Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

[bumrush]

Hey all,

I'm kind of new to guitar again but decided to drop some cash on this body about 2 years ago...Just dug it and went for it, but only now getting around to setting it up.
My question is what neck, of the two I have, should I put on it? The reason I'm asking is that I've read a bunch on how the wood affects the overall tone one gets from a body... This one is a slab of maple on a mahogany back. I read that maple topped guitars are pretty bright, and this is a pretty thick chunk (not just a veneer on top). On the other hand, I heard that mahogany is pretty deep/dark sounding (I'm being very general here) and can be muddy? I'm figuring this guitar will about 50/50 so might balance out...this is what I'm unsure about..

So the necks I have are both maple (1 being a birdseye fretboard), and the other one has a rosewood fretboard. The birdseye one is made by the guy who does Ibanez custom shop stuff named Tak Hosono (lot of his stuff on the JEM site), and the rosewood board one is a Ron Kirn. I got really cool deals on both of them, so don't think I'm just blowing money without enough knowhow...well maybe a little.

Is the difference going to be negligible, especially compared with all the other factors like speakers, pickups, etc, or should I really opt for one over the other? My fear is the birdseye neck will make this be too bright because of the maple slab on the body already. But this is the one I'm leaning towards right now..

I'm thinking of putting the Duncan Custom in it, but am open to other options as well like a good PAF type. Just want a clear, harmonic, and balanced sounding setup but will be able to do heavyish rock well enough. This will be mostly for rock and brutal blues (I'm inventing that btw)..

So I'm asking for input on this, from the sound of the body itself, to which neck, and lastly if I needed to look for brighter/darker pickups for get in. Hope this wasn't too confusing.
Thanks for any input...definitely would appreciate any feedback from ya'll.

The body:
http://imgur.com/a/Vxc0W#0

The necks:
http://imgur.com/a/iYq7q
__________________

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

Go with the neck that fits best and looks the most appealing on the body.

 

[bumrush]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

Go with the neck that fits best and looks the most appealing on the body.

They both fit fine supposedly (haven't had it mounted yet) and were each designed for a standard Stratocaster pocket, which this has. I'm not so much concerned with the looks as much as how the sound would be affected. Looking for suggestions on pickups too (I'm not liking EMGs in general). This originally had a Warmoth neck, but that was scalloped and I didn't jive with it so far, so it came off...

I'm not really that good with setting guitar up yet, and have to get the tech guy to mail this back with one of the necks installed, so I'm trying to get an idea which to go with.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

They both fit fine supposedly (haven't had it mounted yet) and were each designed for a standard Stratocaster pocket, which this has. I'm not so much concerned with the looks as much as how the sound would be affected. Looking for suggestions on pickups too (I'm not liking EMGs in general). This originally had a Warmoth neck, but that was scalloped and I didn't jive with it so far, so it came off...

I'm not really that good with setting guitar up yet, and have to get the tech guy to mail this back with one of the necks installed, so I'm trying to get an idea which to go with.

Well imo you wont really know until you try them and compare. You can gather a heap of useless information on forums like this but in the end only your ear will know whats good. Don't pay a tech to set it up especially if you have to mail it to them. The best way to learn is by putting yourself in a place you dont feel comfortable. Once you defeat those demons you will come out better for it and ready for the next project. :fest7:

Save that money for sexy parts and literature on setups. woot!

 

[bumrush]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

Well imo you wont really know until you try them and compare. You can gather a heap of useless information on forums like this but in the end only your ear will know whats good. Don't pay a tech to set it up especially if you have to mail it to them. The best way to learn is by putting yourself in a place you dont feel comfortable. Once you defeat those demons you will come out better for it and ready for the next project. :fest7:

Save that money for sexy parts and literature on setups. woot!

