Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

[SJ318]

Hello,
This question is about the sound of two different things with NO amps, guitar unplugged.
Never been here. Got a question I can only assume has been covered like magnets in the Pickup Lounge. I own several Strats, and two that have for sure basswood bodies. The one with the rosewood neck is WAY WAY brighter than the one with the maple neck. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around.
Agreed that some batches of basswood can be pretty different from one another, but this difference is remarkable. So do you smart builders or players or both think the neck is making such a dramatic difference? Or even with the same neck but different basswood bodies could make a big diff?
I really like the brightness of the rosewood neck guitar. Sounds like an acoustic with the sound hole covered up completely.
Thank you,
I would really like to know.
Steve Buffington

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

The feel of the unfinished rosewood is warmer
Than the glossy maple
With that said I like the look of maple
Except when my cousin comes over an leaves fingerprints all over it

I don't mind either one
I don't find one brighter than the other

I do find that no two guitars, no matter how identical they are
Sound exactly the same

 

[mantis]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

I wash my hands before every play, I make anyone who wants to play my guitars do the same. Very rude to play someones guitar with dirty hands.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

Hello,
This question is about the sound of two different things with NO amps, guitar unplugged.
Never been here. Got a question I can only assume has been covered like magnets in the Pickup Lounge. I own several Strats, and two that have for sure basswood bodies. The one with the rosewood neck is WAY WAY brighter than the one with the maple neck. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around.
Agreed that some batches of basswood can be pretty different from one another, but this difference is remarkable. So do you smart builders or players or both think the neck is making such a dramatic difference? Or even with the same neck but different basswood bodies could make a big diff?
I really like the brightness of the rosewood neck guitar. Sounds like an acoustic with the sound hole covered up completely.
Thank you,
I would really like to know.
Steve Buffington

At the end of it all wood is a natural product and is variable. I bet even those 2 bodies even though they are the same type of wood dont sound the same. Ive seen basswood strat bodies vary by over a pound which says its highly variable from piece to piece.

Keep in mind also that even on the rosewood guitar the neck is mostly maple. Your experience isnt surprising or strange.

and all this assumes that only the wood are different. Hardware can effect the brightness too.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

Factors besides wood that change the unplugged sound of my strats: pickups, my hhh with 2 covered humbuckers is brighter than my sss. Pickup route, the swimming pool in my mini resonates differently. Bridge type, the hardtail on my mini is brighter than the trem bridges on the regular strat. Maybe it's one of these factors or something similar.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

First off, here's a link to some interesting insights about some of the wood options: http://www.jemsite.com/jem/wood.htm

There is also a lot of different ways that woods can work together. This is more often seen in acoustic guitars, where some people consider wood selections to be more impactful. Maybe you found something that pairs up in just that special way to give you that result.

And then there is how there are different types of sub genres of wood. This is a little more common with some of the imports , for example, that might, for example, claim maple is being used...and while it might technically fall into the maple family, it's not the maple that we might be accustomed to when we think of hard rock maple or Birdseye maple.

Finally, are you certain it's rosewood? There are type of ebony out there that can be mistaken for rosewood.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

I wash my hands before every play, I make anyone who wants to play my guitars do the same. Very rude to play someones guitar with dirty hands.

I don't even wash my hands before dinner or after the toilet. :18:

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

Factors besides wood that change the unplugged sound of my strats: pickups, my hhh with 2 covered humbuckers is brighter than my sss. Pickup route, the swimming pool in my mini resonates differently. Bridge type, the hardtail on my mini is brighter than the trem bridges on the regular strat. Maybe it's one of these factors or something similar.

Two weeks ago you insisted that the finish or lack thereof on your Squier Strat and P Bass was the only factor that made them sound better than the American Standard.

 

[KNUCKLHEAD]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

SJ318 , neither the Rosewood or the Basswood are bright - i'm assuming it's in the circuit . I usually avoid both those woods on builds for brightness ( but the Basswood for lack of Anything Tonal ) Rosewood is warmer + Lees Bright than the Maple even if the maple is only Oiled .

 

[KNUCKLHEAD]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

SJ318 , neither the Rosewood or the Basswood are bright - i'm assuming it's in the circuit . I usually avoid both those woods on builds for brightness ( but the Basswood for lack of Anything Tonal ) Rosewood is warmer + Lees Bright than the Maple even if the maple is only Oiled ~ Not Glossy.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

^There's no 'circuit' in air. Circuits or other electronic parts are only important once plugged in.

Every bit of wood is different. Remember, the rosewood is only a few mm thick over maple.

