Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

[FretFire]

I'm a week or two out from finishing my telecaster build, and once it's done I'll have two partscasters. The first being an alder-bodied, maple-necked strat with an H-S-S setup. The second being the alder-bodied, rosewood-necked telecaster with traditional S-S setup. After that, the only thing I can think of wanting is something with P90s, but I think I might want to go pretty non-traditional, so here's what I'm thinking.

What better way to go non-traditional than to use a body shape that's not as common? My personal favorite of the more "unusual" body shapes is the Ibanez Iceman. I'm thinking that maybe around tax return time next year I'd like to put together a Warmoth build using a white or black limba Iceman body (probably a clear finish) with a matching neck and rosewood fretboard. I'm not sure if I'd go with a hardtail string-through-body bridge or a TOM bridge and tailpiece, but I know I want at least two P90s (and maybe three!).

What do you guys think, does this sound like a cool axe or does it sound like something Gibson might release in the next few weeks :laugh2:. I'd love to do a mockup, but I haven't found a Kisekae-type guitar builder with the Iceman shape yet.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

That sounds awesome, man.

If it was me, I would not do a TOM / stop tailpiece. I would go for either a wraparound PRS style or a Fender style hardtail, depending on your preference.

I say put 3 P90s in it and wire it like a Strat.

I would also consider a humbucker bridge route and soapbar middle and neck route, so you could use a Phat Cat now, and change to a humbucker if you ever desire, and get the best HSS setup in the world.

Good luck, man, sounds like a great plan!

 

[uOpt]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

An iceman with triple soapbars? Sounds good to me.

Not sure about the bridge. You might default to a TOM but TOMs on non-carved top guitars might be a little wired.

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

triple p-90s would be the tits in an iceman:smokin:

 

[FretFire]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

Not sure about the bridge. You might default to a TOM but TOMs on non-carved top guitars might be a little wired.

If it was me, I would not do a TOM / stop tailpiece. I would go for either a wraparound PRS style or a Fender style hardtail, depending on your preference.

Yeah, a string-through hardtail would probably be better, and would probably sound a little better too. Warmoth doesn't have a lot of options for that kind of thing, so I'd have to do some homework to see if there are any bridges I like (probably Hipshot) that share dimensions with their offerings. They do have a "string-through holes only" option that might be the ticket, then I could just line the bridge up with them and drill the mounting holes myself.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

They do have a "string-through holes only" option that might be the ticket, then I could just line the bridge up with them and drill the mounting holes myself.

I just drilled holes for and installed a bridge on a project guitar, and it was no big deal. It is one of those things you want to measure twice and drill once, but it was no big deal.

Check out top-loading bridges, too.

Hipshot's Baby Grand, GFS's Top Mount, Adjustable Wrap-Around, etc.

Just look here

I was apprehensive about a top-loading hardtail, but it feels just wonderful --- it really transmits and connects with the body in a resonant way that that guitar never had before. It feels slinkier than a string-through, and it has the resonance of a wraparound.

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

5 way switching, MV, MT and Blend pot would seem like a pretty killer wiring with 3 P-90s, Iceman body would definitely set it apart too. Go for a slanted bridge P-90 too!

 

[FretFire]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

5 way switching, MV, MT and Blend pot would seem like a pretty killer wiring with 3 P-90s, Iceman body would definitely set it apart too. Go for a slanted bridge P-90 too!

I like that idea for the control layout! I was thinking of using a mini-switch to turn on the bridge pickup so I could add it to the neck and middle/neck positions, but the blend pot is a cool idea.

Not sure about the slanted bridge pickup though, I'd probably go with the typical straight route there.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

If you are OK with concentrics, I'd recommend having separate tone controls for the neck and bridge pickups, in my experience, neck P90s and bridge P90s have a need for this. Consider it!

This is getting me excited, man, I like the idea.

 

[FretFire]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

If you are OK with concentrics, I'd recommend having separate tone controls for the neck and bridge pickups, in my experience, neck P90s and bridge P90s have a need for this. Consider it!

