Woods

yermaw · #1 10-24-2003, 06:12 PM

Hi everyone.

Basically i'm asking two questions, the first is how the low b (or whatever) is affected by the choice of wood in a 7 string, the second is what kind of wood you prefer in them.

Apart from generall curiosity, the reason i'm asking is because i'm making a guitar some time in the (hopefully

) not to distant future and really like the extended range so i'm seriously considering a 7.

Thanks!

sam669 · #2 10-24-2003, 06:34 PM

alder sounds the best
mahogany is for a certain type of sound... with a quite thick maple top, it might even sound good lol
basswood is ok, though a little thin, but good pickups and amp can do the trick.
btw, anyone has an idea about a poplar 7?

The_Grindfiend · #3 10-24-2003, 08:08 PM

I'm going to put in a second vote for alder. With an alder body and an ebony fingerboard, you'll be hard-pressed to find anything more articulate.

sam669 · #4 10-24-2003, 09:07 PM

alder body, ebony fingerboard and a 27" neck

=heaven

yermaw · #5 10-25-2003, 06:10 PM

Yeah, I like a bit of mahogany's warmth and slight muddines, but also like good articulation, and from what i've heard mahogany can be pretty bad in sevens. I was thinking of somthing like a walnut thru-neck, which supposidly has a bit of mahogany-like warmth to it, but dosn't muddy badly. Some other exotic woods like sound interesting, I think wenge gives a mapleish clarity, but with more warmth to it. Any opinons?

The_Grindfiend · #6 10-26-2003, 04:43 PM

Wenge is great in necks. If I had the money for a custom 7 right now, I think I'd get an wenge bubinga neck, with an ebony fretboard, alder body and maple top.

yermaw · #7 10-26-2003, 06:29 PM

Yay, this thread had 77 views when I posted! Anyway, I have accses to a good amount of sycamore/mahogany so i was thinking of a sycamore thru neck, with a bit of mahogany on the bottom and mahogany wings, I think that the brightness of sycamore would tone down the muddiness of mahogany but still leave a bit of warmth. Wenge sounds nice, but it's quite expensive, isn't it? I'd love to be proved wrong on that! I'd like to try somthing exotic on the fretboard, tho. A bloodwood fretboard, headstock veneer and veneer over the thru neck would be

Drew · #8 10-27-2003, 06:24 PM

walnot's supposed to be bright as hell, as far as tonewoods go- it'd probably give amazing clarity and "Snap" to that low string. i mean, they use it for high-end basses, for christ's sake...

Never heard of sycamore being used as a tonewood. Read into it before you proceed, and see if it's ever been done before.

-D

The_Grindfiend · #9 10-27-2003, 10:37 PM

I had read that walnut was in between mahogany and maple. Or maple and rosewood. Come to think of it, I don't have the foggiest idea what I originally heard about it. Hope this helps!

yermaw · #10 10-28-2003, 03:55 AM

You get white and black walnut, they both sound different. I think black sounds mahoganyish.

yermaw · #11 10-28-2003, 04:10 PM

Well, i'd decided on basswood, for price, and generally pretty good sound.

But then I saw Satch's Mahogany 7. Sounds a bit muddy but still great. What do you think? Should I be safe with basswood, or go for mahogany, despite possible risks.

Btw, sycamore is used as a tonewood. Relitivly similar to maple, but cheaper.

darren wilson · #12 10-28-2003, 04:48 PM

I'd say go for black walnut. It's got the warmth of mahogany, but it's got a crispness and more high-end shimmer, like maple. It doesn't seem to have the pronounced midrange honk that can make mahogany sound a little overpowering.

The_Grindfiend · #13 10-29-2003, 12:14 AM

The walnut does sound pretty good. If you did decide to go with mahogany, you could tame it some with a maple neck and maple top, as well as an ebony board, if you wanted. This might reduce some of the honkiness that mahogany is prone to get. If you weren't going to tune below B, I'd say mahogany would produce a sound acceptable to you with a maple neck and maple top. Below B, forget mahogany, I say.

urezna · #14 10-29-2003, 10:52 AM

mahogany is great for 7 string!!!!
but you need the right pickup i guess....
i have an RG2027, which has mahogany body, and replaced the bridge pickup with a DiMarzio Evolution7... the original pickup indeed sounded muddy....
this monster now really ROCKS!!!!!

yermaw · #15 10-29-2003, 01:25 PM

You sure black walnut is the warmer one? Just this site lists white walnut as being the warmer.

Setting your nice, newly made guitar up to demonstate it's nice warm ballsy tone and getting a shrill 80's shred sound would be a bit nasty!
http://www.rampartguitars.com/w_Waln...Black%20Walnut