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Michaelkaufman
Username: Michaelkaufman

Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 9:26 pm:   

Which do you prefer?
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Dave_g
Username: Dave_g

Registered: 01-2002
Posted on Monday, November 14, 2005 - 11:53 pm:   

ASH...seems more resonant to me, brighter somehow
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Funkle
Username: Funkle

Registered: 12-2001
Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 1:26 am:   

I prefer ash for single coils and mahogany for humbuckers.
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Olafreijnders
Username: Olafreijnders

Registered: 07-2005
Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 6:57 am:   

Ash for me (or ovengkol)
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Funkle
Username: Funkle

Registered: 12-2001
Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 10:21 am:   

Anyone tried Koa?
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Michaelkaufman
Username: Michaelkaufman

Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 6:31 pm:   

Interesting answers. Am I correct in assuming that those of you who prefer ash like 2617's, Weirs, Scruggs, etc over Artists?

Related question: what's your semi & hollow preferences?

mk
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Strings
Username: Strings

Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 8:27 pm:   

Ash for Louisville Sluggers and Mahogany for my guitars ;O\
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Funkle
Username: Funkle

Registered: 12-2001
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 - 11:05 am:   

"Related question: what's your semi & hollow preferences?"

Mahogany neck, Spruce center block in semis. And I don't care as much about what wood is used in the laminations of the body.
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Mr_roadstar
Username: Mr_roadstar

Registered: 06-2002
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 - 2:08 pm:   

Baseball bats are generally Hickory....

I really don't have a preference for body woods. Alder, Ash, Basswood, Mahogany, Maple, they all work with the right pickup/scale length/string combination.

Steve
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Acetan
Username: Acetan

Registered: 09-2003
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 - 2:55 pm:   

I agree with Sven, wood used on the laminated top/bottom is not important except for looks. Otherwise, I like as much mahogany as possible.

Ace
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Strings
Username: Strings

Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 - 3:23 pm:   

Mr. Star...you might get around on a hickory bat with a 12mph pitch...but I digress...it was a joke.

Hey JohnS...did I do that to the right side column? If so, sorry about that. I'll be more careful with my jokes. BTW-Pretty cool how that dynamically updates the list based on what text is entered. I've always been impressed by your site.
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Johns
Username: Johns

Registered: 02-2001
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 - 3:47 pm:   

Strings:

It's not me that has anything to do with the way the Google Adwords work. But it is cool, nonetheless.
Let's try this:

The Beatles
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Mr_roadstar
Username: Mr_roadstar

Registered: 06-2002
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 - 11:05 pm:   

Arrggghhhh.....

I was thinking of axe handles, d'oh !!

Steve
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Strings
Username: Strings

Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2005 - 8:47 am:   

JohnS,
No Beatles links on my end yet, but many ads for bats!
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Guitaki
Username: Guitaki

Registered: 01-2002
Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2005 - 2:19 pm:   

Ash, definitely. I have tried guitars with mahogany, alder, even basswood bodies, that sound wonderful. But I'm in love with the bark of Ash. In basses also.
I did make a test yesterday, switchin a RS440 neck on my RS125 (ash body). I even recorded sound clips that support my opinion, rosewood fretboard has a lot deeper tone, more sustain, fuller sound, richer dynamics and more expressive tone than maple.

For semi's, I strongly disagree on the "top laminate doesn't make a difference" claim. I made a desicion on AK85 vs AF85 a year ago, and the difference is the top wood (and the bridge). The difference was huge, and I don't think it is only because of the bridge. My choice, AK85 (spruce laminate top).
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Funkle
Username: Funkle

Registered: 12-2001
Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2005 - 7:05 pm:   

Hi Aki, good to hear from you!

I think the construction of the laminate does affect the sound, but it is more the inner plies, rather than the top veneer, which is thin, and mainly cosmetic. The inner plies are usually some kind of sandwich, consisting of maple, birch and maybe mahogany. And it is very hard to compare tops, because the ingredients are rarely listed, and I suspect they are very similar, if not identical among the artcores.

