Latest Build

[PDC]

Latest build … had an extra Wudtone 6-screw Trem and had been looking for the right parts to put it to good use. I found this Musikraft 22 Fret Large Headstock Franky neck for a great price and snapped it up. Really nice birdseye and marbling in the grain. Compound Radius fretboard, 6100 frets. The Body is a Warmoth with the contoured heel. Body wood is straight maple, and I really dig It. Lots of percussive quality without being quite as bright on top as Northern Hard Ash. Body and neck are unfinished - just bathed in butcher block oil and rubbed out with paper towels. Duncan F-Spaced ‘78 and Lil’ 59. I have tried just about every ‘78 style pickup (Pariah, Jalen, DiMarzio ‘Virtual Hot’ …) but this is my first authentic Duncan ‘78 and there is something really unique and really cool going on here. Not overly bright as some have described, but extremely ‘lively’ if that makes sense … especially for a lower output pickup. Guitar just feels springy and slippery while playing and harmonics leap off the strings (an hour and a half setting the intonation with a Peterson Strobe helps out quite a bit). Anyway - I am absolutely loving this new build and I may be listing a few of my earlier builds in the next few weeks.

 

[PatF]

That's so nice. I love maple bodies.

 

[japetus]

Hell yeah, looks awesome man!!

 

[harddriver]

but this is my first authentic Duncan ‘78 and there is something really unique and really cool going on here. Not overly bright as some have described, but extremely ‘lively’ if that makes sense … especially for a lower output pickup. Guitar just feels springy and slippery while playing and harmonics leap off the strings (an hour and a half setting the intonation with a Peterson Strobe helps out quite a bit). Anyway - I am absolutely loving this new build and I may be listing a few of my earlier builds in the next few weeks.

Cool build PDC...Looks great! Congrats, you're on a roll lately! My Jake E Lee build with the swimming pool route is an all Maple body, sounds great and it's pretty warm with the brass Charvel hardtail bridge, it is heavy though which kinda sucks.

I could not agree more with you Mr. PDC.....When people ask about a hot PAF pickup I always say the Duncan 78 model.

I've tried quite a few other pickups and so far nothing has been up to the task of displacing my 2008 MJ wound 78 model out of my Frankie it just covers everything EVH so well. It is so balanced, has just enough output that feels way hotter than 9K ohms and the asymmetrical coil winds just give it grunt and is just nasty enough with clarity and great harmonic content.

 

[Luca79]

I like natural finish on bolt-on guitars.

 

[ccn]

Latest build … had an extra Wudtone 6-screw Trem and had been looking for the right parts to put it to good use. I found this Musikraft 22 Fret Large Headstock Franky neck for a great price and snapped it up. Really nice birdseye and marbling in the grain. Compound Radius fretboard, 6100 frets. The Body is a Warmoth with the contoured heel. Body wood is straight maple, and I really dig It. Lots of percussive quality without being quite as bright on top as Northern Hard Ash. Body and neck are unfinished - just bathed in butcher block oil and rubbed out with paper towels. Duncan F-Spaced ‘78 and Lil’ 59. I have tried just about every ‘78 style pickup (Pariah, Jalen, DiMarzio ‘Virtual Hot’ …) but this is my first authentic Duncan ‘78 and there is something really unique and really cool going on here. Not overly bright as some have described, but extremely ‘lively’ if that makes sense … especially for a lower output pickup. Guitar just feels springy and slippery while playing and harmonics leap off the strings (an hour and a half setting the intonation with a Peterson Strobe helps out quite a bit). Anyway - I am absolutely loving this new build and I may be listing a few of my earlier builds in the next few weeks.

This seems to be constructed from western big leaf maple instead of the considerably harder eastern hard rock sugar maple if it's less bright than northern hard ash .

Awesome build .

So you tried the Jalen Origin pickup and it didn't hit the mark for you ? That's supposed to be dead on Van Halen I tone and it sounds identical to VH I tone in Jim Gausted's northern ash bodied white striped guitar . I want to try the Jalen FW ( Fair Warning) humbucker that is incredibly impressive for nailing the "Fair Warning" tone at least listening to it in Jim's guitar it was dead on. The Pariah pasadena white is a favorite of Pete Thorn for VH tone as is the Bare knuckles VH II.

 

[PDC]

I love the Jalen Origin and tried my first Pasadena White and love it, too. Each wind is a bit different, which I like - they will emphasize different qualities of various bodies and bridges.

 

[ccn]

You're 100% correct and I say it's so ridiculously personal preference based and I think all these VH humbucker types are so close with very minor differences that all it takes is for one of them to have that little extra nuance that sets it apart and that will become the one you go with .

I understand it I just wish there weren't so many to try to find "The one" .

By the way how long have you been building guitars because that one in the pic looks impeccable like a true custom shop . You got serious talent.

 

[sivad]

Your guitar looks good and has my favorite pickup combination. Good choice on the Duncan as I have a Duncan 78 in a vintage Baretta and must say it rocks.

 

[PDC]

You're 100% correct and I say it's so ridiculously personal preference based and I think all these VH humbucker types are so close with very minor differences that all it takes is for one of them to have that little extra nuance that sets it apart and that will become the one you go with .

I understand it I just wish there weren't so many to try to find "The one" .

By the way how long have you been building guitars because that one in the pic looks impeccable like a true custom shop . You got serious talent.

Damn - so sorry for the serious delay in replying to this post - especially after such a kind compliment. I am 55 years young and butchered my first ‘nice’ guitar (Kramer Pacer) when I was 17 years old. So … 38 years of trial and error?? I will say, I buy really nice parts from places like Warmoth and Musikraft and limit myself to assembly and set-up. Some builds turn out wayyy better than others … some combinations of parts, woods, and features sound great on paper and just don’t translate in reality. Other builds were comparatively cheap and fast and ended up near ‘grail’ status as far as feel and tone. I’m just so glad that I’m still so into this sh*t. It’s a real source of creativity and stress release!

 

[ccn]

Damn - so sorry for the serious delay in replying to this post - especially after such a kind compliment. I am 55 years young and butchered my first ‘nice’ guitar (Kramer Pacer) when I was 17 years old. So … 38 years of trial and error?? I will say, I buy really nice parts from places like Warmoth and Musikraft and limit myself to assembly and set-up. Some builds turn out wayyy better than others … some combinations of parts, woods, and features sound great on paper and just don’t translate in reality. Other builds were comparatively cheap and fast and ended up near ‘grail’ status as far as feel and tone. I’m just so glad that I’m still so into this sh*t. It’s a real source of creativity and stress release!

I'm 56 and working on my first build which as you indicated tends to turn out not near the quality as somebody who has been doing it for many years .

Your post says it all , lots of trial and error . Before I built my first surf fishing rod everybody told me your first few will turn out mediocre at best because you need to have built many fishing rods because there will be a lot of mistakes.

That's not what I wanted to hear because I planned on only making two fishing rods total, I need those two to turn out perfect lol. Now I'm dealing with building my first guitar but I want it to turn out perfect as well because I don't intend to make more .

Moral of the story is I'm currently the owner of two mediocre fishing rods and soon to the the owner of a mediocre at best guitar .

 

[PDC]

Enjoy the journey - the destination is secondary.

 

[Luca79]

So when you gonna paint it?