what your guys favorite guitar wood??

fillmore nyc · Post by **fillmore nyc** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:49 pm

Well, it seems like I wrote about 400 pounds of words, and really skirted around the original question, which is what are my favorite woods to build a guitar with. Here's the full answer, including all hardware choices, IF I was only gonna build/own one guitar. (keep in mind, this has EVERYTHING to do with my personal preferences in tone--it might not be someone elses cup of fish) I would use a neck-thru body design, with mahogany for the neck wood, brazilian rosewood for the fingerboard, no fingerboard inlay, Dunlop SS 6115 frets (stainless steel jumbo's). I would use curly cherry for the body wood, with a flame maple top (at LEAST 1/2" thick). My choice for scale length would be 24.75", and I would use an aluminum wraparound tailpiece, and pickups would be WCR Fillmore humbuckers in the neck and bridge. Volume pot is 500k (with a .001 cap between the hot and middle lugs to maintain the highs when rolling off the volume), tone pot is 1meg, and the tone cap would be .01mfd. One volume, one tone, and a Gibson style 3 way switch. I always route absolutely as little as possible for the controls, to keep as much wood near the bridge as possible. Also, very important (to me) is a single cut-away body design, as the neck really can use the support around the 16th fret, and the necks gotta be fat, like a '50's LP. If you ever get the chance, try playing a PRS double cutaway with the wide/THIN (not fat) neck. That lack of neck support at the 16th fret, combined with a thin neck, shows itself by the guitar having a noticeably dead (very short sustaining) spot when playing around the 9th thru 12th frets. This may be because of the 25" scale on a PRS, cause an SG, with a 24.75" scale, and a wide thin neck, does not really have that problem. Headstock would be a slotted design, not the usual solid "plank" headstock design. I like a little more angle over the nut. Speaking of the nut, I always use bone. If I wanted to get fancy with the build, I might use a 1/16" strip of padouk, or walnut between the neck thru block, and the body wings. Same goes between the flame top, and the cherry back. Finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, I would ONLY use small strap buttons. The big ones are absolutely tone killa's. (just kidding... I just wanted to see if you were paying attention. Who did you think I was, Eric Johnson??). Next post Ill list my choice for a 25.50" bolt on neck set up. Anyway, thats my 2 cents worth. Thanks for listening.

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:59 pm

Hell yeah ! I completely Agree. Everybody needs to have greatly constructed guitars that represent what all the rage is about. Only Santana has played what I'd consider to be "Good sounding" stuff on a PRS. Gibson and Fender rule the roost as far as I'm concerned. From the warm resonance of the Green/Moore '59 Les Paul to the supposidly cheap 3 bolt 70's strats of Blackmore, that stuff was designed the right way. I love the mini humbucker sound that Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson got on many of the Thin Lizzy albums. I hope to possibly pick up an early to mid 70's Les Paul deluxe at the Queen City Guitar show here in Charlotte the last weekend of this month. I hope I'm not too shocked by the prices

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Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 9:08 pm

I punched in after you launched your post Fillmore. Sounds like you know exactly what a great sounding guitar is made of

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jfhudak · Post by **jfhudak** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:06 pm

yngwie308 wrote:I have met and talked to PRS himself and he is in love with himself, or something to that effect!

Yep. Had the same experience at a guitar clinic right here in Richmond.

fillmore nyc · Post by **fillmore nyc** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:20 pm

Tone Slinger wrote:I punched in after you launched your post Fillmore. Sounds like you know exactly what a great sounding guitar is made of .

Thanks, TS, I really appreciate the props. I love sharing what Ive learned thru building, and that seems to be the prevailing sentiment with most everyone that surfs this forum, whether with amps, or guitars. Very cool.

T.J.Fuller · Post by **T.J.Fuller** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 10:27 am

By the way, great topic choice Stan!

Not to get too much off track but, as a guitarist, my keep me out- of- a rut
practice schedule consists of taking 60 days and learning everything I can in those 60 days about a certain artist's style: rock,jazz etc. always someone new every 60 days.

For July/ August have been Brian May
Somebody please discuss the wood he used, his tone is so unique.

I had no idea what incredible stuff these guys had written 74-79era

Whatever wood he is using - neck, body ..whatever....SOUNDS MASSIVE!

