bergerbrain
New Member
Hi chaps!
I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my warr guitar which is a complete custom job and turned out even more beautiful than I hoped for.
For those who don't know them, warr guitars are like chapman sticks in that they are mostly designed to be tapped with both hands simultaneously, so the left hand plays as normal but the right hand taps from the top of the fretboard. Thus you see some very wide fretboards because remember you're not trying to reach across the whole thing with your left hand. This method is called uncrossed and is how a lot of warr guitars are played as opposed to chapman sticks where people tend to reach across the fretboard and play on the opposite side. Warr guitars like mine are different from sticks in that they are easier to play with regular technique also - strummed picked, slapped etc.
I also go for a much darker tone than you normally hear from tapped instruments.
My concept which needed a custom build was a bit different from the normal warr guitar or stick. I wanted the main part of the fretboard to be an EXTENDED range 8 string (Bass Low B to high Bb in fourths) so that I could play bass parts or guitar parts with my left hand or a mix of both
. Then when i add the tapping from the right hand on the top of the fingerboard, you have the sound of a guitar and bass playing together or two guitars playing together. I couldn't work with the standard stick tunings which have one section in fifths and the other in fourths so this i see as a best of both worlds compromise. My guitar is tuned:
Left hand (bottom section)
B E A D G C F Bb (like an 8 string bass or baritone guitar from low bass B)
And the right hand is in unison with the top 6 strings
A D G C F Bb - like a baritone guitar
Both are baritone cause the scale length on these guys is always 34" (which believe it or not feels better for tapping than guitar scale).
Other specs:
Mahogany body with maple laminate
Buckeye burl top and headstock top
7 piece bolt on neck - mahogany, maple, wenge
wenge fretboard, pickup covers and knobs
custom 14 string bridge with 14 string piezos and 12 string midi RMCs
custom pickups made by warr.
sperzel locking tuners
strat string spacing
flat fretboard profile
Check out warrguitars.com if you want to see more examples. I've often thought the 8 string warr (which is the same as the bottom 1/2 of my guitar) would be perfect for a ultra low tuned 8 string guitarist who wasn't looking for a fanned instrument. The regular models are 8,10, 12 and 14 string but mine is unusual in that its a blend of a couple of different models.
I want to build a fanned 9 string in the future as it will be smaller and more portable than this guy but for two handed tapping i think i've found my perfect axe. Hope you like it! pics attached
I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my warr guitar which is a complete custom job and turned out even more beautiful than I hoped for.
For those who don't know them, warr guitars are like chapman sticks in that they are mostly designed to be tapped with both hands simultaneously, so the left hand plays as normal but the right hand taps from the top of the fretboard. Thus you see some very wide fretboards because remember you're not trying to reach across the whole thing with your left hand. This method is called uncrossed and is how a lot of warr guitars are played as opposed to chapman sticks where people tend to reach across the fretboard and play on the opposite side. Warr guitars like mine are different from sticks in that they are easier to play with regular technique also - strummed picked, slapped etc.
I also go for a much darker tone than you normally hear from tapped instruments.My concept which needed a custom build was a bit different from the normal warr guitar or stick. I wanted the main part of the fretboard to be an EXTENDED range 8 string (Bass Low B to high Bb in fourths) so that I could play bass parts or guitar parts with my left hand or a mix of both
. Then when i add the tapping from the right hand on the top of the fingerboard, you have the sound of a guitar and bass playing together or two guitars playing together. I couldn't work with the standard stick tunings which have one section in fifths and the other in fourths so this i see as a best of both worlds compromise. My guitar is tuned:Left hand (bottom section)
B E A D G C F Bb (like an 8 string bass or baritone guitar from low bass B)
And the right hand is in unison with the top 6 strings
A D G C F Bb - like a baritone guitar
Both are baritone cause the scale length on these guys is always 34" (which believe it or not feels better for tapping than guitar scale).
Other specs:
Mahogany body with maple laminate
Buckeye burl top and headstock top
7 piece bolt on neck - mahogany, maple, wenge
wenge fretboard, pickup covers and knobs
custom 14 string bridge with 14 string piezos and 12 string midi RMCs
custom pickups made by warr.
sperzel locking tuners
strat string spacing
flat fretboard profile
Check out warrguitars.com if you want to see more examples. I've often thought the 8 string warr (which is the same as the bottom 1/2 of my guitar) would be perfect for a ultra low tuned 8 string guitarist who wasn't looking for a fanned instrument. The regular models are 8,10, 12 and 14 string but mine is unusual in that its a blend of a couple of different models.
I want to build a fanned 9 string in the future as it will be smaller and more portable than this guy but for two handed tapping i think i've found my perfect axe. Hope you like it! pics attached
