# ET guitars katana 7 prototype build



## noob_pwn (Oct 12, 2011)

Hey guys,
You may have seen me posting about this on facebook.
Together Ernie and I have come up with a new model which he will be taking orders for pretty soon I think. All the features were chosen by me pretty specifically and he'll be offering a more basic model that this one I'm posting about with the key features for around $1500AUD which i think is pretty cool. I'm making sure it will come in 6 & 7 string variants with 25.5" & 27" scale options with a possible 8 string option too.

The body shape is a carved up superstrat and will look really awesome, it's also got a nice 4+3 headstock which looks pretty badass on paper too.


Specs:
-27" scale 7 string, 
-Bolt on construction
-Oil & wax finish
-3pc Wenge neck with flamed maple skunk stripe & ebony fretboard
-Ash body w/wenge top 
-26 6100 stainless steel frets
-Carbon fiber neck reinforcement rods
-offset dot inlays
-green glow in the dark side inlays
-Bareknuckle aftermath bridge/nailbomb neck pickups
-Bareknuckle custom 550k CTS vol pot
-Dimarzio 3 way 12 pole selector toggle switch
-2-way killswitch
-Recessed & angled barrel output jack
-Graphtec nut
-Hipshot locking tuners
-Hipshot bridge


So far he's sent me these pics today of the blanks ready to be cut:


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## Prydogga (Oct 12, 2011)

Keen to see how this one turns out, I've never been disappointed by anything Ernie does, and so far, these new 7s look like effective and reliable 7s for us Aussies, especially at the price point.


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## Fiction (Oct 12, 2011)

Interested, very interested.

DAT WENGE


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## Stealthdjentstic (Oct 12, 2011)

Very attractive option for you guys indeed!


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## noob_pwn (Oct 12, 2011)

Fiction said:


> Interested, very interested.
> 
> DAT WENGE



one of his recent builds had a wenge neck, i tried it and it was bullshit good so I had to have it on mine too!
Extremely fast feeling, incredibly stable and very resonant and strong, just what I need!


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## aWoodenShip (Oct 12, 2011)

Fiction said:


> Interested, very interested.
> 
> DAT WENGE



UGH. Someone beat me to that comment. 



But really tho, looking forward to teh Katana.


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## Sepultorture (Oct 12, 2011)

love the specs, can't wait to see what comes out \m/


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## joaocunha (Oct 12, 2011)

Me likes this.

And cheers for going the right way by doing wenge neck/maple stripe instead of the opposite.


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## noob_pwn (Oct 13, 2011)

just got word it's getting a macassar ebony fretboard now, keen to see what ernie's got up his sleeve!


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## noob_pwn (Oct 13, 2011)

also, this is the original blueprint for the CNC but we made a fair few changes to it, especially on the upper horn & control layout. I don't have the new diagram but this one should give you guys a bit of an idea. Pretty much it just looks less like an RGD now and the controls are in a better place.

It's got other carves you can't see on the back like a cooley cut in the back of the lower horn and a really deep tummy cut.

The headstock tip sorta ties in with it's name


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## Pikka Bird (Oct 13, 2011)

Waaayy better than the RGD contours... I always had a major beef with the upper contour on the RGD because it turns the flat top into a really wonky shape and from some angles and under certain lighting conditions that's all you'll see. This is closer to the Cort X, which is an old love of mine.


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## noob_pwn (Oct 13, 2011)

well today we came across a small snag, Ernie's Macassar ebony blanks aren't long enough for a 27" scale and he won't be able to get new ones in for a little bit, so It's back to the original spec with a just a plain black ebony fretboard (which should look pretty badass anyway).

Also, he sent me the updated CNC diagram with the new upper horn and slightly revised controls. just going to move the volume back towards the tail a tad and it's spot on. VERY happy to say the least, I'm just about bursting with anticipation. I've never been so involved with the design process of a guitar before and to build this thing up from scratch in every detail has been extremely rewarding so far, much more than any other custom stuff I've had before.


