New Strat build: on commission

[orpheo]

One of the hardest parts to do is make a guitar for someone who hasn't held one of your guitars at all. It's a challenge, especially when every little spec of the guitar is bespoke and super-luxurious.

A forum member asked me to build him a guitar a while ago and much to my sadness, I wasn't able to finish the guitar as soon as I wanted. In short: 'life' got in the way. A few people who were very close to me died in the mean time, which drastically reduced my output and speed. However, the result is one of the finest guitars I've made so far.

















Specifications:

Figured walnut top, full thickness with slight bend over the forearm contour
Flamed ash back, single piece, with tummy cut
9 piece neck (wenge, padouk, pau ferro and sycamore stringers) /w easy access heel
Figured ebony fretboard, 25.5'' scale, 22 medium jumbo frets, 7.25'' - 10'' compound radius
Hipshot US Contour tremolo
Hipshot Open gear Griplock tuners
Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 Pro singlecoil pickups
Sycamore pickguard and backplate
MEC Pots
CRL Switch
CTS Jack

She does weigh quite a bit, helas, but the tone and sustain are surreal. I do hope the guitar gets home in one piece without a hitch!

[Jeffblue]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

You do beautiful work.

[RorySquier]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

Wow! That Strat looks amazing...even the pick guard!!!



;>)/

[GuitarDoc]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

Gorgeous guitar. Love the neck. I've used those Hipshot locking tuners. They function fine but they look terrific...just what this guitar deserves.

Nice work.

[MythicGuitarCo]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

One of the hardest parts to do is make a guitar for someone who hasn't held one of your guitars at all. It's a challenge, especially when every little spec of the guitar is bespoke and super-luxurious.

A forum member asked me to build him a guitar a while ago and much to my sadness, I wasn't able to finish the guitar as soon as I wanted. In short: 'life' got in the way. A few people who were very close to me died in the mean time, which drastically reduced my output and speed. However, the result is one of the finest guitars I've made so far.

















Specifications:

Figured walnut top, full thickness with slight bend over the forearm contour
Flamed ash back, single piece, with tummy cut
9 piece neck (wenge, padouk, pau ferro and sycamore stringers) /w easy access heel
Figured ebony fretboard, 25.5'' scale, 22 medium jumbo frets, 7.25'' - 10'' compound radius
Hipshot US Contour tremolo
Hipshot Open gear Griplock tuners
Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 Pro singlecoil pickups
Sycamore pickguard and backplate
MEC Pots
CRL Switch
CTS Jack

She does weigh quite a bit, helas, but the tone and sustain are surreal. I do hope the guitar gets home in one piece without a hitch!

Yeah, that's really pretty man.

And I agree. It is very difficult to build for someone who hasn't held one of your guitars.

I usually tell people "have you played a fender?" "Yeah" "well mine is better than that... Have you played a PRS?" "Yeah" "well it's like that.... but different."

Just kidding.

When someone comes into my shop, I usually have them play 3 or 4 different guitars I have laying around, either my builds or "name brand" and get a feel for their style, unmask what they like or dislike about those guitars, and I may have them bring their favorite guitar in so i can judge what they are used to playing etc. I usually spend an hour or two with someone, and half of that time is spent making them feel comfortable enough to play the way they normally do. The other half of that is talking about specs.

The thing is, if someone is not in front of you, it definitely makes it difficult. I usually have them send me videos of themselves playing, or sound clips of recordings and anything else they can.

For those who are professionals, they normally have a guy locally who does their setups. I typically contact that dude and talk tech with him. I've actually sent guitars directly to their techs on a few occasions so they could set it up how they typically like.

mythicguitars.com

[kramersteen]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

Nice work

[ICTGoober]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

Sycamore pickguard? I would have guessed maple or lacewood. I always like it when domestic woods are used. I used catalpa once - looked like ash, but lighter. Sounded great. Would love to work with osage orange sometimes, but it's hard to find in the proper size for a guitar body. Heavy as hell, but nice orange color. American Persimmon is a true ebony and would make a great domestic fingerboard, but few trees are felled for the lumber - most are burned.

[Gtrjunior]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

HOLY CRAP THAT’S GORGEOUS!


Do you find that having a multi piece neck like this is a bigger improvement than say a 3 or 5 piece neck for stability?
Or is it just an aesthetic choice?

[GreatOz]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

That is a beautiful instrument. How does it play?

[orpheo]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

It's really sycamore. Or at least, that's how it's called on this side of the Atlantic. Lacewood is, I believe, an Australian wood (very similar grain), maple for sure is different. The latin name is platanus occidentalis. https://www.wood-database.com/sycamore/ i.e. american plane.

