theodoropoulos Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 (edited) I am planning a project for my own sound style which is closer to fender stratocaster sound....but....i dont like the shape...so much... i am thinking what woods for body,neck,fingerboard to choose to be closer...Besides what kind of pick ups???SSS/HH??? WOODS available... padauk/sapelle/sycamore/elm/cedar of lebanon/zebra/wenge/rosewood/bubinga/cocobolo/cherry/maple/mulberry walnut/purpleheart/ i know alder is the key but another substitttion with personal sound??? what about pick ups???only sss is the key??? could you advise me what to do and keep in mind to achieve this sound character? Edited September 8, 2010 by theodoropoulos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supplebanana Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 make a strat shaped guitar with a maple neck, alder body, synchronised tremolo, 3 single coil pickups with the bridge pickup angled towards the neck and you might get the sound.... lol basically - all of the above contribute to the sound character of a Strat, it depends on how close you want to be to a Strat sound, but changing the body shape shouldn't affect it too much as long as the size/weight/density are about the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theodoropoulos Posted September 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 make a strat shaped guitar with a maple neck, alder body, synchronised tremolo, 3 single coil pickups with the bridge pickup angled towards the neck and you might get the sound.... lol basically - all of the above contribute to the sound character of a Strat, it depends on how close you want to be to a Strat sound, but changing the body shape shouldn't affect it too much as long as the size/weight/density are about the same lol any more serious answer???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supplebanana Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 lol.... it was a serious answer!!! my personal opinion on woods is that out of the woods you have.. padauk - heavy & bright but good for neck sapelle - lighter but warmer neck/body sycamore - heavy & bright elm - no experience cedar of lebanon - no experience zebra - ok for a drop/carved top but could be really heavy for a body maybe too unstable to use as a neck unleass laminated wenge - heavy for a body but grat for a neck rosewood - heavy for a body but grat for a neck bubinga - same as above cocobolo - same as above cherry - good for a body maple - heavy/bright for a body but good for a neck mulberry - no experience walnut - good for both body & neck purpleheart - heavy for a body but good for a neck basically what i was trying to say was the more parts you keep like a strat then the less you will deviate away from the "Strat" sound. personally I would go for a walnut body & walnut & maple laminated or rosewood neck with a tremolo & 3 single coils out of the stuff you've mentioned.... but anyone else feel free to chime in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 Bubinga has the snappy tone you want,but since it is heavy you should do what you can to make it as thin as you can and as light as possible...if I was going after something like that I would also bevel and sweep everything as much as possible as well,because all of that takes away wood and therefore weight. I would use walnut for the neck,if you can find a straight grained piece...it could smooth out some of the highs in the bubinga. If you kept the body about 1 1/8" thick,with a fixed strat style bridge and took away wood wherever you could,you might get the weight of the finished guitar down to 6 or 7 pounds....if you keep the finish thin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 make a strat shaped guitar with a maple neck, alder body, synchronised tremolo, 3 single coil pickups with the bridge pickup angled towards the neck and you might get the sound.... lol basically - all of the above contribute to the sound character of a Strat, it depends on how close you want to be to a Strat sound, but changing the body shape shouldn't affect it too much as long as the size/weight/density are about the same lol any more serious answer???? that was the answer i was going to give... maybe less so with the shape other than it should have two cutaways... but all those other factors supple mentioned are the major contributers to the characteristic strat sound. you wont get a strat sound out of a HH set-up so it really needs to be SSS or HSS if you want to keep a humbucker in there somewhere out of the woods you have i would be going for sycamore, cedar or cherry for the body. sycamore is brighter than traditional strat woods, but a good piece can be warmer and more complex than people would think, bright and snappy but still nice. cedars are gaining popularity as an alternative wood for bodies, although i have not tried one with the lebanon. None will sound exactly like a fender strat, but if its got a trem most wont notice the tonal difference. You have maple and rosewood so follow the strat recipe for the neck Now if the strat sound isnt really that important, as your response to supple suggests, then your options really open up a lot as you have access to many woods that will work for fretboards, necks and bodies... its just a case of making them work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theodoropoulos Posted September 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 make a strat shaped guitar with a maple