Walnut body, solid or chambered?

[marianoarnaiz]

Hello Forum. I am new here and new to custom guitars and I am planing out my very first custom warmoth guitar.

So far I think I want and HS Soloist guitar made out of Wanut (Gloss Finish) with a fix bridge (most likely a Hipshot fix bridge). I might go for a chamber strat instead, but I haven't decided on that yet.

What do you guys think?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Cagey]

Walnut is pretty heavy, so you may want to have it chambered. The effect on the sound/character is minimal; it's more a weight savings move. As for style, to my eye the Soloist looks like a modern Strat. Not a helluva lotta difference, just slightly sharper edge breaks with a bit more clearance in the cutaways for high frets to make soloing easier.

 

[line6man]

I would stick to a solid construction, but that's just me.

 

[swarfrat]

I'd consider a walnut top on something else. I wouldn't consider a maple body either, they're both heavy and bright.

 

[line6man]

I'd consider a walnut top on something else. I wouldn't consider a maple body either, they're both heavy and bright.

Walnut makes a lovely body. And people get way too hung up on weight.

 

[Cagey]

Walnut makes a lovely body. And people get way too hung up on weight.

That's because the weight hangs on them. It's surprising how much difference a pound or two makes.

 

[swarfrat]

I think people get way too hung up on sustaine. Usually what drives 15 pound guitats.

 

[Cagey]

I think people get way too hung up on sustaine. Usually what drives 15 pound guitats.

Of course they do. One of the distinctive characteristics of a high-sustaining guitar such as the Les Paul is a sort of natural compression. It's not so much the ability to hang onto a note for an hour an a half that's desirable so much as there's so little decay at first that you can get these fat chords and scale runs that hang on and have less dynamic range to them. Not that there's anything wrong with dynamic range - far from it - but the ability to bang chords that meld into one another seamlessly is tougher to do on guitars with a lot of range to them, such as Strats or Teles. It's one of the reasons compressors, overdrives and distortion boxes are often called "talent boxes", because they allow inaccurate players to sound as though they have more control than they actually do. Take away compression and overdrive, and an embarrassingly large number of guitarists will sound terrible.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

If you gig, go for lighter.  My own conjecture based on observation, I'm coming around on lighter = sounds better, even on the woods that are predominantly heavier, like a light mahogany LP.  And, I'm of the opinion sustain is fodder for cork sniffing.  Heavier strings with a sharper breakover angle and longer scale for standard tunings do a lot for sustain; i.e. a Tele with .011s tuned to E standard will sustain better than a Les Paul with .009s in E flat.

If you do go the soloist route, you can spec a lighter body for an upcharge.

 

[Prometheus]

Lighter shouldn't really have any downsides. If you really do want more sustain, there are other places to look that will make a bigger difference than a few ounces of wood out of an already pretty-much-immovable object like a solid body.

As for body style, I too prefer the Soloist. But I'm biased, because I ordered one myself. And it shipped yesterday !!!!!!

 

[marianoarnaiz]

Thanks a lot guys. I think I will go for a Walnut Soloist and perhaps I will ask them to look for some light weight pieces for it. I wonder how muck will they charge for this. Any of you guys know?

 

[Cagey]

I'm not sure there's any such thing as lightweight Walnut. Some woods will vary quite a bit - Swamp Ash is a good example. The same body style can range from 3 to 5 pounds, depending on where the wood is harvested from and what part of the tree they use. Other woods, not so much.

If you really have your heart set on a Walnut grain/color, I'd follow Swarfrat's advice and have a Walnut top put on some other wood. Perhaps some chambered Mahogany?

 

[line6man]

If you really have your heart set on a Walnut grain/color, I'd follow Line6man's advice and have a Walnut top put on some other wood. Perhaps some chambered Mahogany?

That's not my advice. My vote goes for solid Walnut, and not worrying about the weight.

 

[Cagey]

I'm sorry - before I posted that I went back to see who said that and thought it was you, but it was Swarfrat. I was off by a post  :icon_biggrin:

I've since edited the post.

 

[swarfrat]

Its a freaking gorgeous wood. Every bit as pretty as all the exotics we pay through the nose for. I have more wants rhan I have spaces in my guitar rack, but maybe someday.

 

[marianoarnaiz]

Hey guys. Thanks again for helping. It's settled then, a Walnut Soloist. I do not mind the weight because I work as a session guitarist so, not much live playing for me. I asked in another category about the neck wood. I tried a Carvin (walnut body with maple neck) and I REALLY liked it but I would have wanted a bit rounder sound (particularly when playing higher in the fretboard). I think I might go for a Bubinga neck with a Rosewood (or Wenge) board. Any thoughts on this?

 

[line6man]

Rosewood works, if you choose a dark cut, but stay away from the lighter varieties. IMHO, Wenge is not appropriate. You want a complementary pairing of woods, but both Walnut and Wenge have a coarse, open-grained texture, so it clashes a bit. I would opt for a tighter grain pattern on the fretboard, to keep a tasteful contrast. Ebony is a lovely choice, because it's classy, and lets the Walnut do the talking.

 

[greywolf]

I built an all walnut double cutaway( neck is walnut /ebony) and absolutely love walnut . I'm building a matching bass now .  I would suggest chambering , walnut tends to be dense and the chambering helps in many ways.