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## noob_pwn (Oct 14, 2011)

Ernie revised the control layout slightly because I was afraid the volume pot might get in the way of my hand and the toggle was a little too far up, now it's all ready to go and this is the final diagram.


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## sojorel (Oct 14, 2011)

Looks like a sweet axe, great choice of specs and woods.
I have to say I much prefer the in line tomahawk headstock though. Not feeling this one at all


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## kmanick (Oct 16, 2011)

Cool! I can't wait to see the finished version of this. the neck I just got from Ernie for my CT is just outstanding.
He just moved way up on my list of custom Luthiers.


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## noob_pwn (Oct 17, 2011)

Well my girlfriend is a graphic designer and she came up with this headstock logo! 
I'm pretty happy with it


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## Pikka Bird (Oct 17, 2011)

I feel like the headstock needs to be more exciting...


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## thatguy87 (Oct 17, 2011)

I would scoop the lower horn a bit more personally, but other than that fuckin tits mate.


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## noob_pwn (Nov 6, 2011)

So I went down to check out the neck today, pics really don't do it justice. Super stoked with how it's coming along. Only crappy Iphone pics I'm afraid but I did my best. The profile seems to be perfect and the wenge feels so good in the hand. It's a fair bit darker than it looks in the photos, especially the ebony and there is a really nice figure in the maple that I tried to capture.


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## sojorel (Nov 6, 2011)

Damn you!

Looks great - going to be an anxious wait for you with something that nice being made


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## noob_pwn (Nov 7, 2011)

sojorel said:


> Damn you!
> 
> Looks great - going to be an anxious wait for you with something that nice being made



Thanks bro!
yeah it is a bit nasty but it's been ok because ernie lives about an hour away and I can go check up whenever I'm free! he's also made really quick progress on it


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## trickae (Nov 7, 2011)

dude - keep us posted. 

Dude is that guitar seriously $1.5K? Thats awesome!
I put down a deposit wtih Charles Cilia for a Suhr/ Chris Broderick Iby LACS and its costing me upwards of 4 grande. 

wtf ... mad depressed now

how'd you get a hold of Ernie? I've been emailing ET guitars for years with no reply.


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## noob_pwn (Nov 7, 2011)

trickae said:


> dude - keep us posted.
> 
> Dude is that guitar seriously $1.5K? Thats awesome!
> I put down a deposit wtih Charles Cilia for a Suhr/ Chris Broderick Iby LACS and its costing me upwards of 4 grande.
> ...



you might want to re-read the OP dude, this one wasnt 1.5k

Try calling him, maybe your emails are getting caught in his spam filter


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## Sepultorture (Nov 7, 2011)

HOLY SHIT

that thing is drop dead gorgeous, now i really cn't wait to see the body \m/


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## noob_pwn (Nov 13, 2011)

UPDATE







more pics coming, am jizzing


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## noob_pwn (Nov 13, 2011)




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## Norstorm (Nov 13, 2011)

Wow.. This one looks really interesting..
I always felt most comfy with the superstrat shape.
I'll def. have a look when it's done.

Good job for the both of you..


Heads up to Ernie:

Maybe I'll buy this one as well  NOT impossible!


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## Goatchrist (Nov 13, 2011)

Very promising! Can't wait to see it finished


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## RiffRaff (Nov 13, 2011)

Super interested in snagging one of these after Christmas time.


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## Sepultorture (Nov 13, 2011)

fap fap fap fap fap

okay, yep, thar be gear splooge on me compooterz screen


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## HighPotency (Nov 13, 2011)

noob_pwn said:


> you might want to re-read the OP dude, this one wasnt 1.5k
> 
> Try calling him, maybe your emails are getting caught in his spam filter


I think there's some confusion because you typed "that" instead of "than" in your original post. I read it as this one costing $1500 AUD at first until I went back and reread that part a few times before I realized.



