# The best Wood for a custom 7 string



## Erick Kroenen (Mar 7, 2009)

i was reading about the woods and the quality of them, so i like the mahogany + maple and the ash for a body but the weight not to much so i was thinking if a good piece of basswood + maple , or alder + maple sounds good and still being light weight, i really like stephan forte's tone and he uses 1/2 basswood 1/2 maple for the body, but i don't like the S shape..

What do you guys think??

help appreciated ...


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## budda (Mar 7, 2009)

there isnt a best wood - it's all preferance on weight, appearance and tonal properties.

if you're getting a custom guitar, you can do half basswood and half maple without an S body


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## ilikes2shred (Mar 7, 2009)

^1+ 
Also, if you're worried about the weight, chambering and thin-bodied guitars can also be considered.


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## Wi77iam (Mar 7, 2009)

basswood with maple cap


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## Apophis (Mar 8, 2009)

give us some preferences, what you like in tone, what you hate etc, without that we can tell nothing


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## guitarplayerone (Mar 8, 2009)

the weight on a mahogany+maple body like on my RG is really not that bad at all. when people talk about 'heavy mahogany LP's' those are really big fat chuks of wood, my rg is quite a bit thinner. it really depends how thin/thick the body is. note that the heavier the wood (the more dense it is) the more that will affect tone- personally I find a lot of people really like dense woods unless you are planning mainly on doing solo/shredding work (or otherwise like basswood). 

note that if you get a neckthrough guitar then the neck will affect the tone a lot more than on a bolt on. as far as stephen forte's tone you need to bear in mind that he has a specific setup with specific eq etc. so I would go to guitar center and try out lots of guitars and find which type of construction/woods you like the most out of what they have there. I was very surprised by a Hellraiser that I tried, though I hated the neck and have small fingers, the longer scale length wasn't a problem at all, and the tone was gigantic (even though in general hate emg's as well). so there are really large amounts of factors to consider when you try out different tones. also, if I recall correctly I think that the herman li signature has really similar shape/woods etc, you can try to track one down and play it to see if you like that combination

atm I am fairly happy with my j custom, that's maple topped mahogany. its pretty 'growly' and definitely not as 'flat' as basswood is for shredding, but has a lot more character and 'bite' due to the basswood. honestly I think you should look up John Petrucci's wood combinations for his BFR guitars for what you want, I think they use alder, some basswood, and maple for those, they sound really clear, and not too 'scooped' etc. with layering woods like that you can get the characteristics of a couple of different woods that you like. for the record though, I find that I cut through much better in a live situation with my guitar for leads etc than basswood, its just a little bit more quirky to eq (as in basswood will sound like baswwood pretty much all the time)


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## Groff (Mar 8, 2009)

william93 said:


> basswood with maple cap



This is an excellent combination. I have a Schecter that's made this way, and it's my favorite 6 stringer!


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## Erick Kroenen (Mar 9, 2009)

i play the LP for years but i feel that the sound is a little dark to me, and i have now the loomis and is really bright, maybe i need a mahogany body + maple , maple neck, ebony fretboard, setneck, but the body really contoured to get a light weight guitar..

or what you guys think of this?


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## Stealthdjentstic (Mar 9, 2009)

Go look up some guides on wood. I think theres a pretty good one on jemsite. Those should help you out.


