Help me build an awesome FG1

[protovack]

Ok, I'm new to Kiesel guitars and this board is awesome, there is so much experience I would like to tap in to here. I am seriously considering springing for an FG1 and I really need some help "imagining" a guitar. I have a couple different ideas for builds. For this one, I want to try a dark green color, similar to an evergreen fir tree, a dark, classy green. Not lime. Not emerald. Not pea. No burl, no quilt. I want a nice subtle flame or maybe even no flame, so maybe a plain maple top. Something subtle and classy. I want a contrasting back with natural light colored wood grain, so I picked white limba with natural clear gloss on the back and a tung oiled neck. The idea is to give the guitar a pacific northwest coastal vibe. Abalone blocks reference the ocean/coastal theme. I don't want a highly figured top because I'd like it to blend in and feel natural.

Here is where I am having trouble:

Neck--leave it as white limba so it matches the back? Would you put stripes in it? IF so what color?
Headstock--natural to match the back, or match the top?
Fingerboard--really stuck on this one, what would you do?
Inlays--are blocks too big? Will they overpower the overall theme? I know I want abalone. What about just dots?

Thanks in advance


-BBE - Natural Top Wood Body Binding (Standard) $0.00
NLMW - White Limba Neck & Body $200.00
RNC - Rear of Body Natural Clear (Must Have Top Wood) $50.00
-CG - Clear Gloss Finish (Standard) $0.00
FDG6 - Deep Green Flame $0.00
TN - Tung Oil Finish Back Of Neck (Natural Wood) $60.00
-CTH - Carved Top Headstock (Standard) $0.00
FPH4 - Flamed Maple Headstock Matches Body Finish $0.00
RWF - Rosewood Fingerboard $30.00
IB - Block Inlays $70.00
IA - Abalone Inlay Material $50.00
-FV - Vintage Regular Size Frets .043" H .080" W (Standard) $0.00
-R14 - 14in Fretboard Radius (Standard) $0.00
KBB - Kiesel Beryllium Passive Bridge Pickup $0.00
KFN - Kiesel Frank Gambale Neck Pickup $0.00
-400 - Black Pickup Coils (Standard) $0.00
-CHR - Chrome Hardware (Standard) $0.00
-46 - Elixir 1046E Light Gauge .010 - .046 (Standard) $0.00
DSLS - Drop Shadow Silver Logo $30.00
HC16 - Black Tolex Hardshell Guitar Case

[spudmunkey]

That sounds like you've got a really great vision of the build.

The color you're looking for sounds like it would be a custom color. I don't recall how much they charge for custom trans colors, but I know it is (at least is used to be) $200 for solid paints and $300 for metallic solid paints. You will want to provide a physical color sample, if you can. Photos and printed photos always look different on every screen, or in different lighting. Perhaps it could also be their moss green on walnut. I'm not sure I've seen that before. but it might look neat...or it might end up too dark yellow. I think a custom color on plain maple if your best bet. It's possible you *might* be able to ask for hand-selection of the wood to try to find one with minimal figuring, but that's going to be very hard on the carved-top model like the FG, because the part you actually see is not necessarily visible on the outsides of the thick billet of wood. In my own head, for my own sanity and setting realistic expectations, I'd ask for plain maple and expect no flame.

As for your questions:

Neck: all white limba could be nice, but so could maple or walnut. I think both of these could look nice. One thing to note, especially with a tung-oiled neck: you'll initially feel the differences in texture (more so with maple than with walnut) between the two different woods, but also because they will "breathe" differently with temperature and humidity changes. Nothing drastic, but not imperceptable.

Headstock: have you thought about a rosewood headstock overlay? Otherwise I would say to match the body. I think the white limba headstock with the rosewood fretboard and a green body is one-to-many finishes. From the front, it won't appear to match anything.

With the dark green top, I could see rosewood looking nice (while some might say red and green will clash, I like the look). Royal ebony could look great, too. Or pitch-black ebony. Or birdseye maple. Or zebrawood. Ha! OK, I'm of no real help here. Ziricote could look cool, too. Crazy grain and similar coloring to royal ebony. Might be too busy, though, for what you're trying to achieve.

Block inlays: no, I don't think they are too big. In fact, they use the same size on the higher string count models, and I think they look under-sized on those. If you wanted to showcase the fretboard wood, I think the "offset" dots is a great option because it gives you the largest open area of fretboard wood, while still giving you a marker at each position. I'm not a fan of the staggered design, personally. I'd want them all on the bass side of the fretboard.

Here's a green guitar with a rosewood fretboard and abalone block inlays:

[DannyB819]

I'd go with moss green on a plain maple top, or ask if you can get a birdseye maple top. The birdseyes could symbolize the raindrops that so frequently befall the PNW. If moss isn't your jam, you'd probably want to go with a custom color - just be super specific about what you want with multiple visual references.

As for fingerboard, I'd go with either rosewood or royal ebony as the brownness of them both can symbolize the great forestry. I feel like ebony would look too black and sterile.

As for inlays, I'd go with abalone dots as I feel the blocks will be overpowering.

