Ed's Franky (beneath the paint)

[Tone Slinger]

Mapat, all's I've ever done from way back is ask for a two piece center seam.Thats because I stripped my Tokai '56 down back in like 1987 or so, and I noticed it was a center seam 2 piece body. It has always sounded so good that I just stuck with that. Every company I have ordered from (Warmoth, Musikraft, Usa Custom, KnE) I get the center seam. I noticed that some if the guitars sounded better than others. I finally got to looking at the grain orientation at the center seam join. I then had that realization. The ones with the 'V' endgrain were the ones that had 'it'. The ones with the 'A' endgrain were thinner and harder sounding (like my very first KnE and Eds Franky). I actually requested the 'V' endgrain on a recent KnE ash build. Again, my theory was upheld. It has to do with the rings. They get bigger (rings) going towards the top (where the mounting screws draw up resonance to plate and saddles ultimately affecting the way the string vibrates). So the 'V' join is overall a better, fuller and dynamic sound as compared to the 'A' join (Eds Franky) which is a harder, thinner type sound. There is nice attack and immediacy to it though. Ed obviously liked or was attracted to his Frankys bite and attack. I've tried my theory know on both alder and ash builds as well as all my buddies guitars. Also every production guitar that I come across , though they have to be clear coated or sunburst for me to tell and are often 3 or more piece.When you study the growth patterns you can tell by looking straight at the body, so an endgrain view isnt required.
To use an analogy the 'A' orientation (bigger to smaller rings going towards top of body) is like dark chocolate. Great bite and immediacy in flavor, whereas the 'V' orientation (smaller to larger rings headed towards top of body) is milk chocolate. Richer and just MORE flavor. Maybe not the best analogy. The ONLY thing good about the 'A' orientation is that bite and projection. Otherwise the have less resonant width and headroom than the 'V' endgrain. Obviously this has to do with the sound getting LARGER as it ascends to each larger ring going up to the bridge.

[Tone Slinger]

Eric, that must be the second azusa that Ed had (the one in the VHII studio pics) . From those pics(VHII studio) you can tell its a center seam with a 'V' orientation. The pic of Ed with the 'bare' Azusa with homemade pick guard is a different body. It is a 'A' oriented center seam.

Wayne actually stated that the Franky was alder. So much for what he knows or remembers huh

Franky was bare, black then taped and painted white.

[Strat78]

While I'm at it... I saw the indentation on the lower horn you were referring to. What are we supposed to see in the compilation pic you posted?

Bill, yep, that is the pic from the Whiskey! As far as what I'm seeing in those two pics, click on the jpg I posted, I shaded the pic on the bottom right with red to show where the faint grain lines show up through the paint. They are in the exact spot as the unfinished body you posted, it's kind of a wedge shape, one line ends at a 45 degree angle on the side of the jack and the other goes above the jack. I hate to get dragged back into this after the sunburst nonsense, but I'm kind of excited about what I saw in these two pics. I've just been waiting for something new like this to come along, sweet!

Great topic Andy!

[stef]

To use an analogy the 'A' orientation (bigger to smaller rings going towards top of body) is like dark chocolate. Great bite and immediacy in flavor, whereas the 'V' orientation (smaller to larger rings headed towards top of body) is milk chocolate. Richer and just MORE flavor. Maybe not the best analogy. The ONLY thing good about the 'A' orientation is that bite and projection. Otherwise the have less resonant width and headroom than the 'V' endgrain. Obviously this has to do with the sound getting LARGER as it ascends to each larger ring going up to the bridge.

I'd like to add one more thing - that bite and projection that comes with the A (I call it the W grain) body makes the guitar output sound hotter (more perceived gain and harmonics) and that's what EVH used to like - gain and harmonics!
I really like my KnE Franky (W grain pattern, paint grade) - it's bright, quacky, punchy, hard, immediate sounding

[dirtycooter]

Ash is ash to me-swamp or northern ball bustin heavy. It is distinctive when playing. You feel the vibes of the strings through it. I could give two shits less if its w grain, v grain, center seam or one piece. And I am bein serious about this.
Les Pauls are given a maple cap to get back some SNAP and attack. Here we have one wood that seems to combine both qualities of sustain and snap.

I am totally seeing it. It is the raw body pic for me. COOOOL as the pickguard is identical-who would do that intentionally??
Think this may be the rarest frank with no paint pic we will ever get. I am sold here.
But I have long grown out of guitars made out of "unobtanium wood", "secret horsey shit sauce wood", etc etc. It boils down to you, how you play, and how you manipulate everything to BE what you want it to be. Given there are some things that are distinguishable and things that aren't.

I have been away. Stepped way back off the EVH thing. Its actually a very good perspective point. While the tone remains a goal, throwin out the rules and thinkin about what is it and how it grabs you??? I am ever closer to being happier with my own tone and more...... not so up tight about it all and more relaxed.

