Results 1 to 13 of 13

Thread: Mahogany Start

  1. #1
    Forum Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    South Central Texas , USA
    Posts
    2,096

    Mahogany Start

    This is a pretty severe combination to look at that I am considering.Ive posted this guitar before when I first got it, I think, and it had a different neck .
    This is a Warmoth Mahogany body that I am considering mating with a Maple neck here. Probably I should wait to come by a real nice Maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard.;


  2. #2
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    11,288

    Re: Mahogany Start

    I'm gonna try a mahogany body on a Strat type build eventually. Probably with Humbuckers and a Floyd!

    Visually, I agree, it would probably look better with a rosewood fretboard.

  3. #3
    Forum Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    South Central Texas , USA
    Posts
    2,096

    Re: Mahogany Start

    Quote Originally Posted by Don View Post
    I'm gonna try a mahogany body on a Strat type build eventually. Probably with Humbuckers and a Floyd!

    Visually, I agree, it would probably look better with a rosewood fretboard.
    Yeah, Ive come to the conclusion that I need to balance it out with at least a Mahogany headstock. The maple neck is already off of there.
    Be forewarned; IMO, Mahogany just doesn't sound very good with low output Strat pickups. I had a set of Duncan Classic Stacks in there and it was a turkey, and they are very good Strat pickups.Thats why I have a JBJR bridge, Chopper middle, and Lil Screamin' Demon Neck. The Chopper really adds some glassy sparkle to the between pickups positions, and the neck sounds pretty good on its own. The bridge flat out rawks.

  4. #4
    Forum Member Custom 5's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    187

    Re: Mahogany Start

    i think mahogany bodies sound best with mahogany necks. too many conflicting frequencies between a maple neck and mahogany body. mahogany just doesn't resonate the tighter frequencies from a maple neck as well as a mahogany neck. it's kinda like, the mahogany body kills the sound instead of enhancing it. hard to say exactly but i've never had good look with that combination. try a gibson marauder.

  5. #5

    Re: Mahogany Start

    I'm partial to mahogany/mahogany myself:



    :)
    Fuzz is proof God love us and wants us to be happy. - Franklin
    http://www.frankdenigris.com

  6. #6
    Forum Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SW Florida
    Posts
    513

    Re: Mahogany Start

    Purdy!

  7. #7
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    New York Finger Lakes Area
    Posts
    8,462

    Re: Mahogany Start

    Quote Originally Posted by Custom 5 View Post
    ...

    try a gibson marauder.
    Nah, I'd rather not. LOL!
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

  8. #8
    Forum Member Cygnus X1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Sunny South Carolina
    Posts
    2,949

    Re: Mahogany Start

    If I'm going in that direction...
    I would stick with the Firebird ala Johnny Winter's.
    The Hamer Phantom is an all mahogany set neck, I like it.
    Also Charvel Model 88, but it is a shredder with a hard rock maple neck and a very dark tight rosewood FB that could be mistaken for ebony.

    As far as odd woods on a strat, I find the walnut to be the most interesting, but have not had a chance to play one.

    Looks like you are going the Model 88 direction with the addition of a couple of SC pup's.

  9. #9
    Forum Member Custom 5's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    187

    Re: Mahogany Start

    believe it or not, walnut is pretty bright sounding and not very complex. try Gibson's model "The Paul" from the late 70's/early 80's sometime and you'll hear it.