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 12:30 pm

TJ, I heard that Brian's guitar was made by him and his father using the wood of thier homes fireplace mantle, which is like 5 or 6 hundred years old or something. If it was domestic (English) then it couldnt have been mahogany, which is what I always thought it was. It probably was imported from somewhere way back when, as it does look like mahogany. Someone else here surely knows the right answer. I always contributed much of Brians tone to the Vox-AC30 which he cranked along with boosting the front end with a circuit clone of the old Dallas Rangemaster treble booster. There are some good clones out of this, the best to me being the "Strange Master" by Throbak effects. Thier website is www.gundrymedia.typepad.com

yngwie308 · Post by **yngwie308** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 12:56 pm

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ericopp · Post by **ericopp** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:49 pm

POPLAR POPLAR POPLAR POPLAR POPLAR POPLAR

That's my vote! I like the open, clear, musical tone it provides. Not oppressive. Not too dark like mahogony or rosewood, not too bright like maple or hard ash.

Also, i like that i have about 10-12 body blanks worth of it in my garage! My grandfather in Ohio has an overgrown farm, and he harvests some wood out from time to time. No walnut or cherry, yet, but I spied an ancient log about 2 1/2' wide by 10' long that I asked him to cut into planks for me. Gorgeous stuff, incredibly. It's still a little green, but the grain is nice. I just need better power tools to work the stuff. Anybody want to donate a band saw?

chad · Post by **chad** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:03 pm

ericopp wrote:POPLAR POPLAR POPLAR POPLAR POPLAR POPLAR

That's my vote! I like the open, clear, musical tone it provides. Not oppressive. Not too dark like mahogony or rosewood, not too bright like maple or hard ash.

Also, i like that i have about 10-12 body blanks worth of it in my garage! My grandfather in Ohio has an overgrown farm, and he harvests some wood out from time to time. No walnut or cherry, yet, but I spied an ancient log about 2 1/2' wide by 10' long that I asked him to cut into planks for me. Gorgeous stuff, incredibly. It's still a little green, but the grain is nice. I just need better power tools to work the stuff. Anybody want to donate a band saw?

I've cut timber in the N.Ohio although mostly oak and cherry and I always like the growth their on the flat land that is n.Ohio.I never cut no poplar but imagine it grows nice also.I have been a sawyer for 7 of the last 10 years and always enjoyed taking apart a nice walnut because of it's beautifull grain.Anyway good luck on that log. Chad

yngwie308 · Post by **yngwie308** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 11:12 pm

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Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 11:51 am

I used to compare tone wood. Back in the 90's it seemed Fender had a strat made of every type. This is ,imo, what I found. Keep in mind, that all these had single coil pu's and Fender 's 'vintage" style tremelo bridges.

The reissue '57 and "california seies" were alder, these models sounded best to me.

The Jimmie Vaughn back then was poplar, and the Mexican, although with a skinnier tremelo block, was poplar. These were second best.

The "Classic series" (Japan) 50's and 60's strats were made of Basswood. These sounded 3rd best.

The '68 reissue (Japan) and the custom shop '54 were both ash. Athough the neck on the '68 reissue was period correct with the round laminated fretboard, which was maple/maple (unlike the current 70's reissue's incorrect use of 'slab' fingerboard for thier rosewood board.)Those reissue '68 necks were some of the best feeling necks I've ever played. Regardless, these two model's were my least favorite, 'cause, imo, ash is to bright a wood without enough 'heft' in sound to do well with single coil pick-ups. These guitars sounded a bit weak and feeble in comparison. But, to put a humbucker in the bridge of an ash strat is to make it much better as the two (hb'er and ash) compliment one another nicley, like the Sienna sunburst "Lone Star" strat that Fender had out back then.

Necrovore · Post by **Necrovore** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:08 pm

I really like the stuff that Parker uses. They have the sweetest tone and sustain for days. All other tonewoods are inferior.

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:52 pm

I'm not for sure, but on some of the Fly's they used mahogany for the body as well as alder, like the one's Reeve's Gabriel used. I know for sure they used non wood, maybe graphite for ther necks. I really dislike non wood guitars. It's like pergo vs. hardwood flooring. Of all the tools involved in making music, the actual build of the guitar, is to me, most important.

yngwie308 · Post by **yngwie308** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:52 pm

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