Tone Question

[freakzilla]

hey all
i have a question, i bought my warmoth over a year ago, looks absolutely amazing , (will get some pics asap) but in terms of tone, im left feeling a little needy.
I'm really fussy in terms of tone and cant seem to get as much out as id hoped. my guess is that as i picked the v2 shape there isn't much wood left on it so its losing there. (it weighs easy 1/3 of what my esp and fender do)
guitar body is mahogany, quilted maple laminate,
the neck is mahogany also and the fretboard is brazillian rosewood.
i've changed pickups numerous times, going through dimarzio evo's to seymour jb's and alnico pro 2's

am i right in assuming its purely the lack of wood that doesnt give the guitar that smooth yet fat tone i was hoping for?

cheers

 

[-CB-]

Maybe a little bit with lack of wood - but not all that much. 

You went on and on about the wood, how about saying whats not right with the tone, and what pickups, amp and cable you're using?

 

[freakzilla]

like its just lacking any uniqueness, its very bright but doesnt have a full bodied sound ie a warm thick tone
ive used dimarzio evo 2's, seymour duncan jb's, alnico pro 2's and the 59model even a dimebucker for pure experiment
amp is an engl screamer 50 combo, cables are all planet waves circuit breakers.

 

[jimh]

You could try dropping the value of the volume pot to get rid of some highs.  Roll the tone control back a little?  Mess with the tone cap to change the frequency roll off.
Roll back the highs on the amp. Turn the presence down.  Turn the bright switch off.

I know these are all obvious things to say, but I'm surprised you cant get any good tones from and all mahogany guitar with a 'bucker. Engls are good amps.  HAve you tried your guitar through other amps?  Or other guitars through you amp?

 

[jackthehack]

Do you have another guitar that gives you the sound you like through that same amp/effects chain?

One of the pains in the ass of having a lot of different Warmoth builds with different wood and pickup combinations is that you often have to futz around with your amp/effects EQ/tone controls to get the tone "just right"; what works great on one may need adjustment for another to get the tone you want.

You can try jimh's suggestion as well, but I'd start out with amp/effects adjustments. This can be a pain if you're switching guitars when playing live, and I've actually put Sharpie marks for base settings for SCs/HBs.

Another possible factor (hard to tell as your description is kinda subjective) is neck contour, which is on your V2? In gross general terms (no 2 pieces of wood are exactly alike) a thicker neck contour can give you a "fatter" tone.

 

[Dan025]

what strings? what frets? light strings will have more harmonic overtones that can make things sound thin, i dont like to go above 11's on the high e because the unwound g gets real heavy. i don't like less that a 10 on the high e because the sound gets thin. pure nickel wrapped low strings can sound smoother and not as loud. if you have narrow or pointy stainless frets that can make things sound thin, the stainless doesn't always do much but with a really bright pickup some extra highs are apparent.

the dimebucker and jb are surprisingly bright despite there hot windings, 59 is vintage and bright as well, alnico 2's are like 59's with a rounded upper end and presumably less output. i like you can never find the right pickup as it is. it is always like an icepick in the ear or so fat that it just sounds dull.

my cousin has a custom(homemade body) guitar with a paf pro in the neck and x2n bridge and the thing is killer. but it might be too fat for your mahogany neck, his body is purple heart and neck is maple which help to keep it bright, but then again you might like it that way.
http://www.youtube.com/v/5uXgf9oQz6Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1

 

[Dan025]

another option is to keep it bright even stratty with a stag mag or mother bucker in the neck and jb or dimebucker in the bridge. or some combo of what you already have.

and try this to fatten things up;
http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=10535.0

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Is there a song or artist's tone that you are after?  It is generally easier to get minds working together when there is a point of reference.  For instance it sounds like one song but brighter, and you would like it to sound like another song.  I know it sounds kinda cheesy, but that way the rest of us have an accurate idea of what is there sound wise and where you want to go.
Patrick