Wood Choices

[tinman402]

Alright I want to build a esquire partscaster... I have a Pine body tele that rocks (p90 neck/hot tele bridge) and I have a American Ash body that is set up with the normal tele pickup set-up...

The question is what would be a good wood to build the esquire out of... Both of my current have maple necks and I plan to go the same on the esquire neck.. I am not worried about grain because I plan to paint it lake placid blue...

What would you make it out of?

Give me some ideas..

[gitlvr]

I'd go pine. Especially if you're using a solid color. Save the ash for clear or tinted finish. MHO.

[tinman402]

What would be the tonal advantages of using say a mahogany, Alder, popular or maple over pine? I know pine would be the less costly, but I was kinda thinking I wanted something different from what I already have.

Pine would be the cheapest way to go and true easy to paint, but I don't want the same tone as I get out of my bridge alone on my pine tele I already have..

[Nick JD]

Originally Posted by tinman402

I don't want the same tone as I get out of my bridge alone on my pine tele I already have..

I'd suggest using a different bridge pickup than your esquire. The tonal palette available to you via pickup design is enormously larger (and infinately more controllable) that the craps shoot (and some would say, pathetic) amount of variability you'll get with body wood selection.

Differences in body wood tone on an electric are smaller than angling the amp slightly in the room in which you are playing. With electric guitars, the most important tonewood in the equation is the box in which the speaker is mounted ... and that's probably plywood or MDF.

[tinman402]

So in other words.. Wood won't make much difference other than weight.. That is what I was looking for..

Thanks guys... This is always the right place to get good answers...

[gitlvr]

Originally Posted by Nick JD

I'd suggest using a different bridge pickup than your esquire. The tonal palette available to you via pickup design is enormously larger (and infinately more controllable) that the craps shoot (and some would say, pathetic) amount of variability you'll get with body wood selection.

Differences in body wood tone on an electric are smaller than angling the amp slightly in the room in which you are playing. With electric guitars, the most important tonewood in the equation is the box in which the speaker is mounted ... and that's probably plywood or MDF.

+1. Wood matters, but there's sooo many more things that matter a lot more when it comes to tone.

[Ronkirn]

If you have a really good amp, and can play, nothing else matters much. You cannot simply buy stuff, touted as yielding a specific tone, and expect with any real predictability that the specified tone will be there in the end. Once assembled, it will either have it, or not... if not... then you can start fooling around with stuff, to dial it in...

If it Does sound good, you don't really know if it's you, your amp, or the parts you have screwed together... It doesn't really matter either, because since you have talent, a good amp, and a guitar that functions... no one really cares about any of the gear... they just wanna hear what you can do with it..

Just do it, and have fun....

Ron Kirn

[tinman402]

Sounds good Ron.. I agree.. I just figured certian woods are denser and would have more sustain or a darkness to them and others less dense would be brighter... But I guess all in all the output of a pickup and the amplification of it is the important part....

tone is in the fingers.. right.. ;)

I just been on a esquire kick lately... I prefer to make one.. I have made pedals and do all my own work on my guitars.. Why not build it.. Sounds like a fun thing to do...

look for a esquire build thread in a couple of weeks... :)

[Ronkirn]

tone is in the fingers.. right..

yep and a note only sustains 'till ya let go.... but to be sure.... generally, the more dense, aka heavy a body, the better the sustain, but that also impacts the overall sound quality, so as so many things in life... the guitar is a study in compromises...

Since the REAL difference among the various species of lumber is so very subtle... I would suggest letting the overall construct dictate... painted body = Alder.... there is no sense making it any harder than is is....

r

[gitlvr]

Originally Posted by Ronkirn

... painted body = Alder.... there is no sense making it any harder than is is....

r

Yep. Or in this case, pine.