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## AeonSolus (Mar 9, 2009)

For me it depends on the pickups you're gonna throw in it. Example EMGs with an maple body would be a high freq bomb


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## budda (Mar 9, 2009)

dirgesong said:


> i play the LP for years but i feel that the sound is a little dark to me, and i have now the loomis and is really bright, maybe i need a mahogany body + maple , maple neck, ebony fretboard, setneck, but the body really contoured to get a light weight guitar..
> 
> or what you guys think of this?



the body doesn't have to be highly contoured - you could get it chambered, which is what I'm doing on my custom 7


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## Erick Kroenen (Mar 11, 2009)

i found this in the forum
Guitar Wood FAQ - Wood Types & Tones

and for what i read spruce, alder, lacewood, ash .. are very balanced

but i have ash (in my loomis).. and i read that ash differs a lot in tone


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## Emperoff (Mar 12, 2009)

AeonSolus said:


> For me it depends on the pickups you're gonna throw in it. Example EMGs with an maple body would be a high freq bomb



My neckthru Agile, even not being full-maple, it slices through any mix like a chainsaw


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## Erick Kroenen (Mar 14, 2009)

what do you guys think of a multi-wood body 
1/2" mahogany+3/4" alder+ 1/2 maple top..


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## El Caco (Mar 14, 2009)

It all depends on what you are going for, I have a basswood 7, 2 mahogany 7's and a birdseye maple 7 topped with mahogany and then blackwood with a flamed maple neck. I have also played maple neckthroughs and a Loomis. They are all good and all bring something different to the table, what is best depends on you, what style you play and what you will be playing through to some extent.

Wood quality is a significant factor as a good piece of wood will resonate better and sound more alive then a shit piece no matter what it is.

My preference is mahogany for standard tuning but if I was tuning down I wouldn't go with mahogany as the added clarity of woods like ash and maple are much more defined down low and sound far more brutal. If I was only recording or playing through a modeller and some monitors I would most likely lean toward basswood.

Pickups play a much larger role in your tone then what your guitar is made out of however what your guitar is made out of is the base of your tone and IMO the two should compliment each other.

What I am saying is that there is not a one size fits all best wood, there is only what is best for you, the closest thing to a wood that works well for the most people is basswood. If you are not sure of what you want my suggestion is to first play as many guitars as you can get your hands on keeping in mind that the pups in each are shaping the tone more then the wood is and then talk to the guy that will be building your guitar and give him as much information as you can about what you want and let him recommend something for you.

FWIW my new main player is not my favourite guitar tonally as even though it gives a little away in tone it still sounds and works great but it feels, looks and plays a hell of a lot nicer then my Ibanez RG's


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## Daemoniac (Mar 14, 2009)

s7eve said:


> It all depends on what you are going for, I have a basswood 7, 2 mahogany 7's and a birdseye maple 7 topped with mahogany and then blackwood with a flamed maple neck. I have also played maple neckthroughs and a Loomis. They are all good and all bring something different to the table, what is best depends on you, what style you play and what you will be playing through to some extent.
> 
> Wood quality is a significant factor as a good piece of wood will resonate better and sound more alive then a shit piece no matter what it is.
> 
> ...




+100. A man who knows his stuff.


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## ChrisPcritter (Mar 15, 2009)

Alder


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## ChrisPcritter (Mar 15, 2009)

with maple top


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## Caveman (Mar 15, 2009)

One thing i havnt heard in this entire thread yet is poplar. and so far it sounds like a really good option for you. because i have an explorer made out of poplar. with a mahogany set neck and as it is i keep it tuned two steps down. and you'd be suprised at the voicing this thing has. its really bassy and warm but yet at the same time very well defined and harmonicly dynamic. its actually only 90&#37; of the size of a regular explorer and its very light. but its remarkable the sustain i get out of it.


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## explosivo (Mar 15, 2009)

Caveman said:


> One thing i havnt heard in this entire thread yet is poplar. and so far it sounds like a really good option for you. because i have an explorer made out of poplar. with a mahogany set neck and as it is i keep it tuned two steps down. and you'd be suprised at the voicing this thing has. its really bassy and warm but yet at the same time very well defined and harmonicly dynamic. its actually only 90% of the size of a regular explorer and its very light. but its remarkable the sustain i get out of it.


+1 to this.

Poplar has great tone characteristics IMO, and it's quite light. One of my favorite woods.


