Mahogany Vs Maple Neck

[drpossehl]

I am planning my next (2nd) build and am trying to decide on a neck wood. I dont know weather to go with mahogany or maple. The body will be a 2" mahogany dbl cut carved top string through, with a strat type neck (looking at Warmoth necks). I am looking for somthing warm and fat sounding when played clean. I would think the neck would contribute more to tone then the body, but I dont know being a newbie. I will probably go with rosewood for a finger board, allthough I am considering ebony on a mahogany neck. I will be using a pearly gates pup in the neck and probably a Bill Lawrence L500XL for the bridge. I would think mahogany would be preaty weak on a thin strat type neck. Its allso more expensive. How much does the finger board contribute to tone? Seeing how this is a chat board it would be great to get some opinions going from some seasoned vets. I have read the links about tone woods but they are only general and dont cover the different combinations of wood( body, neck, fingerboard). Thanks, Dave

Edited March 10, 2006 by drpossehl

[Daniel Sorbera]

Well tone form wood is just that. General sounds that the wood might make your guitar have.

Mahogany will generally have a warmer tone than maple. You also are not going to have any problems using it in a thin strat style neck. While mahogany is softer than maple and can't dent easier it still has a very strong strenth to weight ratio and it's very strong along the grain.

An ebony fingerboard will generally sound brighter than a rosewood one.

You should look too much into woods to give you your tone. Your scale length effects your tone most followed by pickups (and some would even argue that) than comes your neck and body woods and your fingerboard is last.

On an electric guitar the pickups don't sense the wood. But the wood changes the way the string vibrates much like an acoutic. Thats why the woods make a diffrence but not a huge one.

Edited March 10, 2006 by Godin SD

[marksound]

Well tone form woods is just that. General tons that the wood "might" produce.

[Daniel Sorbera]

You know marksound every once in a while you can say something in your posts thats helpful insted of just

I changed it

Well tone form wood is just that. General sounds that the wood might make your guitar have.

Is that better?

[marksound]

Apparently " " was helpful this time.

[Mickguard]

Well tone form wood is just that. General sounds that the wood might make your guitar have.

Is that better?

Not quite. Well, it's getting there. But you ought to knuckle down in English class for a bit.

[Mattia]

Depending on my mood, I tend to think neck is about 50%, body is about 50% *of the tone defined by wood alone*. Fingerboards have some effect, but less than the neck wood, and construction, pickup choice, scale length, strings, all can have massive effects.

[Guitarfrenzy]

It seems like we have a discussion like this at least once a week. Yes, the wood you use makes a difference in your tone, but so does pickups, pot values, cap values, etc. etc. even down to the amp you use. If you want a general idea of what certain woods will sound like, go try out guitars at a local music store, and find out which wood, pickup, combinations sounds best to you. Then you will have a better idea of what kind of wood you should build a guitar with.

[drpossehl]

It seems like we have a discussion like this at least once a week. Yes, the wood you use makes a difference in your tone, but so does pickups, pot values, cap values, etc. etc. even down to the amp you use.

I know people ask about different woods quite often. And like I said, I read the links about tone woods. I'm sorry if I was not clear.I guess my question is more about how much the neck wood effects the tone compared to the body wood. And also how much of a factor the finger board is. I have seen alot of maple necks on mahogany bodies and so forth. I was looking to people who had put togather different combinations to share there experiences and opinions like mattia did.

Not a lot of top end selection at the local music store( I dont want to build a squire, I already have one), but that is good advice otherwise.