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  #1  
Old 08-01-2014, 02:14 PM
batsbrew batsbrew is offline
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Default custom axe commissioned - the Williams Special

just thought i'd share, in case anyone else is thinking about custom builds.


The Williams Special

The Williams Special is a Les Paul-Strat-Mustang-Explorer hybrid, with hollow body cavities, Mustang scale length,
built like a paul with mahagony and maple top, with vintage-dimension strat body, explorer headstock.















(semi-related: my first 'good' guitar was a '75 Fender Mustang.)

This guitar was commissioned in 1986.

It is a Gibson Les paul-Fender strat-Fender mustang-Gibson explorer HYBRID.
-built by Stan Williams, Rome Georgia.

-based on the Fender Mustang scale length at 24.0"....this design is also similar to brian may's red special.

*honduras mahogany body, with air cavities carved in the body below the maple top.
*flame maple top, 3/8" thick.
*vintage-dimension strat body.
*2-piece flame maple neck, with ebony fingerboard.
*no truss rod!
there are (2) rectangular pieces of aircraft aluminum running the length of the fretboard.
*flame maple veneer on headstock; front, sides, and back.
*24" scale length.
*jumbo frets, nickle alloy
*custom inlays: mother of pearl, diamond shape, with a split diamond around the center pickup.
*Kahler 2300 pro tremelo.
*(3) off/on switches
*master volume, master tone, 3rd switch now unwired-
*Pickups: originally equipped with a EMG SA assembly, and the 3rd knob was the presence control.
--now has (2) bill lawrence L-280's, and a duncan Little 59 humbucker in the bridge.
*explorer headstock shape, true to scale.
*long tenon set neck
*13 degree tilt back headstock
*graphtec nut, with locking kahler nut mounted behind it.



*Wood: the Flame maple used on the top and neck, and veneers, was from a large timber
(139 years old as of 2014) salvaged from a barn in Illinois.

The honduras was acquired long before there were conservation laws on that particular wood
(blank dates back to pre-1980).

__________________________________________________ _________

design criteria:

the les paul connection:
the basics of the les paul (the obvious basics) are:

slab mahogony body;
maple top;
strings on top of body;
2 piece maple neck;
glued in neck, long tenon;
tilt back headstock, no string trees required.


later, in 2008, they started weight relieving the standards, but remember, i built this in 1986.
so, the Gibson nod starts there.

This one has:
Honduras mahagony body -- maple top -- strings on top of body via the Kahler -- 2 piece maple neck
-- a glued in neck with long tenon -- tilt back headstock.

My design tried to improve on my favorite aspects of the 4 different guitars, the mustang, explorer, strat and paul.


for example:

*the volute on the explorer headstock is inherently stronger than the les paul (commonly known over time for breaks at the neck),
plus i liked the headstock shape;

*the weight relief is secondary-- the sound cavities i had routed strictly for that semi-acoustic property,
making the guitar, at stage volume, extremely lively - this followed the basics of the Brian May Red Special,
which was my starting point. his guitar is designed more like a 335 than mine, but i went there as much as i could
without floating the top over a central beam;

*the ebony fretboard brings out more les paul-style tonal characteristics than, say, a rosewood fretboard would have;

*the glue in neck was a must, and unlike the les paul, which has that awkward heel, mine is smoothed out right into the back of the body,
without so much as a line. the tonal effect with the glued in neck, and the long tenon is an obvious connection to the les paul lineage;

*the tilt back headstock was unnecessary with the kahler locking nut, but i added it anyway,
feeling that the downward pressure of the strings still helps to maintain a strong connection to the neck,
vibration wise, and this is very much in les paul territory;

*the strings on top, versus thru the body, is a very important link to the overall sound,
and the use of the kahler is a great way to bridge the gap between a stop tailpiece and a floating trem.

though Kahler did not have it then, they now have a 'hybrid' tailpiece, that can lock as a hard tail, or float as a trem.
best of both. i have one on my '84 Carvin DC200k, and will eventually updgrade this one with one as well.
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Old 08-01-2014, 03:13 PM
alnico5 alnico5 is offline
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It has a Carvin Custom Shop vibe.
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I don't have a bunch of guitars because they all sound just like me.

1984 Carvin LB-40 bass
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1996 Taylor 412
La Patrie Concert
2012 American Standard Telecaster
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Harley Benton LP JR DC
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  #3  
Old 08-01-2014, 03:15 PM
batsbrew batsbrew is offline
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owning a carvin from '84, i can say that it has nothing in common with the carvin build.

the carvin build is a very high quality build, for sure,
but they really don't offer any of these choices or enhancements.
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Old 08-03-2014, 02:21 PM
batsbrew batsbrew is offline
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one of the things i like most about this experimental build,
is the 'no truss rod' thing.....
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  #5  
Old 08-03-2014, 02:34 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by batsbrew View Post
one of the things i like most about this experimental build,
is the 'no truss rod' thing.....
Hey Bat, a fantastic looking guitar!! Why isn't there a truss rod? Do you not need slight tweaks once and a while?
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  #6  
Old 08-03-2014, 05:33 PM
batsbrew batsbrew is offline
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built in '86,
no truss rod,
neck is Still dead straight.

a good design, stood the test of time,
the stiffness of the neck makes for an intense transfer from string to body.
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  #7  
Old 08-04-2014, 11:17 AM
batsbrew batsbrew is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alnico5 View Post
It has a Carvin Custom Shop vibe.
you know, if i could have gotten 'just enough' of the particulars i wanted (short scale, pickup layout, finish, neck size, etc) i probably WOULD have ordered one from those guys..

my carvin i had before this build, is still going quite strong

Carvin DC200k
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  #8  
Old 08-13-2014, 08:30 AM
batsbrew batsbrew is offline
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and the thing about the carvin I have, is that it has a gibson scale length neck..

and they do not offer that as an option any longer,
went with the PRS-style mid length, inbetween the gibson and the fender
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  #9  
Old 08-13-2014, 10:08 AM
MBE MBE is offline
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Beautiful woods. I was definitely not surprised to read the "commissioned in 1986" part - definitely has a bit of that 80's USA custom-shop "super strat" vibe going for it. Not surprised the neck has held up so well over time - looks like a superbly built guitar. I love the figure and finish on the neck. Thanks for sharing, and for making me realize that I do actually have some "birth year guitars" out there worth finding (I'm an '86 model as well!).
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