Suggestions on Custom Slide Guitar Specs

[CCG30]

Hey folks got a couple questions. I’ve been playing slide for about a year now on a cheap Les Paul knockoff and I’m hooked; I play pretty much everything in open E. My buddy is a luthier and is going to build me a custom guitar and I want it to be purpose built for slide but as I mentioned I try to play everything on it and in open E ala Derek Trucks so I still need to be able to fret it.

For body shape I’m going with a double cut away as I want the full neck access all the way to the end of the fret board and also will probably go with a neck through so it has a smooth consistent neck feel all the way in to the body with no neck joint. I leaning towards a mix of a SG and a Les Paul double cut style with probably some ergo shaping of the body.

That said I have to decide on some of the details, like scale length (I’ll probably stick with the shorter scale length like Gibson or PRS but open to suggestions), fret board radius, neck shape, nut material (bone, tusk, brass or zero nut), Bridge, tail piece or pull through and fret size.

What are some of you more experienced slide player’s thoughts?

Also I was leaning towards the Seth Lover Pickups, thoughts on those? I really want that Allman Bros/ Derek Trucks type tone as that is the type of music I play the most.

Thanks!

 

[jeremy]

Re: Suggestions on Custom Slide Guitar Specs

the abb is all gibson guitars with few exceptions. seths will suit you well

 

[CCG30]

Re: Suggestions on Custom Slide Guitar Specs

the abb is all gibson guitars with few exceptions. seths will suit you well

Thanks, Definitely keeping Gibson/PRS in mind for the design factors for the build. Any thoughts on some of the specs that might be nice to change from a SG or LP to make it even better for slide playing?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Suggestions on Custom Slide Guitar Specs

changes will influence the tone. im a huge abb fan and slide fan in general. i usually play in standard but that effects playing more than tone. if i was going to build a dedicated slide guitar it would be similar to a tele body shape with belly and arm contours, string though body tele bridge with three brass saddles, mahogany body, fat mahogany neck w/ rw board, straight string pull 3x3 headstock, gibson scale and 12" radius, i like a bone but but honestly as long as its a well cut nut material matters most on open strings but i would not like a zero fret on a slide guitar. fret size it totally a personal thing, i prefer a medium fret over a huge jumbo or tiny vintage. id want two volume and two tone controls. heres where it gets weird... id want the lower horn chopped off completely for good upper fret access. i love the tone of a lp but getting the slide up on the high frets is a pita

 

[CCG30]

Re: Suggestions on Custom Slide Guitar Specs

changes will influence the tone. im a huge abb fan and slide fan in general. i usually play in standard but that effects playing more than tone. if i was going to build a dedicated slide guitar it would be similar to a tele body shape with belly and arm contours, string though body tele bridge with three brass saddles, mahogany body, fat mahogany neck w/ rw board, straight string pull 3x3 headstock, gibson scale and 12" radius, i like a bone but but honestly as long as its a well cut nut material matters most on open strings but i would not like a zero fret on a slide guitar. fret size it totally a personal thing, i prefer a medium fret over a huge jumbo or tiny vintage. id want two volume and two tone controls. heres where it gets weird... id want the lower horn chopped off completely for good upper fret access. i love the tone of a lp but getting the slide up on the high frets is a pita

That sounds like a great built as well. I agree that getting the slide up to the high frets is a PITA and that is probably my biggest complaint and the reason I'm leaning towards a double cut away like a 60's Les Paul Double cut or an SG and the neck through so I can get rid of the neck/body joint and make it really nice and smooth from top to bottom. I would like to have 24 frets and full access to them. I really like the feel of the new SG's and their slim taper neck. I also like how much more access you have to the high frets, not only for slide but regular play since I typically wrap my thumb over the top. Thanks for the details. I'm also leaning 3x3 but with a straighter pull on the string, gibson scale and 12-14 radius.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Suggestions on Custom Slide Guitar Specs

having 24 frets moves the neck pup and will change the sound of it quite a bit. i dont usually like 24 fret guitars for slide for that reason

 

[CCG30]

Re: Suggestions on Custom Slide Guitar Specs

well it doesn't have to. I have played both of these guitars, both SG and one has 22 and one has 24 frets and they have the same scale and over all length

22 frets
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson/2017-SG-Faded-T-Electric-Guitar.gc

24 frets
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson/...st-1500000027946.gc?pfm=item_page.rr1|ClickCP

they just but the fret board up to the pick up instead of having that gap, that is what I was thinking of doing.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Suggestions on Custom Slide Guitar Specs

true enough on the sg, thats an exception though. most 22 fret guitars put the neck pup up near the end of the fretboard

 

[CCG30]

Re: Suggestions on Custom Slide Guitar Specs

Yeah that is the feel I'm going for. Basically trying to build a super SG blues deluxe tone machine! haha by taking the elements I like from the LP double cut, SG and Strat and combine them with some tweaks to make it as close to the perfect guitar for me and my playing style as I can get. So I thought if I could cram 24 frets in like some of the newer SG have, it might be worth it. I'm thinking of having a slightly thicker body like the LP for more resonance and tone but more of the SG neck shape and the deeper cuts at the neck joint for full access to the top frets and toss in the body contour aspects of a Strat to make it more ergo and top it off with a neck through design so as to remove the neck joint all together so I can really reach those top frets with out having to change my hand position much. I don't like putting my thumb in front of the fret board to play the top frets like i have to now with my LP or Tele. plus if I was to play like a standard guitar I like to have my thumb over the top. I was thinking 12-14 radius on the neck, with a TOM bridge but pull through strings for more resonance as I've read that adds to the tone because the strings connect to the guitar body directly than. Probably bone nut and medium frets and definitely double humbuckers and i'm leaning towards the seth lover, at least for the neck pick up.