advice

[dilamod]

I was thinking about going with a mahogany body/ rosewood neck/ ebony fretboard on the tele-duluxe body style.  I'm thinking nice warm tone with good sustain. Also thinking about getting the reverse headstock, any opinions? As far as paint and finish go, Warmoth doesn't offer silverburst, any alternatives?

 

[Cagey]

I'm not a fan of reverse headstocks, but that's just a matter of taste. There's no practical reason to go one way or another. As for finishes - rosewood doesn't finish easily; it takes extra steps that they charge extra for, although in the grand scheme of things it's not expensive. Still, why put a finish on rosewood? That's like painting the diamonds in your rings to match your fingernail polish.

 

[Patrick]

reverse strat headstock?  :icon_thumright: go for it
with a mahogany body i would undoubtedly go with a transparent finish like red or amber because the way the mahogany darkens looks KILLER

 

[dilamod]

Sorry, I didn't intend to get the neck finished at all. Just the body.

 

[Cagey]

Oh, ok. Well, I gotta think a red dye over mahogany would be a wonderful thing. It wouldn't be as bright as a typical red because of the reddish-brown wood underneath, but still showing through the beautiful grain pattern mahogany has. Fade in black from the sides... sorta like this, but a little darker and with a tighter grain...

 

[dilamod]

Wow, that's friggin' gorgeous! Thanks for the excellent feedback, completely changed my idea about the finish...... totally gonna "respect the wood".

 

[Cagey]

My last one is similar to that, but with a curly maple top...

Not the best shot, but you can see the effect wood grain has under a dyed finish.