The "XSSIVE" collection (pic heavy)...

[XSSIVE]

whenever i pick up a guitar with a floating floyd i always have to do the dime squeals and the flutter like Reb does on the Erase the Slate solo (which i must admit i really like) but it really does get old quick. i keep saying i want one guitar with a floater but i think if i do that i'll also make that my only 24 fret guitar and go with a suhr modern perhaps.

i'm familiar with KnE stuff, actually was considering using their "the warren" body in the future but i'm still torn with ideas for what i want to do with the neck from the slime.



thanks rupe, that one just got finished up. i realized i never posted my stuff here and figured why not.

-Mike

 

[jhale667]

i'm familiar with KnE stuff, actually was considering using their "the warren" body in the future but i'm still torn with ideas for what i want to do with the neck from the slime.

Oooh, with that neck?
Cough, cough *snakeskin* cough!

 

[XSSIVE]

thought about that but i did the snakeskin thing already...although it still is a possibility. i'm actually considering buying one of the new custom shop DeMartini snake skin models though which is making the odds of this mutt being snake skin very slim.

was also considering a Nuno-esq raw alder body of some sort but i'm a bit so so on that idea the more i think of it.

-Mike

 

[jhale667]

Gotta love talking shop w/ fellow SuperStrat mutt builders...!


Interesting you should mention the new Demartini model - that has to be one of THE coolest faux snakeskin finishes I've ever seen, but that god-awful Wolfgang-style fretboard truss-rod adjustment just kills it for me. HATE that.

I know, if not you, someone's going to chime in "It's so convenient" - I know - just hate the looks of it. Honestly I'd rather have to take the neck off to make adjustments, I'll take the extra 10 minutes (it's so rarely needed anyway, but then I'm not dealing with dramatic climate shifts either) to do it.

Since you've already done a snake, I'd suggest maybe a "Frenchie" replica with the "Warren" body, since that's the ONE that didn't make it into the replica series... y'know if you're into that sort of thing(?). The newer black version of that design I've seen him with is killer too!

 

[mixeduplydian]

that god-awful Wolfgang-style fretboard truss-rod adjustment just kills it for me. HATE that.
I know, if not you, someone's going to chime in "It's so convenient" - I know - just hate the looks of it. Honestly I'd rather have to take the neck off to make adjustments, I'll take the extra 10 minutes

+1000 to that.
Why don't they just stick to having the adjustment up by the headstock? It's not like it works any better to have it down there by the body, and it is ugly as all hell to have that dopey looking chunk out of the bottom of the fretboard.

 

[XSSIVE]

yea, i like the fact that they did it in satin and not gloss, makes it look a touch more realistic and much cooler than past snakeskin graphics. the flywheel truss rod adjustment is a bit ugly but not too horrid, from a guitar tech's point of view i love it just out of sure laziness and ease of use

you know, i never got the whole love of the frenchie graphic that most charvel guys have, i really don't like it all that much. plus i'm 100% Italian, WTF would i want to play a guitar with french writing on it for? That's like rising sun graphics, they're cool but i'd feel like an ass playing one since i'm not at all Japanese.

-Mike

 

[Stramm8]

i'd like to try the C8 too, may be interesting.

the aldrich is cool in alder but i like it better in the magenta charvel which is basswood with a maple cap. i do like it in the alder one too it's just a hair brighter, not bad mind you i just like the touch more warmth the basswood maple one has over it but they both work for me.

i love hum/single with a guard, actually more than without for some reason. although i'm thinking of doing a no guard hum/single mutt soon.

stramm8...see above for aldrich thoughts. as for the neck pocket yeah they have a crazy steep angle from the factory making the floyd sit a foot off the damn body and that drives me nuts. so i route them to a shallower angle where i can get the floyd to rest on the body dive only. it's amazing how much better they sound after that since there's more contact from the bridge to the body to transfer string vibration. they ring out louder, resonate more, have more low end and sustain longer every time i do it. a floating floyd has two contact points that are tiny at the knife edge to pivot post and form the 3 springs through the claw etc and that's it VS the back edge of the trem touching the body at rest along with those original contact points....it's a nice difference.

-Mike

I'm with ya. I like mine firmly planted to the body as well. I played a socal and that was the first thing I noticed. I figured if I bought one, I could simply tighten up the springs and make some minor adjustments but it sounds like that's not the case...

 

[jhale667]

you know, i never got the whole love of the frenchie graphic that most charvel guys have, i really don't like it all that much. plus i'm 100% Italian, WTF would i want to play a guitar with french writing on it for? That's like rising sun graphics, they're cool but i'd feel like an ass playing one since i'm not at all Japanese.

-Mike

Yeah, imagine it IS kind of hard to leave the house with a (well-known, at least) "replica" guitar without that possibility..
Still, I liked every guitar that dude HAD in the 80s. I think he and Amir Derakh probably had the coolest-looking graphics of the period.

 

[XSSIVE]

Stramm8...sorry to say, spring tightening or shimming won't fi it. the pocket needs to be routed a bit deeper. i guess you could shim it in the front but it would have to be a fairly thick shim and in that case it's best to make an angled wooden shim that fits the length of the pocket and tapers from the needed thickness to nothing....and at that point of all that work you might as well have just routed it

jhale667...yeah i was never big on sig guitars, some i'd play...the other DeMartini's for example...but i really just don't like the french graphic all that much. the new snake on the other hand is pretty tempting. amir had some cool war graphics that's for sure.

-Mike

 

[rupe]

A flush mounted Floyd definitely has some sonic advantages over the floating variety, at the expense of function for those of us who like to pull up. The issue can be somewhat mitigated though by using one of the various replacement blocks such as the ones at FloydUpgrades. Careful selection of woods and electronics can be of help as well. When I spoke to Rand Havener about his design/build choices, he mentioned that he specifically chose certain materials to help offset the tone neutering effects of a Floyd trem.