I'm a bit curious, though. Will the neck be finished? Because I think wenge is a wood that can be left unfinished, but maple is not, so would it be okay for the neck to be left raw?


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## theo (Nov 13, 2011)

...OH MY! 
I think it's time to start saving up!


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## BlackMastodon (Nov 13, 2011)

Beautiful. The carve on the top is so subtle.


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## noob_pwn (Nov 13, 2011)

HighPotency said:


> I think there's some confusion because you typed "that" instead of "than" in your original post. I read it as this one costing $1500 AUD at first until I went back and reread that part a few times before I realized.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm a bit curious, though. Will the neck be finished? Because I think wenge is a wood that can be left unfinished, but maple is not, so would it be okay for the neck to be left raw?



the neck is going to have an oil + wax finish, wenge feels a bit sticky if it isn't oiled


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## noob_pwn (Nov 13, 2011)

ernie finished carving the underside of the horn - cooley style.
sent me these pics














he's going to sand it down and start oiling today!


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## Solodini (Nov 13, 2011)

Oh my jesus. I wasn't keen on the CAD but that's beautiful in the flesh. I don't even like superstrats!


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## noob_pwn (Nov 13, 2011)

first coats of oil


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## theo (Nov 13, 2011)

oh man... that is SO damn nice!


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## gunch (Nov 13, 2011)

Sick design, ET is the man. Hope this model takes off.


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## noob_pwn (Nov 13, 2011)

silverabyss said:


> Sick design, ET is the man. Hope this model takes off.


he is a top guy, I've known him for quite a while now and its so cool he lives so close to me and I can just drop in.


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## themike (Nov 13, 2011)

Wowwwwww


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## Prydogga (Nov 14, 2011)

Holy shit! This is amazing, Josh. I think I'll have to see about picking one up when they're available.

Been really enjoying the new album as well, so congrats on that!


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## M3CHK1LLA (Nov 14, 2011)

really nice design...

...keep postin


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## noob_pwn (Nov 14, 2011)

Prydogga said:


> Holy shit! This is amazing, Josh. I think I'll have to see about picking one up when they're available.
> 
> Been really enjoying the new album as well, so congrats on that!



thanks mate! glad you dig it!


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## Dunloper (Nov 14, 2011)

Favorite top I've ever seen. This thing is amazing.


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## CD1221 (Nov 14, 2011)

bloody grouse guitar mate.


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## kmanick (Nov 14, 2011)

that's looking really good!
what fret board radius did you decide to go with.
I've got to say the neck Ernie sent me for my CT is very nice.
Looks like you Aussies have a good local source to get some nice 7's from now.


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## Danxile (Nov 14, 2011)

Oh my lerd....


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## noob_pwn (Nov 15, 2011)

kmanick said:


> that's looking really good!
> what fret board radius did you decide to go with.
> I've got to say the neck Ernie sent me for my CT is very nice.
> Looks like you Aussies have a good local source to get some nice 7's from now.



430mm man, not sure what that is in inches, probably about 17-18. It's the same as a UV which feels about right to me. I'm not super fussy about stuff like that, anything above 16" feels good to me


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## Pikka Bird (Nov 15, 2011)

430 millimeters = 16.9291339


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## Jontain (Nov 15, 2011)

those carves!


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## MED (Nov 15, 2011)

Damn that is one sexy guitar!


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Nov 16, 2011)

This is just plain gorgeous!!! Wonderful woods and shape, it's gonna be epic!


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## Sullen (Nov 19, 2011)

I have a quick question that maybe the OP can answer me. Does Ernie only do bolt-ons? Also is he willing to do a neck with a volute where the neck meets the headstock? I might order an ET soon and I know Ernie is a very busy guy so any question I can get answered before going down to bussiness by any fellow forumer that have had experience with ET will be awesome and appreciated  And that's one sick axe, congratulations!


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## Aevolve (Nov 19, 2011)

Almost precisely the kind of custom I would get.


