A mystery, in an enigma, in my dream guitar.

[tpl2000]

Greetings, all! Today I ask thee a question, concerning opinions on what I should choose for specifications for my dream guitar. I shall paste the current specification list now!

Neck:
24 frets (Jumbo)
Tuners: 3+3 Grover Roto-grip
Ebony fretboard
Maple-walnut-maple-walnut-maple wood in neck
Wide-thin shape
25.0" scale
10" Radius

Neck-through connection to body

Body:
Semi-hollow
PRS tremolo bridge
Carved Bubinga top
Mahogany body (looking for denser wood)
2 pickups (H-H, undecided kind)

Controls:
One volume knob
Two coil tap switches (Front-both-back)
One 3-way pickup selector
One Phase switch




So, my questions are these--
Does anyone have a recommendation for a denser body wood than Mahogany? It's a very warm sound, but I feel like the body won't have quite enough weight to it.

Does anyone know whether or not the neck woods would be bright enough to counteract the default warmth of a semi-hollow body?

Any recommendations for the pickups? Ideally it would have a very smooth lead, and have enough treble/mid on the bridge to not be drowned out by the bass.

Any recommendations for the inlay material? I'm thinking bright wood, in grain (or close to it) with the ebony. Nothing too complex, I'm still going with the good ol' 3-5-7-9-12-15-17-19-21-24 tradition.




Any and all help is and will be greatly appreciated!

(Also, I think this may be a luthiery question rather than just a guitar section question? Dunno!)

 

[Berserker]

You could use maple or ash for the body. Both brighter and heavier than mahogany.

 

[tpl2000]

You could use maple or ash for the body. Both brighter and heavier than mahogany.

Hrm.... Where does Walnut rate on that scale?

 

[Berserker]

Never used walnut but i think it's pretty heavy. You could always use sapele if you like the look of mahogany... the sapele Les Paul I built weighs 13lbs!!

 

[foreright]

Sapele varies hugely in density - I have some that is much lighter than mahogany and some that is extremely dense. It does always work really nicely though

American black walnut is typically pretty dense - it's a bugger to work compared to ssapele though...

 

[Prophetable]

I put a walnut top on my guitar. It's fairly heavy but not nearly as heavy (or painful to work) as purpleheart.

 

[tedtan]

Mahogany can vary quite a bit in weight, too. I have mahogany guitars (older Ibanez S series, so pretty thin) that are anywhere from light to Les Paul heavy. So if you want heavy, just choose the right piece.

As for counteracting the hollow body warmth, why? If you want a brighter sounding guitar, get a brighter sounding guitar (solid body, bright woods, etc.).

 

[tpl2000]

Mahogany can vary quite a bit in weight, too. I have mahogany guitars (older Ibanez S series, so pretty thin) that are anywhere from light to Les Paul heavy. So if you want heavy, just choose the right piece.

As for counteracting the hollow body warmth, why? If you want a brighter sounding guitar, get a brighter sounding guitar (solid body, bright woods, etc.).

Largely the acoustic qualities, for the semi-hollow part. It seems to have a richer tone overall than many/most solid bodies.

Also, I seem to have heard woord that oak heartwood is a viable choice. Any truth to this?

 

[teamSKDM]

I think most custom "dream guitars" (at least MY custom/dream guitars) Should have wenge neck, as its very dense, and to my understanding is the best wood as far as strength and movement goes. its less likely to change to temperature and humidity.

To comment on the body, you should have no problems finding a very dense piece of mahogany. I think mahogany is probably one of the most dense woods available.

 

[tpl2000]

I think most custom "dream guitars" (at least MY custom/dream guitars) Should have wenge neck, as its very dense, and to my understanding is the best wood as far as strength and movement goes. its less likely to change to temperature and humidity.

To comment on the body, you should have no problems finding a very dense piece of mahogany. I think mahogany is probably one of the most dense woods available.

That's just it... I'm not so worried about the density of the neck. If I were desiring a solid body guitar I'd probably take your word on it--the body would easily counteract that weight. However, given that it'll be a semi-hollow, the body is going to be relatively light-weight in comparison. Hence, my request for the recommendation of body wood.



And now, after taking a trip to the nearby Woodcraft store, I'm highly intrigued by Bloodwood. Very heay, and apparently very bright sounding. Comments? (Currently considering swapping the top wood of the body with this) (Or just making the entire body out of this.)

 

[Eliguy666]

Bloodwood is pretty much an ebony substitute- incredibly bright, but not scratchy or thin like maple might be. Very dry, very full, lots of pick attack.
As to wanting a semi-hollow: have you played any semi-hollow guitars you've liked? Most, in my experience, are prone to feedback and much less responsive to pick attack. It might well be a better choice to just use some sort of effects pedal to get your clean tone where you want it.

 

[tpl2000]

Bloodwood is pretty much an ebony substitute- incredibly bright, but not scratchy or thin like maple might be. Very dry, very full, lots of pick attack.
As to wanting a semi-hollow: have you played any semi-hollow guitars you've liked? Most, in my experience, are prone to feedback and much less responsive to pick attack. It might well be a better choice to just use some sort of effects pedal to get your clean tone where you want it.

I've owned a jade green PRS SE semi-hollow for about 7 yeears now. Pick attack is not at all a problem in my experience. Then again, when I'm playing clean I want the focus to be on the notes--not the pick attack. I also do a fair amount of shredding, so I'm quite open to the lack of attack.

I also think that your description of it would actually make it a very good wood for semi-hollow. Bright, and a very noticeable attack, but enough warmth to counteract that and even everything out.

 

[tpl2000]

So, are there any pickup recommendations?
Primary genre for bridge would be anywhere from rock to death metal, neck pickup would be absolutely anywhere at all (except country. Dear God....) Ideally the neck pickup would be smooth, kinda creamy, high output, and suitable for shredding.

 

[tpl2000]

(bump)

 

[tpl2000]

(bump)

(Bump.)

 

[Prophetable]

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