Not Another "Which Wood?" Thread

[ragamuffin]

Hi! I'm finishing up my first build and looking for some advice on raw neck woods from the experts.

Currently I have a set of P-Rails wired into an alder MiM tele body. (Probably be using the p-90/humbuckers mainly) I'm looking for a smooth, sustaining tone with a bit of punch. I've been leaning towards goncalo alves with either a pau ferro or ebony board, but I've also been eyeing some solid rosewood necks. Any suggestions/recommendations or cautions?

Thanks!

 

[line6man]

Bloodwood. 'Nuff said.

 

[MikeW]

I think Goncalo/Ebony would get you there, but what about Wenge/Ebony? That might work better with the black pickguard.

 

[greywolf]

+1 on  Goncalo/Ebony  , I don't think solid rosewood would be a good choice for what you want

 

[Great Ape]

Canary/Ebony...Wenge/Ebony...Goncalo/Ebony...Can't go wrong with any of those. and they all feel and sound great!

 

[Cagey]

Anything with an Ebony 'board is going to be tits. My two current favorites are an Ebony over Pau Ferro and an Ebony over Bloodwood. Sex on a stick, and I'm not kidding. You'll never hold a neck like that from any production guitar. Just be sure to put stainless frets on it. Trust me, you won't be sorry.

 

[ragamuffin]

Ooh, I'm thinking bloodwood with an ebony board would look really sexy on this guitar. How bright would you say the tone is? (for those of you who have tried one) I think I'll either go with that or goncalo  :icon_thumright:

 

[Cagey]

I have an Ebony over Bloodwood  neck here, and all I can say about it is that it's one of the best playing necks I've ever put my hands around. I'm not kidding. Think of the best piece of ass you ever had and multiply it by 10. Seriously. It's the best neck you'll ever touch. The only thing that compares is an Ebony over Pau Ferro. Either one of those are going to make you very happy.

As far as tone goes, they're both somewhat bright, but not ridiculously so. Maple is probably a little brighter. It depends more on your pickups than anything else. I wouldn't worry about it. There are ways to correct things if they end up off. What's more important is if you're comfortable with the instrument.

 

[ragamuffin]

I think I'm going to take the dive and go with bloodwood :headbang:
I can't quite afford a neck with the specs I want yet though, so I guess I'll be mulling it over for a month or so while I earn some cash and dream of sexy bloodwood assets  ccasion14:

 

[Cagey]

You won't be sorry. You'll be the envy of all your friends. I had an old friend over here yesterday who's been playing for about 50 years, and when he got ahold of my Bloodwood neck he couldn't believe how good it felt, and refused to believe it didn't have a finish on it. Never heard of or felt such a thing. This is a guy who if he's owned one, he's owned a thousand guitars. Brought a PRS over for me to do some fret work on, and started thinking maybe he should sell it so he could get a Bloodwood part.

The only downside to them is the color, if you can call that a downside. Doesn't match up with a lotta finishes. But, if you've got a black or white or red guitar, you're all set. I dyed a black Korina VIP body red to attach mine to, and I think it came out ok...