DAT GRAIN


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## Norstorm (Nov 20, 2011)

For the 8 string, I really loved the design and shape.
Wierd looking knob and switch positioning for me tho, but..
Nice looking axe for sure. I'd have her on my wall.


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## noob_pwn (Nov 20, 2011)

Sullen said:


> I have a quick question that maybe the OP can answer me. Does Ernie only do bolt-ons? Also is he willing to do a neck with a volute where the neck meets the headstock? I might order an ET soon and I know Ernie is a very busy guy so any question I can get answered before going down to bussiness by any fellow forumer that have had experience with ET will be awesome and appreciated  And that's one sick axe, congratulations!



He's done neckthru in the past, I'm sure a volute would be no trouble at all!


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## noob_pwn (Nov 22, 2011)

I'm on tour with my band at the moment and I'll be driving past the town Ernie lives in early friday morning. He reckons the guitar is going to be ready for me to pick up on the way through! If so I'll be playing it friday night and from there onwards! Will keep everyone posted.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Nov 22, 2011)

Can't wait, maybe some videos too yesss?


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## noob_pwn (Nov 24, 2011)

Well, today is the big day.

We drove past Ernie's shop and picked it up, luckily it was on the way of the 12 hour drive we have to the show today. Ernie worked through the night to get this ready for me, sadly the headstock logo didn't arrive in time but we'll put that on later.

Sadly I can't plug it into anything until tonight but I have been playing it acoustically for about 5 hours in the van. The low notes seem to really jump out of the guitar and it has a very immediate attack. It's very loud an resonant, I'm sure it will sound fantastic when plugged in.

Now the neck on this thing is just incredible to play, the wenge is very smooth to play on but has quite a grain to it that you can really grab on to. The profile is spot on for me and the fretwork is great, really no flaws at all with this guitar that I can find. Also the glow in the dark side dots are a great addition which i'll spec on every guitar from now on, they work fantastic just in low-light and I can't wait to play it tonight on a stage to see how it fares.

I will take proper pics when I can! These ones don't do it justice in the slightest, it's absolutely breathtaking in person

this one ernie sent me this morning






this one is a bit shaky, I took it in the van





I really couldnt be happier with how this guitar turned out, and Ernie is going to be making a batch of these apparently so there will be a few up for grabs.
Can't wait to get him to build me my second one! expect a proper NGD soon for this guitar.


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## Floody_85 (Nov 25, 2011)

Come up awesome man!! 
Where abouts is ur gig? Melbourne? 12 hrs from Mittagong would be around melbourne right?

Im about an hr away from Ernie. Ive never seen him before but Ive been wanting to go check out his stuff


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## noob_pwn (Nov 25, 2011)

Floody_85 said:


> Come up awesome man!!
> Where abouts is ur gig? Melbourne? 12 hrs from Mittagong would be around melbourne right?
> 
> Im about an hr away from Ernie. Ive never seen him before but Ive been wanting to go check out his stuff



werribee tonight, narre warren & central melbourne tomorrow, bendigo sunday, 3 days off and then some SA & vic regional dates next week.
Should deinitely check it out, I can vouch for his stuff, it's really damn good and I've owned much more expensive guitars


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## Connor (Nov 25, 2011)

Awesome stuff man, can't wait to see it in person.


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## noob_pwn (Nov 25, 2011)

Well holy shit, after a few hours of acoustic van play, I played a 45 min set with this guitar tonight.

Plugged in it has a very bright and immediate attack but still has girth and chunk to it's tone. The low notes really jump out of it and the clean tones cut through like a razor.

The wenge neck was fantastic as the night went on, no matter how much I was sweating it stayed smooth and the grain gave me something to grip. The profile was extremely comfortable to play on and the glow in the dark side inlays were very useful.

