4/6 Reflector PLL-DLR

Paul Reed Smith

MoonBlog 9.6 gratitude & 5.1 perseverance

For many Moons now, I was looking to upgrade my guitar, having had 16 guitars (and one Bass guitar) in my life so far I was looking for something different.

I knew I wanted a certain shape that felt good to my own body holding it, but should also be of high quality and perhaps a looker too.

And this time, no matter the price… kinda…

Easily said, not so easy to find, and I have had my fair share of shitty guitars, mostly because of budget issues, and also because it takes a while for me to find out if I do like something, or if it simply does not work out. So after a few moons processing I end up buying a guitar, and then a few moons later it needs to go again.

Reading my MoonBlogs one can see I have an affection for PRS (Paul Reed Smith) guitars, most say because he makes guitars that sit somewhere in between Fender (Stratocaster) and Gibson (Les Paul), and while that may be true, what speaks to me, is his openness to share about his products, his own nerdiness in going all in in finding that tone through all the little components that make up a musical instrument, his factory, and so on.

Sure some of it is marketing, some of it is ego showiness, a little american sauce over it, but it’s good, I like it. I’ve learned a lot more about guitars and guitar making through investigating about their company and products, something that is much much harder to find out about with most other guitar making companies.

So I had a vague kind of wishlist of components, or elements that my next guitar should contain, where quality was probably the most important.
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MoonBlog 4.6 Excess

a frog’s leap slight return

There are few changes noticeable, some may turn out to be temporary due to the Transits, others perhaps a shift of me, of me being in this world, who knows, but here is another Blog of Moon 😉

After careful consideration, and many moons, many guitars, many try-outs, many samples, I decided to have a guitar built for me. To not have to compromise again, or experience not just disappointment, but even disaster. Or at least the interpretation of the perception of that 😉

living room wall in 1994

So I made a well researched list of the more technical descriptions a guitar should be made of, and how, the kinds of woods, the way to construct it, the pick-ups and other electronics. There are a few companies that make half-finished guitars, one here in the Netherlands that I know of, and having sponged and absorbed their website I had made the following wishes/demands for such a Sjef guitar, this file was first made Friday June 29th 2007 its last edit was Thursday October 30th 2014

The best of a couple of guitars combined, but starting with a Gibson SG body shape made 45mm thick not the usual 35mm for an SG and is already curved/carved on the sides, with a 3 or 5 parts made neck-thru (meaning neck and body are one long carved/machined piece, and the rest of the body is glued to it) with a leaner angle on the head-stock, added a waist cut and fore-arm cut like on a Fender Stratocaster. 24 frets of course, although unsure of the Scale length. The Neck was to be made of Hard Maple with an Ebony fingerboard, CarbonTech Trussrod and a Compound Radius of 10-16 inches. It needs to be carved out as a Thinline (ie Semi-Hollow) of Mahogany with a quilted Maple top which is flat apart from the curves and cuts and then string-thru (no tremolo) At the time I wrote to put in EMG 85 and 89R pick-ups with a phase change switch, and these need to be bolted to the neck, not spring mounted to the body.

Gibson SG Standard Fireburst
Gibson SG Standard Fireburst

Just the woods and their shape would cost at least 1000 euros, then paint and lacquer, all the hardware, another easy 1000 euro at least, but… no more compromise, no more disaster (heh, this is where my recent insight about Gate 47 (making endless drafts ending as paper rubble) comes in handy)

This idea percolated for years and sometimes was shaved, tuned, added, changed until at one point I thought, ‘fuck it, I’m going to buy a cheap Thinline guitar and just jam with it. Not having an electric guitar or the funds to have one built has lastet long enough now’, and so I started looking for some neat guitars.
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