Strat Solid Black Korina - Too Warm???

[BradinPCB]

So I'm looking to do a build of a strat body.  As I was browsing the in-stock bodies to save some $ I ran across something that has very close specs to what I want.  But the wood is black korina, which I've no experience with but Warmoth says it's characteristically warm like mahogany.  Think this will dull down the strat brightness too much? 

I plan to go with an all maple neck which should bring some brightness but I don't want an incredibly muddy, low-end tone really. 

There are some other bodies with incredibly similar stats but the black korina seems to ordinarily be a step up in wood quality (at least as price goes).  So what say you?  Thanks in advance!

 

[Cagey]

First of all, welcome to the forum! We have a lotta fun here, and there's a ton of information in various threads from some very talented people.

Bodies don't have as much affect on tone as some would have you believe. I mean, it makes a difference, but it's minimal - nothing to base a decision on. You need to be more concerned about the neck and pickups. Korina is a very attractive wood, which is the main reason to use it for a body where the finish allows you to see the wood.

If you want bright, Maple is a Good Thing to use for neck meat. If you'd like a similar response but without a finish (highly recommended), Canary or Aframosia are very good choices. They're slightly darker color-wise than Maple, but sound very close.

 

[BradinPCB]

Actually because my ultimate goal is a completely black strat, the wood will be finished so I'm not considering the look of the wood.  I will though on my NEXT build.   And because this is my first build, I want to go with a hard tail to simplify.  This is the only in-stock, black finished body w/ hard tail available right now.  So it's good to know what you said.  THANKS!

And thanks for the welcome.  You can bet I'll become a regular here.  I'm SUPER excited and have been on the verge of doing this for a LONG time, but circumstances got in the way.  Not now though. 

Keep the thoughts coming!

 

[Updown]

I got a BK strat body alpine white finish with a Pau-Ferro / Macassar fretboard .... and that's not muddy at all.
http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=19269.0

Got a Tele too. With a warmer neck, but it isn't muddy either. Amazing sustain on this one.
http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=19843.0

As Cagey said it's more the puppies and neck meat.

There are a few raw necks similar to maple, as Cagey has mentioned.
http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/NeckWoods.aspx

Enjoy your 1st build  :icon_thumright:  and I bet you it won't be your last either ......  :laughing7:

 

[Cagey]

Actually because my ultimate goal is a completely black strat, the wood will be finished so I'm not considering the look of the wood.  I will though on my NEXT build.   And because this is my first build, I want to go with a hard tail to simplify.  This is the only in-stock, black finished body w/ hard tail available right now.  So it's good to know what you said.  THANKS!

If you want the "blacker than black" look, you may as well use Maple for the neck. You have to finish it, but it doesn't cost any more to finish it in black than it does with the typical clears/tints, so no punishment there.

But, I'll tell ya - a raw neck is a wonderful thing. You rarely see them from the mainstream manufacturers because they mainly use Maple or Mahogany, both of which require a finish. But, if you could see your way clear to getting some Ebony over Pau Ferro - hoo, boy! That is one of the sexiest necks you'll ever play. Still be all black from the front...

Also, don't goof around - get stainless frets. Best money you'll ever spend on a guitar, and I'm not kidding. Even if you're not worried about wear, they just feel great, and they don't affect the sound or character of the instrument. 

 

[Cagey]

I got a BK strat body alpine white finish with a Pau-Ferro / Macassar fretboard .... and that's not muddy at all.
http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=19269.0

Every time I see that Strat, I get envious all over again. What a wonderful build!

 

[BradinPCB]

I'm gonna keep the neck plain for a more dramatic effect against the black.  It'll be all black hardware with SD Little 59s.  The pickguard will be bevelled and black/white/black for just enough of a white accent.  Thought about building one scratch and going with white binding around the outside but I need to keep this build pretty cheap until my wife fully trusts me (me too for that matter).     

 

[BradinPCB]

Beautiful storm trooper you got there. 

