How much is enough? (answer: 36)

[orpheo]

how many LP's are enough? At current count, 36. These six have been selected to be presented as the most diverse set in terms of color and features. Few hardtails, few trems, bigsbsy(ish) tailpiece, singlecoils, p90's, humbuckers. But they're all mine.

The guitars in the cabinet behind these six are all oldies. Some of them haven't been played in YEARS because I build my own guitars. These builds span the last 5 years I've been building guitars

 

[mojosman]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

That’s an awesome collection! I always sort of want just one more. I recently sold one, and currently have two Les Pauls. Both of mine are sort of the same. One is just higher up the totem pole, and has some flame and binding. I will eventually get a P-90 one, and I think that’s where my Les Paul collection stops. If I I had the coin I would no doubt have some more, but I’m at the age where I’m trying to focus on the things I’m lucky enough to have, and worry less about the stuff I don’t have.

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[orpheo]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

That's a great philosophy. I wish I could get behind that. Unfortunately, it's my job to build guitars and develop new models, new features and those have to be tested before I offer them for sale. My collection now is 68 pieces small Only a handful of amps though.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

What's the bridge pickup on the far left? Is that two single coils put next to each other and hidden under a humbucker ring?

 

[Aceman]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

Bravo :clap: well played and well made!!! sweet collection. Aesthetic request; Could you take a shot and line them up brown, amber, cherry burst, blue, violet, dark purple? Little OCD this morning. And/or Brown / Blue / Amber / Purple / Cherry Burst / Dark Purple. Heck - do both.

Also - are those yours personally, or for sale? Lots of three pickups there. While I don't mind, many do. Is three P-90's like your thing as a builder???

Honestly, I'll say I have four LP's and while you can ALWAYS have one more, there are really only like three I don't have that I want at all these days: Original Voodoo, The Paul, and Burgundy Custom 3 pickups.

 

[orpheo]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

Bravo :clap: well played and well made!!! sweet collection. Aesthetic request; Could you take a shot and line them up brown, amber, cherry burst, blue, violet, dark purple? Little OCD this morning. And/or Brown / Blue / Amber / Purple / Cherry Burst / Dark Purple. Heck - do both.

Also - are those yours personally, or for sale? Lots of three pickups there. While I don't mind, many do. Is three P-90's like your thing as a builder???

Honestly, I'll say I have four LP's and while you can ALWAYS have one more, there are really only like three I don't have that I want at all these days: Original Voodoo, The Paul, and Burgundy Custom 3 pickups.

ha, no sorry I can't line them up anymore cause the sun has already set! You've gotta do it in your own mind I'm afraid.

I don't have that many triple p90's to be honest. The only one that has 3 p90's is the purple one. Third from the right. All others have a custom made singlecoil in humbucker format in the middle position.

OK, OK, for laughs 'n giggles, here's the pickup config from left to right!

purple/magenta burst ash body maple neck trem: 3x SSL1 + SSL4 in bridge with custom wiring
walnut on korina with cocobolo/rosewood neck, Bill Lawrence L500XL, L and R with custom covers, custom wiring.
White Tiger (you called it blue I believe?): figured maple on hollowed ash, rosewood neck, axesrus pickups /w custom singlecoil in mid
purpleburst on figured maple on black korina /w 17pcs rosewood/goncalo alves/wenge/maple/walnut neck, triple custom p90's by AxesRus
tigereye on figured maple on a hollow mahogany core with a walnut back /w 17pcs wenge/bubinga/padouk/maple/walnut neck, custom pickups by Seymour Duncan (toggle between tele, strat, p90 and rickenbacker: my design!)
Sunburst on 1pc maple on 1 pc honduras mahogany back, 9pcs cocobolo/ebony/maple/walnut neck, with joe bonamassa set and phat cat in middle (worst middle pickup ever).

These are all either a demo or prototype guitar so not for sale. I have them so people can demo my work as well as being test cases for whatever: new finish, new porefill method, new buffing method, new technique for staining. etc.

Especially that second guitar from the right (the only one with 2 pickups) would cost you an arm and a leg if I had to remake that one The body itself is a lot of work, making the 17 piece neck, the wiring, the pickups, the extra laminated back....carving the inside for the F-Hole, doing the F-Hole... Yeah, that is expensive.

