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Body Base For Purplheart Top: Opinions?


hooglebug

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i have a customer who is wanting a guitar with a purpleheart top, wenge neck and ebony fretboard. i did a mock up on a pic of a guitar iv done with that neck, mahogany back and bubinga top, and the mahogany and purpleheart looked awful together with the dark neck. it looks as though a darker wood would suit it better

so...what wood will not only look good with the wenge neck and purpleheart top, but will also be a good compliment to the sound? any opinions?

oh, and he wants natural wood so painting isnt an option. if it comes down to it a transparent coat might be ok, but wanted to see if anyone has any ideas

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My understanding is that purpleheart is VERY bright, so you may want to go with something warmer like mahogany if you want a more balanced tone. I wouldn't go by aesthetics alone... if you think the woods don't look good together, consider dyeing the back wood. Maybe a veneer of maple or rosewood between the purpleheart and whatever back wood you choose would help offset the visual difference between the woods.

Other suggestions might be basswood, white or black limba, even rosewood, but that would make it a pretty heavy body.

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That said... I don't see why you don't like the purple and mahogany color... I remember Doug's buckeye burl/purpleheart/mahogany guitar awhile back and thought it was STUNNING. And if I remember correctly the purpleheart layer under the buckeye burl was right up against the mahogany? That said, there was also a lot of other stuff going on on that build.

I second the vote for white limba! Why I didn't think of this is beyond me.

Chris

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