Finally, after the first song It didn't fall out of tune at all, nor need even the slightest adjustment and I play REALLY hard. Probably something to do with the carbon rods in the neck and the tightness of the fit and finish. You can feel a significant bit more weight in the neck than a maple neck but the guitar still feels balanced when you pick it up. It's a really nice weight too, not too light but not too heavy, the slim profile of the body and contour carves make it a bit more manageable but it doesn't feel like it's too thin which is something I found uncomfortable about the S series.

I am so impressed, this guitar has blown my expectations clean out of the water and I couldnt be more stoked, can't wait to get some more pics for you guys.


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## Goatchrist (Nov 25, 2011)

Wonderful! Looks gorgeous! The back with the dark neck contrast is just mindblowing!


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## RiffRaff (Nov 25, 2011)

Great to hear about how good this has turned out. As a point of reference, do you prefer your BRJ's or this? Or is it too early to know yet? 

Cheers for the pics and mini-review.


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## Rojne (Nov 25, 2011)

Dude... need them more picz NAO!! hahah

It looks really awesome, I get GAS from anything right now.. I hate everyone ATM who post a NGD, but this will be reaaally special!!


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## ET Guitars (Nov 25, 2011)

Here's some more pics that we took just before handing over to Josh yesterday morning. He's busy on tour so I thought I better give him a hand.

We are really happy with this prototype. The ideas Josh had for the specs were a good distillation of a lot of enquiries we had over the last two years. So the result is a fairly simple but very versatile axe for 7 players who like to downtune. Josh has commented the thinner body style, its more comfortable than most standard superstrats, and the balance between neck and body has worked out very well. 

This model also has a 25.5" scale option for those that prefer more regular tuning and feel. Will certainly be making a batch of these, and will accept any pre-orders for those interested. Will officially release Katana Fx7 on our website soon, with pricing and generic options.


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## noob_pwn (Nov 27, 2011)

RiffRaff said:


> Great to hear about how good this has turned out. As a point of reference, do you prefer your BRJ's or this? Or is it too early to know yet?
> 
> Cheers for the pics and mini-review.



I much prefer this to any of the BRJ's I've owned although they are very different guitars.
The katana has a much more comfortable neck profile and because Ernie is using a CNC all the cavity cuts on it are more precise, the fit and finish is really really tight and it has better tuning stability than my BRJ's.
It has a very distinctive sound to it, lots of high mids and a very strong fundamental to every note. It's still plenty chunky but the notes just jump out of this guitar like nothing else. When i get my own decent pics and do a proper NGD for this I'll write up a pretty extensive review but right now it's killing it on the road! 4th show with it is tonight.

edit: to expand on the question, i think that my preference for this guitar may also have a lot to do with the fact that Ernie and I designed it from the ground up, I wasn't just getting custom specs on an already existing model. There's going to be a pretty significant price difference here to BRJ and a shorter wait time, but really it's comparing apples and oranges. This is a bolt on with an oil finish made of ash & wenge, really different to what BRJ normally would do.


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## Atomshipped (Nov 27, 2011)

I'm really interested in getting something from ET Guitars if they make carved tops a public option. Ernie seems to be doing great work and that would seal the deal.


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## noob_pwn (Nov 27, 2011)

Atomshipped said:


> I'm really interested in getting something from ET Guitars if they make carved tops a public option. Ernie seems to be doing great work and that would seal the deal.



will be happening man, this is going to be a regular model and I'm sure you could pick your own other options with the same body if you needed something different.


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## Atomshipped (Nov 27, 2011)

noob_pwn said:


> will be happening man, this is going to be a regular model and I'm sure you could pick your own other options with the same body if you needed something different.


 Great to hear! I already have the specs in my head


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## Evil7 (Nov 27, 2011)

This looks nice. Congrats!


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## drenz (Nov 29, 2011)

Have personally played this guitar and it. is. the. tits.
It looks astonishing and played equally aswell.
Any aussie looking to pick up a custom should definitely check these out.
Congrats to both josh & ernie.


