Guitar - Custom 24 fret Les Paul

Thomas from Presence

I'm going to invest in a top notch axe and my fantasy is a Les-Paul like guitar with 24 frets. I have a neurotic need for the complete four octave range that such an axe would give and tuning the high E to F# ain't good enough! I also really like Les Pauls so I want the whole deal if I can.

My questions:

Does anybody know of high quality Les Paul-alikes?

Does anybody know of a reputable custom guitar builder who might undertake such a project for reasonable compensation?

Thanks for your help!

Doctor J

Ran in Poland should be well up to the task at a reasonable fee too.

Shamray too, I think Eoin Madsen is getting a custom jobbie from them.

Thomas from Presence

My gracious thanks good Doctor. Do you know of someone who has pulled this one off and to what result and cost?

Doctor J

Feylya has one on order from Ran, very reasonably priced too, though I'll leave it to him to disclose. He should have it by the end of the year.

There's an order form on the Ran site, fill it out to your spec and they'll send you a quote with no obligation, etc. I don't personally know anyone who ordered from Shamray but there's a guy from Ireland who ordered two Les Pauls on the forum there. Seems like a happy punter.

Eoin Madsen

Yeah, I'll have my Shamray bass in a few weeks, so I'll report then. So far, the service and communication has been excellent, and the cost ludicrously reasonable.

They have a custom quote form on the site, so check it out.

Eoin Madsen

I've been in communication with Gerry Hayes of Haze Guitars lately about a guitar too. Though three emails on, he's been reluctant to give me any idea of prices or costs.

Doctor J

Any in progress pics?

Edit -> ahh found it. Very nice

http://shamraybass.com/BuildPIX/BCS-0002/

feylya

I've been in contact with Gerry before and he hasn't left me confident. Ran are building me a guitar for about the same price as a Prestige Ibanez from most of the online shops.

Eoin Madsen

Doctor J wrote:

Any in progress pics?

Patience, Doc, patience. All will be revealed in time.

There's some early ones on the site.

Karl Hungus

I'd be really interested to see how you get on with Shamray, Eoin. I did up a custom quote form for fun there just to see how much a custom neck-through 8 string would cost, and you know it's not pricey in the least.

Doctor J

Eoin Madsen wrote:

Patience, Doc, patience. All will be revealed in time.

There's some early ones on the site.

Patience sucks, mach schnell mit der up to date pics

feylya

Doc, why are you looking for pics of other people's basses? Don't you have something else to concentrate waiting on?

Doctor J

No, quite the opposite, I have something to not concentrate waiting on





(and remember this moment, you'll be going through this soon too )

Eoin Madsen

Doctor J wrote:

Patience sucks, mach schnell mit der up to date pics

And build up gradually to the final thing? Hell no! This one hits like a bomb.

To address Thomas' question directly... Shamray would build a Les Paul to more or less Les Paul spec for around 2000 euros, after shipping, including a hardcase, and also assuming you get taxed on import. And really, it's not a hell of a lot more to start adding decadent features to that. I've been dealing with a fellow named Michael, who originally hails from North America. He's a really nice guy and has been exceptionally accomodating and helpful.

feylya

Aye, Michael's a good lad alright. Knows his stuff.

Doc, I'm planning on taking a week off work when I get it!

LundiMardi

Does it have to be custom made? What's wrong with the ESP Deluxe series?

http://www.espguitars.com/guitars_deluxe.html

feylya

FFS. For months, I have hidden myself away from those guitars Why did you have to bring them back?

LundiMardi

What's wrong with them?

I don't have any experience with em, just thought that i'd point them out as being 24 fret LP'esque. Plus they're perty:)

Are they ****e? Then again, i'm not a huge fan of ESP, i see ESP i think Hammett..and i don't like that feeling... ::shudder::

feylya

There's nothing wrong with them. I've been gassing over them for years and I still want one but I have neither the space nor the money for one

Sofaspud

Hell, I don't like LPs, and those ESP ones give me gas!

Inducing GAS on the poor is a banworthy offence!

feylya

http://www.thomann.de/ie/search_dir.html?sw=ec1000&x=0&y=0

Quattroste

The Matt Black one is real nice.

I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...

Karl Hungus

Quattroste wrote:

I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...I'm happy with what I have...

Have you convinced yourself yet?

Thomas from Presence

Apparently there's some issue with 24 fret guitars in so far as the neck humbucker is usually put where the 24th fret should be. I have an Ibanez with 24 frets and it's impossible to tell the difference because the Ibanez is a totally different instrument.

Anybody know what happens to a les paul when it's neck humbucker ain't on the 24th fret? Does the time-space continuum collapse in on itself? Does it create the oil industry's most feared invention, the peretual motion machine? Does it just suck?

feylya

When a pickup is at the 24th fret position, it is under a node in the strings vibration and it sounds lovely. Move the pickup and you loose that. That's what the neck pickup in a strat sounds so damn good.

Eoin Madsen

Some guitar designers are of the opinion that the 24th fret position is a tonally bad place to put the pickup. It's really a subjective thing (isn't everything?). It's a sound - not the be all and end all either way. I'm fond of the neck position Strat pickup, but the bridge pickup on a Les Paul always sounds more "Les Paul" to me anyway.

the magician

Those Esps are deadly . Im sure you've seen me use my one. I really like it but im half tempted to sell my ltd one and buy the us made model.http://www.thomann.de/ie/esp_eclipse_ii_qm_dbsb.htm
IN fact I think you should buy that one.Not bad value for money. They look great, sound sweet and tick all your requirements.

Thomas from Presence

Eoin Madsen wrote:

Some guitar designers are of the opinion that the 24th fret position is a tonally bad place to put the pickup. It's really a subjective thing (isn't everything?). It's a sound - not the be all and end all either way. I'm fond of the neck position Strat pickup, but the bridge pickup on a Les Paul always sounds more "Les Paul" to me anyway.

I tend to agree about the Bridge Pick-Up. What actual effect does it have though? What frequencies are enhanced or detracted by the 24th fret?

Chuck, I can't do ESP. I'm shallow and image is everything, if not a real Gibsonthen a Brunkard special. It's either or. The ESP's Metallica associations unnerve me.

Eoin Madsen

Thomas from Presence wrote:

I tend to agree about the Bridge Pick-Up. What actual effect does it have though? What frequencies are enhanced or detracted by the 24th fret?

On an open string you lose the fourth harmonic. The exact balance of harmonics is dictated by the position of the pickup, but other than the 24th position being a perfect node of the forth harmonic for an open note (and the second harmonic for a note fretted at the 12th) there's nothing "special" about the 24th. It's not an absolute, it tends towards and away from those properties depending on position.

Judge2112

Apologies for raising this thread from the dead, but I am curious to see if Thomas ever decided on one, and if anyone else has opted for a 24 fret LP.

I too am gassing for one...

Here is one builder from the States that I am looking at (more like drooling):

http://www.schroederguitars.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=27

I haven't got quotes, but with the good exchange rate we have at the moment, might be an incentive to go for it.

Oeneus

While we're on the subject, why can't you get any decent LP shape guitars with Floyd Rose Trems?