Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

[RipShredScream]

I am getting a custom guitar made, a Warmoth... and i originally had everything planned out and written down, but coming to the site and reading some of the threads here... has turned me pretty much upside down... I basically want opinions from everyone possible. I have saved many paychecks, so cost really isn't a problem... but lets start with influences/what i want to sound like...

First off, i f***ing love opeth. I am shooting for a sound with a clarity, darkness, and smoothness of Opeths guitar work, with a little more "balls". Kinda like Opeth with hints of In Flames. I do alot of experimentation with Ambient sounds/operatic/celtic type interludes and intros.

So my original ideas where...

Body: Swamp ash with quilt maple top, Gotoh-Wilkinson trem (hate locking nuts), Musiclander shape.

Neck: Goncalo Alves with an Ebony fretboard, graphite nut, double expanding truss rod... for people that dont know what Goncalo alves is... its supposedly warm, articulate, and clean sounding.

I then decided to put a Full Shred in the Bridge and a Jazz in the Neck. But looking at that i'm afraid it might come out too bright? I also read that opeth only uses the Full Shred in the Neck. At this point i got pretty turned around... and at this point I am willing to start all over.

Any suggestions are welcome, from pups to different materials, etc. Anything on amps and cabs or effects would also be GREATLY appreciated. As i said before... I really want the dark, somber sound that Opeth gets, and the clarity... maybe not as MUCH clarity, but as close as possible. Along with the ability to crank out with a In Flames like rythm line at times.

Thank you for your time... and please HELP... if i'm spending 2-4k on this thing I want it right...

[RipShredScream]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

I forgot to mention that i am also particularly fond of Opeths Deliverance album. As well as their softer, dark jazz type songs.

[RipShredScream]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

I found an almost perfect idea of what i mean by dark... If anyone has Deliverance, Track 3 at around 8:05. those slides and vibrato that just oozes a dark sounding gain... actually that part of the song is pretty much what i want to have...

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

I had never heard any of their stuff at all...now I have heard a few tracks...here is my 2 cents...MOST of that clarity comes from amps...that is a lot of gain and good pups will help you BUT you have to have an amp that can keep up w/o turning to mudd...I know that yo will think I'm crazy but this is what I think...to get a good crunchy as hell sound w/o mud stay away from most high output pups(invader)...they will puch the amp too hard which will give you mud...and stay away from vintage voices pickups(seth, 59) they will give you way too much bottom end, this waill also cause mud! I think a killer combo for heavy distorted playing that will be very articulate...and this is where you will think I'm crazy, is a JB/Jazz combo. It's very clear, but not too bright, will push your amp a little...but not to the point of mud, The pickups are well matched and time tested as a killer set for lots of different kinds of music, what more vould you ask for? Keep this inmind...a KILLER amp is gonna be very important...I'm talking about something as crunchy and articulate as say an Ubershall, or a Pitbull plus the tones I heard on the songs I got we're VERY Studio...by this I mean miced with atleast 2 or 3 different mics as well as layered with several amps plus lots help from compressors and studio EQ's, that said with the right amp I think you could get close...either way the JB/Jazz will do what you're asking.

good luck, and welcome to the board
let us know what happens

The guy who invented fire

[RipShredScream]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

hmmm... i had borrowed a Schecter C1 Classic from a friend for a month or so... and it had the Jb/51 combo... I liked the.... "texture" of the Jb but it felt a little flavorless? maybe the woods in the guitar or most likely the amp... I think at that time i was running through a Marshall.. which yea... I hate em... it was a mid-grade marshall at that. I was thinking of a Laney... i guess opeth runs through Laneys, but i think in flames runs through Mesas... ::shrugs::well either way... thank you

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

After think about what I wrote...I'll add this...if you DO want a real hot bridge pup...I do KNOW that a Duncan Distortion will not mud out with tons of gain, and have heard the same thing about a Dimebucker.

[RipShredScream]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

isn't the pitbull a blues/country amp?

[RipShredScream]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

Should i go with mahogany then? I'm not really looking for the fatness that generally comes with mahogany but the the sustain would be nice. The weight could be another problem, but i'm more worried about the body being balanced with the neck than the actual weight on my shoulders... "Depth" would also be nice.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

Okay, so far everyone that has posted seems to know nothing about Opeth!
I've seen Opeth live about 6 times, and am a big fan of Michael Akerfelt (misspelled, I know).
Michael plays Parker guitars, and I've seen him play live with both Marshall and Laney amps. A VHT is totally the WRONG amp to get this kind of tone.

As for your choice in body wood, neck, fingerboard, and pups, I would say you're on the right track. Perhaps a Screamin' Demon would be better than a Full Shred when you want the clean stuff, but I don't see anything wrong with these selections.

Any other questions?

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

FIRST-I said I knew nothing about the band, and had never heard them until I got 3 songs of theirs to listen to

SECOND-I NEVER said that a VHT was the amp to get that sound, I just said it was a very articulate amp, which it is


THIRD-NO, a pitbull is not a blues/country amp

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

Peterku + guy who invented --
I'm not picking any fights!

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

Peterku + guy who invented --
I'm not picking any fights!

Nor am I...I just felt as if I needed to make a few points about what I had posted before

[RipShredScream]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

hahahaha cept that picture is on the right... well anyways... thanks for the input and the faitly entertaining arguement(?).. lol

[RipShredScream]

Re: Big questions on custom guitar, Toneologists Welcome

oh wait... your talking about YOUR picture... i thought you meant the uhh... smiley thing...