Help, I'm ready for a "tax refund" build... Maple body?!

[AllHailDIO]

Hello everyone

I acquired a moderate sum of money unexpectedly, I expect a moderate sum via tax refund, and a small sum from selling a beater guitar.  With those powers combined... I am... building my 3rd build!

I want a guitar specifically for lead, hence a single humbucker guitar...  I know, I know, versatility is the rational choice but uhh... Rule of cool :headbang5 .  I was debating on dropping either an Alnico Warpig or a JB (maybe Antiquity version or A4 if need be). 

The thing is, I'm debating on wood choices.  Here are my thoughts:

• Solid Hard Maple body (chambered bodies aren't my cup of tea)
• Wenge neck with Indian Rosewood fretboard
• Fixed bridge: brass & steel, brass & titanium, or all brass

Just debating on NICKEL or SS frets... Reason being is I play nickel wound strings exclusively on nickel frets (strings don't wear out as fast) and nickel-plated steel on SS frets (frets don't wear out as fast).  Do you think a Hard Maple body would be too bright with nickel-plated steel strings?  I normally play Blue Steels, sometimes GHS Boomers; similar to NYXL without the hefty price tag...  These strings are on my SS fret guitar: Korina w/ Wenge neck + Ebony FB, and they sound amazing!  They have insane articulation & aggression with a cutting power that I can't find on nickel strung guitars including my nickel fretted Strat (Alder with Roasted Maple and an all steel tremolo system).

Or should I go for something less bright than a Maple body?  Especially since I think I would want nickel-plated steel strings for this build...

• Solid Basswood body with Maple laminate
• Roasted Maple neck with Wenge or Pau Ferro fretboard
• Fixed bridge: brass & steel or all steel

Unfortunately, I have no experience with Warmoth's basswood and little experience with Basswood in general (strong fundamental note presence with practically no overtones - cleans are bland but seems to cut better in high-gain - not necessarily bright nor warm in the mids but quite a smooth top-end).  Also, no experience with Hard Maple bodies (just a little with Soft Maple which is totally different - more like a brighter, less interesting sounding Alder with a tighter low-end... not as punchy as I would have expected though).

Decisions, decisions...

I'm not expecting a guru to magically know and be able to answer my questions... I'm just here to chat and discuss, mostly for fun, because thinking about these things (building a Warmoth guitar) is fun!

 

[amigarobbo]

Once you go blac stainless, you don't go back.

 

[new-killer-star]

I bought a pair of guitars close to 10 years ago, a taylor with nickel frets and a warmoth partscaster with stainless. I've played them both *a lot* but I've had to do fretwork on my taylor recently and my warmoth ss frets still look and feel great; even when I look very closely they only have very minor wear on a few frets.

 

[amigarobbo]

I'd be more worried about the weight of solid maple


Maple is heavy, the last time I picked up a thin, relatively small bodied Maple Rickenbacker 620 it was easily as heavy as by swamp ash tele, probably heavier, actually...

..Goes off to check...

Yeah, the Rickenbacker is heavier

 

[AllHailDIO]

I bought a pair of guitars close to 10 years ago, a taylor with nickel frets and a warmoth partscaster with stainless. I've played them both *a lot* but I've had to do fretwork on my taylor recently and my warmoth ss frets still look and feel great; even when I look very closely they only have very minor wear on a few frets.

Yep I've heard SS frets are practically forged by the Gods themselves and stand the test of time. I love em too! But... I dont like how they deaden nickel wound strings so fast though... At least in my experience...

I'm OCD about what frets to use because it dictates my string choice which has more effect on the tone than anything else (at least on the physical guitar itself), at least when comparing two totally different materials

I'd be more worried about the weight of solid maple


Maple is heavy, the last time I picked up a thin, relatively small bodied Maple Rickenbacker 620 it was easily as heavy as by swamp ash tele, probably heavier, actually...

..Goes off to check...

Yeah, the Rickenbacker is heavier

I'm a home player and record for fun kinda guy. Not skilled enough to play live but when I did with a crappy band back in the day, I would only gig with MIM Fender or Epiphone haha.

Other words, weight is not an issue  :turtle:

I also have a thing for plain tops on Les Pauls... "Plain" Maple is beautiful! In a simple organic way... Like swamp ash.

