Chambers and contours

[jwhitcomb3]

Something about my playing style has me hammering my forearm against the top rear edge of an electric guitar. After years of bruised forearms, I've finally unloaded all my electric guitars that don't have some sort of forearm bevel (well, almost...30th LTD still for sale). As a result, I'm back to all solid body guitars.

I do miss the light weight and lively attack response of a chambered or semi-hollow electric. Does anyone know of guitar builders offering a chambered or semi-hollow guitar with a forearm contour? Is that something Hamer could do?

Thanks,

Jonathan

[Hbom]

The pic is of my Warmoth Strat home build. It is chambered but the F-hole is just a route.

It has a tummy cut on the back & a forearm cut on top.

Not sure if that qualifies but if you check Warmoth they may have a solution for you.

[atquinn]

All the heavy hitters in bolt-neck guitars will do chambered/hollow guitars with forearm contours (Anderson, Suhr, Melancon and more I'm sure). If you're talking gibby-scale setnecks though, I'm not sure.

-Austin

[Quietly]

Vox do and they get some really good reviews http://www.voxamps.com/guitars/series77/

Check out this months Guitarist Magazine.

[cmatthes]

Hamer will.

Baker did.

[Jeff R]

Music Man's new Reflex model is chambered with a forearm bevel. Body is bent maple top over a basswood and mahogany body (the mahogany is a strip they call their "tone block between the bridge and the neck joint). It supposedly has some versatile pickup-switching options.

[jwhitcomb3]

Thanks! This puts some cool looking guitars on my radar!

-Jonathan

[Feynman]

I want a Reflex, and I gave up trying to play electric guitar.

[silentman]

The Reflex is awesome!

[mirrorimij]

Hamer will.

Baker did.

I'm very impressed by the way they did that.

edited to add for a simple fix for a forearm contour, couldn't you just leave the underside of the top flat and sand away?

[BadgerDave]

I'm a little late to the party, but here are photos of a chambered koa body I got from Warmoth with forearm and back contours:

[JohnnyB]

Terry McInturff Royal.

There's another very small shop that seems to specialize in contoured, chambered guitars. I can visualize some of their models but can't remember the name. Somebody here got one about a year ago. If I think if the name/website I'll post it.

[marcus2]

Music Man's new Reflex model is chambered with a forearm bevel. Body is bent maple top over a basswood and mahogany body (the mahogany is a strip they call their "tone block between the bridge and the neck joint). It supposedly has some versatile pickup-switching options.

+1 on the Reflex. I own it and it is a *very* responsive guitar.

Try it out.

Marc

[JohnnyB]

You could get a chambered Strat body from Warmoth.

Warmoth also offers other contoured body shapes with chambers or even more fully hollowed out.

[geoff_hartwell]

If you're talking gibby-scale setnecks ...

-Austin

Nice - I didn't know about the reflex, but what else is out there that's chambered, contoured and 23 3/4"?

Geoff

[bubs_42]

Music Man's new Reflex model is chambered with a forearm bevel. Body is bent maple top over a basswood and mahogany body (the mahogany is a strip they call their "tone block between the bridge and the neck joint). It supposedly has some versatile pickup-switching options.

+1 on the Reflex. I own it and it is a *very* responsive guitar.

Try it out.

Marc

I pretty much lived at the Ernie Ball Booth at the CrossRoads Concert because I made the mistake of sitting down and playing a Reflex. Great Guitars. Truth be told I like the Ernie Ball stuff but most of the EB's that I pick up sound dead as door nails. But the two Reflex's they had were Kick Ass.

[Caddie]

Just like BadgerDave, I luuuuuvvvv me some Warmoth. Built exactly the way I want it w/o the "custom shop" price tag or wait. One thing to keep in mind. A Warmoth has very lo resale value. Its simply because its missing that Fender or Whoever decal n serial#. You can part it out if you want to unload it, but don't plan on getting your money back n breaking even.

Warmoth Tele Thinline

caddie

[straightblues]

Soloway guitars does some nice ones.

[3of5]

jwhitcomb3.

I am totally with you. I love my Newport but my aging body loves my Strat's shape. I would certainly like to have a guitar that sounds kinda like a Newport but is comfortable like a Strat.

[JohnnyB]

jwhitcomb3.

I am totally with you. I love my Newport but my aging body loves my Strat's shape. I would certainly like to have a guitar that sounds kinda like a Newport but is comfortable like a Strat.

You could get the 2-humbucker MM Reflex and drop in a pair of Phat Cats.

Or you and get a . It has a mini-toggle that enables you to turn on just the neck and bridge pickups like a 2-pickup guitar. Also, the Z-coil pickups sound like a big beefy single coil PUs but are spookily noiseless.

[Punkavenger]

I'm digging that Comanche, JB

http://cgi.ebay.com/G-L-USA-Comanche-Semih...443926949962949

[JohnnyB]

I'm digging that Comanche, JB

One time about 10 yrs ago I visited a vintage store and played a Gibson electric hollowbody archtop called the Gibson ES-5 Switchmaster, a laminated maple jazz box from the '50s with three P-90s. After messing around with that for awhile I went over to the local G&L dealer and played a G&L ASAT Z-3 Semihollow, which has the Comanche pickups in a Tele style body. I'm not going to say that the Z-3 sounded exactly like the Switchmaster, but it could certainly cop similar enough tones to radiate the same overall vibe. So here is a modern routed semihollow Fender-designed boltneck that could functionally and musically replace a rare Gibson constructed-body archtop.

However, the Z-3 can do things the Switchmaster couldn't, like scream and snarl like a Tele.

[Steve Haynie]

The EB/MM Reflex at the local store is very nice, but it does not feel significantly lighter in weight.

[Punkavenger]

Someday I'll build that Warmoth monster I've always wanted to build.

Tele thinline body routed for humbuckers w/ big head strat 24.75 conversion neck

I'm not sure what bridge would work with that, hmmm

Edited to add, On second thought that Z3 looks perfect and I wont risk the chance of it sounding like crap!

[JohnnyB]

Edited to add, On second thought that Z3 looks perfect and I wont risk the chance of it sounding like crap!

The Z-3 Semihollow is an awesome guitar with stunning playability and tonal versatility, and is the basis for the Will Ray Signature Model, which adds Hipshot B-bender and skull inlays and is limited to a few custom finishes: