Which wood would you pick, and why?

[bazguitarman]

I think either wood works well in a guitar. Both will do a good job for you. It`s generally thought that mahogany is warm and round in the mids, with a present and pleasant top end. Mahogany`s bass responce varies depending on the density and weight of the particular piece. I find it to be warm and moderately tight unless a really light and resonant piece. Tthen it may be a little mushy.

Alder IMH is one of the best tone woods. Pretty balanced sounding with big, tight bass and crisp top end. Alder to my ears is a little brighter and toothier in the mids. Good for cut and crunch.

I think both would work depending on what pups you installed to fine tune.

Eric

 

[Haunted Cereal]

Mahogany Think TOOL Crunch 10,000 days
Alder think Steve Vai Crunch

I personally take Mahogany over Alder. If too Midrangey for you add Maple top.

actually alot of the crunch from 10,000 days comes from adams diezel. look at aenima and lateralus if you really wanna hear mahogany. but hes also using a silverburst so alot of the highs and mids are influenced by that, and hes using a rectifier on alot of those tracks. i like mahogany but i'm thinking of making a move to basswood. i like the way mahogany kinda dulls the highs so they're not screming in my ear, but it leaves the low end kinda fat and muddy. i'd like to see a study of where lower frequency notes vibrate the most and replace those sections of the body with basswood or alder.

 

[Aghorasilat]

actually alot of the crunch from 10,000 days comes from adams diezel. look at aenima and lateralus if you really wanna hear mahogany. but hes also using a silverburst so alot of the highs and mids are influenced by that, and hes using a rectifier on alot of those tracks. i like mahogany but i'm thinking of making a move to basswood. i like the way mahogany kinda dulls the highs so they're not screming in my ear, but it leaves the low end kinda fat and muddy. i'd like to see a study of where lower frequency notes vibrate the most and replace those sections of the body with basswood or alder.

Uh..yes but its being mic'd with a Heil PR 30 & API mic pre..that gives it a certain smoothness and grit associated with his sound.

Deizel alone will not get you that sound.

 

[Aghorasilat]

Mahogany has a lot to do with it also for that sound..

 

[Shawn]

I haven't played an alder guitar for a while so I can really comment it but my S 7420 is mahogany and I love the sound of it. I also like basswood however.

 

[metalfiend666]

Given you like the Joe Barden sound in an alder body, I think that's your best option. Being a bolt on guitar though, you can always make a second mahogany body in the future to experiment with. I'd also think alder will give you the cruchier sound you want, mahogany's a bit smoother and thicker.

 

[Drew]

Alder. Good bass, great upper mids, and plenty of "presence" - this all translates into excellent articulation on the low B.

 

[eaeolian]

Alder is, IMO, a better choice for a bolt-on, given the tone you're looking for. We got something very similar to "AIA"'s guitar tone with a Mesa Triple, a C90 cab, and my alder guitar with a Duncan JB - in short, with gear that was not a damn thing like what Jon used.

 

[WarriorOfMetal]

Alder is, IMO, a better choice for a bolt-on, given the tone you're looking for. We got something very similar to "AIA"'s guitar tone with a Mesa Triple, a C90 cab, and my alder guitar with a Duncan JB - in short, with gear that was not a damn thing like what Jon used.

clips?

 

[Drew]

clips?

Try the division Myspace, if memory serves... Actually, even the sevenstring.org myspace has a division track with that setup, I think.

 

[i_love_tazzus]

alder vs. mahogany. i'm building a custom 7-string with a bolt-on maple/wenge 5-piece neck with an ebony fingerboard and 24 stainless steel frets. 26.5" scale with a floyd rose. probably something like a Duncan '59-7 in the neck, and the closest i can get to the sound of a Joe Barden HB in the bridge (i.e., super clear, punchy/attacky without being harsh, tight, and ballsy). my guitars that i really like the Bardens in are quite different from each other (one has a maple neck and fingerboard with an alder body, the other has a basswood body with maple neck and rosewood fingerboard....both are 25.5" scale).

Nice. I'd definitely go for alder. But, if you could afford it, a mahogany body with a 1/4 inch maple cap would rock. The brightness and warmth with that body would mix very well with that pickup combo.

 

[WarriorOfMetal]

Try the division Myspace, if memory serves... Actually, even the sevenstring.org myspace has a division track with that setup, I think.

i've never thought those sounded like AiA....i'll give it another listen though.

 

[WarriorOfMetal]

i just ordered an alder body blank....hopefully it'll work out nicely.

 

[eaeolian]

i've never thought those sounded like AiA....i'll give it another listen though.

They sound a little more like "Something Wicked", but that was just the raw guitars - the rest of the recording doesn't sound a damn thing like AiA. Also, don't use "Hunt", as it sounds different.