NGD - Custom La Grange "Wheel"

[mikealpine]

Hey all, there's a pretty long story behind this guitar, but rather than go through it all, I'll just say I found La Grange while hunting for P90 guitars and pickups, heard an Israeli guitarist (Lazer Lloyd) playing one, and decided I had to have one. La Grange is an Israeli company, really a single-person builder, and he made the process super easy and comfortable. I have about 80 pictures in a build thread, and would be happy to share some, if anyone is interested. I can tell you the detail he provided made me feel like I was in the shop for the whole build!

For now, at least I can show you the finished product. It is a dog-hair finish, made to look like aging, but actually satiny-smooth. It plays just beautifully, super comfortable and very light. If you have any specific questions, please ask away!










And here is Lazer Lloyd actually playing my guitar at a bar, Mike's Place, in Jerusalem. Lazer was kind enough to sign the certificate of authenticity, and when I thanked him via Facebook, he sent me back a wonderful message. Really nice guy, talented musician. I hope you enjoy!!

https://www.facebook.com/LaGrangeGui...7535034671165/

[Dru Edwards]

Mike, Congrats! Looks like a great guitar. How long did it take from order to receiving it?

Are the pickups also custom or are they from Gibson or Seymour Duncan?

[mikealpine]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Mike, Congrats! Looks like a great guitar. How long did it take from order to receiving it?

Are the pickups also custom or are they from Gibson or Seymour Duncan?

Thanks Dru! I think it took about 3 months, start to finish, including shipping, which only took about 5 days. We communicated a bit before because I was requesting some changes from his base specs. For example, I wanted a 10" radius fretboard, he usually does 12. Because of that, he had to change the bridge he normally uses, which changed the guitar to a string-through-the-body. I was happy about that because, in my experience, that adds to sustain of the guitar. I asked if he could do an arm contour as well as the belly contour, and we waited on that until he had the body cut and mostly shaped. the guitar is already pretty thin, and he was concerned that taking too much from the arm area would negatively impact the tone. After shaping, he felt it would be OK to add a gentle arm contour, but I left that in his hands. He was so enthusiastic and easy to work with.

The pickups are Sheptones. I'm tweaking the heights to get the tonal balance I want, but so far they sound great! That being said, there is a small possibility I might try Kinman noiseless P90s, but certainly not now, and not because these are particularly noisy. The only reason I would do this is because Kinman offers a set that leans toward a more country sound, somewhere between P90 and Tele, and that's really more the area in which I play. Before I do that, I will adjust these a bit more, and work with my picking. In my band setting, this guitar really sounds too good to change much on, offering a really nice variety of sound just on the three basic pickup selections. I happen to love the tone with overdrive.

[Dru Edwards]

Great that he was able to accommodate your changes. I'm not familiar with Sheptones but I've heard great things about Kinman over the years. Also, I've read lots of positive reviews on Gibson's P-90s, even from people who dislike Gibson humbuckers (I have a set in my SG '50s tribute).

Enjoy!

Originally Posted by mikealpine

Thanks Dru! I think it took about 3 months, start to finish, including shipping, which only took about 5 days. We communicated a bit before because I was requesting some changes from his base specs. For example, I wanted a 10" radius fretboard, he usually does 12. Because of that, he had to change the bridge he normally uses, which changed the guitar to a string-through-the-body. I was happy about that because, in my experience, that adds to sustain of the guitar. I asked if he could do an arm contour as well as the belly contour, and we waited on that until he had the body cut and mostly shaped. the guitar is already pretty thin, and he was concerned that taking too much from the arm area would negatively impact the tone. After shaping, he felt it would be OK to add a gentle arm contour, but I left that in his hands. He was so enthusiastic and easy to work with.

The pickups are Sheptones. I'm tweaking the heights to get the tonal balance I want, but so far they sound great! That being said, there is a small possibility I might try Kinman noiseless P90s, but certainly not now, and not because these are particularly noisy. The only reason I would do this is because Kinman offers a set that leans toward a more country sound, somewhere between P90 and Tele, and that's really more the area in which I play. Before I do that, I will adjust these a bit more, and work with my picking. In my band setting, this guitar really sounds too good to change much on, offering a really nice variety of sound just on the three basic pickup selections. I happen to love the tone with overdrive.

[mikealpine]

Thanks Dru. Rehearsed last night with this baby. Played "Torn" (Cassadee Pope version) with a full, rich, almost-acoustic tone, then some nice overdrive on "I Want You to Want Me", back to chimey for "Bartender", except for the lead with some overdrive. Easy to play, cut through the band when I wanted it to. And super comfortable for our two hour rehearsal. For anyone looking at a possible custom electric, I can't recommend La Grange/Benjamin more highly. Really enjoying this guitar!

[targuit]

Hi Mike. Now that some time has passed, any changes or additions to your impression? I'm also searching for the right P90 guitar and also stumbled on these, so I'm very interested in anything else you might have to share. - Steve

[mikealpine]

Hi Steve. I still love the guitar, and have the same opinion of the build process and builder. I haven't swapped the pickups, though as I initially said, I still might, but there's no urgency or any real driving need to do so. The overall comfort of the guitar, from neck to body (with the arm and belly contours), is really terrific, and can play it for hours without issue.

I have nothing else nearby to compare it to. At some point I'd love to try a Collings with P90s, perhaps an Anderson or Melancon. But new, those are all closer to $2800 and up. Anderson necks, to me, are some of the nicest out there, but my La Grange is pretty darn close. Another two companies doing interesting stuff are DNA and Agape. Might be worth looking at.

In short, I'd still easily recommend La Grange. Great guitar and Benjamin was such a pleasure to work with. Let me know what you eventually decide on.

[targuit]

Thanks, Mike. Sounds promising. I love simplicity, including a 2 knob control setup, so this one fits right in. I'm assuming he'd do a wrap tailpiece as an option on request. I've also looked at the Springer Spartan, Anderson Bobcat Special (played an Anderson Pup a few years ago and really liked it, though not particularly a fan of the BFTS) - to mention a couple.

It all started with my playing an original '59 special and being surprised at the versatility and great feel it had, with again, the simplicity I like. I'm pretty much a Tele guy by nature.

Anyway, I'm taking my time. NAMM and the Guitar Show are coming up out here in January, so I'll probably make a decision sometime after that, unless something too perfect to pass up comes along in the interim.

[mikealpine]

Steve, I'm pretty sure he'll do what you ask. He used the Hipshot for me because I wanted a 10" radius whereas his standard bridge was made for a 12" radius, at least that's the reason I recall. I also wanted a slightly narrower nut width, and he was fine with changing that from 43mm to 42mm, so I can't see any reason why he wouldn't use the bridge you'd like.

Have a great time at NAMM! I'd love to get to the Nashville show, but don't see that happening. At least you'll have a few options to look into.

Andersons are beautiful. I played a few at Golden Age Fretted Instruments in NJ and as I said, the neck felt great. The price point of what I'd want in an Anderson would be much higher than I paid for the La Grange. At the end of the day, I have no regrets with the decision I made. Hope you get to build a keeper, no matter who builds it for you!

[targuit]

Thanks, Mike!