custom axe commissioned - the Williams Special

GONZO-X

Well-known member
just thought i'd share, in case anyone else is thinking about custom builds.


The Williams Special

The Williams Special is a Les Paul-Strat-Mustang-Explorer hybrid, with hollow body cavities, Mustang scale length,
built like a paul with mahagony and maple top, with vintage-dimension strat body, explorer headstock.

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(semi-related: my first 'good' guitar was a '75 Fender Mustang.)

This guitar was commissioned in 1986.

It is a Gibson Les paul-Fender strat-Fender mustang-Gibson explorer HYBRID.
-built by Stan Williams, Rome Georgia.

-based on the Fender Mustang scale length at 24.0"....this design is also similar to brian may's red special.

*honduras mahogany body, with air cavities carved in the body below the maple top.
*flame maple top, 3/8" thick.
*vintage-dimension strat body.
*2-piece flame maple neck, with ebony fingerboard.
*no truss rod!
there are (2) rectangular pieces of aircraft aluminum running the length of the fretboard.
*flame maple veneer on headstock; front, sides, and back.
*24" scale length.
*jumbo frets, nickle alloy
*custom inlays: mother of pearl, diamond shape, with a split diamond around the center pickup.
*Kahler 2300 pro tremelo.
*(3) off/on switches
*master volume, master tone, 3rd switch now unwired-
*Pickups: originally equipped with a EMG SA assembly, and the 3rd knob was the presence control.
--now has (2) bill lawrence L-280's, and a duncan Little 59 humbucker in the bridge.
*explorer headstock shape, true to scale.
*long tenon set neck
*13 degree tilt back headstock
*graphtec nut, with locking kahler nut mounted behind it.



*Wood: the Flame maple used on the top and neck, and veneers, was from a large timber
(139 years old as of 2014) salvaged from a barn in Illinois.

The honduras was acquired long before there were conservation laws on that particular wood
(blank dates back to pre-1980).

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design criteria:

the les paul connection:
the basics of the les paul (the obvious basics) are:

slab mahogony body;
maple top;
strings on top of body;
2 piece maple neck;
glued in neck, long tenon;
tilt back headstock, no string trees required.


later, in 2008, they started weight relieving the standards, but remember, i built this in 1986.
so, the Gibson nod starts there.

This one has:
Honduras mahagony body -- maple top -- strings on top of body via the Kahler -- 2 piece maple neck
-- a glued in neck with long tenon -- tilt back headstock.

My design tried to improve on my favorite aspects of the 4 different guitars, the mustang, explorer, strat and paul.


for example:

*the volute on the explorer headstock is inherently stronger than the les paul (commonly known over time for breaks at the neck),
plus i liked the headstock shape;

*the weight relief is secondary-- the sound cavities i had routed strictly for that semi-acoustic property,
making the guitar, at stage volume, extremely lively - this followed the basics of the Brian May Red Special,
which was my starting point. his guitar is designed more like a 335 than mine, but i went there as much as i could
without floating the top over a central beam;

*the ebony fretboard brings out more les paul-style tonal characteristics than, say, a rosewood fretboard would have;

*the glue in neck was a must, and unlike the les paul, which has that awkward heel, mine is smoothed out right into the back of the body,
without so much as a line. the tonal effect with the glued in neck, and the long tenon is an obvious connection to the les paul lineage;

*the tilt back headstock was unnecessary with the kahler locking nut, but i added it anyway,
feeling that the downward pressure of the strings still helps to maintain a strong connection to the neck,
vibration wise, and this is very much in les paul territory;

*the strings on top, versus thru the body, is a very important link to the overall sound,
and the use of the kahler is a great way to bridge the gap between a stop tailpiece and a floating trem.

though Kahler did not have it then, they now have a 'hybrid' tailpiece, that can lock as a hard tail, or float as a trem.
best of both. i have one on my '84 Carvin DC200k, and will eventually updgrade this one with one as well.
 
So, is this guy still around? I'd love a couple of guitars based on my Duo-Sonic's neck.

And one of my dream basses is a Rick 4001 with a Mustang neck.
 
may switch the lil 59'r for a Wilde L298

I've got a lil 59 for tele that I'm kinda on the fence about. Not quite what I was expecting. I think I probably want a DiMarzio Super Distortion for tele instead, but I don't really know for sure. I don't care how many samples you listen to, or videos you watch, it's all a crap shoot until you get it installed and run it with your rig.
 
To be clear, I've got a couple of regular humbucker Supers and they're the closest I've had to what I want. Any others I've heard that I think I want aren't available in a single coil for tele bridge.

---------- Update ----------

nice :)



one day i hope to get my hands rounds one of em View attachment 88615

Me too, but sure as hell not the guitar. That's not what I want to shred on.
 
I've got a lil 59 for tele that I'm kinda on the fence about. Not quite what I was expecting. I think I probably want a DiMarzio Super Distortion for tele instead, but I don't really know for sure. I don't care how many samples you listen to, or videos you watch, it's all a crap shoot until you get it installed and run it with your rig.

that's true, seems every pickup set responds differently in every guitar, no matter what style of build.


the EMG SA set i had in it originally, sounded awesome, but i never liked the feel of the actives.
 
Well, I think the guitar it's in is probably the least of the factors involved. Even if the pickup gets demo'd in a guitar exactly like yours, what does that tell you if they're running it through a pedal you don't have into an amp you don't have? Not much, unless it turns out to be exactly the sound you're chasing and you're willing and able to go out and also get that pedal and amp.
 
Apparently, though, I do need to get a Deluxe, because so many of the youtube demos are done on one. I've wanted one for a long time anyway, just can never justify it.

It just really pisses me off when I see pickup or pedal demos done using some boutique amp.
 
And that chick reminds me of the girl in the Wendy's commercials. I've definitely got the hots for her. I do love me some redheads. Always have, that's why I married one.

---------- Update ----------

Hmmm..they must've backed out that 'update' thing. Good.
 
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