Acoustic tone is basically the structure of the guitar vibrating the air. So even things like finish is important too.......as well as wood, hardware, any contouring etc etc.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

Two weeks ago you insisted that the finish or lack thereof on your Squier Strat and P Bass was the only factor that made them sound better than the American Standard.

Yep. I guess there are more factors indeed. I like unfinished wood and hard tail the best for sure. I think there's a super obvious improvement in sound with those 2 factors. Which is good cuz it's less money! I had to stop myself from buying an unfinished hard tail mahogany strat body and unfinished maple/rosewood neck today from warmoth for $380 including shipping! That's a crapload of quality for less than a Mex!

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

Yep. I guess there are more factors indeed. I like unfinished wood and hard tail the best for sure. I think there's a super obvious improvement in sound with those 2 factors. Which is good cuz it's less money! I had to stop myself from buying an unfinished hard tail mahogany strat body and unfinished maple/rosewood neck today from warmoth for $380 including shipping! That's a crapload of quality for less than a Mex!

wait you had a neck and body from Warmoth for $380
links to those please
if you don't want them, I do

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

^ GET THEM SON!

http://www.warmoth.com/Pages/ClassicShowcase.aspx?Body=2&Shape=1&Path=Stratocaster&sort=price

Yeah! All you have to do is shop the "in stock" bodies and necks. You can still customize them somewhat and they arrive in 2 weeks!

 

[SJ318]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

Edgecrusher
The brighter one is a Squire bullet with **** metal for the trem. The dull one has a Deluxe Strat Trem. Clint 55- the dull one is chambered. Would chambering make it dull? I think it would make it brighter? KNUCKLEHEAD- guitar is NOT PLUGGED IN. So I wonder what you mean by "in the circuit"?
darthphineous- it is for sure rosewood, it came with the Squire bullet for 120 bucks for the whole thing on sale. So I doubt there is rosewood looking ebony. Also I have done tedious ebony hand work from many small batches, about 7 small pieces at 7 different times, so I get what you are saying.
Buff

 

[always SD]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

my next strat will be in rosewood

i read= more sustain
warmer tone

but Clapton uses a maple neck for years, so a bluesy and bright tone so ??

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

The brighter one is a Squire bullet. The dull one is chambered.

That sounds like a huge difference to me! No wonder you're noticing a difference.

I asked Musician's Friend what kind of wood bullet strats are and they said they're basswood.

From Warmoth:
Basswood:
This is a lighter weight wood normally producing Strat® bodies under 4 lbs. The color is white, but often has nasty green mineral streaks in it. This is a closed-grain wood, but it can absorb a lot of finish. This is not a good wood for clear finishes since there is little figure. It is quite soft, and does not take abuse well. Sound-wise, Basswood has a nice, growley, warm tone with good mids. A favorite tone wood for shredders in the 80s since its defined sound cuts through a mix well.

Also I found out recently that the cheaper squier bodies are 1 1/2 - 1 5/8 inches thick instead of 1 3/4. I think this also affects sound.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

Hello,
This question is about the sound of two different things with NO amps, guitar unplugged.
Never been here. Got a question I can only assume has been covered like magnets in the Pickup Lounge. I own several Strats, and two that have for sure basswood bodies. The one with the rosewood neck is WAY WAY brighter than the one with the maple neck. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around.
Agreed that some batches of basswood can be pretty different from one another, but this difference is remarkable. So do you smart builders or players or both think the neck is making such a dramatic difference? Or even with the same neck but different basswood bodies could make a big diff?
I really like the brightness of the rosewood neck guitar. Sounds like an acoustic with the sound hole covered up completely.
Thank you,
I would really like to know.
Steve Buffington

My experience is the rosewood neck Strats sound dead acoustically but have a thick warmer sound plugged in; while the maple necks sound fuller acoustically but thinner brighter plugged in. My unscientific take was because the rosewood is glued on, possibly you don't really hear the acoustic vibrations as well, leaving you with the hardware and metal strings to generate the sound when not plugged in, making it thinner acoustically, while plugged-in, having that glued on slab or veneer, takes away some of the brightness you get with a solid neck. Meanwhile with a solid neck maple you can hear the whole guitar acoustically better, but plugged in the maple imparts a brighter sound. But that is just my description of my experience with it.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

the dull one is chambered. Would chambering make it dull? I think it would make it brighter?

I've seen where some people think that chambering could soften things up.

some people want chambering for weight relief. as with a lot of things, there might be a price to pay.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Rosewood neck vs. Maple neck with exact body radically different.

Keep in mind also that even on the rosewood guitar the neck is mostly maple.

Excellent point.

I've got some "snappy" RW Strats,but I'm thinking teh scalloping aids in that as well...
Pretty picky about my Mpl necks,too,as there are fewer of them...