ASH body strat, maple neck and fingerboard HELP

[jjames]

hi to all strat lovers, custom guitar holders or ppl who know about wood combi, i would like to enquire abt the above combi.
im plnning to order my first custom soon. ive always been a fan of mahagony body, maple top and maple neck with rosewood fingerboard combi.

but i found it a lil too dark soundin so wanted to try sth with a full maple neck. stumbled upon the ash body on some strats and read up on it.
it seems to be a suitable wood for lots of types of music. even 7 string maestro, uses a custom ah bodied ibanez custom.

ok back to the point, my main musical influences is rock. i play DT, modern metalcore, radio rock. so its from creed to DT to Lamb of god kinda thing.

i play blues every weekend at a chillout place with my band too. so sth along those lines..

pls help me out guys.
make my custom a dream come true

 

[HIMYNAMEISARTHUR]

hmm...i tink u do a swamp ash wid full maple neck..den for pups do a hss...maybe alinco pro on the neck position,inader at bridge?if wan sss use ht rails..den ca nmetal..n gt smooth bluesy tone from neck..

 

[live33]

Ooo... swamp ash in clear finish *drools*.

Or you can consider sticking with mahogany and have a thicker maple cap?

 

[jjames]

yeqah i could stick to mahagony..
actually would prefer an ash body. wart pickups u'll recomend?
other than dimarzios or sth.
rio grande or some other boutique pckups?

 

[Rossie]

Why not try the basswood and maple cap combo?
It's light, and is the ultimate tonewood for John Suhr...

From the songs that you play, maybe some high output pickups?
Steve Special or D-sonic in the bridge, and Air Norton in the neck...
Add coil splitting function for some single coil tones...

EDIT: Just saw you don't want D'marzios, how about some Lundgren?

 

[XJAPAN]

Minor OT abit... How much does these custom will cost usually?

Really wanted a full maple neck guitar..

 

[thor666]

From your influences it seems that a rosewood fretboard would be better - it tends to sound richer. If you want more brightness, switch the pots instead.

You probably want to pick up medium to high output pickups, even if you play blues. Probably medium output is best suited for what you play. I won't name models since you want booteek and I'm not familiar with booteek pickups. I don't find pups as important as amps or selection of gain pedals to match up, so never toyed with those.

 

[almondx]

Do take note that it will be a compromise one way or another. If you switch from mahogany to ash you'll lose the low end midrange thump from the mahogany in favour for the clarity of ash. The genres which you have listed as well as the music you play seem to be bass intensive.

A mahogany body, maple top and neck and a rosewood fretboard should by no means sound dark as it is a very balanced and full sounding combination. Perhaps what you are looking for is more cut through the mix rather than a guitar that sounds inherently bright?

If you want to swap pickups in your current guitar first, do note that generally the lower the DC resistance or windings, the brighter and less compressed the pickups. This puts you in the realm of PAFesque pickups as they are typically low wound. However they may not have sufficient oomph for the metal genres. So how about a Bare Knuckles Mule in the neck for the blues and a Nailbomb in the bridge for the blazes? They should cut through the mix quite well ie. bright chimes from the mule and searing leads from the nailbomb.

If all else fails, invest in an equaliser pedal. It is definitely more practical than getting a guitar custom made. But if that's where your heart is, by all means go for it! :wink:

 

[subversion]

my 50th Ann Strat above is sporting a light ash body with maple neck/ fretboard.

while it's brighter sounding than my mahogany bodied guitars, that extra brightness isn't excessive. it's more prominent from the neck pickup. if you wish for more lower midrange thump, employ an EQ pedal to trim the highs every time you activate the bridge unit so there's a marked difference for ryhtm work.

 

[suckasucks]

ummm.. why not just use the tone knobs? since you're getting it custom, get separate tone controls.

are you only looking for a strat shaped guitar?

 

[jjames]

thanks so much for the replies guys
yes im getting a strat shaped guitar.

outting that aside and coming back to the point of body wood, i do agree with almondx.
i do find i need a more cut thru the mix kinda thing. as for pickups i don mind dimarzios or anything. as long as they do the job.
ive used emgs.. the only one which appeals to me ion the neck position prob the 85 but not into the actives for this time round. how abt an EVO bridge? is it too harsh?

ive used some has sound pickups in my seven string. they have been retired since. the tonezone or sth in the neck was sweet but the viper 7 in the bridge was too thin and bright.

perhaps i have not much inclination towarsds the 'hollow' sound of the basswood guitars. no problems against anyone who use em of course. had a satriani and a few ibanez rg restige in basswood.. but as time went by.. the sound changed.. and bla bla..

i am on the verge of getting a full ample neck from USACG but if the ideas on the woods cant get strt in my head i'll pass for now and prob check out a few more factory made stuff..

sub, have u tried the fender usa deluxe. they have the h-s-s version in ash body and maple neck and board. and also premium alder body with rosewood board.
any comments?

 

[subversion]

yes, i've tried those. Fender did a wise thing to calibrate their pickups to produce an overall balanced tone, i don't hear any excess of any frequencies in the output. as for playabiity issues, it's nothing short of superb!!

 

[snuffleupagus]

Hey I own that same 50th anniversary strat subversion,with the gorgeous tweed case and all...

The pickups are custom shop 54's right?I bought mine second hand, so I also not sure, but I love the tone of the ash body combined with the maple neck, its sounds different from my other alder strats.

I'm making it my new go-to-hendrix guitar!