About the neck construction. A 3 piece is arguably better than a 1 piece but the tone will be different for sure. Tighter low end, less 'airy' tone. I once did a test. I had a fairly large board of maple, quartersawn. I cut one 1piece neck and laminated the rest to be a 3 piece. Ebony fretboard and all other parameters being as similar as possible (Fretwire, size, angles, thicknesses etc). The 1 piece was more 'vintage': more open tone, more breath, bit spongy in the bottom end compared to the much tighter feeling 3 piece. Adding more pieces is just for esthetic purposes. It will be a bit more 'tighter' sounding but really... it's not like you'll say 'oh my this guitar sounds SUPER metal!!' because of the neck construction.


@GreatOz: this guitar plays super-vintagey. If that's a word? It's got a fairly round fretboard radius, so the action had to be a bit higher than my usual fare to get the playability right. But other than that, she plays super-easy. The hipshot parts are always a joy to work with; the pickups are decent. Of course, it's Seymour Duncan so it's good, never bad but also never amazing. That's not a bad sign, it's just the truth (I'd prefer my the low wind Alnico 3 singlecoils by Nordstrand or the 50ies or 60ies pickups from AxesRUs).

But yeah, this baby sounds and feels like a strat, but very much an ' Orpheo '.


Next time, I WILL add a sycamore headstock cap. I don't like this look, to be honest. It wasn't my choice (and I make on commission) but I'd prefer the headstock cap to match the trimmings. I've done guitars like this or their inverse (sycamore top, walnut PG/backplate/headstock cap) and I prefer that, to be honest. But that's my esthetic and yes, I will do dots if you so desire. Heck, even trapezoids, dot-patterns or blocks are on the table now.

[Diminished Triad]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

It plays as beautiful as it looks!
I contracted with Orpheo relying exclusively on his reputation.
I'm so glad I did because I ended up with this great guitar!
Clearly one of Orpheo's toughest years personally but you would never know it from his work.
This guitar is amazing in tone, feel, play, and beauty.

THANK YOU, ORPHEO!
I hope to be able to do this again with you in the future, my friend.
Si Yu'os Ma'ase'! [From Guam]

[Mincer]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

Padouk is one of my favorite looking woods.

[orpheo]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

It plays as beautiful as it looks!
I contracted with Orpheo relying exclusively on his reputation.
I'm so glad I did because I ended up with this great guitar!
Clearly one of Orpheo's toughest years personally but you would never know it from his work.
This guitar is amazing in tone, feel, play, and beauty.

THANK YOU, ORPHEO!
I hope to be able to do this again with you in the future, my friend.
Si Yu'os Ma'ase'! [From Guam]

I am really glad you love the guitar. It was a really, really difficult two years for me personally, as you know. For those who don't know: I lost my dad and my aunt (I grew up with my aunt, in her house, as if she was my grandmother) and as a final push, one of my cats died in agony this May. It took a lot of effort to get my mind back in the game but it seems to go fine now

I have no idea what the future will bring for Orpheo Guitars, but I try to be better everytime!

@Mincer: I love padouk as a contrast but never as a main material. I'd rather have pau ferro, ziricote, wenge or purpleheart, personally Padouk, however, is amazing to work with. What I love in terms of looks is a nightmare to work with, helas.

[hamerfan]

Re: New Strat build: on commission

Well worth the wait. Well done, Sir.

[Diminished Triad]

Re: An Orpheo Production (STRAT)

I am really glad you love the guitar. It was a really, really difficult two years for me personally, as you know. For those who don't know: I lost my dad and my aunt (I grew up with my aunt, in her house, as if she was my grandmother) and as a final push, one of my cats died in agony this May. It took a lot of effort to get my mind back in the game but it seems to go fine now

I have no idea what the future will bring for Orpheo Guitars, but I try to be better everytime!

@Mincer: I love padouk as a contrast but never as a main material. I'd rather have pau ferro, ziricote, wenge or purpleheart, personally Padouk, however, is amazing to work with. What I love in terms of looks is a nightmare to work with, helas.

I'd recommend Orpheo to build what you want or (as I did for a large part of my custom guitar) consult and rely on Orpheo to give you his best advice based on years of experience. I told Orpheo up front I wanted an "Orpheo guitar." He delivered. I can't explain why/how all his combinations come together to produce such a wonderful sound I just know they do. And I've shared this guitar with some exceptional players/performers and they all agree this is one amazing guitar.

THANKS AGAIN, ORPHEO!!!