Here's some backstory about how we got where we are, including a few things that Ron
didn't mention. As some of you may know, my favorite guitar is my trusty PRS Standard 22.
All mahogany with a rosewood fretboard. Love the sound and feel of that baby. I also love
the sound of a single coil in the neck, which you just can't get out of a split humbucker,
IMO. So, seeing as how I'm a rock guy and love the bridge pup, it was easy to decide on
the pup config. I decided to stick with what I knew I liked - mahogany body, but I went
with a maple neck to add a little more brightness than my St22 would offer. As -e has said
before, you can always turn the tone knob down, but you can't add any more brightness to
the guitar. I didn't want to add a maple top because I once owned a Custom 22 and the St22
had more growl and balls to me. So that was the foundation.
As I mentioned earlier, Chiba actually picked out the neck for me. He was going to use it
for his next Thorn, but ended up settling on something else and was kind enough to present
it to me at Ron's gathering at the shop two years ago. In fact, I think the conversation
went like this:
Chiba: "Here's the neck for your guitar."
Jason: "Ok, thanks. That looks great, but lemme see what all the options are that Ron
has available."
Chiba: "No, trust me. This is the neck for your guitar."
Chiba then gave it a tap and told me to listen. It rang like a bell and that was the end
of that. My neck had been chosen. Ron broke out some brazilian rosewood for the fretboard,
which also scored well in the "tap" test. I was excited how the 3 pieces of wood
would come together. I told Ron from the start that tone was my first priority - well,
that and flip/flop paint. LOL!!!
When I originally spec'd this out, it was going to have an extreme flip/flop paint color.
I had settled on the traditional green to purple. I really loved the idea of a
color-changing paint and it would be a first on a Thorn. Unfortunately, my favorite colors
- blue, silver, black, white really don't come in color changing paint. A lot of reds,
greens, purples, and others. Nevertheless, I settled on green to purple and was totally
excited about it. But, some time passed between when I first spec'd it out and the time
Ron was ready for paint. At the moment Ron said he was a week away from paint, I freaked!
It was like I had cold feet! All of a sudden I had this feeling that if I went that
direction, I might be making a mistake. After talking it over with Ron, I scrapped the
idea. I'm a deliberate guy and for something to shake me like that meant it wasn't meant
to be. So Ron patiently worked with me until we settled on the trans maroon you see here.
I'm really NOT a fan of red guitars, but maroon is the color of my alma mater, Boston
College, and I've always dug that color. Plus, as Dane said, it's got a very cool
"wine" look to it. As an italian, red wine is always good. I'm very pleased with
how it turned out.
The only other thing that is different is that there's only 1 dot at the 12th fret. I've
become so used to playing PRS guitars, I had Ron use 1 dot at the 12th fret since I really
don't even think about it, but apparently, everyone else gets two dots. *shrug*
I think the last noteworthy spec is that the maple neck has Ron's satin finish on it. He
said it's really smooth. Can't wait to check it out myself.
The gecko and Hawaiian islands is a reminder of my honeymoon and a way for me to share
this with my wife. Meredith and I had a great time in Hawaii and she was a huge supporter
throughout the whole guitar build process and is always a supporter of my habit . . . er .
. . hobby.
Jason
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