Philosophy of Build

"The wood and the wire"

Guitar sound starts with the “wood and the wire” – the strings, the wood, the nut and the bridge make up the mechanical system that controls the vibrations of the strings, and that determines what the frequency makeup and sustain of the output can be.  Electronic pickups only respond to vibrations of the strings – they cannot “pickup” frequencies that are not there.  So first and foremost, a great guitar has to have an excellent mechanical system and sound good unplugged.  That’s why I favor bone nuts and heavy solid bridges, and why I like to replace the wood screws securing bolt-on necks with machine screws and threaded inserts.   I also like to eliminate neck shims – preferring to modify the neck or neck cavity if possible to make the neck body bond as simple and solid as it can be.   My renovations typically start with these aspects, and new builds come with these standard. 

The Setup

The string length, string gauge, fingerboard and frets have a subtler role in the sound, but have everything to do with how the guitar feels to play.  I prefer to use stainless steel for fretting, partly because it wears well (especially if you are on the “heavy handed” side) – but also because it feels substantially more “slippery” when bending and slurring.  It’s the player’s choice however, both for materials, and for the width and height of the frets.  The string length, neck shape and the fingerboard width and curvature are also key to the player’s comfort – and we will have to select these for a new build based on what you like.  Finally, I will set the neck up for your chosen string gauge and desired action.

Pickup Placement

Pickup placement determines where the pickup is sampling the vibration of the string – and that controls the harmonic content and the sound.  If we are talking about a new build, I will invite your input in the position of the pickups – using a shop-built jig I can mount the pickups on your guitar before routing the body.  This enables you to hear your pickups on your guitar, and to find the positions where the pickups sound best to you.

Electronics

The pickup selection and electronics control which part of the string vibration is transmitted to the amp as electronic signal.  This is again a matter of player choice – there are a huge variety of pickups available and a lot of marketing hype associated.  I generally recommend the work of a few custom pickup winders but can put whatever you choose into your guitar.  Depending on what sounds you hope to be able to generate, I’ll draw up an electronic circuit for your guitar and wire it to that spec.  Generally, for a “stage guitar” I think simpler is better, but if you want a guitar that maximizes the number of available sounds from two or three pickups, we can do that too.

Aesthetics

Finally, there are aesthetics – this is entirely personal and up to the player.  The finish has very little (none that I can hear) influence on the sound of an electric guitar – but can have an impact on the way the guitar feels, particularly on the neck.  You get to choose depending on what look and feel you like.