Once you go blac stainless, you don't go back.

Haha I see what you did there

 

[Nando Vallart]

In the use you said is possible that you would never need to do any job on a ss fret... that mean something...

Warpig all the way  :glasses9:

 

[AllHailDIO]

In the use you said is possible that you would never need to do any job on a ss fret... that mean something...

Warpig all the way  :glasses9:

Haha true. I may go SS and if need highs to be tamed, use nickel wound strings... I just hate string changes. A weird pet peeve to have as a guitarist haha.

Yah I have a CPig in my Korina build. Amazing... Hands down my favorite pickup. Not flubby as I had feared. Great rhythm but unexpectedly great leads too. I bet the A5 version does leads even better.

 

[nullref]

Just as another data point...  Last year I put together a solid Padouk tele with a Padouk neck.  Love the thing to death, but IIRC she weighed in at 10 lbs fully loaded.

 

[AllHailDIO]

Just as another data point...  Last year I put together a solid Padouk tele with a Padouk neck.  Love the thing to death, but IIRC she weighed in at 10 lbs fully loaded.

Haha dang 10lbs! Not even a carve top too (I assume)

Padouk, from what I've heard, are amazing sounding necks. With Indian Rosewood FB and Chambered Roasted Swamp Ash body, I bet it makes for beautiful cleans... I was thinking of a build like that for a Triple Firebird Jazzmaster with full TOM. But one thing at a time haha

A Padouk body.... So cool! I wanna see! I kinda wish those come up more often especially in the bass showcase. Bet it sounds great in a Tele. Traditional setup or humbuckers?

On a side note... I'm thinking Bubinga neck would match a Maple body better than a Wenge neck though I heard they are similar... But since I'm going custom, why not consider every nuance right?  :icon_thumright:

 

[nullref]

You can see the final results here.  I've logged more hours with her than any of the others, probably combined as well.  Easily my favorite...

 

[AllHailDIO]

I think a Bubinga neck will be more sonically compatible/friendly on a Maple body than Wenge but what do yall think?

I'm leaning towards Bubinga. I do want bright screaming mids (just not shrill) and some fullness on single notes. And Indian Rosewood fretboard will smooth out the highs and will aid, or at the least won't detract from, adding fullness to single notes.

Hmm... I think I'm getting somewhere  :icon_biggrin:

 

[AllHailDIO]

You can see the final results here.  I've logged more hours with her than any of the others, probably combined as well.  Easily my favorite...

Wow thats one beautiful tele. I like the double binding and how well the back and neck matched! The top is a nice touch especially on a traditional Tele.

Haha I bet you play her all the time. Easy to play something beautiful both visually and sonically.

EDIT: Oh that's Spruce! I thought it was painted on top. Either way I like it. Nice contrast and makes the Tele more traditional and classy. Plus all the colors share a common hue. Nice work!

 

[weezingthejuicebodhi]

Not sure if you're open for suggestion on pickups, but I've had great experiences with DiMarzio's Tone Zone and PAF Pro.

The Tone Zone is just an all out rage machine, very dirty and will drive even the cleanest of amps. A lot of mids/high presence here.

The PAF Pro is a hot and well-rounded pickup. This did very well for me when I used it for split coil too.

 

[AllHailDIO]

Not sure if you're open for suggestion on pickups, but I've had great experiences with DiMarzio's Tone Zone and PAF Pro.

The Tone Zone is just an all out rage machine, very dirty and will drive even the cleanest of amps. A lot of mids/high presence here.

The PAF Pro is a hot and well-rounded pickup. This did very well for me when I used it for split coil too.

Hey thanks for the suggestions! Its been awhile since Ive used those pickups but I do remember liking them. However for my tastes and tuning in C-standard, may not be the best fit. Plus theres a characteristic about BKP that I cannot explain... especially the Warpig.

Then again, Dimarzio does have a signature compression and fundamental note strength that really lends itself to be wonderful for lead. I like the Chopper, Cruiser, and Titans. Areas are nice too!

Haven't tried JB longer than anything else and heard JB match well in Maple. Any reason the Warpig isn't working (unlikely haha), I may go to the JB, most likely Antiquity or stock with A4 (maybe a MJ for cool factor)  :headbanging:

 

[AllHailDIO]

My friend just informed me that nickel wound strings are nickel plated steel... And Blue Steel is nickel plated steel... So the same thing!

