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Some Q's From A New Guy.....


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Hey guys,

I've been lurking around for awhile, and this a great forum you've got here. I've learned alot. Hoping to start my first project eventually, but right now I'm waiting for my book to come in (Melvyn Hiscock book) to "help fill in the blanks." I hope my ignorance isn't too obvious :D

Anyway, to start, would an SG sound any different from an LP if you put a maple top on and maybe a pickup change?

Does anyone here have any experience with Pau Ferro fingerboards? I've heard that they're pretty much like a compromise between B. rosewood and ebony, as far as tonal qualities.

Hmm.....well, I had quite a few questions, but my mind is pulling a blank...Oh well, I guess it's best to handle a few at a time.

Thanks guys,

CMA

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Hmm. What I was trying to say was this: what is the difference between an SG and an LP other than the fact that the LP has a maple top and that they have different pickups? So, what I am trying to find out is that if I put a maple top on an SG and change the pickups, would it sound like an LP?

I hope that wasn't too confusing.

I also had another question. Does anyone have any information on old fashioned wood working tools that would've been used before electric tools? Not really for time or money saving reasons, I just really enjoy that kind of stuff.

Thanks again,

CMA

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Well, an SG and a Les Paul already sound a lot alike, it's really just the ergonomics of both that's different. You'd think the Les Paul would sound a lot brighter because of the maple top, but the thick chunk of mahogany that makes up 70% of the body mass really darkens the tone quite a bit. Most of the sound on both comes from the dual-humbuckers, stop bar and TOM bridge, 24.75 scale, and the steep headstock angle. Adding a maple top to an SG would probably brighten it up a bit, like the SG Custom I was playing yesterday, but it's not going to sound much different.

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IMO the SG is much more dynamic responsive that a LP. I attribute that to the considerable thinner body of the SG. I have made a Tele with a thinner body and I found the same dynamic response in that guitar. So to make the SG sound more like a LP you might have to beef up the bodu, pretty much like the original SG that was nearly as thick as the LP.

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IMO the SG is much more dynamic responsive that a LP. I attribute that to the considerable thinner body of the SG. I have made a Tele with a thinner body and I found the same dynamic response in that guitar. So to make the SG sound more like a LP you might have to beef up the bodu, pretty much like the original SG that was nearly as thick as the LP.

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Pau Ferro is a nice wood to work with. It is inexpensive also which makes it a good bargain. When it comes to compairing it to BRW or Ebony. Well they are all quite different woods (not better or worse just different). If I was to try to find a more compairable wood I wood look at EIR and Pau Ferro. They are softer than BRW or Ebony. Pau Ferro is a lighter colored wood (tan/brown w/orange to black grain). It is not oily or resinous as many RW are. It has good stiffness, is certainly hard enough for a fretboard, it will take a mildly high polish. As far as tone (very subjective). From my experience with acoustic (thinner) sides and backs. When you tap Pau Ferro it has a nice quick responce and rings well. I think it is a very well rounded tone. I like it a lot.

Peace,Rich

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Word of warning for Pau Ferro: it's one of the most allergy-inducing woods I know of. Many people have violent allergic reactions (skin, respiratory, the whole shebang) to the dust, so wear maximum protection (long sleeves, gloves if possible, don't even THINK about working it without a good dust mask/respirator). Cocobolo's almost as bad, and both woods can be pretty terrible. Quite a few builders who have had to stop using either wood. Once it's worked, polished, I've never heard of anyone having problems with it.

For my money, Madagascar Rosewood's a nice replacement for Brazilian, although Pau Ferro is very, very pretty. Have 6 acoustic sets myself, all very nice.

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Word of warning for Pau Ferro: it's one of the most allergy-inducing woods I know of. Many people have violent allergic reactions (skin, respiratory, the whole shebang) to the dust, so wear maximum protection (long sleeves, gloves if possible, don't even THINK about working it without a good dust mask/respirator). Cocobolo's almost as bad, and both woods can be pretty terrible. Quite a few builders who have had to stop using either wood. Once it's worked, polished, I've never heard of anyone having problems with it.

For my money, Madagascar Rosewood's a nice replacement for Brazilian, although Pau Ferro is very, very pretty. Have 6 acoustic sets myself, all very nice.

Now Cocobolo, THAT's pretty

Thorn_95F.jpg

:D:D

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:D:DB):DB)

Did you make that?

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Anyway, to start, would an SG sound any different from an LP if you put a maple top on and maybe a pickup change?

Thanks guys,

CMA

Probably. Look at how thick the body of an SG is, it being all mahogany, and look at the the thickness of the mahogany slab on an LP. Swedish was right about beefing up the thickness of the SG, then you might be getting somewhere.

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When you get Melvyn's book, you'll see he has a chart on body thickness for popular guitars. His chart shows an SG at 1 1/2" thick and a Les Paul at 2" thick at the edge and 2 1/4" in the middle. I have a LP plan that indicates 2 7/16" in the middle. Bottom line is that an LP has a lot more mass than an SG.

I recently completed an SG with a thin maple drop top - total body thickness of 1 1/2". I'm not much of a player, but I didn't notice any significant "brightness" to the guitar. Also, when I was selecting pickups for the SG, I was advised the skinny neck (relatively) loses a bit of deep bass, so I selected pups to retain some of that. The vendor (Lews Guitars) said they would help retain the bottom more like a LP. I put Seymour Duncan JB (bridge) and Jazz (neck). Here is my SG. click

If you want the LP sound, why not make an LP? :D

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