Nice six string Lembic

Started by keavin, March 07, 2006, 05:49:49 AM

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bsee

I am now 99% sure it is a set neck guitar.  The black truss rod plate made me wonder so I zoomed in on the picture of the back.  The serial number appears to be on the back of the headstock, and I have only seen that on set neck models.  I can't read the number, but it's there.
 
-bob

bsee

Hmmm - the case pic looks like the semi-rigid cases that were shipped with set neck basses for a while as well.  I wonder if the guitar is an upgraded Orion made to look neck-through?

adriaan

It also seems to have a volute, again suggesting it's a set-neck instrument.

bsee

Good point, Adriaan.  That slipped past me.

jalevinemd

I'm confused. My understanding with regards to volutes is that they strengthen the part of the neck near the headstock that is most vulnerable to a break. It is most beneficial in an instrument that does not have beefy neck lams. I didn't think it had anything to do with set neck vs neck thru, other than the former (like my Orion) tend to have thin walnut pinstripes which don't offer much added strength.
 
(Message edited by jalevinemd on March 10, 2006)

bsee

Got the serial number from the seller and put a request on the serial number board.  Maybe we can find out about the construction for certain.

David Houck

Jonathan; as far as the basses are concerned, the set necks come standard with volutes, the neck throughs come standard with laminates on the back of the headstock.  However, as far as the guitars go, looking through the Showcase it appears that pretty much none of the guitars there have volutes.  This is the first one I've noticed.

jalevinemd

Dave,
 
My Orion has a volute which I thought was for the added strength. For the most part, the volute would be redundant on any instrument with solid neck/headstock laminates - be it set neck or neck-thru. As an example, the Tributes do not have volutes...do they? And they aren't neck-thru. Though just looking at Steve's Europa shows that even the strongest neck lams can break. The Cripe guitars (and my Big Bear as well) are neck-thru with multiple solid neck/headstock lams. They have volutes as well and Tim guaranteed me that headstock would NEVER break off.

David Houck

I guess I'm wrong then; maybe the Orion guitars, like the Orion basses, come standard with a volute.

bsee

Well, the answer is here.  Mica checked the files and said the following:
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Here's what's in the instrument file:
 
Custom Orion guitar (so it is a set-neck)
 
top: Bird's-eye Maple
accent: Purpleheart pinstripe
body: Mahogany
neck: Maple and Purpleheart, 25.50 long scale
fingerboard: Ebony with pearloid inlays
pickups: 2 HG
electronics: Europa!
finish: satin natural polyurethane (same as the original Epic finish)
originally made for: Custom order
birthday: March 2, 2001
 
It was originally going to have a back laminate, but that was changed about a week after construction started.
 
The front inlay of the neck is a fall out piece from the back of the neck. It has only had one registered owner in UT.
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For those still interested, bid accordingly...