Mahogany/ Ebony Strat Neck?

[jerryjg]

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.

EDIT_ THis combination is great! I'll stay with it and someday get a skilled woodworker to put a nice Maghogany veneer on the headstock. She's one in a million. I hit the jackpot with this one. Guitars like this don;t just happen. This one is probably the end result of the cumulative effect of maybe a couple hundred hours of research ( not only for this guitar but for all my guitars) into everything right down to the strings. Was it worth it? Not sure, but after very many failures and disapointements, a guitar like this sure feels good.

 

[tfarny]

Jerry, it looks great but have you noticed that it's got humbuckers instead of strat pickups?  :toothy12: That may have something to do with it not sounding much like a strat, you know....

 

[MUYFUE]

Very true indeed...

 

[slade]

I would prefer a rosewood (if you are going for a warm sounding wood) over mahogany because mahogany usually requires a finish where rosewood does not. (I like the feel of no finish on the neck).

 

[Orpheo]

I would prefer a rosewood (if you are going for a warm sounding wood) over mahogany because mahogany usually requires a finish where rosewood does not. (I like the feel of no finish on the neck).

+1

with an added bonus of a bit more articulation when you want to solo with high gain up the neck, or a smooth jazzy tone, and a bit more 'beef' to the tone when you play a solo high up the neck on the bridge pickup, it wont thin out.

 

[Steve_Karl]

I would prefer a rosewood (if you are going for a warm sounding wood) over mahogany because mahogany usually requires a finish where rosewood does not. (I like the feel of no finish on the neck).

+1

with an added bonus of a bit more articulation when you want to solo with high gain up the neck, or a smooth jazzy tone, and a bit more 'beef' to the tone when you play a solo high up the neck on the bridge pickup, it wont thin out.

Now that's interesting to hear about. I'd been flirting with the thought of a rosewood / ebony neck but was concerned about the possibility of loosing some definition in the high end fundamentals, or having the beefy mids and lows outweigh the higher notes... i.e. just the general balance of the notes.

 

[Steve_Karl]

I've got a mahogany body with maple / ebony neck and recently ordered (parts not here yet) an other strat. - black korina body ... padouk / bloodwood neck.
I'm trying to tweak my tone a bit also.

My current strat is very functional but my wood choices for the new one were about the possibility of getting slightly more mids and slightly less highs.

I guess I'll soon see.

 

[Orpheo]

I would prefer a rosewood (if you are going for a warm sounding wood) over mahogany because mahogany usually requires a finish where rosewood does not. (I like the feel of no finish on the neck).

+1

with an added bonus of a bit more articulation when you want to solo with high gain up the neck, or a smooth jazzy tone, and a bit more 'beef' to the tone when you play a solo high up the neck on the bridge pickup, it wont thin out.

Now that's interesting to hear about. I'd been flirting with the thought of a rosewood / ebony neck but was concerned about the possibility of loosing some definition in the high end fundamentals, or having the beefy mids and lows outweigh the higher notes... i.e. just the general balance of the notes.

oh, no, don't worry about that. you'll have more definition and articulation with a rosewood neck/ebony board than with any other mahogany neck+ebony board, EVER. period. the ebony will make it a bit tighter, and the RW in general has a lovely tonespectrum. nice, chunky mids, but not TOO much, the lows are there, and you'll feel them, and the highs are there, you'll feel them too, but nothing overpowers the rest, unlike mahogany, where it's 'mushmush-galore'!

black korina+padouk/bloodwood, wow, great combination! the best of a les paul-tone+ strat tone, combine it with a good pickupset, and you've got yourself a killer-allround axe. it will give you a very allround tone, beefy, chunky lows, crunchy mids and singing highs. mahogany body with a maple neck+ebony board will give you almost the same tone, by the way,but a bit less 'crunch', and a bit more 'mellow'.

 

[Mor Paul]

... unlike mahogany, where it's 'mushmush-galore'!

Orpheo, you sometimes confuse me... you'll say nothing can get the LP tone but an LP, but you often criticize... the LP tone.

 

[Orpheo]

... unlike mahogany, where it's 'mushmush-galore'!

Orpheo, you sometimes confuse me... you'll say nothing can get the LP tone but an LP, but you often criticize... the LP tone.

I can't recall ever having said I like the tone of a les paul as gibson produces them...  :confused4: (i.e.: mahogany neck in mahogany/maple body). I do like mahogany/maple bodies with a thick carved top, hence my collection, but I do not like a mahogany neck, thats why I sold it. I criticize the tone of a gibson LP constantly, cause it stinks. well, the non50ies and non-60ies version, that is. those are cool, the rest sucks. I don't know exactly why, but I do like PRS though, but their singlecut is not like a new gibson LP in tone and feel (but more like a vintage version).

 

[Mor Paul]

... unlike mahogany, where it's 'mushmush-galore'!

Orpheo, you sometimes confuse me... you'll say nothing can get the LP tone but an LP, but you often criticize... the LP tone.

