Noob question regarding matching Wood tones

[Snake]

So I recently placed an order through Warmoth for myfirst custom shop guitar.  I chose to do a Strat.

Here's what I ordered:

Wenge neck (59 RB profile) with a Ziricote fingerboard

Black Korina body (not that it effects tone, but it has a quilted maple top)

My question is am I going to end up with a mids overkill disaster or a warmer, higher output Strat capable of seriously cutting through? I prefer Les Pauls (My number one is a Gibson LP Studio) and I currently own a MIM Strat (Alder/ Maple/rosewood) that I really think is too bright and seriously lacking bawls.  Needless to say I wanted a guitar with a trem but with more of a Les Paul tone (including higher output).  To keep my preferred LP feel I chose to get the 59 Roundback, 13 degree angled 24 3/4" conversion neck.  My picking hand is already accustomed to the Wilkinson trem string spacing as I installed one on my MIM. 

Pickups I have wired to go into this guitar:

Seymour Duncan SSL-5 (neck - high output single coil about 9.2k)

Seymour Duncan STK-S4 (middle - stacked humbucker that sounds like a hum free vintage staggered single coil 9.75k)

Seymour Duncan TB-4 JB Trembucker (covered - who doesn't know what a JB sounds like??  about 16.4k but quieter with the cover)


Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated! 

 

[-CB-]

So I recently placed an order through Warmoth for myfirst custom shop guitar.

My question is am I going to end up with a mids overkill disaster or a warmer, higher output Strat capable of seriously cutting through? I

Seymour Duncan SSL-5 (neck - high output single coil about 9.2k)

Seymour Duncan STK-S4 (middle - stacked humbucker that sounds like a hum free vintage staggered single coil 9.75k)

Seymour Duncan TB-4 JB Trembucker (covered - who doesn't know what a JB sounds like??  about 16.4k but quieter with the cover)

The wenge neck and pickup selection, and string selection, then electronics... are going to count for the vast majority of tone shaping.

Wenge is a neutral toned wood... brighter than mahogany, less bright than maple.  The thicker section of the profile will probably (I'm guessing here...) add some mids but also not diminish the highs.  In sonic terms I'd imagine a slightly thicker tone (no pun) over the slim profile neck.

Your pickup selection... I'm not sure if you have the right neck pickup..  maybe a bit strong, as Strat neck pickups have no problem with output.  Trying to think - the Texas Special set neck is about 7.5k or so as I recall, with the bridge being about 8.5k  I've got to really lower the neck position on that set to get a volume balance with the bridge.  Then again, you can play with pickups for a long time and not be satisfied.  I'm on my 4th bridge pickup in my Gibson ES-333... and this one is the best so far, but... not perfect.  Whatever you do... you're probably going to refine it.  I dont think you made any bad choices (except maybe... that neck pickup)

 

[jackthehack]

I have a Black Korina with a wengeneck with ebony fretboard, RG TX BBQ set and it's an absolute tone monster; the output of your pickups and electronics are going to have about 90% to do with your sound the wood maybe 10%....

Everyone keeps going off about wood effecting lows/mids/highs, and for the most part it's all bullshit.

By the way, go look at the knobs on your amp. Odds are you will find knobs labeled Bass-Mid-Treble. It may be a mystery to most, but you can not only adjust these knobs to lessen/boost the corresponding frequency ranges, but you NEED to readjust these knobs to get the best sound possible for each individual guitar you play, unless they're all the same model with the same PUs....

 

[Snake]

The wenge neck and pickup selection, and string selection, then electronics... are going to count for the vast majority of tone shaping.

Wenge is a neutral toned wood... brighter than mahogany, less bright than maple.  The thicker section of the profile will probably (I'm guessing here...) add some mids but also not diminish the highs.   In sonic terms I'd imagine a slightly thicker tone (no pun) over the slim profile neck.

Your pickup selection... I'm not sure if you have the right neck pickup..  maybe a bit strong, as Strat neck pickups have no problem with output.   Trying to think - the Texas Special set neck is about 7.5k or so as I recall, with the bridge being about 8.5k   I've got to really lower the neck position on that set to get a volume balance with the bridge.   Then again, you can play with pickups for a long time and not be satisfied.  I'm on my 4th bridge pickup in my Gibson ES-333... and this one is the best so far, but... not perfect.   Whatever you do... you're probably going to refine it.  I dont think you made any bad choices (except maybe... that neck pickup)

No doubt, I'm very open minded about my pup selection.  I used to use a SSL-1 (6.8k) in the neck position but it just couldn't keep up volume-wise with the STK-4 or the Custom Custom trembucker I was using with it in the bridge spot.  I would be open to using that pup again but I want to give this high output across the board thing a whirl.  Like you said though... it's something I'm going to have to tweak around with a lot...  probably for a few years before I find what I was looking for all along.

The good news is your report on the Wenge.  I'm excited.  The neck should be here this week but my body won't be ready until December-ish...

 

[Snake]

I have a Black Korina with a wengeneck with ebony fretboard, RG TX BBQ set and it's an absolute tone monster; the output of your pickups and electronics are going to have about 90% to do with your sound the wood maybe 10%....

Everyone keeps going off about wood effecting lows/mids/highs, and for the most part it's all bullshite.