  10. #10
    Forum Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    South Central Texas , USA
    Posts
    2,096

    Re: Mahogany Start

    Quote Originally Posted by Custom 5 View Post
    believe it or not, walnut is pretty bright sounding and not very complex. try Gibson's model "The Paul" from the late 70's/early 80's sometime and you'll hear it.
    The old Walnut " The SG" 's ( I have one) is much more tamable with many different pickups than a put together Walnut Strat ( I have one), which only a few certain pickups I tried would prevent from being over the top bright. In the "The SG", The original bridge Gibson T-top sounded okay, however it was anemic, and I tried several specifically chosen higher output humbucker pickups which all sounded good; the Di'Maz 'Air Norton', the Dunacn 'Custom 5' , and the Di'Maz 'SuperD', but I settled with a Duncan Custom shop 10k bridge pickup called The 'Brobucker', and with that I can get Tull Aqualung Les Paul bridge tones in spades.The neck original '80 Gibson T-Top is super-creamy.
    [IMG][/IMG]

    The Walnut Strat is an entirely different animal. Almost nothing would tame the Icepick in the forehead, and this was even using a warm Solid Rosewood neck . I tried many of the same pickups i tried on the Walnut SG. Even the SuperD , which is always a cure for a too bright guitar wouldn't hardly work. I finally found another Duncan pickup called the PAT- B3 that worked well in the bridge, if somewhat lackluster in that application.
    The neck and bridge are a *little more neutral, but still very tempermental regarding pickup selection, and even stuff like a Hot Rails is a stretch. I am now using a couple of DiMarzio Choppers for those two single coil positions. My conclusion- As far as Strats go, Walnut is for furniture..lol,although some great tones can be had out of the middle and neck positions using a Chopper.;


    BTW< i got my mitts on a "The Les PauL" and unfortunately decided not to keep it, which i really regret, cause the guitar sounded awesome, just with the original pickups. Snag one if you can, I've noticed the prices creeping ever higher on those from the 500-700 range of just a couple years ago.
    Last edited by jerryjg; 08-16-2009 at 12:01 AM.

  11. #11
    Forum Member Custom 5's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    187

    Re: Mahogany Start

    it makes sense that a hot bridge pickup would sound good in that walnut SG because the hotter wind has less treble and of course the lows hold together better on the rhythm pickup in a bright guitar. cool.

  12. #12
    Forum Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    South Central Texas , USA
    Posts
    2,096

    Re: Mahogany Start

    Wondering if anyone has a Les Paul style Mahogany neck with Ebony fretbaord on their Strat. Pau Ferro and Ebony?
    I think I may see if Warmoth will make me one.
    Ive been thinking and thinking about what will complete my Warmoth Mahogany Strat body.
    I had a Maple neck with rosewood fretboard, and the tone was very warm. The Rosewood and the Mahogany dominated, and even though it had this sweet jazzy blue-note tone, which was very impressive for a strat, it was one dimensional in that thats really all it did well, and wasnt very genuinly Stratocaster'ish
    I think in the future my dividing line for Les Paul'esque warmth vs. Strat bright sparkle will be something like the new arrangement i have on the Mahogany body that I just put on tonight. Its Maple and Ebony.
    Basically, the Maple /Ebony brought the guitar back to its Stratocaster persona , but retained much of the charecter of a warm Les Paul sound.
    Tis is now basically a 'Les Strat', and its about as warm as I ever wanna go with a Strat again. For those warm Jazz subtle blooming tones, I will stay with a Gibson from now on. Heaven knows I have enough of them.
    The only thing I would like to try on the Mahogany Start body is a Mahogany /Ebony neck , simplly because the Maple headstock on the guitar now creates some dynamic tension visually with the Mahogany body.
    I am a believer to some extenet that form follows function, and threfore am just thinking something is better suited to the Mahogany body Strat. I also got an idea about a Pau Ferro neck with a Ebony board, and that might be visually more appealing and sound very nice.

  13. #13
    Forum Member Jonnda's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Evanston IL, or Bluffton OH... which ever comes first.
    Posts
    2,117

    Re: Mahogany Start

    Squire had a nice looking mahogany hss a few years back that I lusted after, nice lookin ax for a good price. To bad I couldn't afford it.
    "The other Shaltanac's joopleberry shrub is always a more mauvy shade of pinky-russet."

    "there's NOTHING WRONG with a live penguin, but...I expected a hamburger!"

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •