Let's build a guitar!

I've given the building of my own electric guitar a lot of thought the past few years. First of all because I think it'll kick major butt and second because my first and current guitar (a Cyclone by EKS Technology Inc., Performer Series, see picture below) has a way of sucking I seem not to be able to amend.

In all my attempts however I picked up a lot of clues on guitars and their workings. Read a few books and the entire internet on guitars and went to carpentry school in the meantime, rendering me confident enough to give it a shot.

But where to start? I don't want to make a Fender or Gibson copy. Their designs have stood the test of time admirably but I tend to make slightly different choices. Ultimately I guess my goal would be a guitar with clarity like the former and body like the latter. I prefer the playability of a Les Paul over a Strat, but perhaps with a somewhat beefier feel to the neck.

I have played a Peavey Wolfgang for a few years until I left it outside after a gig or rehearsal. (By the luscious virgins of Blendoria I hope it's made somebody else as happy as this made me miserable) In my opinion, as guitars come this one almost completely nails The Perfect Axe.

I believe the design started out as the lovechild of Edward Van and Ernie Ball/Music Man. (see pic below) Peavey altered the design slightly but stuck to the maple neck with maple fretboard, basswood body, humbuckers custom wound to Eddie's requirements and a non-floating Floyd Rose licensed bridge.

I remember being somewhat skeptical about an Eddie van Halen design, expecting an ultra thin neck, ultra high output shredmonster, although it didn't look the part. But there's plenty of wood to grab, it does have a high output but somehow it comes out very balanced. I found you can get hell bending growl with distortion but always keep definition and clarity. Where I needed to equalize other guitars for recording this one I could just plug in and go. Peculiar thing about it is that it lacks a tone pot. I read a review later in which the author stated that this was easily overlooked because he never felt he had to modify the instruments tone for his guitar was tone.

And because I also think it's a beautiful guitar I guess for me the Wolfgang would be a good place to start from. More on this later.