Tone of walnut?

[jalguitarman]

I am intiriged by walnut especially the figuered stuff. Carvin says it has a growling low end w/ a bright top end and this sound like a sweet concept to me. Was looking at warmoth and they said nothing of the low end. does any one have any experiance w/ this wood in a six string (or 7)?

basically what i want to know is does it have a growling low end/ thanks guys.

 

[Loserchief]

Re: Tone of walnut?

I have a six string bass that's got a walnut body and it has the bright and clear topend and the growling lows. It's a little sccoped in the mids imo, but a great tonewood to me.

 

[jalguitarman]

Re: Tone of walnut?

I have a six string bass that's got a walnut body and it has the bright and clear topend and the growling lows. It's a little sccoped in the mids imo, but a great tonewood to me.

Thats what a midrange heavy pick up is for. Do you think this will translate into the guitars range?

 

[theboatcandream]

Re: Tone of walnut?

I am intiriged by walnut especially the figuered stuff. Carvin says it has a growling low end w/ a bright top end and this sound like a sweet concept to me. Was looking at warmoth and they said nothing of the low end. does any one have any experiance w/ this wood in a six string (or 7)?

basically what i want to know is does it have a growling low end/ thanks guys.

I've played a number of "the pauls" which are supposed to have walnut bodies. I wasn't impressed. They had a harsh, brittle sound to them.


edit: maple neck + walnut body + custom custom, thoughts?

 

[theodie]

Re: Tone of walnut?

I've played a number of "the pauls" which are supposed to have walnut bodies. I wasn't impressed. They had a harsh, brittle sound to them.


edit: maple neck + walnut body + custom custom, thoughts?

If they are Harsh and brittle, A PATB will work really nice!

 

[3th3r]

Re: Tone of walnut?

I had an all-walnut Gibson "The Paul" with a JB in the bridge. This combination sounded very similar to a mahogany LP Junior with a P-90. I would not describe it as having a "growling" low end".

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Tone of walnut?

Never really liked the tone of walnut for myself...but Albert King played a Dan Erlewine built walnut Flying V that sounded pretty killer in his hands.

For me, the midrange tones would not be textured enough and the highs seem to have a little to much "ping".

I built a walnut Strat once and I've played a few walnut Les Pauls, including one made by Dan Erlewine from the same wood he used in Albert King's Flying V...not my kinda tone.

Definately not a "growly" kind of tone...at least not my idea of "growly". Seemed kind of sterile...

Lew

 

[scottish]

Re: Tone of walnut?

ive heard its very similar to maple with maybe a touch less high end

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Tone of walnut?

ive heard its very similar to maple with maybe a touch less high end

Good call. The tone of walnut in a solid body guitar does remind me a little of maple...not quite as hard and bright sounding as maple though. Lew

 

[Loserchief]

Re: Tone of walnut?

ok,i admit being wrong about walnut. I guess it sounds different when used in a bass

 

[theodie]

Re: Tone of walnut?

ive heard its very similar to maple with maybe a touch less high end

Might be up my alley then.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Tone of walnut?

ok,i admit being wrong about walnut. I guess it sounds different when used in a bass

Some hard, dense, heavy woods (like maple) that sound awful (at least to me) as the body of a solid body guitar, sound great when used in a solid body bass.

Go figure...

Lew

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Tone of walnut?

sounds amazing when used for a Tele thinline with a flame maple top and tele single coils!! Great tone. Definitely growling lows, clear sparkling top end, good for getting the twang out of the Tele and when used for a thinline there's enough of it gone to prevent britality!!! (whew, just made up a word).

 

[cream123]

Re: Tone of walnut?

I played a solid body tele made of black flame walnut with cobalt noiseless pickups in it with a maple/rosewood neck. HOLY COW! that was nice...The guys above - lew - were correct in their description...but the amp can cut some of taht high off very well.

 

[theodie]

Re: Tone of walnut?

Some hard, dense, heavy woods (like maple) that sound awful (at least to me) as the body of a solid body guitar, sound great when used in a solid body bass.

Go figure...

Lew

A JB in a Hard Maple axe like a Kramer Baretta is heaven! The Demon also works VERY well with maple. Go figure!

 

[jalguitarman]

Re: Tone of walnut?

Would it work better as a top with a warmer body and neck wood?

 

[scottish]

Re: Tone of walnut?

yes...you can get some gorgeous flame walnut for clearcoating.

it would work on pretty much anything, alder, swampash, korina, mahogany....whatever

i just really dont like the sound of solid body maple/walnut/padouk guitars

 

[SFW]

Re: Tone of walnut?

I have a maple neck-thru walnut body sides Carvin DC127c. The tone is thick and packs plenty of low mid punch. It has a nice presence, but the over all tone is very thick. Here's a pic... I love this guitar by the way...

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: Tone of walnut?

I found a general comparison chart of some woods (posted in my thread too):

Walnut seems to have strong mids and same highs as maple.

Also, with the maple highs on 7 I see there are already 3 woods brighter than that and it's really close to alder.

Hmmm....Some very nice wood description here too:

http://www.bothner.co.za/articles/bodywoods.shtml

Edit: If this picture has correct info the most balanced woods are: Alder, Maple, Ebony, Koa and Basswood.

 

[theboatcandream]

Re: Tone of walnut?

Edit: If this picture has correct info the most balanced woods are: Alder, Maple, Ebony, Koa and Basswood.

You can't really look at things that way though because two woods might have the same responsiveness to a certain frequency range but the character of that response is even more important.