NGD: Dora ain't got nothin' on me!

narad · 11-11-2011, 03:51 PM

So...after 2 years of waiting, a very special NGD:

Hmm...Arcata, CA - Any guesses?

Large-ish case!

And voila!

The newest Ken Lawrence explorer!

Amazing quilt:

Always tasteful headstock:

Hard to see, but some white LED markers:

I wound up buying another of Ken's explorers half-way through the build, so I decided to pretend like this wasn't an explorer at all, and just spec it out like to my usual prog-metal leanings. Specs are:
Same 24.75 scale
Maple cap / maple neck
Mahogany body
Ebony board
Trans-grey finish, laquered
BKP Aftermaths - Thanks to Nick @ Axe Palace
Titanium bridge saddles (I have no idea if there is actual benefit to using these)
Push/pull splits on both pickups

Aesthetically I wanted it to be a bit different from the usual raw wood and EMGs with black hardware look that most of Ken's customers ask for. The back and sides are black, with a really elegant transition on the headstock between the overlay and the neck, and the top is a slightly lighter trans black - to show the quilt a bit more than the really dark finishes. My photos tend to exaggerate the brown in it a bit, but there's definitely hint of a purple/brown hue to it in different lighting. Very cool. I used a Nik Huber anniversary orca as reference, and it's pretty much dead on.

Probably my favorite aspect of this guitar in terms of playability is that I asked Ken to make the neck a bit more satiny. Did he ever - it feels exceptionally smooth. I honestly didn't expect this to make a huge difference, as I thought I got along decently with my other explorer, but it's night and day! It plays amazingly! The finish of the other made me want to avoid the shoulders of the neck, where now they become a huge advantage in playability. I think I'm going to have to send him my red explorer for the same treatment, it is a huge win. And somehow the scale is not really much of a hindrance at this point, down in C.

And the sound, I don't know if it's the woods or the aftermaths (I've had BKPs before in a blackmachine, but never something this tight and articulate!) but this could be the best sounding guitar I have ever played. I am just almost at a loss for words. This is also in part to having to drive 9 hours last night to pick it up, and then playing it all morning - my mind is not in a functioning mood - but that's another story. But there's so much random djenty style stuff I get exposed to on these boards, and sometimes it just wasn't sounding right, even with other BKPs. I was even doubting my technique (though I'm sure for a pro it might not matter as much), and now I'm hearing out of the axe-fx II exactly the tight, tracking sound I wanted. Though I really need to redo all my patches for this guitar - they're all a little off.

I'll probably come back and add some more when I'm less tired, but man, unbelievable guitar. For anyone considering one of Ken's guitars, even if you don't have a metallica tattoo on your arm, Ken delivers! I was sure I'd be set after this one, but it's so much better than what I was hoping for, I want to try to convince him to do a 7 for me! Really, redefining my ceiling of what I expect a guitar to be.

I'm moving in about a week, out of the country for about a year, and won't be able to take it with me, but hopefully I'll post some clips while I'm enjoying my limited time with it.

Jinogalpa · 11-11-2011, 03:55 PM

holy shit what an axe, congrats man !

narad · 11-11-2011, 03:58 PM

A better shot of some of the quilt. Ebony rings:

kruneh · 11-11-2011, 04:04 PM

Congrats!
Smells high class of that one

Michael T · 11-11-2011, 04:04 PM

Very nice. Always love his headstocks. Congrats.

oremus91 · 11-11-2011, 04:18 PM

I don't usually like quilted tops but that's just plain sexy. Happy NGD!

Edit: I forgot to mention, clever title!

motomoto · 11-11-2011, 04:32 PM

WANT

BucketheadRules · 11-11-2011, 04:45 PM

Whoa.

MFB · 11-11-2011, 08:37 PM

Dat quilt

ivancic1al · 11-11-2011, 08:40 PM

Such a nice finish on that.

Not terribly sure if I'm proud of myself that I understood the Dora the Explorer reference before I even opened up the thread.

I thought "oh well, it must be an explorer of some kind".

27duuude · 11-11-2011, 08:42 PM

Sex, sex, sex..
Just sex...

technomancer · 11-11-2011, 09:10 PM

Very sweet, congrats

RTheodoppalus · 11-11-2011, 09:21 PM

I've been GASing for one of these ever since I saw Hetfield's second custom. Happy NGD

Church2224 · 11-11-2011, 09:33 PM

I have always wanted a Ken Lawrence Explorer! Those things are gorgeous! Big Congrats man!

