New Steel Jazzmaster & other steel guitars/wVideo

k o y l · Post by **k o y l** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 12:31 am

Hi !

I recently received my new guitar: it's a custom handmade Jazzmaster with a hollow metal body made by a very talented french luthier called LoÃƒÂ¯c Le Pape (http://www.myspace.com/loiclepape).

It's My Orange Tiny Terror new best friend !

I owned and still own several Jazzmasters (it's the guitar of my life!) but this one is truly amazing: it looks and sounds awesome, just like a Jazzmaster (even though I asked for TV jones pickups on mine so it's kind of different) but with an added touch and more personnality... notes are more defined and clear and the tone is not cold at all (I was worrying about that at first, steel having like a "cold" material image, but it's wrong .. or at least, this guy know how to make it sound as warm, if not more, as wood guitars)

The guy makes every kind of steel bodied guitars according to the specs you ask for.
He's really commited to meet your needs: I had bad experiences with luthier/guitar techs in the past but not at all in this case.

I first contacted him for a Telecaster (because I thought it was only possible to make tele's and "flat" les paul's with steel) but he listened to my music on myspace and told me maybe a Jazzmaster would fit my need better... and I was like: wtf ?? Of course !!!
That's how he built the first steel Jazzmaster ever produced and I must say he 100% succeded at it !

My music is some kind of post-rock / post-punk / no-wave and experimental free improvisation stuff so he proposed me to add specs that would allow to produce new sounds. For that he used a special material for the guard for it to produce some kind of droning resonnance and a piezo in the body to amplify the noises made on a guitar.
The result is a guitar that can be used as a normal guitar or and off the track tone generator at the flick of a switch (and a little creativity)

I could go on and on about it but enough talking, here are the pictures:

I asked for a post-industrial / steampunk finish and I think he nailed that perfectly !

It's really because the Jazzmaster is my guitar of choice and no other ones suit what I do better because he's making all kind of great guitars... enough GAS for a lifetime (but not enough money I guess ! )

I don't exclude ordering another one with more standard specs and another kind of finish... something closer to this one that he made right after mine:

I can't help but posting a little sample:

There are way more pictures on his myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/loiclepape), go see that: you'll be like a kid in a candystore.

xTRUTHOFMYYOUTHx · Post by **xTRUTHOFMYYOUTHx** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 1:20 am

thats awweessomme

Neiloler · Post by **Neiloler** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:17 am

How does it feel when you play it? I'm still worried about getting tetanus from a rusty-looking thing like that.

MSP · Post by **MSP** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 5:35 am

That's amazing looking! Does he have a proper website, or just the myspace one? How much did it cost?

lamp · Post by **lamp** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 8:04 am

Amazing! I really like it.

damienwatt_au · Post by **damienwatt_au** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 8:19 am

wow thats some seriously awesome looking guitars. i played a steel guitar before and was also surprised at how warm and smooth they are. i too thought it would be sterile

greyvents · Post by **greyvents** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:40 am

wow, those are nice looking!

kmlabs · Post by **kmlabs** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 4:11 pm

Is your guitar coated with something or is it going to corrode and rust more? Like Neil said, I'd be worried about hurting myself (or at least staining my clothes a new colour!) with that

EDIT: Sorry, how rude: it looks awesome though! And that SG in the samples you posted is very sexy too!

k o y l · Post by **k o y l** » Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:35 pm

Wow thanks for the nice words guys !

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by MSP
 That's amazing looking! Does he have a proper website, or just the myspace one? How much did it cost?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
He doesn't have a proper website yet.
I'm hesitant about posting his mail address online (spams !), but I can give it through PM. I have his phone number too (he speaks english)

My Jazzmaster costs 1500 Euros (about $2000), I know Tele's cost the same.
Les Paul , Grestsch are a bit higher but no guitar cost more than 2000 Euros... I think that's pretty cheap for a handbuilt custom guitar using only Hi-Q parts (fender and warmoth necks, Kluson tuners, CTS pots etc...)
In France a Fender AVRI Jazzmaster costs 300 Euros more than my steel Jazzmaster ! [:0]

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Neiloler
 How does it feel when you play it? I'm still worried about getting tetanus from a rusty-looking thing like that.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Yes don't worry it's coated on the outside AND inside: once the rust has been added (and it's a quite controlled process), it's coated and the guitar will look this way forever.
So no tetanus !
And by making researches about tetanus (I was a bit worried too..

), I discovered the rust has to be infected by it to transmit it and that only happened if you buried it in your garden for a long time, and only if your garden contain the virus !
But the guy uses "clean" rust and anyway it's coated.

How does it feel ?
The touch is just like a wood bodied guitar because of the coat applied. I don't find it colder, it's the about the same really.
But the big difference is when played is you can feel the body resonate and actually feels the notes: it's a very nice sensation (if you ever try a Cello you know what I mean), it makes the guitar more alive.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by damienwatt_au
 wow thats some seriously awesome looking guitars. i played a steel guitar before and was also surprised at how warm and smooth they are. i too thought it would be sterile
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Yes, everybody worries about the coldness of steel, believing the tone will be alike but it's actually the opposite !

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by kmlabs

EDIT: Sorry, how rude: it looks awesome though! And that SG in the samples you posted is very sexy too!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
No worry !

Yes that SG is really sexy... and it was the first steel SG he ever made !!

MSP · Post by **MSP** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 12:32 am

Thanks I got the PM. I guess my question is, if steel reacts much like wood, what is the benefit of owning a steel guitar?

k o y l · Post by **k o y l** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 1:08 am

It reacts much like wood.

