Which type of wood???

[Markk]

Re: Which type of wood???

Its not all about looks for me though they are important. Im not trying to pinpoint my sound I already have that, but I just wanted some ideas and info about how different woods will effect my tone.

Then I would say very little. So many players over the years have used different guitar with differnet woods and different pickups and so many listeners have made mistakes in saying that "So and so was playing a tele when he was going with an LP" etc. Same thing for wood. That Halen example is a good one, there are countless others. IMO, this is more of a discussion on the theoretical effect wood would have. Unless the composition is incredibly drastically different, then you won't hear much of a difference.

 

[Marinblues]

Re: Which type of wood???

I am going to build a custom strat sometime and I had a few questions about types of wood that would effect the guitars tone. I wondered what a strat would sound like with a maple body with a SSS configuration. Other types of wood I was thinking of are walnut, ash, and mahogony. Thanks

I'd go for ash.


M.

 

[bjeans79]

Re: Which type of wood???

Stick to lightweight alder or lightweight swamp ash. Trust me. Trust Leo Fender too...he tried all those other woods too...and then made his Strats out of swamp ash or alder.. Lew

What do you think will give me a fatter tone Swamp ash or Alder?

 

[bjeans79]

Re: Which type of wood???

I'd go with either Swamp ash or Alder.

My APS IIs get an awesome Hendrix type of tone. I would also say that they aren't the ideal Metal p/u - you can pull it off, but you won't get that Metal chunge (w/o a pedal).
Through my fuzz though, I can get thick sustained chords and a beautiful violin type of thing through the neck p/u.
APS IIs are great p/u's.:fing2:

THanks. I wasnt looking for a metal tone out of a Strat though. My Schecter is a different story.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Which type of wood???

I agree and dont. Cause Leo DID make quite a few of his G&L's outta Mahogany. Especially the anniversary higher end ones. Isnt that true Lew?

I made a Honduras Magogany Strat from a superb piece of hand picked mahogany wide enough and thick enough to make a one piece body. The guitar weighed a ton and didn't have a pleasing resonant tone...at least not to me. Les Pauls, SG's, etc. with P-90's or humbuckers sound cool with a mahogany neck and body. I don't think Strats and Teles with a maple neck and mahogany body do. And I don't think those 70's Les Pauls with Honduras Mahogany/Maple bodies and maple necks sound that great either. Lew

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Which type of wood???

Hey man i have a super strat SSH as well made of One peice Mahogany and one peice maple neck.

Since the body is around 5 pounds it isnt that dark, plus the all maple neck
adds to some of the brightness as well.
Awesome sounding for rock, blues as you said. Has alot of mids. How are the mids on yours?
Mine has just got better with time. It is my favorite axe now by far. The notes just sing. Great overtones as well. Mahogany is an amazing tonewood.

Sorry, I didn't see your post untill today! My guitar is more of a cross between a telecaster and a Les Paul than a strat. The mids are very balanced on my guitar . . . it's got a lot of sparkle, some good mids, and a touch less in the lows. The notes really do sing nicely. I've been playing this guitar pretty much non-stop for the last couple of months and can't get enough of it.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Which type of wood???

What do you think will give me a fatter tone Swamp ash or Alder?

That's a tough call. As a general rule, swamp ash usually gives a more scooped midrange than alder, and is usually considered a bit brighter. However, swamp ash can also give a lot of low end punch, that is still tight and articulate, in cases of a nice resonant body. That's the catch right there. Swamp ash will vary tonally from peice to peice more than alder. I find that with swamp ash, and alder for that matter, the lighter peices usually sound fatter and warmer . So get the lightest ash you can, if you go that route.

If your thinking a bit fatter than typical, and if your planning on using a solid color finish, then you might consider basswood as well. Two of my best sounding bolt on's are basswood. Actually, perhaps my favorite s/s/s strat to play out is basswood.:27:

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Which type of wood???

I made a Honduras Magogany Strat from a superb piece of hand picked mahogany wide enough and thick enough to make a one piece body. The guitar weighed a ton and didn't have a pleasing resonant tone...at least not to me. Les Pauls, SG's, etc. with P-90's or humbuckers sound cool with a mahogany neck and body. I don't think Strats and Teles with a maple neck and mahogany body do. And I don't think those 70's Les Pauls with Honduras Mahogany/Maple bodies and maple necks sound that great either. Lew

I think weight might be a primary factor on bolt on's utlizing mahogony. I've used african mahogony with bolt maple necks to good results. These guitars were pretty light for mahogony, coming out not much heavier than the typical alder bolt on. In these cases I went with mahogony to off set brighter finger board woods, such as ebony and pau ferro.