I can't recall ever having said I like the tone of a les paul as gibson produces them...  :confused4: (i.e.: mahogany neck in mahogany/maple body). I do like mahogany/maple bodies with a thick carved top, hence my collection, but I do not like a mahogany neck, thats why I sold it. I criticize the tone of a gibson LP constantly, cause it stinks. well, the non50ies and non-60ies version, that is. those are cool, the rest sucks. I don't know exactly why, but I do like PRS though, but their singlecut is not like a new gibson LP in tone and feel (but more like a vintage version).

Would the honduras mahogany give a good tone, or mahogany in general? Even in the 50's, gibson used mahogany...

 

[Steve_Karl]

Thanks for the detailed descriptions Orpheo.

I was hoping that the korina+padouk/ebony was going to be that type of step away from the mahogany+maple/ebony.

I'm excited to get it up and playing.

 

[Orpheo]

... unlike mahogany, where it's 'mushmush-galore'!

Orpheo, you sometimes confuse me... you'll say nothing can get the LP tone but an LP, but you often criticize... the LP tone.

I can't recall ever having said I like the tone of a les paul as gibson produces them...  :confused4: (i.e.: mahogany neck in mahogany/maple body). I do like mahogany/maple bodies with a thick carved top, hence my collection, but I do not like a mahogany neck, thats why I sold it. I criticize the tone of a gibson LP constantly, cause it stinks. well, the non50ies and non-60ies version, that is. those are cool, the rest sucks. I don't know exactly why, but I do like PRS though, but their singlecut is not like a new gibson LP in tone and feel (but more like a vintage version).

Would the honduras mahogany give a good tone, or mahogany in general? Even in the 50's, gibson used mahogany...

REAL honduras mahogany is rare, and not comparable with the stuff Gibson currently uses, cause thats iroko and meranti. Honduras for a neck is great, even lovely, its the stuff gibson used for their necks in 'the old days' so to say, and that stuff is more close to rosewood than it is to the crap they want to call mahogany nowadays! Nevertheless, it still is not how I want my necks to be, but, its 'ok'. warmoth uses better mahogany than gibson, hands down, but in my opinion, even warmoth's 'mahogany' necks aren't suitable for (the) tones (I need/want/expect). ofcourse, its very subject to taste, and I don't like mahogany necks, never have, never will.

all the stuff thats passes by can in my book only be graded as 'ok', 'mediocre', and sometimes just bad

@steve-karl: well... korina is (like) mahogany, maple is 'like' padouk, and ebony is, well..ebony the korina axe will have a bit more 'crunch' and growl (in the mids and lows) though compared with a smoother, more singing/soaring tone on the mahogany.

 

[zogoibi]

With all due respect Orpheo, this is pompous drivel.  The only things that'll make your playing truly soar and truly growl are soul and sack,  friend.  Choice of woods are actually way down on the list; though the ego wishes differently.  Precious woods are a joy to behold but will seldom facilitate flight.  Funk, sweat and burning desire might help.  When you clowningly refer to certain fading resources as "crap",  you've lost sight of  reality.  All these woods we dream of caressing are scarce and deserve respect.  Sorry to say but you just can't buy feel; and that IS what were talking about.  The actual Orpheus played a zither whittled from the stump of a rotting olive tree; and legend has it he jammed.  .  :rock-on:

 

[Mor Paul]

The actual Orpheus played a zither whittled from the stump of a rotting olive tree; and legend has it he jammed.  .  :rock-on:

OH!!! OH, SNIZZAP! OWNED!!!

 

[MUYFUE]

Where's that smiley that's eating popcorn?

 

[Soylent]

poor nimrod..  :laughing7:

 

[dudesweet157]

With all due respect Orpheo, this is pompous drivel.  The only things that'll make your playing truly soar and truly growl are soul and sack,  friend.  Choice of woods are actually way down on the list; though the ego wishes differently.   Precious woods are a joy to behold but will seldom facilitate flight.   Funk, sweat and burning desire might help.  When you clowningly refer to certain fading resources as "crap",  you've lost sight of  reality.  All these woods we dream of caressing are scarce and deserve respect.  Sorry to say but you just can't buy feel; and that IS what were talking about.  The actual Orpheus played a zither whittled from the stump of a rotting olive tree; and legend has it he jammed.  .  :rock-on:

Wow noob, way to dig up a four month old thread and slam a well respected (albeit a bit eccentric) member of our forum.  I can't find anywhere in Orpheo's post where he talked about his technical prowess on the instrument.  Have you ever played an exotic, unfinished neck?  It feels totally different than a neck coated in poly or nitro, and most on this forum would agree it feels "better."  No stickiness when your hand begins to sweat, which does indeed facilitate better playing.  I'd like you to prove to me how "sack" will make my playing "truly soar."

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Where's that smiley that's eating popcorn?

Family size please ...  :icon_biggrin:

 

[CrackedPepper]

Where's that smiley that's eating popcorn?