Mohagany bodied strat

[boonhogganbeck]

Has anyone here built a mohagony strat (or played one)? I'm thinking of building one with two humbuckers. How fat was the sound? How heavy was it?

Thanks in advance.

[Cogs]

I have a Strat body that I made from African mahogany (khaya) but I haven't finished it yet so I really can't help you. I'm just showing it off. ;)
Here it is before I carved out the contours. If "tone tapping" is any indication, it's going to have a sweet midrange scoop.

[OneL]

Here are some sound clips of a mahogany bodied strat with a maple top and Rio Grande humbuckers; BBQ Bucker bridge & Genuine Texas neck;


Mahogany Bodied Strat Thru Cranked Marshall


Is that heavy enough? ;) You should hear it in person because computer speakers don't do that axe justice.


I am not playing on those clips. Those chops belong to a good friend of mine. :wail2

[chuckocaster]

i built an upside down mahogany bodied strat, but i used a p90 in the bridge. it is hardtail, and has locking tuners. if you are looking for "the paul" tone, i would reccomend either putting a maple cap on it, or getting that done for you. i am very pleased with this guitar. but sounds more like a firebird or sg to my ears. i think that has to do with it not having a cap. it really screams though (i play it thru my modded bassman) the other thing i would also reccomend is getting a mahogany neck for it, and an ebony fingerboard. but then again that is only if you want it to sound more paul like. maybe that is not what you are going for, maybe it is.

as for how heavy it is, my guitar is pretty light. i wish it was a little heavier. please someone correct me if i'm wrong but it has been my understanding that the maple cap is what contributed most of the weight to a les paul.

[Franklin]

Here's my finished mahogany Warmoth body/neck.


She ain't too pretty, but she howls!!!

It's one of the hollow chambered ones. If that's what you are looking for then you'll want to be aware of the weight.
I can't remember the weight, but what you are looking for is to quote Gravity Jim;
"If you do go for it, don't take ANY body lighter than 3 pounds, 8 oounces. it will be neck heavy and be too empty to get a good tone. Anything between 3-8 and 4 pounds 2 is ideal."

Tele-Bob knows about the density properties concearning solid mahogany.

[LightninBoy]

OneL - your friend's got the Lynch stuff down pretty well!

[Gravity Jim]

Mr. bluesbarn, you are totally correct, with one teensy exception: I think your unpainted mahogany Strat looks great! My Zencaster is finished in Danish oil. and I love the look and feel of it.



And even with single coils (the dreaded EMGs, no less), it has a lot o' butt, as my pal Gary says. This clip is from the TFF Jam thread, with rhythm tracks courtesy of GuitarG. This tone is from the neck pickup, and while it's nowhere near full metal meltdown, I think you can hear the "woodiness" of the tone even in this MP3.

Swampwater Jim

I tried the Warmoth chambered strat body on a whim, and it turned out to be the coolest sounding guitar I ever had. If a Strat married a 335 and had a baby....

[Don]

Originally posted by thebluesbarn
Here's my finished mahogany Warmoth body/neck.


She ain't too pretty, but she howls!!!

That's beautiful!

[Zendocon]

Those new Strat-o-sonic guitars are all mahogany with P-90 style pickups in them. They rock! Love 'em :)

[OneL]

Originally posted by LightninBoy
OneL - your friend's got the Lynch stuff down pretty well!

He's a monster player. George is his favorite.

[Franklin]

I like the way she looks too GJ and Don. Some people, like my wife, don't think so. They don't like natural wood I guess!

[Bob Craver]

If you do it be sure to find some high-grade wood, which will weigh less. My G&L S-500 (Leo's first attempt at updating the Strat design) is mahogany and it's a real boat anchor. Weighs more than my Les Paul!