Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

[krankguitarist]

I've been building and re-building this guitar for a couple of years now, and I'm HOPING that this is gonna be the last time .

I've got a warmoth construction neck w/ stainless steel frets and a full scallop, maple/ebony. I've got a duncan C5 and two lindy fralin blues specials ready for it, and its gonna be rear-routed with a hipshot hardtail bridge, tummy and arm cuts, and a contoured heel.

So i've narrowed it down to the possibilities in the poll.

 

[pac112]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

i'm no expert in woods but i guess it all depends on what sound and look are u looking for.
korina looks superb if you are planning on finishing it with "transparent" plain to show off the grain beauty.

 

[tone4days]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

i think you'll be disappointed with an all koa body .. it's gorgeous as a top but not known as a tonewood

what bodies have you been through unhappily? what was 'not right' about them?

i am leaning solid mahogany or limba

cheers
t4d

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

I'm about 99.9% sure that its gonna be a clear finish.

for this guitar, tone is my number one priority, and i'd happily exchange extreme beauty for a great-sounding piece of wood.

The only reason why I included koa on there is cause i've played a few acoustic guitars made out of koa, and really dug their sound. I was originally leaning more towards mahogony or limba though.

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

I've been through an alder body with a quilt maple top before, and while it didnt sound bad, it was a little uncomfortable for me to play (Standard tele body, and i sling a little higher than most people).

I was hoping for somthing a little darker, a little more mellow. The neck is already a real bright combination (SS frets, big truss rod, ebony and maple), I'm lookin for somthing to counter-balance that a bit too.

This guitar actually started out as a baritone with real subdued black hardware, to a standard 25.5" scale guitar with a scalloped fretboard and real over-the-top rockstar hardware (diamond plate pickgaurd, flame-shaped bridge and control plate, ya can see a pic of me playin it in my profile).

 

[pac112]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

darker sweet mellow tone? thats how mahogany sound like to me.
to be honest, i own only alder and mahogany body guitars so i cant compare koa or korina. i really love the mahogany tone. there's simply something sweet abt it.

 

[rspst14]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

Sounds like you want a mahogany body to balance some of the brightness. I have a neck with stainless steel frets as well, I really don't hear any significant increase in brightness. But the maple/ebony combination will make it a bright sounding neck, and mahogany is a bit warmer than Korina from what I've been told.

Ryan

 

[FretFire]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

I agree, Mahogany sounds like a better bet here. From what I've read about limba, it's similar to mahogany but is more open and perhaps brighter. I have a limba axe on the way so I can't comment out of experience just yet, but there are a few people here that can.

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

bumpage

 

[Stringmachine]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

Mahogany with maple top. Just like the tone of mahogany.

 

[tone4days]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

yup, for what you want tonally, i'd recommend mahogany - no maple top ... simple stain on one piece will get you perfect ...

good luck
t4d

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

Yep, as others have mentioned, maple and ebony will be sickeningly bright, so to mellow out things, you'll need mahogany.

 

[Pepi]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

For a Tele I have to have Ash or Alder or it's not a Tele.

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

For a Tele I have to have Ash or Alder or it's not a Tele.

Well, it sort of isnt really a tele :laugh2:

Scalloped fretboard, maple/ebony, HSS pickups, rear routed. All its really got in common with the tele is the shape. :wink:

 

[dani]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

black limba with a clear finish will kick major a$$ taking into account the neck. limba is just a tad more open with slightly more highs and a tighter bottom than honduran mahogany. i read that african mahogany tend to be inconsistent from piece to piece.

it is an eternal debate if its a tele based on body shape or body wood. but hell, it will make a sharp lookin tele clone for sure.

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

Thanks for all the help guys.

I liked the tone of the guitar back when it had the alder body, but was always wishing it was a bit warmer, so....

I think I've decided that i'll prolly go with a 1 piece black limba body. But, if they dont have the wood to make one and wont have it in stock for a while, i might go with a 2 piece black limba or a 1 piece mahogony. BUT...well...thats another debate...

 

[dani]

Re: Help me decide on a new body for my tele!

no worries bro. all the best in your project and have fun!