Does this guitar exist?

[Travis]

Thinking about my next guitar. Specs I want are as follows:

ash body tele with belly, forearm, and heel contours. Rear routed H/H configuration with either a fixed bridge or vintage trem (no Floyd’s). BIG neck with tall frets, either jumbos or vintage talls. 

Are there any manufactures that make something stock with these specs in a good quality?  Or am I going to have to do a parts build/custom order…?

I’ve found a few that meet most of the specs, but not all. For example: Charvel pro mod so cal style 2 HH checks all the boxes except for the BIG neck. 

[JGale]

Paging @Jeff R JeffRo to the red courtesy phone. 

[BadgerDave]

I'm not sure what rear routed means, but you could do a Warmoth build with these specs for under $1K.

 

[Travis]

44 minutes ago, BadgerDave said:

I'm not sure what rear routed means, but you could do a Warmoth build with these specs for under $1K.

 

rear routed/back routed:  no Pickguard. I hate plastic. 

That’s pretty close to what I’m looking for. The biggest issue is: can I get something that’s stock and ready to go or do I need to build it myself and have a tech finish the nut/frets for me. 

Edited June 29, 2024 by Travis

[RobB]

2 hours ago, Travis said:

Thinking about my next guitar. Specs I want are as follows:

ash body tele with belly, forearm, and heel contours. Rear routed H/H configuration with either a fixed bridge or vintage trem (no Floyd’s). BIG neck with tall frets, either jumbos or vintage talls. 

Are there any manufactures that make something stock with these specs in a good quality?  Or am I going to have to do a parts build/custom order…?

I’ve found a few that meet most of the specs, but not all. For example: Charvel pro mod so cal style 2 HH checks all the boxes except for the BIG neck. 

https://www.butalacustomguitars.com/

http://www.chubtoneguitars.com/

https://www.kneguitars.com/kit_bod.php

https://www.lockecustomguitars.com/

All excellent. KNE and Butala are a bit lower-priced than the other two.

[tbonesullivan]

I spent a lot of time looking around before my last guitar purchase, and as far as I know, there really isn't a "stock" guitar in that configuration. Tall / Jumbo frets seem to almost always be used on "shredder" style guitars with thin wide necks.

[Biz Prof]

Someone on here was selling a Schecter with highly upgraded pickups. I think it might have had thr specs you're seeking.

 

ETA: 

 

Edited June 29, 2024 by Biz Prof

[JGale]

Like this, only not hollow?

[Travis]

1 hour ago, Biz Prof said:

Someone on here was selling a Schecter with highly upgraded pickups. I think it might have had thr specs you're seeking.

 

ETA: 

 

I did see that one. It’s on my radar. 

[Travis]

1 hour ago, JGale said:

Like this, only not hollow?

Very similar to what I’m thinking about. 

I’ve got in my mind something a lot like what badgerdave posted above, but in a natural/oiled ash body.  

[LucSulla]

If you're a fan of Anslem's ontological argument, it does now.

[Dutchman]

14 hours ago, Travis said:

Thinking about my next guitar. Specs I want are as follows:

ash body tele with belly, forearm, and heel contours. Rear routed H/H configuration with either a fixed bridge or vintage trem (no Floyd’s). BIG neck with tall frets, either jumbos or vintage talls. 

Are there any manufactures that make something stock with these specs in a good quality?  Or am I going to have to do a parts build/custom order…?

I’ve found a few that meet most of the specs, but not all. For example: Charvel pro mod so cal style 2 HH checks all the boxes except for the BIG neck. 

Suhr Alt T is close! I love mine!

[Travis]

6 hours ago, Dutchman said:

Suhr Alt T is close! I love mine!

Ooh, that is very close…

[Travis]

So, I could get almost everything I wanted out of a Suhr Modern T. The neck profiles offered on the custom spec sheet don’t include a fat neck like I like for the Modern T, but it does for a Classic T. I bet they could put the big neck on the Modern body but I’m sure I’d have to order it new and I don’t know if I’m ready to drop $4k on a guitar right now. 

Another option would be to pick up a used pro mod Charvel for well under $1k and then get a replacement neck to my specs to mount on it. That’s seeming to be a much more cost effective way to get exactly what I want…. 🤔🤔🤔

[fractal]

+1 on the Alt-T.  If you need bigger, you could always custom order:

https://configurator.suhr.com

[Travis]

I poked around Suhr’s and Tom Anderson’s sites, including the custom order options. Suhr is a possibility based on getting the bigger neck on the Modern T.

 Tom Anderson can get me everything I want in a Pro Am T with ash body or a Drop T if I want a figured top. But, like I said, I just don’t know if I’m ready to lay down $4k+ on one of those just yet…

Edited July 1, 2024 by Travis

[crunchee]

Knowing how the used guitar market works in general, I have a dumb question...if you drop $4K for a new one, how much can you expect to get when it comes to resale?

[Travis]

23 minutes ago, crunchee said:

Knowing how the used guitar market works in general, I have a dumb question...if you drop $4K for a new one, how much can you expect to get when it comes to resale?