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## DSD87 (Dec 3, 2011)

Stunning absolutely stunning


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## casketshrine (Dec 16, 2011)

That is a gorgeously mean looking guitar. Very elegant too. Congratulations.


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## Tyler (Jan 17, 2012)

Think I could get my name down for a 6 string at 25.5"?


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## Fiction (Jan 18, 2012)

Electric 6 String

Contact Him.


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## noob_pwn (May 9, 2012)

Hey guys,
I thought I'd give this thread a bit of a resurrection because I have thoroughly tested the prototype on tour now, ironed out a few minor issues and made some small changes. 
The production models are shipping out now which is great news and hopefully I'll be getting my 2nd one in the near future! It's pretty much going to keep this winning formula but flip the body woods, add an ash veneer onto the headstock and hopefully add a Macassar ebony fretboard.

I'm happy to say it's now my favorite guitar ever including the multitude of BRJ's, obscure ibanez's and other crap I've owned. These tone woods really work well together and give me something that's extremely clear, aggressive and balanced. I've tuned this guitar all the way down to F and it still stays super clear and articulate no matter how low you go.

Anyway the changes made were (sorry for the crap iPhone pics):

-added string retainer. I just decided to do this on a whim one day. This increased the break angle of the strings over the nut giving me a more even and consistent attack/timbre across the whole range of 7 strings. It especially added more pop to the lowest string regardless of tuning. Ive stuck some foam to the underside of mine for dampening You can also see the logo here too which we recently applied and will be included on all future katanas. It's actually chrome which doesn't show up to well here.






-headstock is now slightly less extended/sharp to prevent breakage, splintering and head injuries.





-strap lock/button position has been moved closer to the tip of the horn to provide perfect balance when standing. I did a pretty shit job of installing this so it's not properly centered on the horn.





-I broke my kill switch on tour and had to the pot straight to the jack. This made me realize I don't really need the kill switch at all so in future The guitar will feature just the three way + volume and the volume will be out of the way in place of the killswitch. I havent bothered to replace the killswitch as of yet. I also messed around with alternative wiring schemes and found I preferred the middle position to have full neck humbucking + outer bridge coil. Although I really dig the Petrucci-style wiring scheme of outer coils in the center position, it did sound a little thin for my liking and with the neck pickup already being lower in output than the aftermath in the bridge it works very nicely to get the best of both worlds.





To allow ease of intonation in low tunings, production models are shipping with the short Hipshot saddles on the lowest 2 strings.My lowest one is still maxed out but I am using a 072 for G# on this guitar





the other small change I will be making on my next order will be to use non-colored glow in the dark dots. I found the issue with green ones was under green stage light I can't see shit. I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue with a non primary colour and Ernie offers heaps of different colored luminlay side dots to every client but I'll play it safe this time I think!





Louis approves!


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## toiletstand (May 9, 2012)

glad youre loving it still. everybody involved did a great job designing this guitar!


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## Solodini (May 9, 2012)

Side note: I love how Hipshot saddles always look shocked.


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## Wi77iam (May 9, 2012)

nice cat


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## broj15 (May 9, 2012)

I can't wait to see this thing with the ash top. Just seeing these really makes me wish i lived in australia so i wouldn't have to deal with the import taxes.


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## spilla (May 9, 2012)

As much as i love the wedge top, cant wait to see it with the ash. Also i like how he is using chrome for the logos now.


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## Tyler (May 9, 2012)

MAN if only this came with an Alder body... looks fantastic


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## DoomJazz (May 9, 2012)

I really really do appreciate this new post.


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## swollenpickle (May 9, 2012)

OMG!


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## ECGuitars (May 10, 2012)

Looks great but honestly that bridge shouldn't be maxed out like that. All those saddles are way to far back. The whole bridge should be moved back 1/16-1/8 of an inch, then eryhing would intonate properly without the need of short saddles.