NightHawk · 11-11-2011, 10:49 PM

Awesome, Jason! I've been looking forward to seeing this one!
It's amazing on so many levels! Per-fect top, best quilt I've seen in a long time.
How 'bout taking pair shot with the red one??

-R-

Stealthdjentstic · 11-11-2011, 10:59 PM

Dat quilt

narad · 11-11-2011, 11:08 PM

Thanks guys! I cannot put this thing down!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivancic1al

Not terribly sure if I'm proud of myself that I understood the Dora the Explorer reference before I even opened up the thread.

Oh I think the true shame is in being able to come up with it! ;D

Quote:

Originally Posted by NightHawk

How 'bout taking pair shot with the red one??

-R-

Ha, I should do that but the red one has proven itself to be extremely hard to photograph. A couple months ago I took about 30 shots of it while cycling through my camera's settings - not one of them was decent. I'll probably give it another shot before I fly out though!

scherzo1928 · 11-12-2011, 12:41 AM

Yes the guitar looks amazing, and I'm sure it sounds great, but what I'm glad to read is that you are loving the fudge out of it. Enjoy!

-42- · 11-12-2011, 02:00 AM

That body is super sexy, headstock isn't my thing, but to each his own. Enjoy your new axe, man.

SYLrules88 · 11-12-2011, 02:28 AM

omg you wont be able to take it out of the country with you? daaaaaaaaaamn, i couldnt bring myself to buy something this beautiful if i knew i had to leave it behind one day. at least you'll get a years worth of enjoyment from it.

loving the look of those aftermaths too

narad · 11-12-2011, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SYLrules88

omg you wont be able to take it out of the country with you? daaaaaaaaaamn, i couldnt bring myself to buy something this beautiful if i knew i had to leave it behind one day. at least you'll get a years worth of enjoyment from it.

Sadly that's the thing about these 2 year builds - you never know where you'll be in terms of life plans, finances, and what kind of sound you'll be chasing 2 years out. I think my ViK should be finished and that will be sent out to join me in Sydney sometime in early 2012, so don't feel sad for me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by -42-

That body is super sexy, headstock isn't my thing, but to each his own. Enjoy your new axe, man.

It just speaks to me. When I die make sure everyone knows that my tombstone should just be a giant Ken Lawrence headstock sculpted in stone and busting out of the ground.

HighGain510 · 11-12-2011, 09:42 AM

Always dug the Ken Lawrence headstock!

77zark77 · 11-12-2011, 11:41 AM

Stunning ! Congratulations !

Dark Aegis · 11-12-2011, 01:57 PM

I've always been a fan of Ken Lawrence guitars, but yours seems to be cut above the rest.

Andromalia · 11-12-2011, 02:10 PM

I thought KL frowned on naked fretboards, as another owner said on the Dean forum if I remember well ?

Chrome hardware wouldn't be what I would have chosen to go with black bot to each his own. Congratulations, wish I could try one someday.