This is getting me excited, man, I like the idea.

That makes sense. I could possibly go with a 4-knob "dual volume/dual tone" control layout but have sleeper wiring like this:

Master volume
Bridge tone
Neck/middle tone
Blend

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

That makes sense. I could possibly go with a 4-knob "dual volume/dual tone" control layout but have sleeper wiring like this:

Master volume
Bridge tone
Neck/middle tone
Blend

That'd be cool but separate volumes and a mini-switch to turn on the bridge pickup would be equally rad.

 

[FretFire]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

That'd be cool but separate volumes and a mini-switch to turn on the bridge pickup would be equally rad.

Indeed, there are probably several ways to skin that cat :laugh2:.

Looking at the Warmoth website, it looks like they do white limba necks but not bodies, and black limba bodies but not necks :lol:. So, in that case I'd probably go with a mahogany body/neck. Then the decision would be: clear finish on both with creme or black P90s and chrome/nickel hardware - or solid white body w/ matching headstock, black pickups and all black hardware (I'm a sucker for white guitars). They both sound cool initially, but one is more "vintage" looking and the other is more modern. LOL @ thinking out loud.

 

[ParameterMan]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

You should do this! I put together a baritone iceman with a black limba body and I can tell you that they go very well together. Also had a wenge neck-- that's some amazing stuff, too.

Some notes: the TOM and tailpiece work great with the shallow neck angle Warmoth uses. See attached image. Looks great, works great and just the right amount of angle over the bridge.

Also, you could avoid having separate tone controls by using a switch with extra contacts to switch caps and resistance for each position. If you go 5-way, you can use a superswitch to customize each position. If you go 3-way toggle, the only thing I can find easily is the Gibson SG/Custom switch that has an extra contact. You could use it to switch in a different cap for the bridge pickup. You could also use a resistor to make the tone pot less aggressive for the neck.

 

[NoOnesFang13]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

I like the idea is awesome. I would go with 3 and a 5 Way. 2 soap bars sound awesome in the notch pos. I played a dean jazz box with that setup and it was a fat quack

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

This one won't break the bank and it plays beautifully. It's an Eastwood, BTW.

I've just changed the stock p'ups (that weren't half bad if you ask me) in one just like this with Gibsons and it rocks big time.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

Just do 3 concentric pots:

Neck volume and tone
Mid volume and tone
Bridge volume and tone

Then you can have a literally infinite continuum of pickup proportioning and tone shaping.

 

[FretFire]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

This one won't break the bank and it plays beautifully. It's an Eastwood, BTW.

I've just changed the stock p'ups (that weren't half bad if you ask me) in one just like this with Gibsons and it rocks big time.

Thanks, but I've found I have a lot of fun with the build process and bond better with guitars I've assembled. Plus, I'm looking for something less traditional looking, and probably something with a 25.5" scale length.

 

[FretFire]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

Just do 3 concentric pots:

Neck volume and tone
Mid volume and tone
Bridge volume and tone

Then you can have a literally infinite continuum of pickup proportioning and tone shaping.

That's actually not a bad idea, especially since Warmoth just confirmed that they can't change the cavity they cut on the Iceman bodies. The one they use might not give me enough room for four pots without some odd positioning.

 

[FretFire]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

You should do this! I put together a baritone iceman with a black limba body and I can tell you that they go very well together. Also had a wenge neck-- that's some amazing stuff, too.

Some notes: the TOM and tailpiece work great with the shallow neck angle Warmoth uses. See attached image. Looks great, works great and just the right amount of angle over the bridge.

That sounds killer, do you have any photos of that guitar? I'd love to see it if so. I don't see an image attached to your post FYI.

 

[ParameterMan]

Re: Does this sound cool, or totally weird?

That sounds killer, do you have any photos of that guitar? I'd love to see it if so. I don't see an image attached to your post FYI.

Oops! This is the only one I have. I'll have to get my hands on it sometime and bring a camera.