Standard Fender Strat made of Mahogany?

Re: Standard Fender Strat made of Mahogany?

Hot _Grits said:
Interesting. What book?

All the stuff I've read pointed to heavier ash being used as a result of declining quality control rather than any scarcity. The various strats and teles from the 70s I've played bear this out, with some weighing a ton and others, like my 76, weighing practically nothing. I've also played thinline teles that were made from swamp ash and were featherlight, too.
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I don't remember the book. Picked up a book to browse through at the music shop while daughter was in guitar lesson. Since I had a Thinline copy that story stuck in my mind. Maybe that is the story the Marketing Dept put out about hollow mahogany Teles.

Here is a website with almost the same paragraph.
Tele Thinline
Fender looked for ways to use readily available, but heavier grades of ash for the Telecaster. Their solution was to hollow out portions of the body to reduce weight.
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Re: Standard Fender Strat made of Mahogany?

I built one myself with a Honduras Mahogany body maybe 20 years ago. I used a standard Fender Strat neck with a rosewood fingerboard that I already had. I didn't like the guitar much! Looked nice but was very heavy and not especially resonant. Just to heavy to sound good, IMO. My alder Strat sounded alot better. I think the mahogany one ended up in a landfill...I was pretty disappointed in it and just pitched it one day. Lew
 
Re: Standard Fender Strat made of Mahogany?

I own one of the 2004 50th Anniversary Deluxe Strats in Mahogany. I believe they only made 250. Any appraisal guesses?
 
Re: Standard Fender Strat made of Mahogany?

I have a 1 humbucker mahogany body with a Carvin neck and ebony fretboard. It is more Gibson sounding than strat sounding and until recently I have had problems finding pickups that I like for it. The tone is warm round and centered on the bass/midrange.
 
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Re: Standard Fender Strat made of Mahogany?

Still a pretty common question though. I think I'm going to try a Mahogany/Ebony Carvin neck on my Alder Kramer Pacer Imperial body. Kind of a switch on the original question.

I'm guessing the body will be on the brighter end of the spectrum being Alder w/ a floated Floyd. The Mahogany neck should bring back some warmth and the Ebony board should add some snap to the notes. With the right pickups, it should sound really good.
 
Re: Standard Fender Strat made of Mahogany?

I really want to build a Warmoth Strat in Korina, which is supposed to be similar to mahagany but with more definition.
 
Re: Standard Fender Strat made of Mahogany?

Wasn't there an early 80"s all mahogany "The Strat" strat? I seem to remember one from an old catalogue
 
Re: Standard Fender Strat made of Mahogany?

'The Strat' had one version that was all walnut. I have an 82 'The Strat' made out of hard ash.
 
Re: Standard Fender Strat made of Mahogany?

B2D said:
I was reading my copy of the Fender 50th Anniversary Strat book and in one page a standard Strat and Tele are displayed, both from the late '50s. They are normal and run-of-the-mill for the period in every respect EXCEPT the fat that they're both made of mahogany!

The owner said that Fender probably had leftover mahogany after making a limited run of another guitar and used the rest for a few Strats and Teles. He also would not have noticed had it not been for the paint chipping on one of the horns. As an afterthought, he said that that particular guitar was one of his favorite Fenders because the tone was so warm and smooth.

So I was wondering... does anyone own or has anyone played a guitar that, for all intents and purposes, is a regular standard strat but with a mahogany body? I understand Suhr makes a few guitars like that.
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Not only have I played one, I built it from Warmoth parts.

http://members.toast.net/dwyss/pics/strat1.jpg
http://members.toast.net/dwyss/pics/strat2.jpg
http://members.toast.net/dwyss/pics/strat3.jpg
 
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Re: Standard Fender Strat made of Mahogany?

Heres my Warmoth Mahogany 3 piece body loaded with medium output Strat Rails, a old brass trem, Sperzels and a USACg Pau Rosa/ Bocote neck. Its on the left pictured next to my other Walnut Warmoth/ Rosewood in the midle , and my Swamp Ash Warmoht 70's Strat tribute on the right. The Mahogany Strat just can do no wrong. One of my best sounding assemblies. The Mahogany body is heavy and the key is to go ahead and use higher output single sized pickups ( r like Snowdog, a Humbucker) and don't be afraid of the weight with mahogany.

p1020832wr.jpg
 
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