By the way, go look at the knobs on your amp. Odds are you will find knobs labeled Bass-Mid-Treble. It may be a mystery to most, but you can not only adjust these knobs to lessen/boost the corresponding frequency ranges, but you NEED to readjust these knobs to get the best sound possible for each individual guitar you play, unless they're all the same model with the same PUs....

Maybe I'm not as much of a noob as I thought... :icon_scratch:

Wood TOTALLY effects tone.  I can tell you that just from owning a few guitars over the last 8 years...

I do of course play through a tube amp so that helps bring out the natural beauty of each individual guitar I play as well as the woods involved.

As far as the amp EQ thing goes... I assume everyone already does that.

 

[-CB-]

Nah, I disagree to a point about wood totally effecting tone.  Make it "neck wood" effects tone.

I've had the pleasure of having several guitars with the same pickups, different body woods and neck woods, and mix and matching them in every possible way.  Neck wood takes it - aside from pickup selection, which is #1 tone shaper.  Pickups, neck wood (and profile), strings, body design (solid vs semi-solid).  Those are the biggies.  Things like fret material, fretboard wood, top wood... matter to a very very small degree.  Way less of a degree than just using different strings (or fresh strings for that matter).

 

[Phrygian]

Maybe I'm not as much of a noob as I thought... :icon_scratch:

Wood TOTALLY effects tone.  I can tell you that just from owning a few guitars over the last 8 years...

Well that's a pretty ballsy thing to say to someone who is one of the most experienced Warmoth builders on this board.

While my Canarywood neck looks and feels awesome, I can't say it makes much of a difference in tone compared to maple.  One of these days I might swap the necks on my Strats just to see.

I thought the STK-S4 was flat not staggered.  If you're going to use a stacked single coil for the middle position, why not use one for the neck too?

 

[Snake]

I'm not tryin to knock down any doors here, I'm just sayin I've noticed different tones coming from different pieces of wood (even of the same type).  Maybe it's something I hear, I don't know...  Some pieces of maple are brighter than others, some have more definition, etc...

I've thought about matching up with a stacked for the neck position, but really I like more versatility between my selections... FYI the outside poles are staggered on my STK-S4.

 

[-CB-]

Well I guess you got it nailed then.  Just wondering why you asked the question in the first place <click>

 

[Snake]

My main concern was along the lines of how well the wenge would match with the black korina... 

 

[m4rk0]

Thats it! only poplar bodies for me from now on!  :laughing7:

 

[Phrygian]

Thats it! only poplar bodies for me from now on!  :laughing7:

LOL...  "that body is a good candidate for rattle can black."

 

[Crappy]

Thats it! only poplar bodies for me from now on!  :laughing7:

LOL...  "that body is a good candidate for rattle can black."

Maybe gray auto primer :cool01:

 

[Snake]

Poplar, I have to admit, is a pretty impressive choice for bass bodies...

 

[Alfang]

Just claiming that you have 8 guitars of diferent wood does not convince anyone that your an expert on the tone contribution of those woods.

when you start swapping parts from one body to the next, you will see that much of your tone follows the pickups.

And many people claim the neckwood is the biggest contributor, (10% sounds reasonable) I am not totally convinced, but so many people say that same thing it';s hard to disproove, or argue

 

[Snake]

Just claiming that you have 8 guitars of diferent wood does not convince anyone that your an expert on the tone contribution of those woods.

I didn't say that...

Also I have done some neck/pickup swapping in my day too.  I'm now ready to start trying new woods.  Also I never claimed to be an expert.  Are you an expert??

 

[m4rk0]

My opinion is that Wood choice does more than affect the tone. I decided to stop describing 'tone' since I am not that much of an expert and it is way too personal to describe anyway. but I do think that every guitar has a personality, a combination of Tone, sustain, articulation, feel and much more.. and wood is definetly a factor in that.

I also think that (neck) woods make more than 10% difference. I have a RG BBQ-bucker in an alder body/maple-rw neck strat and in a Korina Body/Rosewood neck w/ebony fb. and they both sound completely different! not even remotely similar. both sound great though!

I also Used GFS Hotrails both in a Korina body with Bloodwood neck and a Ash w Wenge/Ebony Neck and again they sound completely different. now that may be because the GFS quality is a bit inconsistent.

 

[m4rk0]

Snake, forgot to say, I think you made a great choice!
the only thing that doesn't make sense for me is the angled headstock. I think that your guitar will be more stable with a straight headstock. especially since you picked a wilkinson trem.. 

other than that, I am sure you will have a Strat with big bawls! or may I propose to describe it as big boobs? since we already describe guitars in a female way.  fat bottom, tight bottom, sexy ass piece of wood

 

[Snake]

Snake, forgot to say, I think you made a great choice!
the only thing that doesn't make sense for me is the angled headstock. I think that your guitar will be more stable with a straight headstock. especially since you picked a wilkinson trem.. 

other than that, I am sure you will have a Strat with big bawls! or may I propose to describe it as big boobs? since we already describe guitars in a female way.  fat bottom, tight bottom, sexy ass piece of wood

No doubt thanks for your input/opinion on wood "tone" too!  I share your opinions on the matter anyway.

Definitely more along the lines of big boobs with a phat ass...haha.  The angled headstock was so I could get the 59 roundback profile.  Without the angled headstock apparently they couldn't do a 59 profile with the Wenge...  I did get a graphite nut though hoping that would provide some stability with the Wilkinson...