play high, but to play the quartertones between the notes.
I've been listening to way too much Charles Ives and want those sounds on a guitar.
:crazyguy

[Thor]

Tough question, as I need many things as a player. The variety of different instruments connects me to music in different ways.
So I'll list off what my current project has going on.

Mahogany body
Maple/Cocobolo bolt-on neck
44 frets (quarter tones)
Fernandes Sustainer
Stetsbar trem
Osprey body shape


Gotta post some pics of that when its done! My head is dizzy thinking about staring at a fretboard with that many frets. Very cool idea. Would be even cooler if you recorded some clips to go with it!!

Cheers,

Edward

[mikef1331]

That's a tough question. There are so many different guitars and features that I like that it's near impossible for me to have everything in just 1 guitar.

But there are a few features that I prefer slightly over others.

I prefer set necks, but I also like bolt-ons a lot.

I used to favor trem equipped guitars over hardtails, but now I like them equally, maybe a slight edge to hardtails now.

I definitely prefer guitars that have bigger neck carves. PRS Wide Fat and '58 LP are my faves. Thin necks give me bad hand cramps.

Pickups?... Hums, P-90's, Fender style single coils, etc... I like 'em all. :)

Which luthier would I pick to make me a guitar?... Ron Thorn. He's my bud and a great builder to.:D

[brianpaul]

I like things simple but elegant.

Set maple neck
Ebony or rosewood board
Jumbo frets
Humbuckers
Hardtail
Nitro finish
Maple cap
Mahogany body

Brian Paul

Full Disclosure
Owner of Brian Paul Guitars
brianpaulguitars.com

[Bruce Bennett]

Humm.. tough question..

I play Blues/Slide mostly, but sometimes I'll play a Chet Atkins style. gig, other times I'll play a alternative/classic rock gig.

and I use something completely different for each one..

Set neck, mahogany neck and body. A Gretsch duo-jet-ish contraption has been my main ax for Blues/classic rock gigs. TV jones pickups. very solid sound.... Old tone.
Tons of sustain and sing.

Slide gigs bring out my Supro Dual Tone, with the 1 bolt neck.. and basswood body, trapeze tail piece and floating bridge. and those HUGE single coil pickups. (Love that sound.. but for slide only though) lots of attack, almost no sustain. the pickups are very hollow/metallic-y great trashy slide sound.

and a hollow sugar pine Tele-ish gizmo for anything with twang to it.
Chicken pickin to the max... Seymour Duncan winds his 54 Tele lead extra HOT for me and the neck pickup is a VanZant broadcaster model.. better have some jensen speakers in your fender amp with this one... it's Spanks HARD.

tried to combine all that in 1 guitar several years back.... it's really not do-able IMHO. too much diversity.

but then, I'm way off the beaten path when it comes to the sounds I like.