Your Perfect Mix n Match Guitar

thegummy

Along the lines of those "the perfect animal with the speed of a cheetah, head of a lion etc." game, what parts or features would you take from different guitars in order to have one single guitar that was perfect?

Not really the same as what mods you actually perform to guitars, you don't necessarily have to be limited by what's easily done or what will look good - some boffin will make it work aesthetically

My first thoughts are that it would definitely be largely based on a Strat which is my favourite guitar and would have the balance and contouring etc. of that. But I would take the pickup switching from the Les Paul - I just find it so perfect up there and very easy to use when wanted and, unlike the Strat's one, I don't accidentally switch it when strumming.

Might also take the 4+2 tuner layour from MusicMan. Not sure if the 5th and 6th tuners being closer to the nut and eliminating the string tree would have any benefits; I would imagine it did.

Think I would also move the input jack to the outside of the guitar like a LP or even on the front like a Tele (which works well with right-angled plugs). I can't think of any benefit of the Strat style one - anyone know what the benefit is if there is one? Makes it very awkward to use right-angled plugs and doesn't seem to be any better than the LP with straight ones.

Hope a few of you get the game and put some interesting ideas forward!

skullfunkerry

Hmmm, lots to think about here. I think I'd go for the body shape of my GJ2, with the neck from my Performance, but thru-neck with no heel like the Soloist I played the other day... possibly a maple fingerboard, although I'm not too bothered either way. No inlays though, just plain and simple. A couple of humbuckers and a Floyd Rose, jack socket mounted on the edge (totally agree with everything you said about that). The volume pot (I don't use the tone) would be down away from the bridge so that it's not in the way, and the pickup selector would be on the bottom horn like an N4. It would have a reverse headstock, because I think they look cool. The nicest looking headstock I've seen recently is the one on the Schecter Reaper, so let's go with that.

Chrome hardware, no scratchplate, seafoam green finish and zebra bobbins on the pups.

(I'm not expecting anyone to actually like the sound of that)

octatonic

HSS Strat with the ability to have neck and bridge pickup together in parallel covers a lot of sonic territory.

Gassage

Hmmmm

OK- mine would be my 61 strat with slightly bigger frets, 8oz lighter (it's only 7lb 7oz as it is!) and a Cornell midboost in it.

That's it. And I've pondered doing it.

stickyfiddle

Gibson SG, but maybe with an invisible JM trem that also sounded exactly like a stoptail version when not using the trem.

Sassafras

A Telecaster body with a Telecaster neck, single coil neck & bridge pickups, 3 steel saddle ashtray bridge.
Very similar to a Telecaster in many respects.

The_Whisper_Thief

I think if it looked like a 335 but played and sounded like a tele I'd be happy 

Branshen

Gassage said:

Hmmmm

OK- mine would be my 61 strat with slightly bigger frets, 8oz lighter (it's only 7lb 7oz as it is!) and a Cornell midboost in it.

That's it. And I've pondered doing it.

How would you make it 8oz lighter?

thegummy

Gassage said:

Hmmmm

OK- mine would be my 61 strat with slightly bigger frets, 8oz lighter (it's only 7lb 7oz as it is!) and a Cornell midboost in it.

That's it. And I've pondered doing it.

If you ever achieve the negative weight thing I'll travel to get a shot lol

joetele

Telecaster neck
Semi hollow Telecaster body with belly contour and forearm contour
Fender Fidelitron at neck
Humbucker at bridge with split/tap so that I could have a regular Tele singlecoil sound
Ashtray bridge and compensated brass saddles
Two volumes, one tone
Locking tuners maybe

stratman3142

octatonic said:

HSS Strat with the ability to have neck and bridge pickup together in parallel covers a lot of sonic territory.

That would be my choice. My HSS Strat with S1 switching comes close. I can get bridge humbucker, in parallel with the middle and neck in series humbucker mode, but I can't get neck single coil in parallel with bridge single coil. I suppose I could include and extra switch for that. I need fairly high frets and a fairly flat neck camber, but my Fender HSS Strat has that as stock.

As the icing on the cake, I'd also like 24 frets and improved upper fret access. Probably something like an Ibanez RG550 but looking less pointy and looking more like a Strat.

Update edit: Thinking about it a bit more, I think I've just described a Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature guitar.

Gassage

Branshen said:

Gassage said:

Hmmmm

OK- mine would be my 61 strat with slightly bigger frets, 8oz lighter (it's only 7lb 7oz as it is!) and a Cornell midboost in it.

That's it. And I've pondered doing it.

How would you make it 8oz lighter?

Look, I'm the resident queeny smart arse around here.....

stratman3142

Branshen said:

Gassage said:

Hmmmm

OK- mine would be my 61 strat with slightly bigger frets, 8oz lighter (it's only 7lb 7oz as it is!) and a Cornell midboost in it.

That's it. And I've pondered doing it.

How would you make it 8oz lighter?

Ask Russ Ballard.

Which I've only just noticed got a mention on this thread
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/164007/swiss-cheese-guitar#latest

Musicman20

Jaguar / Jazzmaster bodyshape.

Heavily upgraded (although same function) offset bridge (e.g. perhaps re-engineered by Musicman).

Jaguar scale.

Probably a splitable humbucker and the bridge, P90 at the neck....although I might miss the classic single coil twang.

Upgraded Jag electronics, but similar circuit.

Dark Sherwood Green - no thin finish...either well coated in nitro or a fantastic high quality poly finish. Maybe a hint of sparkle. Matching headstock.

Birdseye maple neck. Truss rod adjuster at the body with the Musicman style wheel. 

Darkest of dark rosewood board.

Brown Tort or Mint green/parch pickguard.

Lots of Musicman-quality hardware.

MM/Schaller locking tuners. 

zepp76

What I’d like is a budget (say under £500) Single cut LP Junior in TV Yellow with a highish output dog ear P90 and a very chunky neck. A tortoise shell pickguard and ebony fretboard would be nice but that just wouldn’t be in the budget territory then I suppose. Not asking for much really lol 

guitargeek62

Mine’s easy, PRS DGT with a stoptail and Dragon 1 pickups. I’d like to try the 594 though, as that would probably do the job too!

*edit* Make it charcoalburst, with a korina body and neck, and ebony fingerboard too and I'd be bloody happy. If I was ever to order a private stock guitar it'd probably be this.

tony99

mine is the feel of a strat, with the sound of a les paul, with the stage presence of a flyiing v, I'd like to also have some elements of a teuffel birdfish in there as well, just for good luck

axisus

Mine would be basically the first guitar I built, but with a stratty trem rather than a Bigsby.

Tele body/neck
Dark fretboard 9" radius 22 frets (and ideally with my chinese number inlays)
HB at the bridge, p90 at the neck and SC in the middle
5 way switch
volume has a push/push blower 
tone splits the HB

dbphoto

Simple:

Washburn N4 with hardtail, birdeseye maple board and a chunky neck shape (think Les Paul 59 shape)

Dave_Vader

Something that sounds like a wraparound P90 SG, but with a Floyd on it

Physics says no

skullfunkerry

Dave_Vader said:

Something that sounds like a wraparound P90 SG, but with a Floyd on it

Physics says no

Has anyone done any back to back blind testing of hardtail vs Floyd/other type of trem, like the clean tone test that was on here a while ago? Not trying to be awkward, just genuinely interested...