Redesign a legend game

[EdwardMarlowe]

For this hobby you will mostly need an imagination and to be a bit of a guitar nerd... 

Take any, one classic guitar type and tell us how you would redesign it, what you would change if you were to have the chance. 

I'll start with this one: 

A Les Paul. I'll start with the Studio model, because unbound neck. Stretch that neck up to a Fender scale length. Make it a through neck that sits parallel to the body (rather than the angled, glued-in neck). string-thru bridge as on the Cabronita Tele. P90 bridge, Gretsch Filtertron in the neck. Pots wired V,V, MV & MT. No pick-up switch on the upper bout; two mini-toggles for independent p'up on/off down by the pots (where the selector would be on an SG). No body binding. Blue metal-flake pain body all over. Mahogany body, flat top, maple neck, pao ferro board. 

Don't know if that really makes it an LP any more, but that's the ide here (think: a brand like Fano and how it reinterprets elements of classic design).

What would you do? 

[ezbass]

Cool thread.

 

Tele shaped, chambered, mahogany body with belly and forearm contours, quilted maple top, faux or normal binding. Gibson scale, set neck, 4 over 2 headstock, all maple, soft V profile, gunstock oil finish. 2 x P90s with dummy coil to cancel the hum. 4 way switching to include an out of phase setting, selector on the upper, front bout. 1 volume, 2 tones. Wilkinson convertible trem (the one that locks when not in use). Probably some sort of teal on black or turquoise finish
 

I’m sure the either Tom Anderson or Suhr probably already offer something very similar somewhere in their product range.

[Stub Mandrel]

I'd go for a stripped-down Strat-style body with the feel of a Les Paul.

 

Full shred.

[leftybassman392]

This:

 

Realised by Rob Williams.

 

Technically a Telecaster, but with the following mods:

 

Body contours as per a Strat. Mahogany/Maple as per Les Paul;

 

Sunburst finish kept tight to the body edge (not a fan of SB finishes that hide the grain of the wood);

 

Neck profile as per Gibson 335 dot (set neck), but with Strat scale length;

 

Pups as per pretty much any superstrat, HB coil-tapped, and featuring a trick switch that allows any combination of pups (11 distinct options). Minimalist controls. (Originally specified with a series/parallel switch on the HB but Rob couldn't get it to work without shorting the electrics to ground.) Pups handwound by Rob himself;

 

Wilkinson Trem. (Should really have left this out as I've never actually used it in anger.)

 

 

[ezbass]

2 hours ago, leftybassman392 said:

This:

 

Realised by Rob Williams.

 

Technically a Telecaster, but with the following mods:

 

Body contours as per a Strat. Mahogany/Maple as per Les Paul;

 

Sunburst finish kept tight to the body edge (not a fan of SB finishes that hide the grain of the wood);

 

Neck profile as per Gibson 335 dot (set neck), but with Strat scale length;

 

Pups as per pretty much any superstrat, HB coil-tapped, and featuring a trick switch that allows any combination of pups (11 distinct options). Minimalist controls. (Originally specified with a series/parallel switch on the HB but Rob couldn't get it to work without shorting the electrics to ground.) Pups handwound by Rob himself;

 

Wilkinson Trem. (Should really have left this out as I've never actually used it in anger.)

 

 

Oofftt! 

[Stub Mandrel]

On 10/09/2021 at 12:20, leftybassman392 said:

This:

 

Realised by Rob Williams.

 

Technically a Telecaster, but with the following mods:

 

Body contours as per a Strat. Mahogany/Maple as per Les Paul;

 

Sunburst finish kept tight to the body edge (not a fan of SB finishes that hide the grain of the wood);

 

Neck profile as per Gibson 335 dot (set neck), but with Strat scale length;

 

Pups as per pretty much any superstrat, HB coil-tapped, and featuring a trick switch that allows any combination of pups (11 distinct options). Minimalist controls. (Originally specified with a series/parallel switch on the HB but Rob couldn't get it to work without shorting the electrics to ground.) Pups handwound by Rob himself;

 

Wilkinson Trem. (Should really have left this out as I've never actually used it in anger.)

 

 

 

Egad! It is a stripped-down Strat-style body with the feel of a Les Paul!!

[EdwardMarlowe]

Fender have dome some pretty cool Custom Shop Teles in the style of Gretsch guitars... Fender owning Gretsch of course makes that easier: 

http://i.imgur.com/ip31mN1.jpg

 

What I love about these is that they all have a real look of the guitar on which they are based. Barring the last one (disclaimer: I loathe Bono though I always liked his Gretsch. That stupid slogan pickguard would have to go, though...), which I believe was the Pretentious One's own order originally, they look like something specced by a guy who loves Teles, loved the look of the Gretches but couldn't get on with playing one, so.... Bit like my idea above which (the thru-neck aside) is basically a Fenderised LP Junior.... 

[leftybassman392]

Not a fan of Gretsches mesel' (although I do rather like the White Falcon lookalike above).

[EdwardMarlowe]

On 20/09/2021 at 17:08, leftybassman392 said:

Not a fan of Gretsches mesel' (although I do rather like the White Falcon lookalike above).

An acquired taste, like any guitar, really. For my money, I'd vastly prefer the Setzer one in a solid colour - I've actually grown to rather dislike figured wood over the years. I suspect, being a left handed player and therefore more often than not being limited to a sunburst option as the lefty default, I've just gotten tired of them...