Help Me Pick A Body Wood

[DoobieK]

I am thinking of building a Warmoth 7/8 size, 24 3/4" scale that will be humbucker loaded. The 24 3/4" scale necks are all maple and it will have a rosewood board. What body wood should I use to get a fat sound? I want it to sound as Les Paul-ish as possible. I know it won't sound like one but I want it to be as ballsy as possible. My first thought is all mahogany body, but since the neck will be maple and bolted on I don't know.

[elicross]

I don't know how much difference the neck wood will make, but I assume it's a part of the LP sound, along with the scale and the body wood (among other things). Do any other makers offer a 24 3/4"-scale bolt-on neck in Mahogany?

I assume you're talking about making a Strat-style guitar that comes as close as possible to the LP sound while still kinda being a Strat. Does Warmoth (or any other maker) offer a Strat-style body in mahogany with a maple top?

[Gravity Jim]

Sure, Warmoth will build one if those. But I am still suspicious of claims for "tone wood" when it comes to the bodies of solid guitars. In my experience, you can't really predict the resonant or tonal quality of a guitar based on species.

I mean, how many times have you heard someone say they had a Les Paul that surprised them with it's brightness? Same wood, same construction, same pups, not the same sound.

[Doc W]

Call me crazy, but if you try to make a Strat sound LP'ish, you will just wind up with a very heavy guitar that looks like a Strat, but doesn't really have any of that snap. It won't really sound like a LP either, so you will get two dogs for the price of one.

If you want a Strat that gets the punch and some of the resonance of a LP, then try one of the midrange boost kits. That is how Clapton gets those singing tones with the Strat with that tweed Twin.

I used to have a mahogany hardtail Strat with a stacked humbucker and it should have been named the Toneturd.

[DoobieK]

You guys are probably right. I'm going to shelve the idea as I just ordered a new guitar a couple days ago. One of the DC22 Santana models from Musicians Friend.

Thanks for your input. You probably helped talk me out of building a turd.

[elicross]

A PRS Santana! I'm envious, man.

[melody]

I will flip the coin over to the other side and say the closest your gonna get to the LP sound with a fender style is a Tele with buckers. G&L makes one that I have been wanting to try but yet to see in the local guitar store.


G&L ASAT Deluxe Semi-Hollow Natural: If you've always wanted the playabilty of a Fender with the sound of a Les Paul, then look no further than this guitar! Mahogany back with a flamed maple top in white binding and no F-hole. Dual Seymour Duncan humbuckers give a thick tone and lots of sustain with the patented Saddle Lock fixed bridge. Adding more versatility is the mini-toggle switch allowing you to get single coil tones as well! Rosewood fingerboard on a gloss maple neck and of course the hardcase is included!


Here is a link to the guitar I wish was mine.

http://www.buffalobrosguitars.com/im...xsh/index.html

[DoobieK]

A PRS Santana! I'm envious, man.

Technically it isn't called a Santana, even though the copy reads that it is a Santana body and has a modified Santana neck. Here is a link to it. I ordered the Tobacco Burst.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...tar?sku=423104

Melody, That is a cool looking guitar. G&L guitars are top quality. I had an SC-3 that even though it was on their low end it sounded and felt great. The problem for me and G&L is, their nut width is 1 5/8" and that is too narrow for me. That is why I was going to go Warmoth. I can get 1 11/32 nut width and a '59 roundback profile.

[elicross]

Technically it isn't called a Santana, even though the copy reads that it is a Santana body and has a modified Santana neck. Here is a link to it. I ordered the Tobacco Burst.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...tar?sku=423104

Awesome. And you picked the best finish.

I love the look of PRS's double-cutaway guitars. Much prettier to me than the sorta-kinda-Strat-shaped style PRS seems to sell so many more of.

[melody]

Melody, That is a cool looking guitar. G&L guitars are top quality. I had an SC-3 that even though it was on their low end it sounded and felt great. The problem for me and G&L is, their nut width is 1 5/8" and that is too narrow for me. That is why I was going to go Warmoth. I can get 1 11/32 nut width and a '59 roundback profile.

Cool gottcha, I'm thinking bout trying to come up with the scratch for the G&L I linked only thing is I don't like buying a guitar without playing it first.

That's a sweet guitar you're getting please post back and give a report.

[DoobieK]

Melody, I understand that. I have had mixed luck buying guitars I wasn't able to play before buying. I think a G&L is a pretty safe bet though.

I will post pics when it arrives. This place is more appreciative of different brands than some forums.

[melody]

Doobie,

Yea I know it's prolly a sweet guitar and they do offer 48 hour approval but I'm gonna put it outta my mind for now. Good luck with your new axe.

[KYChucky]

wow you gave up on a build seemingly quick... Im considering a build myself but cant get started because I don't know what direction to go in, strat, tele, crazy P-90 thing.... I guess if you are trying to get to the PL sound its a bit harder with a build due to the set neck. But set neck stuff is out there too.

[KYChucky]

Silent J

What would you say are the factors for a pleasing resonant and tonal build?

I ask because my amp and FX are my builds and would like to complete the chain with my built guitar.

[Gravity Jim]

Chucky, I have no idea. I know some pieces of wood resonate nicely and some don't, and it does affect the sound of a solid body guitar in some way. So I'm not saying that body wood doesn't affect tone... I know it does (my own Strat is proof).

I'm saying you can't predict it based on species. Saying, "This is mahogany with a maple cap so it will sound this way or that way" is an old wive's tale... persistent, but not observable. I think body weight (for a given shape) is probably a better indicator, but that's just my own untested and probably intuitive-but-wrong concept.

What amazes me is that such a tale is so persistent. It it was true, then all Les Pauls built the same way would sound alike, right? But we all know they don't. Since we all know hat, why do we also think we can predict the sound of a guitar based on its construction?

I'm not being deliberately dense here... I understand why human beings can "know" two completely things at once.

[KYChucky]

I understand - picking the wood is just another part of the total. It seems to be a starting place mentally. I suppose a better place to start is pickup type, then scale length perhaps. Then what are your finishing skills vs what do you want it to look like...some woods finish easier than others...I think most of us want to be able to pick a tone direction and move that way with some level of confidence that we will actually get close. Because when you price it all you there is no saving of dollars going on.

[DanD]

Doobek,
I just built an Alder bodied/JV necked twin GFS AlNiCo II Strat that's got some good LP tones going on. I used the 50s wiring on it w/a single volume and tone.

It doesn't sound exactly like a good LP but leans more towards the Gibson camp than the Fender side of things tonally. It still has more Fender snap and less Gibson sustain than an LP.

Not to rain on your parade, but the PRSs I've had never sounded like an LP either. Tonally I'd say the PRSs land somewhere between a Fender and a Gibson. They are their own animal.

That being said, she looks like a beauty! Congrats on the new axe.

KYChucky:

My personal best experiences have come from Alder bodies. I'd call it the "Tastes like chicken" of tone wood. I've used bodies from USACG and KnE Guitars and both companies did well.

KnE uses two piece construction with an off center seam. Bodies are a bit cheaper from KnE if the off center seam doesn't bother you.

USACG will also do 24 3/4" necks in your choice of wood. However I think the shorter scale doesn't make a Fender sound anymore LPish.

My single P 90 24 3/4" scale Strat-o-sonic with Rosewood board and Mahogany body didn't sound anything like my LP JR. I've a friend that built a 25 1/2" scale 3 P 90 Strat clone that actually sounds more Gibson like than my Strat-o-sonic did. It has a Maple neck and Basswood body.