Cool, I appreciate the encouragement. I just messed my hand and had surgery last November. Otherwise I'd be on this in a hoot. I'm not trying to get too tech about it, and I may go against conventional wisdom on this based on my ears, but I'm trying to find out what peoples experience and/or aforementioned wisdom is in the first place... Just looking for some guidance as if the questions I asked are even that significant in the first place.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

Mmmm, birdseye. And I think a Custom would be a good place to start. If you don't like the sound there are quite a few magnet swaps with it that cover a LOT of tonal ground.

 

[Diego]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

My Ibanez is a fat chunk of maple on mahogany with a set-neck and it's VERY bright.
Don't judge by the cover...

 

[Oinkus]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

Those necks will change the sound a total of zero that can be detected by the human ear. You will have to just put both of them on the guitar and set it up twice and then pick the neck you like best period endofstory. No amount of words from anyone in a forum is going to be able to choose for you.

 

[Muffleberry]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

Those necks will change the sound a total of zero that can be detected by the human ear.

I'm not really one to do this, but for this I have to.

That is 100% false.

I had a Tele that came with a maple on maple neck. There was nothing tonally wrong with that neck, it was just left in a not so ideal garage with fluctuating temps and humidity levels, for a few days. It warped the neck up pretty bad.

I ordered a replacement neck that was maple, but with a ebony board. I did nothing to this guitar but change the neck. The guitar became brighter. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. I sold that guitar because it became so bright.

This is from personal, firsthand experience. It's not something that I read online. It actually happened.

I'm not trying to start an argument like so many others do on this forum. I'm just stating my experience with a neck change. It did make a difference, and I could hear it.

And before this turns into another tonewood debate, I want you to try a little experiment. Plug in your guitar, turn on your amp, ball up your fist, and knock on the guitar body with your knuckles. Tell me what you hear. I'll bet you hear that knocking come through your amp don't you.

A very basic concept in electronics is this. Any time you have a magnet, a coil, and a path for current, all you need is a little vibration/motion inside the magnetic field and you get current. If the wood has nothing to do with the sound of that guitar, then why do you hear the knock? It's because the pickup is picking up the vibrations from the wood and creating a signal. If the wood did nothing, you would hear nothing.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

bumrush are you on Long Island?

I know Bill that made that body

 

[bumrush]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

bumrush are you on Long Island?

I know Bill that made that body

Hi,
Nah, I'm down in Atlanta, GA. Yeah, I stumbled on the body a long time ago and just loved how it looked. I wanted to give it a good neck, but kept reading diverse opinions on the wood (ahem* see above for what I mean...) It originally had a Maple/Rosewood neck, but it was scalloped and I wasn't able to get used to it. Still have that though...

I subscribed to this thread and the first few responses were notified through email, but the Yahoo seemed to want to send the subsequent ones to the Spam folder.

I'm leaning toward the Ron Kirn neck at this point, just for the fact that someone pointed out that the Birdy Maple one has a Floyd Rose shelf for the nut, and that would be redundant for a hardtail body...

So what is the story with the wood affecting the tone!? People seem to say the total opposite things about that, but seem to believe it firmly...

 

[bumrush]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

Funny thing, I actually found pictures of the body while it was in production....On Bill Landy's MYspace page!! Has he quit making stuff for now?? He has some gorgeous bodies out there from what I can tell...Let him know this one is much appreciated...

 

[bumrush]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

My Ibanez is a fat chunk of maple on mahogany with a set-neck and it's VERY bright.
Don't judge by the cover...

Yeah, this is what I'm looking to get clarity on. I don't want a really bright guitar, so I'm hoping I can tame it a bit. That is, if mine would have the same characteristics as yours...What did you do for that, or do you like it bright that way...?

 

[bumrush]

Re: Help me put together this Guitar! Maple/Mahogany wreckage that I found...

Mmmm, birdseye. And I think a Custom would be a good place to start. If you don't like the sound there are quite a few magnet swaps with it that cover a LOT of tonal ground.

It seems to be a versatile pickup if you mess with the magnets...Just picked up a Skatterbrane so will try that out as well...once I get the neck situated...