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11-11-2011, 03:51 PM	#1
narad SS.org Regular Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NY Posts: 675 Thanked: 13 Feedback Score: 1 reviews	NGD: Dora ain't got nothin' on me! So...after 2 years of waiting, a very special NGD: Hmm...Arcata, CA - Any guesses? Large-ish case! And voila! The newest Ken Lawrence explorer! Amazing quilt: Always tasteful headstock: Hard to see, but some white LED markers: I wound up buying another of Ken's explorers half-way through the build, so I decided to pretend like this wasn't an explorer at all, and just spec it out like to my usual prog-metal leanings. Specs are: Same 24.75 scale Maple cap / maple neck Mahogany body Ebony board Trans-grey finish, laquered BKP Aftermaths - Thanks to Nick @ Axe Palace Titanium bridge saddles (I have no idea if there is actual benefit to using these) Push/pull splits on both pickups Aesthetically I wanted it to be a bit different from the usual raw wood and EMGs with black hardware look that most of Ken's customers ask for. The back and sides are black, with a really elegant transition on the headstock between the overlay and the neck, and the top is a slightly lighter trans black - to show the quilt a bit more than the really dark finishes. My photos tend to exaggerate the brown in it a bit, but there's definitely hint of a purple/brown hue to it in different lighting. Very cool. I used a Nik Huber anniversary orca as reference, and it's pretty much dead on. Probably my favorite aspect of this guitar in terms of playability is that I asked Ken to make the neck a bit more satiny. Did he ever - it feels exceptionally smooth. I honestly didn't expect this to make a huge difference, as I thought I got along decently with my other explorer, but it's night and day! It plays amazingly! The finish of the other made me want to avoid the shoulders of the neck, where now they become a huge advantage in playability. I think I'm going to have to send him my red explorer for the same treatment, it is a huge win. And somehow the scale is not really much of a hindrance at this point, down in C. And the sound, I don't know if it's the woods or the aftermaths (I've had BKPs before in a blackmachine, but never something this tight and articulate!) but this could be the best sounding guitar I have ever played. I am just almost at a loss for words. This is also in part to having to drive 9 hours last night to pick it up, and then playing it all morning - my mind is not in a functioning mood - but that's another story. But there's so much random djenty style stuff I get exposed to on these boards, and sometimes it just wasn't sounding right, even with other BKPs. I was even doubting my technique (though I'm sure for a pro it might not matter as much), and now I'm hearing out of the axe-fx II exactly the tight, tracking sound I wanted. Though I really need to redo all my patches for this guitar - they're all a little off. I'll probably come back and add some more when I'm less tired, but man, unbelievable guitar. For anyone considering one of Ken's guitars, even if you don't have a metallica tattoo on your arm, Ken delivers! I was sure I'd be set after this one, but it's so much better than what I was hoping for, I want to try to convince him to do a 7 for me! Really, redefining my ceiling of what I expect a guitar to be. I'm moving in about a week, out of the country for about a year, and won't be able to take it with me, but hopefully I'll post some clips while I'm enjoying my limited time with it. dime3334, ShadyDavey, setsuna7 and 7 others like this.

11-11-2011, 03:58 PM	#3
narad SS.org Regular Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NY Posts: 675 Thanked: 13 Feedback Score: 1 reviews	A better shot of some of the quilt. Ebony rings: setsuna7 and Jinogalpa like this.

11-11-2011, 04:04 PM	#5
Michael T Sea Turtles mate Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Richmond, Ky Posts: 1,398 Thanked: 39 $Michael T is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Michael T is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Michael T is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Michael T is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Michael T is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Michael T is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Michael T is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ Feedback Score: 39 reviews	Very nice. Always love his headstocks. Congrats. The project that I'm working on is so secret... Even I don't know what I'm doing!

11-11-2011, 04:45 PM	#8
BucketheadRules Annoying idiot Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Posts: 3,471 Thanked: 106 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Whoa. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check out my YouTubings by making clicks upon this most generously provided link: http://www.youtube.com/user/ConnorFGuitar?feature=mhee You can thank me later. Or throw stones, it's your call. It's always funny until someone gets hurt, and then it's just hilarious...

Today
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11-11-2011, 03:55 PM	#2
Jinogalpa Custom Shop Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Würzburg, GER Posts: 431 Thanked: 7 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	holy shit what an axe, congrats man !

11-11-2011, 04:04 PM	#4
kruneh SS.org Regular Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Norway Posts: 554 Thanked: 5 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Congrats! Smells high class of that one

11-11-2011, 04:18 PM	#6
oremus91 Melodeth-er Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 710 Thanked: 4 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I don't usually like quilted tops but that's just plain sexy. Happy NGD! Edit: I forgot to mention, clever title!

11-11-2011, 04:32 PM	#7
motomoto SS.org Regular Join Date: May 2009 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 207 Thanked: 2 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	WANT

11-11-2011, 08:37 PM	#9
MFB I'M A MONSTER! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 7,458 Thanked: 84 Feedback Score: 13 reviews	Dat quilt (´･ω･`) *In space, no one can hear you bree.* - Metal Ken

11-11-2011, 08:40 PM	#10
ivancic1al Probrem? Join Date: May 2009 Location: Buffalo, NY/St. Catharines, ON Posts: 1,484 Thanked: 5 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Such a nice finish on that. Not terribly sure if I'm proud of myself that I understood the Dora the Explorer reference before I even opened up the thread. I thought "oh well, it must be an explorer of some kind". scherzo1928 and Kabstract like this. Just as awesome as he is stupid. Dun, dadada dadadadada dun. CLIMB-FIGHT-THROW-CLIMB-FIGHT-THROW-CLIMB-FIGHT-THROW-CHASE-RAPE-THROW!