I mean that's some little differences that makes the personnality of the guitar.
It's a bit like "why buying a guitar made of alder if you already have one made of mahogany ? They're both still just woods !"

As I said the guitar resonates far more than a wood guitar (the volume when played unplugged is quite impressive): it improves sustain quite a lot.
The notes are more defined, more "focused" (but I don't know if I'm using the good words here).
And my guitar is a bit peculiar because I'm into experimentations so the luthier kind of made an experimental guitar (we discussed that before of course and I was all for it): for example he use a special type of aluminum for the pickguard to add like an "odd" resonance on the sustain of each notes... It's really hard to put to words but at time it sounds a bit like you have a tiny bit of flanging..

Anyway, I found this guy thanks to a french forum where users had made a topic about his guitars and they were all saying to say it was their best guitars (some of them own very good stuff).
That plus the price range and the fact that you can have a guitar that really meets your need (even if it implies putting a piezo to amplify what are basically unwanted noises ! ) ended to convince me...

MSP · Post by **MSP** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 1:52 am

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by k o y l
 It reacts much like wood.

I mean that's some little differences that makes the personnality of the guitar.
It's a bit like "why buying a guitar made of alder if you already have one made of mahogany ? They're both still just woods !"

As I said the guitar resonates far more than a wood guitar (the volume when played unplugged is quite impressive): it improves sustain quite a lot.
The notes are more defined, more "focused" (but I don't know if I'm using the good words here).
And my guitar is a bit peculiar because I'm into experimentations so the luthier kind of made an experimental guitar (we discussed that before of course and I was all for it): for example he use a special type of aluminum for the pickguard to add like an "odd" resonance on the sustain of each notes... It's really hard to put to words but at time it sounds a bit like you have a tiny bit of flanging..

Anyway, I found this guy thanks to a french forum where users had made a topic about his guitars and they were all saying to say it was their best guitars (some of them own very good stuff).
That plus the price range and the fact that you can have a guitar that really meets your need (even if it implies putting a piezo to amplify what are basically unwanted noises ! ) ended to convince me...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Hmm something to definitely think about it.
Does he do any guitars with aluminum necks?

Ohara · Post by **Ohara** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 9:25 am

That is actually one sweet looking guitar, I also really like the looks of the sg but may have to get me some roy orbison type glasses if you were to ever hold one up in the sunlight hehehe. Should also say welcome to the forum.

k o y l · Post by **k o y l** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:24 am

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by MSP
Hmm something to definitely think about it.
Does he do any guitars with aluminum necks?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Like Travis Bean guitars ? No he doesn't.
It sounds like a good idea (I thought about it too) but maybe it would reveal to sound very bad at the end !

I guess it's some kind of fragile alchemy to build steel guitar because I know he carefully choose the type and thickness of the metal sheets he'll be using for a guitar. For mine, he used a thinner sheet that he usually does for the front.

mmm...makes me think of a nice brand name: "Alchemy guitars: we turn steel into sound"

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Ohara
 That is actually one sweet looking guitar, I also really like the looks of the sg but may have to get me some roy orbison type glasses if you were to ever hold one up in the sunlight hehehe. Should also say welcome to the forum.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Yes it's a bit on the shinny side but at least no one will ever steal your secret licks !

Seriously, it's less on the "bling bling" side in real and the guy wanted it like that.. so be it !

Btw, this SG has been ordered by a father as a christmas present for his son. I say: I want a father like this !

Too bad I can't get used to short scale guitar because this SG is quite awesome.. maybe better than a trad SG: look at this body/neck junction !

Thanks for the welcome but I'm not so new here. the thing is I don't post often because I can't find the button that allows to subscribe to a thread and whenever I post I have to check that thread "manually".. too bad because it feels like a nice place with open minded people here.

k o y l · Post by **k o y l** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:53 pm

I think I found the new pickups for the guitar.

I stumble upon this on eBay:

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">The P-33 / P-33F pickup set handmade by David Barfuss !

This is a special pickup set- comes with a P-33 soapbar style split-bucker pickup for the bridge position and a P-33F Split-bucker for the neck position.This set gives you a growling P-90 tone in the bridge position and a Strat tone for the neck position.Noiseless singlecoil tone that fits into PAF mounting rings and PAF style route.

The tone of the P-33 bridge pickup is amazing big and fat with a sweet middle timbre , alike a good old P-90.But without all the noise and hum you recieve wehn using single coil pickups.

The P-33F neck pickup is a split-coil bucker wich uses alnico rods in the coil. The design is loaned from LEOÃ‚Â´s old bass pickups wich were build for a good tone but still humchanceling.
From the P-33 F in neck position you get a strat alike tones from your humbucker guitar,verry open with a nice chime.

The P-33 / P-33F Split Single set comes with open nickle plated german-silver covers , Alnico II magnets for tons of sustain and sweet low end. Vintage style bottomplate with short legs and single braided shield cable and a great vintage vibe. This auction is for bridge and neck position pickup. Both pickups are wound with 42 awg magnet wire.The bridge pickup is wound to 8,5k ohm and the neck pickup is wound to 7,7 K ohm .<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I wrote the guy (David Barfuss) explaining him I'd need the bass to have a clear, brassy sound like single coils have and asked if he could put alnico rod magnets on the low strings for doing so (the high strings will remain alnico 2) and he answered within an hour saying he can do this for the same price.
He will also use Alnico 5 for the bridge pickup for more treble and attack.

I looked on his website and he make pretty nice pickups other than those and especially for Jazzmasters.
I'm also intrigued by his Travis Bean pickup repros...

New Steel Jazzmaster & other steel guitars/wVideo

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