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## DiegusMaximus32 (May 11, 2012)

Holy SHIT that guitar is fucking incredible. Just stunning, congrats man! 
Question for the builder: did you use the CNC to carve the headstock directly out of a block of wood, or did you scarf joint it before then use the CNC to carve the shape? I've only ever build headstocks that are in plane with the neck and body, and I'd be interested in moving over to headstocks with break angles and learning to use CNC for a majority of my work. Thanks!

Edit: Also, I'm assuming the bevels were all hand carved, but I'd be interested to know if a CNC can do carves in that fashion. It may sound a little lazy as far as building goes, but I'm a one man operation so efficiency is key.


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## noob_pwn (May 11, 2012)

ECGuitars said:


> Looks great but honestly that bridge shouldn't be maxed out like that. All those saddles are way to far back. The whole bridge should be moved back 1/16-1/8 of an inch, then eryhing would intonate properly without the need of short saddles.



I think that's a revision he made afterwards, this one is. A prototype model and he used his normal measurements for a 27" scale but I just happen to tune low and use big ass strings so I often run into this issue.


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## capoeiraesp (May 12, 2012)

Who applied the logo decal? 
Such a bad ass guitar man. Kinda makes me wish I went with the wenge top on my custom Ormsby. Kinda.


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## implicit (May 13, 2012)

Solodini said:


> Side note: I love how Hipshot saddles always look shocked.



cannot unsee.


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## noob_pwn (May 14, 2012)

capoeiraesp said:


> Who applied the logo decal?
> Such a bad ass guitar man. Kinda makes me wish I went with the wenge top on my custom Ormsby. Kinda.



Ernie did!
My girlfriend designed it! Coulnt be happier


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## Thrashmanzac (May 14, 2012)

noob_pwn said:


> To allow ease of intonation in low tunings, production models are shipping with the short Hipshot saddles on the lowest 2 strings.My lowest one is still maxed out but I am using a 072 for G# on this guitar



why not move the bridge back 5mm or so on future production models?


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## Pikka Bird (May 14, 2012)

^I was wondering why that bridge seemed to have such an odd intonation pattern. Could it be remedied without making unsightly patch-up marks on the back?


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## Thrashmanzac (May 14, 2012)

i think smaller hipshot saddles would fix the problem on the guitar, but it just seems more practical to me to re-position the bridge on future production models


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## noob_pwn (Jul 13, 2012)

Bit of a necro-bump but i liked the prototype so much that I've ordered two more, although straight after i got the proto I told ernie that I'd be after a second at least..

The second one is currently being built and here's a taste of it. Body woods are flipped, control layout edited and the fretboard is pau ferro. I think this one is even sexier. Won't post any more until it's finished!!

edit: oh yeah it's got a birdseye skunk stripe instead of flamed maple


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## WiseSplinter (Jul 13, 2012)

Man that's looks good. The pau ferro fretboard with the ash top sure is classy


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## Adrian-XI (Jul 13, 2012)

Yeah I prefer this wood combo I think. It's the top getting a stain or anything?

Also, 25 frets? Interesting...


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## noob_pwn (Jul 13, 2012)

Thrashmanzac said:


> i think smaller hipshot saddles would fix the problem on the guitar, but it just seems more practical to me to re-position the bridge on future production models



This has happened actually from all the ones build after my proto


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## arcadia fades (Jul 14, 2012)

love the subtle changes you are going with.


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## Vidaeus (Jul 30, 2012)

I just ordered a (slightly) custom version of the original Katana FX7 from Ernie last week, before I even found this thread! I'm glad that you gave it such a great review, makes me feel a little better that I haven't made a mistake. It looked like an awesome guitar and some other people recommended ET guitars from a thread I made on these forums.

The changes I made to mine are:
Pau ferro fretboard (looks fantastic on the prototype, and ernie sent me pics of that prototype actually to show me what it may look like)
No inlays
Volume, tone and 3 way switch instead of the default killswitch, vol, 3 way
Bare knuckle pickups

Due late August or early September, can't wait!


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