 

[Updown]

Every time I see that Strat, I get envious all over again. What a wonderful build!

Beautiful storm trooper you got there. 

Thanks guys  :icon_thumright:  everyone that's sees it in the flesh does this ....   

BTW ... The closest thing to a raw neck is the 'clear satin nitro'
Not quite like a raw neck, but pretty close.
I got a couple of those too.

Black is always a good choice, just something about it. 

 

[swarfrat]

No such thing as too warm. If you don't like it you call it muddy, or some other perjorative term.  Herein lies a major part of the problem with describing sounds with words.

 

[KaiserSoze]

I have to admit I'm cringing at the idea of painting a korina body…but I will chime that an unfinished or very lightly finished neck is a beautiful thing.  Are you going to use the Joe Bonamassa signature strat bridge and the Joe Bonamassa signature tuners and strings?

 

[stubhead]

It won't be too "muddy."

No such thing as too warm. If you don't like it you call it muddy, or some other pejorative term.  Herein lies a major part of the problem with describing sounds with words.

And I agree in spades with this. It is very useful to contemplate the idea that a "perfect" low-volume bedroom tone - and I do at least mean "perfect" in that it will let you hear what you are doing, has enough grit on hand to please you if it be grit you want and - most important! - is "good enough?" to make you want to play until 5am! But it's still not good enough, which is why you're still playing at 5am. :icon_biggrin:

And more important than that, your "perfect" bedroom tone is probably  going to be an awful tone when playing with a band. Unless you are so overwhelmingly stupendous already you get to tell your band that all of the important mid-range frequencies are yours to own, not theirs... hey it worked fine for Jimmy Page, Duane Allman & Carlos Santana - mahogany bod, maple cap w/humbuckers all around. (yes I know about the tele in the studio, don't try to pick nits with the Chief Nit!).

Every serious Strat guy I've ever heard of always carried at least one "cheap" "bad" "awful" guitar cord to use in the studio because their Strats were too trebly for all needs and a nice "wrong" (curly, even!) high-impedance cord was a global treble-tune cutter., all across the board. I've heard there are special blankets you can throw on your amp.... :icon_thumright:

Most "mud" I've heard has been a technique problem, not an instrument issue. It's the guitarist's job to pick cleanly and separate the notes... keep all the notes to their accurate time-values* , not mush everything together. :toothy12:

*(which, coincidentally, is also the only hope of achieving real speed, because if all the notes are held and released correctly, every time you get faster, they all do too. If you just have a collection of speed-up-and-slow-down-inside-the-licks licks - they're all isolated from each other, and limited within themselves, by the slow parts.)

GO korina! What the hell, it ain't gonna hurt you... :cool01:

 

[Strat Avenger]

I wish I knew what people mean when they say "warm".  :dontknow:
Do they mean muddy? Lacking in high frequencies?
What does that mean??

Whenever I think of "warm", I think of a musical, "electrified" tone, with rich, harmonic overtones, such as that of a slightly (only slightly) overdriven tube.

I instantly think of "warm" when I hear the guitar solo on Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall".

'Sorry, but to me, rolling off the high-end does not constitute "warm" -- Just mud.

 

[Updown]

Even Warmoth use the word 'warmest' in there spec's on Mahogany.
http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/NeckWoods.aspx

I was one that used that term too earlier in this tread ...  :laughing7:

Oppps  :doh:
Note to self .... add warmer to the list of words not to use around here.

Carry on  :icon_thumright:

 

[Cagey]

Talking about tone is like dancing about architecture - It's a total disconnect. But, it sorta needs to be done somehow. So, some conventions have arisen, and calling a guitar "warm" is code for "dead" or "has no high end". You'd think the opposite would be "cold", which would be code for "lively" or "has too much high end", but it's not. Then it's just "bright". Ok. So... shouldn't the opposite of that be "dark"? Depends how you want to spin it.

And the band played on...

It's a ball of confusion.