AHHHHH!! Need ADVICE!!

[Whitmore]

Guys I need some advice.

I wanna make a custom guitar but I don't know what woods to go for.

I want a smooth articulate sound, that can also sing and has a LOT of resonance. I really like bright guitars, but it also has to be deep enough to do a bit of Jazz, thanks to the course I'm doing right now.


The pickups that are going into it are the Crunch Lab and the Liquifire, case closed, I'm not after recommendations.
The guitar will also be maple capped, no question there either.

I was thinking of going Swamp Ash with a Maple Cap. Swamp Ash is a very ringy wood, its acoustically loud and resonant. But I'm afraid of it being too bright and useless for Jazz.

Alder is kinda out of the question cos you really can get a lot of dead sounding Alder.

Mahogany with Maple Cap. Now, this I'm not too sure about. I don't want a dark sounding instrument. I like the strong midrange and the sustain, but i dislike the darkness, and I know nothing about how acoustically loud mahogany is.

Basswood with a Maple Cap. I don't know about Basswood, it can be kind of a boring wood, and its hard to find exception pieces of wood.

[jerryjg]

Guys I need some advice.

I wanna make a custom guitar but I don't know what woods to go for.

I want a smooth articulate sound, that can also sing and has a LOT of resonance. I really like bright guitars, but it also has to be deep enough to do a bit of Jazz, thanks to the course I'm doing right now.

I think you are on the right track with the Swamp Ash. Even Gibson released series called the 'Vodoo' cause Ash is bright , but also warm, unlike a hard bright wood such as Maple for instance, or a dark warm wood such as Mahogany or Koa.
Have you looked into some of the other body  tonewoods ( not the bright neckwoods like purpleheart, Canary, Pau Ferro), such as Korina, which is on the warm side, or Zebra, whuch is brighter?

 In would reconsider alder. If you get a quality body from a reputable dealer, it most likely will be good wood, and as such, your pickups will really speak well to hat they are designed to do in such a balanced  body wood.
ONly a thick maple cap can lend some tone to a body. Now the choice of your neck would be a hge investent.
Take for instance a Sarat with a dark sounding Mahogany ( or the stuf they now call 'Mahogany 'which is about as close as we will get). YOu can really balance it out with a  MAple /Ebony neck.

For more information, try the Warmoth board. Some of the guys there really know wtf they are doing( although that doesnt necsasarily stop them from being snobs and a-holes). Don't tell them I sent you though, I was banned from there. hahahah




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[CityofBlindingLights]

Consider USA Custom Guitars. They're a touch cheaper and a lot more flexible than Warmoth, have higher quality stuff, and the guys there are ridiculously friendly and are there to develop a relationship with the customer, not sell them wood. It's actually run by a few guys who left Warmoth iirc because they felt Warmoth was becoming overly commercialized and let quality slip, so they have a high focus on quality. I've got an alder body from them and it's absolutely BRILLIANT.

Look into Korina, it looks like it's exactly what you want. Also consider chambering your body.

Is this going to be a Les Paul style guitar?

[Whitmore]

Is this going to be a Les Paul style guitar?

Nope, it's gunna be MY take on the EBMM Signature Petrucci guitar, but instead of Mahogany/Rosewood neck I want a Maple neck with an Ebony board. So, super strat shaped, non locking trem, 500k pots - No piezo, though.

Oh City you've made me soo happy!! The USACG website has filled me with so much confidence! Hats off to you, dear friend.

EDIT: It appears that USACG does not do 24 fret guitars. This troubles me. I want 24 frets.

[CityofBlindingLights]

Is this going to be a Les Paul style guitar?

Nope, it's gunna be MY take on the EBMM Signature Petrucci guitar, but instead of Mahogany/Rosewood neck I want a Maple neck with an Ebony board. So, super strat shaped, non locking trem, 500k pots - No piezo, though.

Oh City you've made me soo happy!! The USACG website has filled me with so much confidence! Hats off to you, dear friend.

EDIT: It appears that USACG does not do 24 fret guitars. This troubles me. I want 24 frets.

Give them a call, they may do it for you.

And iirc, the Petrucci has a birdseye maple neck...

[Whitmore]

Give them a call, they may do it for you.

And iirc, the Petrucci has a birdseye maple neck...

The Ball Family Reserve model has a Mahogany neck.

[CityofBlindingLights]

Give them a call, they may do it for you.

And iirc, the Petrucci has a birdseye maple neck...

The Ball Family Reserve model has a Mahogany neck.

I was also under the impression that the BFR is a neck through...

[Whitmore]

Give them a call, they may do it for you.

And iirc, the Petrucci has a birdseye maple neck...

The Ball Family Reserve model has a Mahogany neck.

I was also under the impression that the BFR is a neck through...

Haha, nope, its a bolt on. Just with a painted neck.

It has a mahogany TONE BLOCK, if that clarifies things.

[BeckerRomeo92]

Alder body with a Maple Top could fit but consider that maple neck and ebony fretboard are going to turn things on the bright side. Also the kind fo neck joint (neck thru, bolt on, set in) is going to affect the sustain and tone of your instrument. The volume and tone pots and the kind of bridge also affects. Korina is a good option.

[soundgardener75]

I second the swamp ash with maple neck/ebony fretboard for what you're going for. It's going to give you a more focused bright tone, and with a bolt-on configuration, an even snappier attack on notes.

Best of luck. Great pickup choices btw.

[Whitmore]

I second the swamp ash with maple neck/ebony fretboard for what you're going for. It's going to give you a more focused bright tone, and with a bolt-on configuration, an even snappier attack on notes.

Best of luck. Great pickup choices btw.

Hmmm, where is the Jazz-y sounding element?

[soundgardener75]

I second the swamp ash with maple neck/ebony fretboard for what you're going for. It's going to give you a more focused bright tone, and with a bolt-on configuration, an even snappier attack on notes.

Best of luck. Great pickup choices btw.

Hmmm, where is the Jazz-y sounding element?

I would assume you would have a tone knob on this build, hopefully a CTS for that matter.

[Whitmore]

I second the swamp ash with maple neck/ebony fretboard for what you're going for. It's going to give you a more focused bright tone, and with a bolt-on configuration, an even snappier attack on notes.

Best of luck. Great pickup choices btw.

Hmmm, where is the Jazz-y sounding element?

I would assume you would have a tone knob on this build, hopefully a CTS for that matter.

Linkage?