I never thought I'd find my dream guitar... until now!

[Number Of The Priest]

I never thought of combining all the features that I like about other guitars into one guitar until last night when it suddenly hit me that I didn't have to come up with something farfetched, wacky, outrageous, and over-the-top for it to be my dream guitar. It's quite basic when I think about it, really. It's just a slightly modified Soloist, and it enrages me a wee bit that I'd have to go Custom Shop for it! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Specs:
-Soloist body, neckthrough
-24 frets
-Standard headstock, REVERSE sharkfins (a feature I love on my KE3)
-Non-recessed OFR
-EMG-85 bridge, EMG-SA middle, EMG-89 neck (I'm almost dying for an H/S/H Soloist right about now)
-EMG push-pull master volume control that splits the neck EMG-89 (a feature I love on my KE3)
-EMG-SPC and EMG-EXG controls, like the David Gilmour Strat layout, and no tone controls
-5-way blade switch located like on the Ibanez RG series which I love, not buried behind the dome knobs Jackson-style
-Bound neck/headstock, painted neck, black hardware, yadda yadda yadda like a regular Soloist

Pretty simple if you ask me. I'm almost ready to unload four of my guitars in order to get this dream machine if I have to.



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

[Brad]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

Couldn't agree more [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[jtr]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

WHY NOT A 89 IN THE BRIDGE ALSO ?

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

I require a full humbucker in the bridge at all times. Say I wanted to have an H/S/S configuration, I could pull up on the push-pull master volume pot and it would split the EMG-89 in the neck. I'd finish playing whatever I need to play with a single coil in the neck, and then instantly flick back to the bridge humbucker using the pickup switch. I wouldn't want to have the pot still in the up position when I went back to the bridge pickup if it were an EMG-89 bridge because I'd be switching to a bridge single coil which I don't really want.

Ehhhh, a little weird on my part, but like H/S/S and H/S/H in one guitar. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Plus, the EMG-EXG can make short work of the humbuckers and give them a single coil like sound anyways if I needed a Strat bridge pickup sound. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

As you can tell, I'm quite particular with my choice of pickup arrays. [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[gemini8026]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

Hmm, why not buy a used Soloist on the BAY, and send it off to someone like Kevin Easton? I asked him if he'd put on SS frets and shave the neck finish and any routing and he said no problem, wasnt an outrageous quote either.

Doesnt seem like thats too lofty of a guitar to own!

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

Hmmm, I haven't seen many 25.5" Soloists with a regular headstock and reverse sharkfins. Were there any? I think the Archtop Soloist Pros had this, but were 24.75" scale. [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

Hmm, I wouldn't mind modifying a regular SL2H. I could add the middle single coil, replace the 3-way pickup switch for one of the EMG controls, and install a 5-way blade switch where I need it. It'd be pretty close except for the absence of the reverse sharkfins and the non-recessed trem.

Hmmm, I think it'd be worth it to send it to Kevin to do. He was already willing to add a Floyd to my future DK-27 for quite a good low price. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Thanks for the reminder about Kevin. It'd be a hell of a lot cheaper modifying an SL2H than going Custom Shop. [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[Junior]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

You could all so buy a SL2, which has no inlays and have reverse sharkfins added.

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

Those SL2s are a difficult find. They also have no neck/headstock binding, so that would have to be added too. But thanks for looking out for me. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Cheers. [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[pro-fusion]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

Get a late-'80s Soloist or a Shannon, and you've got your non-recessed Floyd guitar that could go to Kevin for further work.

[lhrocker]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

The SL2 has neck binding, but it's black, so it may be easy enough to change. It doesn't have headstock binding though.

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

Ohh, I never realized the SL2s had black neck binding. It looks absent from the pictures I've seen. Thanks for the info though. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

I already DO have a Shannon, she's my pride and joy and most of the inspiration behind this custom Soloist idea. It would look WAY too crowded if a neck humbucker were installed in the Shannon or any SL1 because it looks like the neck and middle pickups are too close together. I know it's an aesthetic thing, but I'm rather picky. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] That's why I chose the SL2H to modify and the middle pickup would look more evenly spaced in between the two humbuckers. Also, it would be cleaner because I'd want to replace the 3-way switch with one of the EMG accessory controls and route out a new blade switch in the desired location. In an SL1, the blade switch hole would have to be filled in, and it just doesn't seem "right" to me for whatever reason. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[toejam]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

Eh, I'd just put the pickup selector switch on the top horn like it would be on a Les Paul. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[pro-fusion]

Re: I never thought I\'d find my dream guitar... until now!

There were dual-hum Soloists made in the '80s with the non-recessed trem. That might be something you want to search out.