Monty 7-stringer build progress pics

[Stan P]

Hi guys,

For thouse who do not know, Brian Monty is a Canadian luthier who had been in the business for over 30 years now. I visitted him last summer and played his electric and accostic instruments that totally blew me away. His guitars can clearly pull out many diverse styles that I am into including, heavy instrumental rock, worlds, jazz, and R&B funk.

My guitar will have RMC piezzo/MIDI system and many interesting features that improve upon the design and playability over the traditional single-cut. Read - clarity, speed and comfort!

Spruce top:

Over African mahogany:

With African Blackwood FB:

THe electronic arrangement will include two pickups.

Neck will be a single coil in the humbucker encloasure and with the pole pieces arranged like strat neck pickup, but upside-down. The idea is to tighten the response of the bass strings, while keeping the trebles lush.

The bridge will be a humbucker that will have a split coil setting.

I am really excited, as you can imagine!

 

[Apophis]

looks really cool so far

 

[hufschmid]

I really like african mahogany also

Looks very cool

 

[yevetz]

 

[Stan P]

Thanks guys! Some neat improvements will be done on this thing not very visible to the eye, but definitely sensible. The switching will be done by 2 full size Gibson style switches. 1 will control the pickup, same way as it is done on gibsons, other will switch colis; Both down will give the full on bridge Humbucker. The location for both will be behind the bridge. I manage to knock off the switches on LP and strat like designs and end up with unpredictable pickups switched on.

The neck is moved further into the body and joins the body at the 15th fret. As a result this 25.5 scale guitar will feel like it is 24.75 reducing the stress on the shoulder and wrist.



The cutaway will be curved out from the back similarly to some superstrats.

 

[GazPots]

7 string singlecuts are always a good thing.

 

[Stan P]

7 string singlecuts are always a good thing.

I really envisioned an instrument that would feel equally at home in the jazz trio and a rock performance. I am a big believer in Spruce tops for 7-strings for both jazz and rock.

 

[GazPots]

Well i hope you will keep us updated with some lovely pictures now and again?

 

[Stan P]

Ya bet! I am desperate myself to see it done. Brian will nake the mahogany back orange and the top will have amber center fading into the orange edges close to the back color. The binding wil be in tortoise shell - like plastic.

 

[Stan P]

 

[Erick Kroenen]

nice.. african blackwood for Fb.. how is the tone of the blackwood

 

[Stan P]

I have never played it, but based on the the reviews:

"The timber is extremely hard and heavy, therefore of little common use locally. Makers of woodwind musical instruments prefer it to ebony, because of its fine tonal and acoustic features, extreme stability and resistance to saliva. It is also recognised, because of its constant density, as the best timber for ornamentals and turnery of cues, walking sticks, bobbins,butts of sport weapons, cutlery, knives, technical items, pins, spindles, tools and drumsticks."

From African Blackwood

Brian says it will work great with the Spruce top. I really care more for its stability and resistance to humidity, as I live in Ontario. Ebony for example may be a riskier choice.

My intuition tells me it should really work well in 7-string configuration.

 

[Harry]

Cool pictures, thanks for sharing this
Looks good

 

[Erick Kroenen]

thank's men now i see why..

 

[Stan P]

And the core of the neck is African Mahogany. Together these two should provide a very stable neck.

This will be my African 7

 

[Stan P]

Fast, mean and classy at the same time!

 

[explosivo]

I'm digging the binding.

Is that going to get a clear finish or dye?

 

[Stan P]

Dye ... Brian has a vision to give the mahogany back and sides some orangy tone while the spruce top will be finished in transparet yellow that will fade into orangy back-like color at the edges.

This way it should look at home in any setting - jazz, rock or metal.

 

[Erick Kroenen]

nice.. who is your luthier...

 

[Stan P]

nice.. who is your luthier...

The master's name is Brian Monty. He is more known in blues and jazz circles. He has been building for 32 years now and can do anything from a classy full size archtop to explorer - like rock monster.

I convinced Brian to built me a custom seven and above you can see the progress of the job. I cannot disclose the price, but he is very competitive and playability and tone of his instruments slays guitars sold in the 5-10K range!

I hope more seven-string guys discover Brian and he builds more sevens - V's, Explores and maybe even some archtops. His guitars have the clarity that is very desireble in a seven string guitar, and his necks are among the best in the world. I herd a story about a master whose guitars are sold regularly for over 10K who tried to match a neck built by Brian, but could not!