11-11-2011, 08:42 PM	#11
27duuude Picky about tone Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Leeds, ME, USA Posts: 158 Thanked: 2 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Sex, sex, sex.. Just sex... Wattage equals headroom, not volume. Just remember we all were once that kid that played metal with a strat and a solid state amp. "Insert interesting/funny quote here" -lolz

11-11-2011, 09:10 PM	#12
technomancer Gearus Pimptasticus • Super Moderator • Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Out there, somewhere Posts: 23,271 Thanked: 175 Feedback Score: 34 reviews	Very sweet, congrats Incoming It's a surprise

11-11-2011, 09:21 PM	#13
RTheodoppalus The President Bits Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Columbia, SC Posts: 297 Thanked: 5 / 1 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I've been GASing for one of these ever since I saw Hetfield's second custom. Happy NGD Praise and worship is a gig too! Gear: 2007 Ibanez RG2EX1BK 2011 Ibanez RG7321BK Vox Valvetronix VT120+ Digitech RP500

11-11-2011, 09:33 PM	#14
Church2224 Guitar Whore Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Richmond VA Posts: 2,557 Thanked: 97 $Church2224 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Church2224 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Church2224 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Church2224 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Church2224 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Church2224 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Church2224 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ Feedback Score: 2 reviews	I have always wanted a Ken Lawrence Explorer! Those things are gorgeous! Big Congrats man! Current GAS- ESP Standard and LTD Elite M-IIs Jackson USA Select Sl2h Jackson Chris Broderick Schecter USA Hollywood Classic FR Charvel Pro Mods

11-11-2011, 10:49 PM	#15
NightHawk ss.org Regular Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: York Posts: 1 Thanked: 0 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Awesome, Jason! I've been looking forward to seeing this one! It's amazing on so many levels! Per-fect top, best quilt I've seen in a long time. How 'bout taking pair shot with the red one?? -R-

11-11-2011, 10:59 PM	#16
Stealthdjentstic Banned Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Vancouver, BC, Canadia Posts: 19,969 Thanked: 338 Feedback Score: 10 reviews	Dat quilt

11-12-2011, 12:41 AM	#18
scherzo1928 has wood for you Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mexico City Posts: 4,698 Thanked: 33 $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $scherzo1928 is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Yes the guitar looks amazing, and I'm sure it sounds great, but what I'm glad to read is that you are loving the fudge out of it. Enjoy! Is this... guitar?

11-12-2011, 02:00 AM	#19
-42- Nothing to see here Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Cental Coast, CA Posts: 2,342 Thanked: 36 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	That body is super sexy, headstock isn't my thing, but to each his own. Enjoy your new axe, man.

11-12-2011, 02:28 AM	#20
SYLrules88 I play drums! Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 1,526 Thanked: 18 Feedback Score: 4 reviews	omg you wont be able to take it out of the country with you? daaaaaaaaaamn, i couldnt bring myself to buy something this beautiful if i knew i had to leave it behind one day. at least you'll get a years worth of enjoyment from it. loving the look of those aftermaths too Agile AL-727 EB Carvin V3 Avatar 2x12 w/ Celestion G12K-85s

11-12-2011, 09:42 AM	#22
HighGain510 Cold As Ice Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 12,532 Thanked: 228 Feedback Score: 32 reviews	Always dug the Ken Lawrence headstock!

11-12-2011, 11:41 AM	#23
77zark77 SS.org Regular Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: France Posts: 1,027 Thanked: 20 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Stunning ! Congratulations !

11-12-2011, 01:57 PM	#24
Dark Aegis Wolves Of Walnutport Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Walnutport, PA U.S. Posts: 454 Thanked: 4 Feedback Score: 17 reviews	I've always been a fan of Ken Lawrence guitars, but yours seems to be cut above the rest.

11-12-2011, 02:10 PM	#25
Andromalia Pardon my french Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Paris, France Posts: 4,228 Thanked: 44 Feedback Score: 0 reviews	I thought KL frowned on naked fretboards, as another owner said on the Dean forum if I remember well ? Chrome hardware wouldn't be what I would have chosen to go with black bot to each his own. Congratulations, wish I could try one someday.

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