Pictures Don't Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

[fritzreiser]

Absolutely gorgeous GMW Empire Standard #023: Swamp Ash Body, Maple Top, Birdseye Neck & Fingerboard, Abalone Binding on Head & Body, Abalone Inlays, Scalloped Heel, Duncan Classic Stacks - Neck & Middle, Duncan JB - Bridge.

Lee's work is top notch. This has to be up there with the Suhrs, Andersons, McNaughts & McInturffs.

[YetAnotherOne]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

Wow, that thing is *awesome*! Congrats! [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[RattleHead]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

Dear god I love birdseye...*drool*

That thing is awesome.

[MOSHWITZ]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

awesome [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[Miffy rules]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

Absolutely gorgeous, especially the inlay. [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[Venomboy]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

Awesome. How does it feel to have a hand carved neck. And how looooow is the action???

[fritzreiser]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

The neck really does have a nice feel to it, even though I prefer oiled necks. The profile is a shallow C. The action is low but not ultra low like some Les Pauls that I have seen. The setup was perfect for me. It was just plug and play right out of the case.

I am playing this one out of my Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue and it sounds so sweet!

[Chuckracer]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

That is stunning. I've been staring at those Empires for a couple of years now.
Very nice, Fritz.

[jgcable]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

Fritz, that is friggin beautiful. Literally jaw dropping! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img]

[btx109]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

Originally posted by Venomboy:
Awesome. How does it feel to have a hand carved neck. And how looooow is the action???

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I just want to put this out there, so that there isn't misinformation spread about GMW's work. Re "hand carved neck," I asked Lee about their carving methods and was told that Empire necks, along with the Brian May bodies and necks (created in conjunction with RS Guitars), are created on CNC machines. The GMW necks and bodies, along with Empire bodies, are created on overhead PIN routers using original Charvel templates.

I'd hate for someone to think that GMW mislead them when they discovered that their neck wasn't carved entirely by hand. They certainly are finished by hand after rough carving.

As far as I know, the only place that is doing necks completely carved by hand is Neal Moser and his Moser Custom Shop...or some very small, obscure independent old-world styled luthier in a small village somewhere.

[Newc]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

Hand-carved and hand-shaped are two different things. CNCs can cut the rough shape quickly, but can't do final shaping. You have to do the final shaping by hand, and there's nothing wrong with rough-cutting the neck with a machine.
If you start with a raw 4x4 and carve a neck out by hand (bandsaw or hammer/chisel/rasp), all you're adding is construction time compared to a computer-driven cutting machine.

Newc

[Venomboy]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

Neal told me the Empires have hand carved necks. But if that's what Lee told you then I stand corrected.

[shreddermon]

Re: Pictures Don\'t Do This One Justice (Lots of Pics)

[img]graemlins/drool2.gif[/img]