As far as the Ak85 and AF 85 sounding different, these guitars have more differences than just the top veneer. They have different body size and shape; and may have different internal bracing and neck composition, so you cannot attribute differences in sound to only the top veneer.
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Guitaki
Username: Guitaki

Registered: 01-2002
Posted on Friday, November 18, 2005 - 6:20 am:   

Thanks! I seem to have loong on and off seasons at the ICW...

I guess I needed to simplify the differences when I was deciding which Artcore to buy! But do they really use layers of different woods in a laminate, I thought a spruce laminate still has moslty spruce in it.

Coming to think of it, the sound that I think being a maple top sound, usually comes from a guitar with maple back and sides, perhaps even the center. I guess the "spruce sound" that I like comes from the way they build their spruce guitars, not the spruce itself.
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Strings
Username: Strings

Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Friday, November 18, 2005 - 10:50 am:   

No more Mahogany junkies out here??...hmmm...I wonder what Davidip Carlos Santana would say about that. Cuz there are a few round tones you can't quite get with ash
;O)
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Funkle
Username: Funkle

Registered: 12-2001
Posted on Friday, November 18, 2005 - 11:18 am:   

Aki, Some tops MAY be 100% spruce, but it's hard to say since the materials used are so rarely listed. It would be great if they did.

This is taken from a post by Spiro:

"From the man himself Fritz Katoh

GB10 Spruce Plywood
Follwing are condtruction
On Top
1). Spruce 0.7mm
2). Rawan(Kind of Mahogany) 1.7mm
3). Spruce 0.7mm
4). Birch 0.6mm x 4

On Back
1). Maple 0.6mm
2). Rawan(Kind of Mahogany) 1.7mm
3). Maple 0.6mm
4). Birch 0.6mm x 4
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Billy_porter
Username: Billy_porter

Registered: 03-2005
Posted on Friday, November 18, 2005 - 3:55 pm:   

Mohagany body with maple cap. Mahogony neck with ebony fretboard. You'd think some geezer in the fifties would have thought of it ..................
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Strings
Username: Strings

Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Friday, November 18, 2005 - 4:18 pm:   

Thanks Billy! I feel like less of an island now.
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Brentm
Username: Brentm

Registered: 03-2005
Posted on Saturday, November 19, 2005 - 12:15 am:   

What can I say. My main axe is a RG520QS. Mahogany body with a quilted sapele veneer. I love it! The RG520 is extremely underrated in my opinion.
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Funkle
Username: Funkle

Registered: 12-2001
Posted on Saturday, November 19, 2005 - 1:02 pm:   

Strings, Mahogany is my favorite too. All my main humbucking guitars are mahogany, and I wouldn't have it any other way. For me, a guitar really can't sound too warm. I do like Ash and Alder for strats though.

Billy, Ditto on the ebony fretboard.
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Strings
Username: Strings

Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Saturday, November 19, 2005 - 1:46 pm:   

Ahhhh...my possie has arrived!
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Dermglass
Username: Dermglass

Registered: 07-2005
Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - 7:04 am:   

I have a Weir and an artist and the difference is marked. The mahogony , maple artist is a lot warmer, more lows and mids. The Weir is bright and perhaps a little more versatille for it.
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Cruzerjd
Username: Cruzerjd

Registered: 09-2005
Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - 7:32 am:   

Prefer Mahogany, to Funkle, I believe the material refered to as Rawan is actually Luan, it is a low grade kind of mahogany, we use it in our plywood mill as a smooth filler in higher quality veneer products. Any one ever try Agathis, I had an SGR 205 bass that sounded like dog crap, the agathis is too soft to provide good sustain. My Iceman I believe is Mahogany, as is my T bird bass. To Brentm, that Sapele is some really beautiful stuff, is yours Ribboned, cruzerjd
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Funkle
Username: Funkle

Registered: 12-2001
Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - 11:22 am:   

I've bean hearing a lot about Koa over at the Carvin boards, and it is described as having the warmth of Mahogany, with some of the pop and definition of ash. Carvin must have a good source for this relatively rare Hawaiian wood, because it's all over their guitars.
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Strings
Username: Strings

Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2005 - 1:24 pm:   

I think Garcia's "Wolf" had a koa based body.

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