Progress on my Aria Pro II Urchin Clone.

[zeegler]

So, I assembled and wired up the Urchin clone a couple of days ago. I still have a bit of work to do on it, but I wanted to test my wiring, and check out how it plays.
































Here's what I have to do:
-Thin out the neck. It's a nice shape, but a little thicker than I'd like.
-Level and polish the frets.
-Finish the nut. It was just a quick job to get the strings on.
-Finish sand.
-Apply logo, and finish.


The small toggle switch is for an EMG PA2 Booster PreAmp. It's essentially like having a built in overdrive. I've never tried one before, but I really like it so far. The boost is adjustable but only by a trim pot on the back of the small circuit board attached to the back of the switch. I think it would be more convenient to have another knob on the guitar for that. Cool nevertheless.

[j2379]

that looks great. walnut? and maple?

[zeegler]

that looks great. walnut? and maple?

Thanks man!

Neck is maple/walnut/maple/walnut/maple.
Stringers are padauk/walnut.
Wings are sycamore.
Headstock veneer is wenge.

The sycamore is nicely figured, and the maple has some nice flame to it. It will show up much better once it's finished. Sycamore is similar to Big Leaf Maple. It's a nice wood to work with. I'm surprised it's not more common in guitar construction.

[straycat]

I'm digging that one a lot.
Well done!

[Snoogans]

Looking great! I always wanted to see an Urchin built like an old-school BC Rich, and here it is! Looking forward to the finished article.

[warlok]

That looks awesome! Never heard of an Urchin but it looks cool! Nice job!

The small toggle switch is for an EMG PA2 Booster PreAmp. It's essentially like having a built in overdrive. I've never tried one before, but I really like it so far. The boost is adjustable but only by a trim pot on the back of the small circuit board attached to the back of the switch. I think it would be more convenient to have another knob on the guitar for that. Cool nevertheless.

That would be the EMG Afterburner that has the knob adjustable 0-20db boost. You could still swap the PA2 for it.

[zeegler]

That looks awesome! Never heard of an Urchin but it looks cool! Nice job!



That would be the EMG Afterburner that has the knob adjustable 0-20db boost. You could still swap the PA2 for it.

Not unless I routed out a larger control cavity to accommodate another knob.

Really, I'm happy with it as is. I'm going to make a small hole in the control cavity plate just big enough to fit a small screwdriver so that I can adjust the gain level without having to remove the plate. The trim pot is about 1/8" from the plate, so it will work perfectly.

[zeegler]

Looking great! I always wanted to see an Urchin built like an old-school BC Rich, and here it is! Looking forward to the finished article.

Yeah me too, although the U100s are very much like old-school BC Rich to start wth. I just took it a step further.

[toejam]

Great job, Paul! I've actually got a PA2 laying around that I've never used. I'll have to put it in something... eventually.

[j2379]

Yeah sycamore looks a lot like maple, how's the weight of it? How r u going to finish it, I hope either a Trans color or burst.

[zeegler]

Yeah sycamore looks a lot like maple, how's the weight of it? How r u going to finish it, I hope either a Trans color or burst.

Contrary to what most people think, maple bodied guitars (and for that matter sycamore) are not excessively heavy in my experience. I own a Lado Earth, and a Lado Lazer, both of which are all maple, and neither are close to what I would consider heavy. The Urchin isn't heavy either. I wish I had an accurate scale that I could weigh it on. It feels lighter than any of my Les Paul type guitars. At a wild guess I'd say maybe 8 1/2 pounds.

This is pretty much exactly what I'm going for:

[zeegler]

Great job, Paul! I've actually got a PA2 laying around that I've never used. I'll have to put it in something... eventually.

You should do it Joe. It really makes your rig more flexible.

[veemagic]

Looks great zeegs! You did an awesome job with the construction, and the choice of woods. I can't wait to see the finish on it. Your choice looks fantastic.

[toejam]

Contrary to what most people think, maple bodied guitars (and for that matter sycamore) are not excessively heavy in my experience. I own a Lado Earth, and a Lado Lazer, both of which are all maple, and neither are close to what I would consider heavy. The Urchin isn't heavy either. I wish I had an accurate scale that I could weigh it on. It feels lighter than any of my Les Paul type guitars. At a wild guess I'd say maybe 8 1/2 pounds.

I ordered my Carvin 7-string with a maple body (with 5-piece mahogany/maple neck) and it weighs in at about 9 pounds. Sounds amazing, too.

[toejam]

Great job, Paul! I've actually got a PA2 laying around that I've never used. I'll have to put it in something... eventually.

You should do it Joe. It really makes your rig more flexible.

It will go in something, but I'm not sure what guitar I want it in yet. I was thinking of putting it in my Les Paul Studio that's got EMGs, or possibly my Hamer Special with DiMarzio Norton and Duncan '59.