guitar wood

[jonsgon]

trying to figure out how a maple guitar body sound in relation to alder or poplar?
is it darker or will it make the guitar sound brighter?
thanks
jon

[toejam]

Re: guitar wood

Maple will be brighter and heavier. http://www.carvin.com/wood_finish/

[pebber]

Re: guitar wood

before giving any answer one certainty: different woods absorb different frequencies in different amounts, and wood itself vary in quality, weight, densitiy and origin.. and now the answer:
If you want it bright, maple is your way to go for a solidbody guitar

[jonsgon]

Re: guitar wood

thanks fellas, thats what i figured but wasn't 100%
i'm trying to pick a pup for this project i'm working on which has a maple body and a maple/rosewood neck, all the guitars i currently own are either jackson soloist's or gmw's so i know what pups i like in those now i need to find something a little darker sounding to offset the wood

thanks
jon

[toejam]

Re: guitar wood

A DiMarzio Tone Zone or Duncan Invader would probably be work well.

[shredmonster]

Re: guitar wood

Glad you like the wood you are using.

However, personally, if you are looking for a pup to darken the sound of the wood then it follows that the you are looking for a pup that is going to "modify" or "change" if you will the sound of the guitar since it is bright.

The route you might want to consider in the future is getting a combination of wood that is not too bright therefore you would not need a "dark" pick up or any pick up that is going to modify your sound.

There are pups out there that are very high quality and are manufactured to be "transparent" - that is the allow the natural tone and resonance of the guitar wood to dictate the sound and not the pup ie. Aero Instrument pups for example - super high quality and transparent.

Therefore you would need a different would combination of course but you may want to try a maple top with mahagony or basswood for example.

Just a suggestion, ponderence, thought....

[GodOfRhythm]

Re: guitar wood

Yup, shredmonster is right.

Your not going with maple for it's beautiful grain either (that'd only be for a nice top), so you might want to consider another wood.

How about a maple body with a mahogany neck and a brazilian rosewood fretboard? Or a mahogany body with a maple neck (= the ultimate combo for me)

Or all mahogany (neck and body) with a thick maple cap, like a LP, to give you a very nice and balanced sound.

[toejam]

Re: guitar wood

Personally, I really dig all mahogany guitars... my LP Studio is all mahogany, even the carved top, and it sounds amazing with an EMG 85 in the bridge and 81 in the neck. My old JJP was also all mahogany with a DiMarzio Super Distortion. Though, mahogany and maple are also a classic combo.
Seems Gary Holt from Exodus is now having his Bernie Rico Jr. neck-thru guitars made with mahogany necks and maple body sides.

[jonsgon]

Re: guitar wood

thanks guys, the body i came upon was a deal so picking it for its wood was a second thought now the neck i could have changed a little but too late now as it's ordered.
toejam, i love the tone zone in one of my soloist's and i had a super dist. once in an esp kamakazee(which i didn't like much by the way)
i may try the tone zone and string it with .010's
i'm not sure of any pups that are darker than the tone zone or the super3?

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: guitar wood

i'd try the super distortion or a JB in a maple body.

[jonsgon]

Re: guitar wood

i had a super dist. in a maple lynch kamakazee, which i did not like, come to think of it i didn't like the lynch pup either......

jon

[Chuckracer]

Re: guitar wood

Picky bastard, aren't ya? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I had a maple body GMW with a maple neck/board. It wasn't nearly as "ice-picky" as I thought it was going to be. Had the obligatory (for me) Duncan Custom in it, sounded great!

[Chrisb]

Re: guitar wood

heh it depends how dark is dark. If you want a really bass heavy sound with nice mid range tone then walnut is a fine choice. Mahongany of course has fantasic mids and a well defined bass and isn't to shabby all around. My personal favorite for a warm sound with more bottom end is Koa. But Koa can be pricey. A good middle ground wood for a cheaper price is lacewood. I'd say it falls between koa and maple as far as tonal quality. Like Koa its a gorgeous wood and looks great with a natural finish. But alot of this depends on your pickup. Like with EMG's IMO it doesn't matter what wood you use cause I think they kill the natural tone.. If you have a more natural sounding pickup that works with the wood rather than on its own terms, then definitely you want to look at what woods have what sound.

Also body isn't the only factor in regards to tone. Neck and fingerboard all play a part. I'd suggest poking around warmoth's website they usually give a short description of what sort of tonal quality a particular wood has. But this is a moot point, since you got the guitar already. In regards to pickups, my personal preferance is a Duncan Custom or a Custom Custom.

[jonsgon]

Re: guitar wood

chuckster, the chuckanator, chuckorama, making copies........my saturday night live skit
chuck you would put a duncan custom in a pile of shit and make it sound good, soooooooo
what do you guys think of a pearly gates strung with .010's?

[toejam]

Re: guitar wood

[ QUOTE ]
JB in a maple body.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yuck! I had one of those in my old Hamer that was mahogany with a 3/8" maple top... too much treble and high mids. I think the JB is overrated and really don't know why people would use them in maple or alder bodies, but nothing I guess a little EQ couldn't help.