Alder body + mahogany top?

[Tho]

I've actually never heard of this combo, but if I'm gonna have a Jackson Custom Shop built, I want it to have an alder body. But I LOVE the looks of mahogany, and I would have a transparent black gloss on it, so you can still see the wood patern but with a black stain. The rest of the guitar will be solid black.

Will a (very) thin mahogany top affect the sound?

[leftykingv2]

Maybe a little bit but who knows. Tone is all subjective to the persons ears listening to it. Some people may think it has a tremendous tonal difference while others may think it doesn't change the tone at all. I have friends who argue over the tonal differences of a maple top vs. a spalted maple top. I don't hear much of a difference between the two woods. I have never heard of that combination either so I can't say for sure what It would sound like. Sounds like a cool idea though. Let me know how it works out for you in two years.

[tomanyjacksons]

I've wondered the same thing. If it was something that was a great move it would have been done a lot by now, I would think.

[Chad]

I was part of a thread on another forum recently that discussed how much body wood affects tone. Here is my post from that thread:

Yes, body wood affects tone. Everything affects tone. The problem with any evaluation/test is solely isolating the body wood and eliminating all other variables. That can be very difficult with something organic and synergistic like a guitar. For example, the affect that a body has on the overall tone of a guitar may be more dependent on how that particular specimen of body wood blends/synergizes/interacts with the neck.....than just the body wood solely by itself.

Also, there are no absolutes with wood. Even if generalizations can be formed about the tone of different wood species, they are just that.....generalizations. There are no absolutes. Two pieces of wood from the same section of the same tree can sound totally different. With one possibly fitting into a generalization. And the other totally outside of that scope.

And the take from all that: knowing what body wood a guitar has....or ordering a guitar with a certain kind of wood is merely academic at best. Quite simply, guitars have to be judged as entire instruments on a one by one basis.

[Chad]

So I say to go with what "feels" best in your gut and will look the best to your eyes. Then hope that it ends up sounding pleasing to your ears. That is why I will never order a custom shop guitar. Chances are high that it will be a great guitar, but it could also be a tone turd.

[MetalHeadMat]

I remember I once saw a guitar with an alder body and a mahogany neck through the body. That's all I really had to add to the conversation.

[vector]

Why wouldn't you go with alder body and a maple top? Mahogany looks okay but maple has a much more distinctive wood grain pattern and shows up nicely under trans finishes.

[leftykingv2]

So I say to go with what "feels" best in your gut and will look the best to your eyes. Then hope that it ends up sounding pleasing to your ears. That is why I will never order a custom shop guitar. Chances are high that it will be a great guitar, but it could also be a tone turd.

Tone turd!

[Newc]

The biggest factor is how thick the top is, specifically in relation to the bridge studs. If the studs are seated mostly in mahogany, you'll get the tone of the mahogany. If it's just a 1/8" or 1/4" veneer, then the studs will be more in the alder, which will have more influence. Acoustically, the mahogany's tonal influence will be noticeable, but then the acoustic properties of an electric solidbody are inconsequential.

[murkat]

I've actually never heard of this combo, but if I'm gonna have a Jackson Custom Shop built, I want it to have an alder body. But I LOVE the looks of mahogany, and I would have a transparent black gloss on it, so you can still see the wood patern but with a black stain. The rest of the guitar will be solid black.

Will a (very) thin mahogany top affect the sound?

If the Mahogany top is a thin veneer (up to 1/4"), will not effect the tone of the alder too much at all.
Alder and Mahogany have a close tone print in the midrange area.

Could be good.... could be disastrous....:think:

[Tho]

Thanks for the reply you guys! Newc: That makes a lot of sense :-) Thanks!

[j2379]

Trans black over mahogany may not look that nice.