The Electra Forums

As most of you know I build the river city amps. I had a prototype built, the closest thing to it is a 50w Marshall JMP Master Volume. I did a few things differently, it is all PTP wired, used good modern components, a bit larger transformers, put in a couple minor mods and tweaks. Anyhow, It was just sitting here. I talk to this guy at the local guitar center (they send me a lot of amp repair business) and the guy had been talking about his guitar building for months. Well I took a look at his stuff and it is GOOD STUFF. He does a LOT of neck thrus (that is his specialty). Well, I found out he had some interest in an amp - soooo....

I traded him an amp for him building me a new custom guitar. What will the guitar be like? Somewhat like a neck thru pro endorser if you can imagine that. I know some of you CAN. It sent him a picture of a Zion Primera as an example. The zion had belonged to my buddy and I helped him sell it when he needed money to start a business. I wanted it badly but didn't have the money. What did I like about it? It was a lot lighter than a paul or an endorser. I could not believe it was so light (I don't think it was chambered either). It had the thick highly figured quilted maple top. The pickups were just duncan 59s, but it sounded very harmonically rich. It even sounded fantastic unplugged. The guitar looked , sounded, and played like a dream. I want him to build something like that, but with his neck thru design. It will have a fine grained rosewood board (almost like an ebony feel, but rosewood). It will be a quilted top. The body - right now - it might be a hard cedar like is used in many acoustic instruments (good tone, low weight). I have not fully decided. For the color, I told him I liked a translucent light blue or turquoise. I have a Caribbean screen background on my computer and I told him I wanted the top to look like the water in the Caribbean. He has a guy in Nashville that custom winds all his pickups - I am thinking PAF class winds right now. I am considering mounting those into the top of the guitar (like a Music Man guitars). It'll have a three way switch, master volume, master tone, tone-pros bridge and tail, and some matching locking keys. I don't know what I to do for inlays yet. I want something tasteful to match what we are doing. I hope it is good enough to keep forever. It will be a few months, but I am excited. I have never done anything like this. He builds it all - from pieces of wood - no pre-made necks or fingerboards.

Here is a pic of the Zion Primera that I liked, but the subsequent owner put some different pickups in it (why? it was PERFECT before?). I want something like that but a lighter color to make the quilted top POP.



He is getting a one of a kind River City amplifier, and I will get his guitar. We are both supporting the local builders! His name is Drew Schneider and he is from Henderson, KY. Maybe someday he will be famous. But we shall see what this guitar turns out like. I have high hopes.

Sounds like it's going to be great guitar;

Please keep us posted with any developments or when you get it post some pics.

RCSBlues

Sounds like it will be a stunner so better get some new shades to wear when I see the pics. Keep us posted.

Yep, I will need some sun screen and sandals - maybe an adult beverage or two.

That looks nice. And if I win the lottery tonight I will be talking to you shortly about a custom amp. BTW a trick that I am sure your builder knows to make the quilt pop is to stain it black and sand it back so that it is only in the softer part of the grain is dark. If you do that you can have the pop and the darker color too.

First request for lots of pics when it is done.

Forever, that's what I said to my first wife... Joking aside, the best of luck to you, looks like a sweet instrument!


Hey, I've got dibs on tonights Mega Millions!

I second the motion on lots of pixs. But, Im getting the mega millions!

Paul

Have you started the guitar yet?
If you want a light body, consider Obechee. It is a type of African mahogany and is a hardwood but very light.
I researched the tonal qualities and it doesn't score high but I have a friend that builds teles out of obechee and they sound great and are as light as thinlines. The only downside is that the grain pattern is rather plain.


The only production Guitar that I know of that used it was an English guitar "Shergold".

Leo used pine for his first teles (The Classic Vibe Chinese teles are pine also) but Fender used nitro instead of the thick plastic poly used nowadays and pine proved too soft. My understanding is that he switched to swamp ash because it was cheap (it also just happened to have great tone).

The point is that obechee might be a great body wood that the manufacturers just have not clued into?


Setneck

I will check with the builder (Drew Schneider). He said it would take a while to get to it, and I don't know if he started yet.