Hey Mike...you've always had some of the best photographs of your guitars out of anybody who regularly posts pics. Any tips for us amateurs?

 

[jhale667]

A flush mounted Floyd definitely has some sonic advantages over the floating variety, at the expense of function for those of us who like to pull up. The issue can be somewhat mitigated though by using one of the various replacement blocks such as the ones at FloydUpgrades. Careful selection of woods and electronics can be of help as well. When I spoke to Rand Havener about his design/build choices, he mentioned that he specifically chose certain materials to help offset the tone neutering effects of a Floyd trem.

Hey Mike...you've always had some of the best photographs of your guitars out of anybody who regularly posts pics. Any tips for us amateurs?

True, I was using heavy woods like Northern Ash and Maple as a kid before there were even Big Blocks because I'd read that's what people like EVH and Lynch were doing to combat the thinner Floyd tone.

Also Mike, speaking of Amir - I got to work on the infamous Harrier finish "Bomber" once. Felt like touching history...(opened the case, cue chorus of angels going "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!") Called my friend up when Amir left the room said "Dude...I'm setting up Amir Derakh's bomber guitar right now." My friend, as if he turned into Spiccoli from Fast Times, instantly shot back "Yoooou DICK!!"

And I echo the sentiment about the photos - they're great Mike. I don't even want to start a thread about my guitars until I can get some photos of them close to that quality.

 

[rupe]

True, I was using heavy woods like Northern Ash and Maple as a kid before there were even Big Blocks because I'd read that's what people like EVH and Lynch were doing to combat the thinner Floyd tone.

I doubt that Eddie or Lynch were actually originally trying to offset the effects of a Floyd...both Frankenstein (extremely heavy according to Tom Anderson who built a new neck for it during the Kramer era) and Lynch's Sandoval Bengal (approx 15 lbs) were v-trem guitars when they were built...in an era when heavy guitars were all the rage as they were thought to have more sustain/better tone. I would guess that they were more like "fortunate accidents" when it came to addressing the tonal issues of a Floyd.

Later on, I believe they did actually continue to design/request heavy guitars for that purpose though. Ed had that extra thick Strat body built and Lynch's original Kamikaze weighs a ton according to the current owner.

 

[XSSIVE]

rupe...thankfully for everything i do a flush mount works perfect and the advantages of it out weigh the additional tricks a floater can do.

as for photos, that can get a bit lengthy so i'll give some basic info and tips. i shoot everything in RAW format so they're highly editable in photoshop to adjust colors and exposure etc. that's another key, i went to school for graphic design (actually have a BA in graphic design) so i really know my way around photoshop. i did take loads of photography classes but even then my pics get lots of saving in photoshop to tweak colors and such. anyway, tips...use a tripod, remote trigger so there's no shake, shut off the flash and fit as much of the guitar in the picture as possible, no one needs to see the socks on the floor in the corner of the room of course there are exceptions to that rule when going for certain artistic things. i tend to shoot in average light with longer exposures and or large apertures it usually gives the pics a bit of a richer color vs a very bright light which can wash things out. there's loads of good info on photography on the web, i'm better at the layout of the guitar in the frame and editing the pics in photoshop than getting the perfect lighting, exposure and such to start with and i'll be honest about that. all that really matters is the end result though. so, photoshop and knowing how to use it really is a plus.

i went the heavy route on my black relic (just a tad heavier than normal) just to try it out, also used a lynch demon in it too since that pickup was designed for a heavy body floyded super strat in Eb and guess what...it works. that sucker cuts like mad but still has a nice solid bottom and does sustain well. granted i rather play a lighter guitar but heavy guitars aren't always bad that's for sure. i decided to go with heavy alder through in hopes it would be a bit warmer than the typical heavy ash or maple which it is thankfully but the heavier denser wood is a bit brighter and punchier than a typical weight floyded charvel style guitar. it's a cool change of pace from the others, some days my shoulder regrets the idea but it's not that bad really you notice it more if you go from a lighter guitar to it more than if you pick it up cold.

-Mike

 

[rupe]

Thanks for the pointers! I'm in the market for a new camera...any recs?

 

[XSSIVE]

i really like the cannon rebel line, great bang for the buck when it comes to digital SLRs. i have a rebel XSi now which i have no complaints with. they just came out with a Rebel T1i with upgrades from mine along with video recording ability which is a cool plus.

well since i made this thread a few days ago my guitars have changed a bit (no pics yet, sorry). the redish/orange with creme 1 hum body which had my GMW strathead neck on it now has a reverse pointy ESP neck (although it's a Jackson lawsuit shape headstock) and the black relic now has the neck and neckplate from my slime green pro-mod charvel on it. the GMW has been reunited with it's original pearl yellow body and will soon be up for sale. one of these days when i'm not feeling lazy i'll take some new pics.

-Mike

 

[jhale667]

i really like the cannon rebel line, great bang for the buck when it comes to digital SLRs. i have a rebel XSi now which i have no complaints with. they just came out with a Rebel T1i with upgrades from mine along with video recording ability which is a cool plus.

well since i made this thread a few days ago my guitars have changed a bit (no pics yet, sorry). the redish/orange with creme 1 hum body which had my GMW strathead neck on it now has a reverse pointy ESP neck (although it's a Jackson lawsuit shape headstock) and the black relic now has the neck and neckplate from my slime green pro-mod charvel on it. the GMW has been reunited with it's original pearl yellow body and will soon be up for sale. one of these days when i'm not feeling lazy i'll take some new pics.

-Mike

Please do.

Another thing I like is how your collection's constantly evolving, too. From what you describe you're always swapping necks, pickups, etc. looking for the ideal combo.