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## damigu (Mar 15, 2009)

Caveman said:


> One thing i havnt heard in this entire thread yet is poplar. and so far it sounds like a really good option for you. because i have an explorer made out of poplar. with a mahogany set neck and as it is i keep it tuned two steps down. and you'd be suprised at the voicing this thing has. its really bassy and warm but yet at the same time very well defined and harmonicly dynamic. its actually only 90% of the size of a regular explorer and its very light. but its remarkable the sustain i get out of it.



no one has mentioned paulownia yet either. it's also a low weight wood with interesting tonal characteristics.
as with poplar: plenty of sustain and rich harmonics, a warm sound but not too dark.


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## Caveman (Mar 15, 2009)

damigu said:


> no one has mentioned paulownia yet either. it's also a low weight wood with interesting tonal characteristics.
> as with poplar: plenty of sustain and rich harmonics, a warm sound but not too dark.


 

never heard of this wood actually. is it a rarer more expensive wood? because I'm currently working on a 7 string baritone ML guitar and was considering using something a little more exotic.


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## Erick Kroenen (Mar 15, 2009)

damigu said:


> no one has mentioned paulownia yet either. it's also a low weight wood with interesting tonal characteristics.
> as with poplar: plenty of sustain and rich harmonics, a warm sound but not too dark.



that sound like a good tonewood for me i find this 

Paulownia Wood Characteristics

Toad Gully Growers: Kiri, Paulownia Timber


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## damigu (Mar 16, 2009)

my neck-thru bass has paulownia wings with a maple top (maple and walnut 5 piece neck). the paulownia gives it a natural richness and growl.

it isn't a rare or more expensive wood. it's pretty common in asia and costs similar to mahogany, i believe.

a number of asian stringed instruments are usually made of paulownia--like the koto and guqin (i'm sure you've seen them--they're those instruments that are like 6' long rounded boards with tons of strings that sit flat on the ground while they're played).
i've always thought those instruments sounded great.

the only problem with paulownia is that it is pretty light so it can very easily end up neck-heavy if not made carefully.
my traben bass is *almost* neck heavy but the body was designed so that the strap button is exactly in the right place to *just* balance the instrument.


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## Elysian (Mar 16, 2009)

dirgesong said:


> that sound like a good tonewood for me i find this
> 
> Paulownia Wood Characteristics
> 
> Toad Gully Growers: Kiri, Paulownia Timber



i'm not certain i can get paulownia locally, if you do intend on having me build this. also keep in mind, if i'm doing the build, the superstrat shape i have is a bit more compact than a RG, so its going to naturally be fairly light, although it won't be neck heavy because of the strap button placement. just for comparisons sake, heres my superstrat versus an RG







i'd actually change my recommendation, from swamp ash to northern hard ash, just to make sure the body doesn't weigh too little and neck dive. tonally, they are virtually identical, the northern hard ash is just a little bit heavier.


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## Caveman (Mar 16, 2009)

i havn't heard this paulownia but i do know what your talking about with a koto. that does sound like an intereseting wood to have a guitar made out of. after all i love my poplar one. i figure after im done with my mahogany baritone ml ill try something with poplar or paulownia after.


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## Erick Kroenen (Mar 17, 2009)

Elysian said:


> i'm not certain i can get paulownia locally, if you do intend on having me build this. also keep in mind, if i'm doing the build, the superstrat shape i have is a bit more compact than a RG, so its going to naturally be fairly light, although it won't be neck heavy because of the strap button placement. just for comparisons sake, heres my superstrat versus an RG
> 
> 
> 
> ...



elysian you impress me every time.. your shape is great men.. i only need to get the money.. (i have it but i need it for a trip.. Canada here i go)


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## Elysian (Mar 18, 2009)

dirgesong said:


> elysian you impress me every time.. your shape is great men.. i only need to get the money.. (i have it but i need it for a trip.. Canada here i go)



no sweat man, I'll still be here when you're ready


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