I’m seeing listings for used Anderson’s and Suhr’s in the $2.5k-$3k range, which makes them slightly more palatable. But then I’m looking at the statistical likelihood of finding exactly what I want on the used market. Seems like a few things are out there with all but one of the specs I want… 

Edited July 1, 2024 by Travis

[velorush]

The parlance I found on the used Suhrs was "Custom" as in "Classic T Custom" or "Classic S Custom."  As far as I could tell, Custom meant someone ordered it and it had a chance of having a neck larger than the "Even C" found on the Pro line. (0.83" thick at the first fret being the spec issued by the World Economic Forum as the Standard). 

🤔😕🤣

In months of searching on Reverb I think I may have run across three, each still way out of my price range.  In the end I put a partscaster together (documented here) for a fraction of the price.  My only regret is that I wasted so much time searching when I could have just skipped all the scrolling and built it first.

I will say, the few Suhrs I have played (used at Walter Carter Vintage Guitar, Nash Vegas) were magnificent guitars with fretwork beyond anything I have had mitts on.  The necks were just ever so slightly too thin for me to pull the trigger.

[BadgerDave]

On 6/28/2024 at 11:20 PM, Travis said:

The biggest issue is: can I get something that’s stock and ready to go or do I need to build it myself and have a tech finish the nut/frets for me. 

It depends on how particular you are about the setup.  

In my experience, Warmoth necks are certainly playable without nut or fret work, similar to what you'd get if you bought a non-Custom Shop Fender.  They can be perfectly dialed in with some attention to the nut slots and a fret polish.  I've received a few that needed to have a slightly high fret or two leveled, crowned and polished.

[velorush]

I bought my latest neck from this guy:

1950s Finishes | Reverb

He starts with a licensed AllParts neck, does a fret level / crown / nut and then finishes it out, all cheaper than I could have bought the raw neck and finished it out myself. I didn't want a relic and messaged him before I purchased.  He instructed me to note that in the purchase comments and the neck came to me with a fantastic satin finish, as new.  The neck plays wonderfully and I couldn't be more satisfied. 

[Jeff R]

I clicked the Reverb link for 1950s Finishes and checked out the ads ... if they are 100 percent accurate in regard to their product and services, neither me nor any reputable tech can even come close to that guy's pricing. Because he is literally giving his "countless hours" of labor away for free. Maybe he's a comfortable retiree and that's his hobby, hard to say.

Approximately half of the Carondelet guitars I make as pickup demo guitars and in custom fabs for clients also use those AP necks. Every neck I have sourced from AP for the last 10 years has been a Nagano MIJ Fujigen ghost build. They are of incredible quality and they are off the charts for value if you have a tech who can finish them out. 

If you specifically seek TAG, Suhr, Tyler, et al action and playability from a fret perspective, you either need a experienced fret tech or a skilled Plek operator to get the results you seek from ANY replacement neck. The FGN necks I use, the necks Grover Jackson and I collaborate on, EVERY Warmoth neck that crosses my bench ... not one neck from any supplier to date has hit my bench slap-on ready with superior results unless it crossed a pro fret bench first on its way to me.

 

[velorush]

2 hours ago, Jeff R said:

I clicked the Reverb link for 1950s Finishes and checked out the ads ... if they are 100 percent accurate in regard to their product and services, neither me nor any reputable tech can even come close to that guy's pricing. Because he is literally giving his "countless hours" of labor away for free. Maybe he's a comfortable retiree and that's his hobby, hard to say.

That (labor for free) was what I thought when I ran across his listing, plus, he's so close to me (AL) I had the neck in no time.  I can't imagine it would pay to counterfeit an AllParts neck (with the "Licensed by Fender" logo branded on), but either way, the one I received (I've only bought one from him, but I'm contemplating another build...) was extremely well finished and of excellent quality (take that with a grain of salt as I'm not that experienced or even that bright).

[Ua D]

On 6/30/2024 at 7:06 AM, Travis said:

So, I could get almost everything I wanted out of a Suhr Modern T. The neck profiles offered on the custom spec sheet don’t include a fat neck like I like for the Modern T, but it does for a Classic T. I bet they could put the big neck on the Modern body but I’m sure I’d have to order it new and I don’t know if I’m ready to drop $4k on a guitar right now. 

Another option would be to pick up a used pro mod Charvel for well under $1k and then get a replacement neck to my specs to mount on it. That’s seeming to be a much more cost effective way to get exactly what I want…. 🤔🤔🤔

And if you went the Charvel with a new neck path and later decided it wasn’t what you want, pop the original neck back kn and sell it.  Then sell the custom ordered neck separately.   Way less of a hit to the wallet.  

Edited July 4, 2024 by Ua D

[Travis]

1 hour ago, Ua D said:

And if you went the Charvel with a new neck path and later decided it wasn’t what you want, pop the original neck back kn and sell it.  Then sell the custom ordered neck separately.   Way less of a hit to the wallet.  

That was kinda my train of thought…