Weird. Ive been making an arse of myself for awhile now haha. Well guess ill go SS frets then!

 

[Strat Avenger]

Hard maple is heavy (unless you're talking about soft maple).
I'd rather wear out strings than frets any day.

 

[AllHailDIO]

Hard maple is heavy (unless you're talking about soft maple).
I'd rather wear out strings than frets any day.

I think it'll be the same price. Refret every several years. That many strings only living half of its life adds up

Nonetheless, Blue Steel doesnt have this issue. And I was wrong about strings... They are all nickel plated steel (at least the ones I use).

 

[Cagey]

Pick your body wood based on aesthetics rather than sound. It's not an acoustic. The effect a body's wood species has on an electric guitar's sound is subtle at best. Your playing style, neck wood and bridge have more mechanical effect, and the pickups/effects chain/amplifier have the electrical effect on your sound.

In the decision tree for fretwire, there is no path for nickel-silver alloy.

See?

There is no reason to use nickel-silver fretwire. Stainless lasts longer, feels better and has no effect on sound. Technically, it should wear strings slightly faster, but it's so much smoother than nickel-silver that in practice, the opposite occurs: strings last longer. Even if the string wear issue was real, worn strings are much easier/cheaper to replace than worn frets. Besides, nickel strings are only nickel plated. Even nickel-silver frets are going to wear off that plating at the contact points in about 3 minutes. Worst case, you switch to stainless strings, although there is a difference in sound there - they're noticeably brighter. But, like stainless frets, they last a lot longer.

 

[AllHailDIO]

Hey Cagey. I agree with you but at the same time, I did not come to the same conclusion.

IME, amp speaker then amp then strings then pickups then guitar woods affects tone... Yes I agree woods are low on the tonal pyramid but its still there... And still important. 

I could always do a laminate top for looks and that was my intention with basswood... But I considered basswood for its tonal characteristics.  If I'm going to build a custom guitar, I want it to be designed. I'm spending the money. Why half arse it?

Some people say you cant make a Strat sound like a Les Paul and vice versa.  Well I mistakenly got strayed by the "its all magnets and electronics" camp. I put humbuckers in a Strat and brass saddles... Not quite the same as a Les Paul. I even bought a hardtail body. Nope... Sure the neck joint is drastically different but the same issue can occur with an Epiphone Les Paul with no maple cap. Especially when comparing to a LP Custom where Gibson uses Ebony fretboard rather than Rosewood. They sound and respond different. Is it night and day? No. Its a nuance. But at a certain level of any craft or hobby, its the fine details my friend that separate the expected, the mediocre, from thought-out/well designed masterwork.

So pretty much we said the same thing. You say subtle... I say nuance...fine details. Its important to me :icon_biggrin:

With that said and without any further delay, I will admit that you are TOTALLY correct about SS frets haha. I kinda wish I got them for my Strat but I wanted traditional tone... IF a difference was distinguishable... It was my first Warmoth neck so I didnt know better.

And I made a mistake... Daddario standard nickel wound and Dean Markley Blue Steel are both nickel plated steel sooo... Guess its the same. Idk why they sound so different though (unless Daddario made a typo on their website)

 

[Cagey]

Steel is not an element - it can be made in a nearly infinite number of alloys, so its permeability/reluctance (among other qualities) varies accordingly. Since the sensing of string vibration on an electric guitar depends heavily on magnetism, it follows that strings with the same cross section, length and under the same tension but made of different alloys will sound different. For example, Ernie Ball recently came out with their "Cobalt" line of strings where...

Seeking to provide guitarists with a new voice, Cobalt strings provide an extended dynamic range, incredible harmonic response, increased low end, and crisp, clear highs. Cobalt provides a stronger magnetic relationship between pickups and strings than any other alloy previously available. Cobalt Slinkys are also soft and silky to the touch, making string bending a breeze.

...and you might not believe this, little fella, but they'll cure your asthma, too!

Anyway, they're still steel strings, but apparently they added some cobalt to the mix to produce these magical strings. If they'd have added some chromium and nickel, they'd be stainless cobalt steel strings, and they'd cure cancer  :laughing7:

Point is, they're made of steel, like most guitar strings, but they sound/feel different.