For the headstock, I'd have it match the top in both wood species and color.

For the neck wood, since the climate changes drastically with high humidity, and since Kiesel doesn't offer roasted neck woods, I'd go with a five piece for added stability. Since you're going with white limba for the body, I'd go with white limba with two walnut stripes.

Lastly, I'd add cream bezels and nickel pickup covers for a more classic look. I feel like the black bezels and bobbins make for a more aggressive/modern look.

[protovack]

Thank you guys for the detailed comments.
The closest color on the website is either green burst or deep green flame and I actually think either of those could work. Would they do deep green flame on a plain maple top? Does green burst have to have the blackburst edge? Emerald and moss are too bright/yellow. A custom color could be nice too. I want it to be a dark green, but going too dark would kill it.
I'm wary of stripes on the neck--never had it before. I really don't want the guitar to look too busy.
Looks like two votes for body matching headstock...check.
One vote for blocks, one for dots. Hmm.
Fretboard is the wild card...I could see anything from dark ebony to maple! Ugh..that's going to be the toughest part...
Thanks guys

[ElfDude]

I'm guessing you're on the right track with deep green.
Here's what moss green looks like over maple and alder.

[spudmunkey]

From what I understand, the emerald green and the Deep green are basically the same color, but the Deep green has a "deep" grain and enhancing finish underneath. This is why they really only generally offer it on figured Maples. That said, people have gotten deep versions of the finishes on plane maple, but it didn't seem to really have a dramatic effect. I know for sure there was one deep red CS4 with plain maple years back.

[Doctor Turn]

One of my favorites for colored guitars is British Racing Green. It's definitely in the ballpark of the evergreen color you're looking for (think of the classic old jaguars) and Kiesel has it available.

Congrats on the choices, they're quite good! White limba/korina is what my build will be made of also, for my CS3.

[skully13a]

When you mentioned the PNW and green, I too thought of BRG. Also, I like the abalone dots, too.

[Doctor Doug]

Moss is too yellow. I'm a big fan of block inlays, but you need to do what works for you.

[protovack]

Ah, some nice suggestions here. Didn't think of BRG. That's a solid color though, so would I be able to get that on an FG1? The builder doesn't present any options for solid colors.

What about an all-alder body and neck with a BRG top, natural back and sides?

[spudmunkey]

Ah, some nice suggestions here. Didn't think of BRG. That's a solid color though, so would I be able to get that on an FG1? The builder doesn't present any options for solid colors.

This is because, like the CC275, GH24 and SH6, the baseline model includes a flamed maple top.

I wonder if they would do a BRG-colored custom trans finish? Might be hard to replicate without being too dark. The Emerald/Deep green might be too blue, and Moss/Deep Moss might be too yellow. Hmm...

[Doctor Turn]

Do you need the finish to be transparent? I ask since you're not looking for any figure on your guitar..

As far as solid colors go, they've done it all the time when it was called a 445; as for the current naming iteration, I see a solid goldtop FG1:

and Franks black one, which I don't believe is trans (but I think it's pre "FG1" days):


Here's a BRG Aries:

HH


It's a KILLER color, goes great w natural wood tones on the rear....

Ah, some nice suggestions here. Didn't think of BRG. That's a solid color though, so would I be able to get that on an FG1? The builder doesn't present any options for solid colors.

What about an all-alder body and neck with a BRG top, natural back and sides?

Call them up--I'm sure they'll do it.

[spudmunkey]

Ooh...I wonder if they'd to a pearl or metallic BRG.

[Doctor Turn]

Some examples I've found expressing how well BRG goes w natural rears:











It just REALLY works w natural wood tone.

[protovack]

Ok after those pics I think I'm really set on doing a BRG, and I would be okay with it being a solid color.
What about a raw tone finish on the entire guitar?

[Doctor Turn]

I believe raw tone has to be on ash, unless it's evolved.

I think your original spec with plain maple top with korina back would be awesome. Second choice for tone and looks would be mahogany body, the darker brown looks amazing against a brg top. I've posted a lot over the years about how much I love that brg color. Lots of great old school Gretsch semi hollow and hollow bodies in that color. It just... Works. Very classy, just automatically pleasing to everyone.

[spudmunkey]

I believe raw tone has to be on ash, unless it's evolved.

Yep. While the builder still says that it much be on ash, they do it on other woods as well (it's been reformulated at least twice to be thinner; thin enough to show the grain on other woods. The verbiage on the builder still says something about how it has to be on ash, but that's not true.

This one you posted above is on walnut:

[Doctor Turn]

Yeah, I saw that guitar had an ash top, I assumed to the top was rtf and the rest satin or some such.

[spudmunkey]

According tot he description in the gallery for that guitar, and the grain looks about right, that's a walnut top on a walnut body.

[protovack]

so I guess the question is--what woods will BRG go on, what woods will it go GOOD on, and whether to get raw tone finish or not. When you get a top on an FG1, what part of the top is actually painted? Do they leave a rim of un-painted wood around the edge as a "binding"? The neck would be totally unpainted, correct? How do they blend the color into the neck? How would this look on an FG1?