Thinking about an (almost) all walnut guitar. Bad idea?

[will_shred]

Looking to get a carvin DC727 shred with walnut/maple neck, walnut wings, and a flamed Koa top. i'm not %100 sure about the right terms of mids/highs/lows but I know that I want to have a very clear, defined sound. Because I like to play with a lot of big chords with a lot of gain. also the punch to give a really nice chug.

 

[SDMFVan]

If you're looking for pronounced mids, walnut probably isn't a great choice. In my experience walnut tends to lack the midrange of mahogany, but it does maintain the low end while giving you the clarity that maple would add. Lots of bass builders use walnut, which would lead me to think it would be good for a 7 string. One other thing to keep in mind is the weight, because walnut is extremely dense and weighs a ton.

 

[will_shred]

Hm. that's interesting. Either way I know I definetly want a walnut neck. But maybe swamp ash wings instead?

also the Weight thing doesn't bother me.

 

[sibanez29]

My main guitar that I built has a good deal of American walnut (also known as black walnut) and I can dial in plenty of punchy midrange. Plus, walnut looks fantastic and is incredibly sturdy.

 

[will_shred]

My main guitar that I built has a good deal of American walnut (also known as black walnut) and I can dial in plenty of punchy midrange. Plus, walnut looks fantastic and is incredibly sturdy.

those were my thoughts exactly...or my educated guesses.

 

[Church2224]

I had a walnut body and claro walnut top Carvin, great sounding guitar. It lacks a little when it comes to mids as previously said, but has a good amount of lows and highs to make up for it.

 

[Spamspam]

With my 100% walnut DC700, I get fantastic cleans, great definition. It is a bit heavier, but I'm a big guy, and don't notice it. The Carvin actives have a great sound, it shreds under gain, and really sounds amazing. It does sound a bit different than some of my other guitars using the same patches, but I really enjoy it. And the perceived difference disappears after a few minutes of playing, I attribute that more to the pups than the wood, sounds like all of my other guitars when unplugged. Amazing sustain, too. And I like the chugga chugga squeal music, too.

 

[bazguitarman]

Walnut is dense and heavy. I usually associate dense and heavy in tone woods with having tighter resonance characteristics. And typically more even highs/mids/lows. At least that's what I've seen/heard generally.

I'm not sure if I would want all walnut. But I'm a big fan of using heavier/denser woods for necks of 7-strings. I think a lot of 7's would benefit from the tightness of those woods. It works real well in high end basses. Why not for a 7?

Whatever you decide to do be sure and post a NGD thread when you get it.

 

[chance0]

My walnut neck Carvin has amazing sustain, but there's a dearth of mids. I also have swamp ash sides and ebony board, so it's a midrange-less fella.

But oddly enough, with the stock pickups it's a punchier guitar than nearly all my other guitars. I think the mid scoop is in just the right spot for clarity without loss of body.

 

[SDMFVan]

The guitar is a mid range instrument, so of course it's all relative. It's just been my experience that walnut accentuates the lows as opposed to the mids.

 

[zzz5150]

walnut neckthough mahgony wings and a thick maple top? i think that would do it

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I have a friend who has an all walnut Warmoth, and I've played the Templar series Moser Custom Shop guitars while visiting Neal Moser a few years back.

I'm currently helping a friend apply a True-Oil finish to a Carvin 5 string bass body that he got as part of his full kit from them.

All of my experiences with all Walnut have been very positive. It's very resonant, has some bite but can get dark also, very nice for high gain downtuned material. As a bass body/neck combo, it really tightens up the low end, makes each note stick out nicely.

 

[Discoqueen]

I think the flame koa might help you with warming that tone up just a tad, I'll be getting my all walnut 727 in soon I'll post a ngd when I do so hopefully that might help ya.

 

[Empryrean]

Well. What kind of pickups are going in it? That makes quite a difference too. Unless you're only playing this thing acoustic.

Walnut is fantastic, my 8 string is neckthrough walnut + korina with an ash top

 

[OfArtAndArsenal]

I'm also thinking about a walnut/mahogany neck with a mahogany body, and walnut top. Haven't decided on a fretboard yet, but I was wondering the same thing about tonal characteristics, as well as the dreaded neck-dive...

 

[NickS]

Mine:

Walnut top and wings, 5 piece maple/walnut neck, ebony board, Dimarzio D-Activator and Liquifire. I love it, I say go for it. Great lows and highs, and easy enough to dial in some mids with good pups and some eq

 

[revclay]

But oddly enough, with the stock pickups it's a punchier guitar than nearly all my other guitars. I think the mid scoop is in just the right spot for clarity without loss of body.

This has been my experience except my 727 also has a walnut body. I find that the walnut guitar really sounds a ton better with the stock Carvin pickups. My other Carvin with a swamp ash body and maple neck can often sound too bright and a little lacking in low end. I find my walnut Carvin to be bigger, clearer and smoother sounding. My walnut Carvin also doesn't feel appreciably heavier than my other Carvin.

 

[Blazerok]

Just got myself a mahogany bodied Carvin DC727. The sound is nice and clear, but you probably will need to dial in a bit more mids than usual. nothing wrong with that IMO as it still remains clean and punchy.

 

[chance0]

This has been my experience except my 727 also has a walnut body. I find that the walnut guitar really sounds a ton better with the stock Carvin pickups. My other Carvin with a swamp ash body and maple neck can often sound too bright and a little lacking in low end. I find my walnut Carvin to be bigger, clearer and smoother sounding. My walnut Carvin also doesn't feel appreciably heavier than my other Carvin.

Agreed. My walnut necked Carvin doesn't feel heavier than any of my other superstrats and was as light as the saber-bodied Ibanez s7320.

 

[iloki]

My walnut/maple DC700 is ~8lbs and sounds incredible.

its walnut body with 5pc walnut/maple stripe neck, birdseye maple fretboard and burl maple top.