 

[orpheo]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

my signature thingy as a builder:

*the pinstriping (maple/walnut/maple on 95% of all builds) between fretboard and neck and on the headstock
*the trapezoid switch plate on 3 hum guitars
*shallow headstock angle and straight neck angle (you don't need 17 degrees, I promise)
*recessed trussrod cover
*wood backplates

Those features are kinda set in stone. Other than that, you can mix and match whatever you like. What I don't do: bindings and inlay. Not yet, anyway. I am slowly moving towards blocks, trapezoids and dots and I think that's fine for most guitars. Doing real custom work, like inlaying your own autograph in 12 kinds of pearl: no. Just no. I have no idea how to make that profitable and how to ensure a project like that won't run away with me.

The thing is, I do it all by hand. So if it's a project that really doesn't do it for me but I take it on anyway, I can't finish it in a decent amount of time. I managed to create a les paul with all the trimmings in 6 weeks because that project was a LOT of fun for me to do. But a project can also take years if I'm not up to it, mentally and emotionally.

 

[Mincer]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

You forgot the multiple-wood necks, too! Really cool guitars, and fun to play in person.

 

[jimilee]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

I am envious sir. Those look amazing.


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[orpheo]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

You forgot the multiple-wood necks, too! Really cool guitars, and fun to play in person.

thank you!

Multi piece necks, yup. but not on ALL guitars. I try to get some basic features going that are consistent all along the board.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

Beautiful guitars there, Orpheo.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

Great guits!
If i see 3 humbucker guitars, i feel like my right hand finger will bleed....

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

That’s an awesome collection! I always sort of want just one more. I recently sold one, and currently have two Les Pauls. Both of mine are sort of the same. One is just higher up the totem pole, and has some flame and binding. I will eventually get a P-90 one, and I think that’s where my Les Paul collection stops. If I I had the coin I would no doubt have some more, but I’m at the age where I’m trying to focus on the things I’m lucky enough to have, and worry less about the stuff I don’t have.

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I love that flag wall plaque.

That gold top needs to be P-90s. Sooo, you need at least one more.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

That’s an awesome collection! I always sort of want just one more. I recently sold one, and currently have two Les Pauls. Both of mine are sort of the same. One is just higher up the totem pole, and has some flame and binding. I will eventually get a P-90 one, and I think that’s where my Les Paul collection stops. If I I had the coin I would no doubt have some more, but I’m at the age where I’m trying to focus on the things I’m lucky enough to have, and worry less about the stuff I don’t have.

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I love that flag wall plaque.

That gold top needs to be P-90s. Sooo, you need at least one more.

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

Can you post more pics? I'm not sure what you mean by pinstriping. I'm also curious how you contour the neck heel.

Do you have a signature headstock shape or do you use a bunch of designs? IMO that's the trickiest part for LP-type guitars to get right - to look distinct but still balance with the classic look of the body.

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[orpheo]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

Can you post more pics? I'm not sure what you mean by pinstriping. I'm also curious how you contour the neck heel.

Do you have a signature headstock shape or do you use a bunch of designs? IMO that's the trickiest part for LP-type guitars to get right - to look distinct but still balance with the classic look of the body.

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Hi, this is a pic I found on short notice with the pinstripes, albeit in reverse (because the neck shaft and fretboard are light; if they're both dark, it's of course the reverse)

I have three 3x3 headstock designs, let me see if I can find them.

You can see them on the green doublecut, the SG and the LP. I am in the process of streamlining towards two shapes: only the LP headstock and on the doublecut. The latter has a straight string pull after the nut so the strings don't bind and this headstock has to go on trem-equipped guitars. The other, not so much

 

[orpheo]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

I have to admit, there is some variation between the shapes. That's because I shape each and every one by hand and I don't use a CNC for that. I am still contemplating a better, more consistent way of doing it though. I have used a tablerouter in the past to get that done but after having seen the so manyieth neck get hurled through the room, I was fed up with it and called it quits.

the pic above shows each shape I make. So far I have sold the SG and I will replace the green guitar with a new version.

As a matter of fact, I want to rebuild each and every one of these because I'm not satisfied at all, but I guess that's the cost of learning on the job.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

You're nuts man simple as that.

So much precision.

 

[Mincer]

Re: How much is enough? (answer: 36)

I love the headstock on the far right one!