Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

TwilightOdyssey

Darkness on the edge of Tone
I started a thread last week about obtaining a J Frog neck for my ESP Kamikaze 4, and there were lots of helpful posts on that!! Thanx to everyone that helped out on that one! :)

Let me start by saying that I love my Kamikaze, but I've been wanting to change a couple of things about it, mostly because it sounds just like my M1 ... both have one piece maple bodies, maple neck/fingerboards, Demon in the bridge, Original Floyd, etc. And let's face it, I'm not George Lynch, nor do I play in a Dokken tribute band, so I don't need his exact tone.

So, what started out as wanting something that had a different tone has now turned into a complete re-build of the guitar, and I'm very excited about the outcome, because I think it's gonna smoke!!!

I'm basically going to keep the body the same, but am throwing about $1,000 into the following parts:

> Custom built neck
> Custom built pickups
> All new chrome hardware (as opposed to the stock black)

The first of these parts will be arriving in a couple of weeks, and I will keep you all posted as to the progress of what is going to be the TOC guitar (The Twilight Odyssey Custom)

Yes, I realize that I could almost get whole new guitar for that kind of money, but I really do love the body shape/style/balance of the Kami 4 ... I just wanna trick it out to the max!

:D :D :D :D :D
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

Excellent man, definitely keep us posted with info and pics!
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

sounds sweet...so who did end up using for the neck? make sure to post pics of the build...i love watching stuff come alive!!

-Mike
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

the guy who invented fire said:
we want more details...
All in due time, my friend ... :D

This thread is just a teaser. As soon as the 1st parts arrive, which should be in a week or so, I will post pics/descriptions!! :)
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

yea .. got a lot of thoughts about that flying around my head
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

Davey said:
yea .. got a lot of thoughts about that flying around my head
Well, if it's any incentive ... we're gonna be one of the headliners at the fest!
Look for my thread in Off Topic...
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

XSSIVE said:
sounds sweet...so who did end up using for the neck? make sure to post pics of the build...i love watching stuff come alive!!
-Mike
The luthier making the neck is Laz Gajik, http://www.gajicguitars.com/
Not only is Laz an ACE guitar builder, he's a great guy!! :D

I'm taking a beating on the exchange rate, since he's in the UK, and the dollar is very weak right now, but Laz's technique and customer service are all TOP NOTCH!!!!
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

Basically, due to the influence of me and a few others from my side of the pond, the guitars being converted to almost complete limeyness...

I think it'll about eligable for dual citizenship when it's done :laugh2:
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

nuntius said:
Basically, due to the influence of me and a few others from my side of the pond, the guitars being converted to almost complete limeyness...

I think it'll about eligable for dual citizenship when it's done :laugh2:

Yup. Add me to the list of people that are adding to the 'Limeyness' of the guitar :D

Craig
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

Don't you have a cost deal endorsement with Wayne? For $1000, can't they make you a signature model to your specs? Or, at very least, the guitar of your dreams?
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

Gearjoneser said:
Don't you have a cost deal endorsement with Wayne? For $1000, can't they make you a signature model to your specs? Or, at very least, the guitar of your dreams?
Basically, yes.
But, they won't change their headstock design, nor the nut width/radius pf their stuff. I've already discussed this with Michael Charvel ... and the headstock has to look just so on this axe ... call it OCD (or vanity)! :D

Oops, forgot to add about the one year wait for a neck! YIKES!
For that kind of wait, I'll order another Rock Legend, which is on the docket for 2006.
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

Need to add a "before" picture. Doesn't that axe have the hockeystick neck, reverese headstock? Aaawww, I'll just have to watch that In My Dreams video again I guess. Man, that is absolutely one of my favoritest looking axes. So cool. Never played one, though. There was one in the local music store a couple of years back, it was fairly cheap as the headstock was broken and repaired. IIHKTWIKN (If I had known then what I know now :D) I wouldn've bought it and got a neck like you're talking about.
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

Hey Twilight,

Just read your post... At first ,thoughts of 'Blasphemy' jumped into my head! But, if you want to customize a Lynch-customized M-II(!), feel free. My ESP K4 is a little on the bright side, tonally speaking. I guess that fretboard material has much to do with overall tone, since the body has the Les Paul setup of mahogany with a maple cap.

Are you going to keep the body graphics, or can we expect some sweet fantasy art on your new axe? Maybe you can get the dude who painted your new album cover to paint it with something cool. A big dragon smashing his clawed foot down on a few elves?

BTW- any plans for the discarded ESP K4 neck and black plated Floyd? PM me if you ever want to sell em'!
 
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Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

JammerMatt said:
Need to add a "before" picture. Doesn't that axe have the hockeystick neck, reverese headstock? Aaawww, I'll just have to watch that In My Dreams video again I guess. Man, that is absolutely one of my favoritest looking axes. So cool. Never played one, though. There was one in the local music store a couple of years back, it was fairly cheap as the headstock was broken and repaired. IIHKTWIKN (If I had known then what I know now :D) I wouldn've bought it and got a neck like you're talking about.
The Kamikaze from that video is the original Kami ... you will note that it has a huge reverse J Frog hockey stick headstock and a matte paint finish, not glossy. The original Kami was also black/brown/tan. There were 3 other versions added, and the Kami 4, which is mine, was a limited edition model. It's bright green/yellow/red. Lynch had the finish removed from the body and headstock, and plays it with it's natural finish on it. You can see him playing it in the One Live Night video: it has a saw-tooth reverse headstock.

The neck I'm having built is going to be a bit different, but I will tell you this: It's going to be much cooler than the ESP neck that's on there now. The neck plays fine, but I've never been in love with headstock.
 
Re: Coming soon .. my "ALL NEW" Kamikaze 4!!

7th Hell said:
Hey Twilight,
Just read your post... At first ,thoughts of 'Blasphemy' jumped into my head! But, if you want to customize a Lynch-customized M-II(!), feel free. My ESP K4 is a little on the bright side, tonally speaking. I guess that fretboard material has much to do with overall tone, since the body has the Les Paul setup of mahogany with a maple cap.
Hmmm ... it's definitely brighter than your "Haji", that's for sure. This guitar is actually solid maple ... are you sure yours is mahog/maple? I know that some Hajis are mahog/maple and others are alder, depending on vintage. The brightness doesn't bother me at all, I actually love it for solos ... I just want a different tone going on, since I already have a maple/maple/Demon/Floyd guitar.

Are you going to keep the body graphics, or can we expect some sweet fantasy art on your new axe? Maybe you can get the dude who painted your new album cover to paint it with something cool. A big dragon smashing his clawed foot down on a few elves?
I'm keeping the body the same -- I love the Kami graphic, and the Kami 4 is by far the most outrageous looking one of them all. I'm have 2 other guitar designs in the works right now (My "1759" and "Pikachu" guitars), but they're definitely gonna be in 2006 (post CD royalty check! :D )

BTW- any plans for the discarded ESP K4 neck and black plated Floyd? PM me if you ever want to sell em'!
Planning on keeping the hardware for now, but I'll let you know if I change my mind.
 
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