But the sleuths and hardcore here never seem to quit amazing me. This is interesting. But not all consuming at the same time.

This I believe is THE frank. NAKED


A.D.D.


oh ooh look!! Titties!! Awesome

But how does that go? Once you seen em naked.... you pretty much wanna see all of em naked.

[Tone Slinger]

I will try and post a chart or something to better explain the grain/ring orientation thing and how it relates to an electric guitars sound. The big companies pay no mind to this currently ( though Gibson did in the original 'burst' Les Paul era circa '58-'60). Also, alot of the early to mid '80's Japanese copies consistantly used the proper ring orientation, enough so that its obvious there was a preference. It doesnt take long in a GC nowadays to register "man, these Gibson and Fender guitars are very inconsistant, tonewise" etc. Observe the ring orientations and you will start to see that one way is sonically better than another.

So, as this relates to Ed's Franky (via that SWEET pic !) Is what I'm trying to tie into all of this.

[stef]

Notice two pots on the naked Azusa Frank - volume and tone.

[wjamflan]

Notice two pots on the naked Azusa Frank - volume and tone.

I was wondering if someone was going to see that. Also, more importantly, check out how it looked right before recording...



VH I with a tone knob? Possibility?

[stef]

Ever since I've heard Efraser and Kevin's clips (they were having both tone/vol pots in the guitar circuit) I added a tone pot in my azusa and liked the results better than any other combination (single 500, 300, 250)

[garbeaj]

Holy shit Andy! What a great thread! Great observations...and great that Bill, Phil, Kevin and Eric and all the heavy hitters are on the case too! I agree that the sunburst strat theory has been decimated once and for all!

I have never seen the unpainted Franky with the black pickguard pic yet.

Fantastic find on that pic Greg, what is the provenance on that?

[garbeaj]

The funny thing about this new above picture (what WAS the source of this pic?!?!) is that it looks like he took the small knobs off of his Univox EC-80 A (!)

I know...it is crazy and those little knobs don't fit any normal sized pots. Maybe he just found some knobs that were cosmetically similar that fit large shafted pots? If so, this would mean that he found a knob that looks cosmetically like the knobs on the Univox EC-80 A...exactly the kind of knob that would be needed in order to fit the kind of pots that msbonta, myself and some others have used in order to get the full octave dive on the Univox EC-80 A.

I've searched high and low to find a knob that looks cosmetically like the stock knobs on the unit that will fit the thicker shaft of the pot that we are using to get the full octave dive...so has msbonta as far as I know. We've come up empty handed...but maybe in Ed's day it was easy to find one of these knobs?!

Sorry for the detour, but that new pic blew my mind wide apart!

[Tone Slinger]

My MAIN point was more about Frankys actual construction and the fundamental tone charecteristics that can be retrieved from such information,but yeah, This lone pic totally proves that the Franky IS NOT the Sun Burst Fender ( early '60's strat werent Ash, and besides, you can see the grain under the Sun Burst strat in pictures (Alder).....definately not the same guitar. The horns are also a give away, etc).

Ed's Franky was a two piece center seam that wasnt done 'ideally'.The two pieces grain ' lines' werent very matched/ straight with one another and the endgrain seam is roughly an 'A'. You can tell by the way the pattern is on the top piece as it is heading towards the arm contour and the bottom piece as the grain meets the bottom/butt cut away. Also, the bottom piece (right near the input jack) has the grain lines 'disturbed'. This is obviously the outer part of the tree, where a branch was, also indicative of the upper region of the tree, cause the diameter is less there (upper tree) allowing only pieces of this size. Obviously a very dense/hard/heavy guitar (as the upper portions of all trees are, compared to the lower regions).

Ed's Franky would be considered a 'Not So Good sounding guitar' by more people than not. Very hard/bright sound with a sharp attack, but thin and not nearly as resonant and full sounding as most would want/require(not talking actual sustain here). That is typical with heavy ash, but ESPECIALLY so with that ring orientation ('A'). I'll try and get a better visual up on all this.
Again, this guitar had a singular 'specialist' type tone, just as Ed did as a player. It obviously sounded as he wanted it to, but someone like say ERIC JOHNSON for instance, would have NEVER liked that guitar. Lukather played it back in the day and said something to the effect of "Well it ISNT the guitar"

[jimi22812]

I agree that the sunburst strat theory has been decimated once and for all!

Compare the grain patterns...

...cased closed?

[Tone Slinger]

The two distinct grain lines above the input jack,coming away from the Bridge are in a different location and way more pronounced on the Franky. Also, the upper half of the Frankys two piece body that would be visible in that Burst pic is 'in between' the actual growth ring,so it hasnt a straight grain line/pattern right behind the D,A and low E string area of the bridge (as it leads to the blackness of that burst). The Sun Burst looks very much to be Alder.

[garbeaj]

I agree that the sunburst strat theory has been decimated once and for all!

Compare the grain patterns...
...cased closed?

I think so...what is your take?