neck, alder body, synchronised tremolo, 3 single coil pickups with the bridge pickup angled towards the neck and you might get the sound.... lol basically - all of the above contribute to the sound character of a Strat, it depends on how close you want to be to a Strat sound, but changing the body shape shouldn't affect it too much as long as the size/weight/density are about the same lol any more serious answer???? None will sound exactly like a fender strat, but if its got a trem most wont notice the tonal difference. could you explain why? thank all of you for your interest but i have a great curiosity about this cedar of lebanon i own which is over 300 yeas old.... that would probably add some credits....besides its very light.... My alternative is sycamore as you mention cause is also very light... i forgot the basswood i have but i dont really belie it can do my work..... this elm i have an idea of black grain filling it and look like new PRS model...but its.....far from strats.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 others may disagree but i think the tone of the body wood is less noticeable on trem equipped guitars, doesnt rule it out altogether and there are still noticable differences between extremes as always... but generally i find the neck wood becomes more noticable in the tone than the body if you have basswood its probably a good chocie for this, plenty of fairly collectable MIJ strats are made from basswood. Not my favorite wood to use but its certainly tonally transparent to work in most things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim37 Posted September 8, 2010 Report Share Posted September 8, 2010 i think supple and wez have the right idea keep it as close to a strat as possible. i think i would go with the walnut its gonna be a bit brighter than alder but shouldnt stray too far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Ross Posted September 9, 2010 Report Share Posted September 9, 2010 Not to turn this into a tonewood discussion, but IMO, I think wood has less of a tonal effect on Strats (especially trem-equipped) than any other guitar. The pickups are mounted to a flimsy piece of plastic, the strings transfer vibration to a bunch of springs, and they were designed to be cheap, quick and easy to produce. It all adds up to some great guitars, mind you. You'll end up with some awesome Stratty tones if you go with a 25.5" scale and good single coils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theodoropoulos Posted September 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2010 Not to turn this into a tonewood discussion, but IMO, I think wood has less of a tonal effect on Strats (especially trem-equipped) than any other guitar. The pickups are mounted to a flimsy piece of plastic, the strings transfer vibration to a bunch of springs, and they were designed to be cheap, quick and easy to produce. It all adds up to some great guitars, mind you. You'll end up with some awesome Stratty tones if you go with a 25.5" scale and good single coils. i guess this it the correct...scale and single coil.... any suggested label for single coil for original sound??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingman Posted September 9, 2010 Report Share Posted September 9, 2010 Since people experiment with pups in strats all the time you should be able to find used originals with out breaking the bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supplebanana Posted September 9, 2010 Report Share Posted September 9, 2010 yeah - i picked up a pair of mexican Fender (neck & middle) sc's for less than £15 each. they're always on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theodoropoulos Posted September 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2010 yeah - i picked up a pair of mexican Fender (neck & middle) sc's for less than £15 each. they're always on ebay. seymour duncan....break tha bank??? i have heard many good things for them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim37 Posted September 10, 2010 Report Share Posted September 10, 2010 i would stick with one of the vintage correct sets like said befor the closer you keep it ot the orignal formula the closer its gonna give you that sound. btw im opinion the trem is a huge part of the strat sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 10, 2010 Report Share Posted September 10, 2010 At one point I had a Carvin strat...alder body,Maple neck and fretboard,and three single coils with the plastic pickgaurd..sounded just like a strat to me.But instead of that hokey strat trem it had a fixed bridge like this one. http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/sing...FT6C&cid=88 Very nice guitar.Much nicer than a Fender IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theodoropoulos Posted September 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2010 At one point I had a Carvin strat...alder body,Maple neck and fretboard,and three single coils with the plastic pickgaurd..sounded just like a strat to me.But instead of that hokey strat trem it had a fixed bridge like this one. http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/sing...FT6C&cid=88 Very nice guitar.Much nicer than a Fender IMO well i love Tele shape but Strat sound....hahaha....So,that's gonna be a hybrid. tele body with 3 single coils i think....non tremolo system.... about the woods ...i think the guys gave me a good point of view to think of... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.