GOHOINC":10yv3h99 said:
I tend to prefer mahogany. That's not to say I don't enjoy Alder, I do, and to me it's not as much the natural tone difference as it is the playing repsonse. The response I get from a mahogany body makes me want to dig in to the strings more which enhances the tone imo. Whereas alder i tend to "just play"... if that makes any sense.
This... ^^^^
I definitely think wood makes a difference, and I think it's mostly in how the wood responds to your playing technique. I also agree that basing a selection only on the type of wood is a crap shoot. Even wood from the same tree, if dried differently (incorrectly), is going to sound different. The time it takes to properly acquire, dry, prepare, and store wood for use in any guitar is one of the major contributors to price.
I think there are four areas of guitar contruction that also make a difference. The quality of both the wood and the work is more or less equally important, or at least I think so.
1. Main Body - by this, I mean the wood in the center of the guitar. This could be the entire body, it could be a layer between or underneath a separate top and/or back, it could be just a center piece (think semi-hollow), it could be the centerblock under the bridge in a hollowbody, or it could just be the sides (think acoustic).
2. Top and/or Back - if the guitar has a different wood laminated to its top (think Les Paul) or both top and back (think PRS Hollowbody), this is what I mean here.
3. Neck - Obviously, this is the neck shaft (think bolt-on), but could also be set into the body (think set-neck), or a single piece running the length of the guitar (think neck-through).
4. Fingerboard - the biggest difference here is whether the neck and fretboard are the same piece (think one-piece maple neck) or another wood is laminated (think mahogany neck/ebony fretboard).
Fon instance, I have two virtually identical guitars. The only difference is one has a 2-piece maple neck and the other has a 2-piece maple/rosewood neck. They're both bolt-on, both same make, model, year, and body wood. Do they sound the same? No. Similar, yes, but not identical. Is that because of the fretboard? Maybe. Or maybe it could be the natual differences in two pieces of wood.
Also important is how much wood there is in each component (think long vs short tenon, round-lam vs slab, veneer top vs 1/2" top, or solid body vs semi-hollow).
Anyway... these are my observations from guitars I currently own:
Ash - brighty, fast attack (spanky)
Alder - bright, not not nearly as so as ash. More well rounded but still with bell-like highs
Mahogany - warmer, noticably slower attack, nice sustain
Korina - white or black, much like mahogany but with a little faster attack and slightly brighter (sweeter) almost like a hint of ash.
Maple - bright, tons of sustain
Rosewood - warm but certainly not dark
Ebony - slightly brighter than maple, lots of definition (upper midrange)
Which one's my favorite? The one that's currently in my hands...
Honestly, though, they're all good, just different. If I were to pick all the woods, I'd go for a Korina body with a maple top, a rosewood neck, and an ebony fretboard. But that's just me...
that actually makes perfect sense and is the reason I LOVE my ESP. I thought that had to do with the Ebony board though. Was my first Ebony so hard to say. Something to consider for sure.
I'm not a huge fan of Alder but it can sound really good too. Good wood is good wood so start there. I've parted a few guitars together and my best ones tend to be heavier mahogany bodies with maple tops. I always shoot for a singer...meaning it sings, resonates and sustains unplugged. I like the darkness and warmth of it when you get a good match.
