7 string body wood ?

[skarhead]

As in topic : i'm probably going to make a custom locally here.

My current plans are maple (3pc neck), ebony fretboard , Bolt on (95%) with floyd rose the body woods I consider are alder and ash. I'm almost sure that the pickup will be emg 81-7 (there's still a chance i'll go with 707)

What brings me to alder is the general tone and that it handles low tunings good, is still clear in C/B and has some mids [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

what brings me to ash (swamp ash) is the fact that i played and heard some guitars (mostly set necks with emg 81's ) in C/B and they sounded really fine - bright but not brittle , tight low's, also just like alder they weren't muddy.

I'd really love to get mahogany but i'm scared the guitar will become muddy then.

I'm currently leaning more towards alder. What would you guys suggest ?

[pro-fusion]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

A mahogany body with a bolt-on maple neck and 81/7 shouldn't be very muddy at all. You might consider getting a maple top on it to add a little bit of top-end bite, however.

Alder's good. My DK27 (6-string baritone) is alder, and it sounds great. Very 'open' sounding. I had a swamp ash Schecter Sunset 7 and didn't care much for the tone, but could just have been that guitar. It's typically a very "live" sounding wood.

[toejam]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

[ QUOTE ]
A mahogany body with a bolt-on maple neck and 81/7 shouldn't be very muddy at all.

[/ QUOTE ]
+ 1

[pagemalicious]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

I have a custom 7 string on the way this week and it has an Alder body. When i get it, i'll tell you how it sounds compared to my mahogany bodied and basswood guitars for comparison

[Matt Crooks]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

Alder with a Korina top for brightness. Get the 707 not the 707-81.

[noodlesatf]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

[ QUOTE ]
Alder with a Korina top for brightness. Get the 707 not the 707-81.

[/ QUOTE ]

+1 I had the 81-7 in my Jackson Stars Soloist 7 (alder body, maple thru neck, rosewood finger board), and it sounded brittle and lifeless.

[jgcable]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

Mahogany with a maple neck is a nice blend for a seven string.
Basswood is another proven wood for 7's.
The best combo I ever had was a Korina topped mahogany body with a mahogany neck. The pickups were suspended and it was a string thru.

[skarhead]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

[ QUOTE ]
+1 I had the 81-7 in my Jackson Stars Soloist 7 (...) +1 I had the 81-7 in my Jackson Stars Soloist 7

[/ QUOTE ]

i just like the sound of 81 in alder bodied guitars - will it be similar ?
From what i heard the 707 is more scooped than the 81-7 ?

There will be a flame maple top for sure - don't know if a solid top or a veneer yet.

and about basswood - i just have heard literally 2 good sounding guitars with this wood ( MM EVH and an old school yellow jem w. maple fingerboard) the rest - including even a jem sounded like crap.

Btw. can flame maple be used for necks ?

[DSS3]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

The 707 isn't scooped at ALL to my ears. It's the perfect mix of an 81 and 85. It's super tight, super articulate, and sounds amazing for leads and cleans, as well.

Have you ever played a Bogner? You know that insane low mid growl they have? The 707 has it. I don't know how, but it has this literally insane growl to the low mids that just rips my face off.


Also, most JEM's were Alder, no?

[skarhead]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

[ QUOTE ]
Also, most JEM's were Alder, no?

[/ QUOTE ]

IIRC from the current line only the white one (7vwh ?) was alder, the rest was basswood - including the 7dbk i had an occasion to play multiple times - it just wasn't sounding good no matter what - one of the worst sounding guitars i've played to this day.

The "good sounding" jem was a very old (beginning of the 90's) JEM777DY

About the 707 vs 81-7 thing i heard that the 707 isn't as tight as the 81-7 and more muddy :o.

Too bad i'm going for a one humbucker guitar - otherwise I'd go for 81-7b 707n and if something wouldn't be ok i'd just switch them [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

btw.DSS3 how do you like the Hellraiser you have ? how's the neck on it ? how's the sound and how well does it play?

[DSS3]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

I love the Hellraiser. The neck is perfect for my hands; beefy but still fast as hell. I love Schecter guitars, period, though.

Put it this way; I sold my old white RR-1 to fund the Hellraiser. Sounds and plays like a complete dream.

[eaeolian]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

[ QUOTE ]
A mahogany body with a bolt-on maple neck and 81/7 shouldn't be very muddy at all. You might consider getting a maple top on it to add a little bit of top-end bite, however.


[/ QUOTE ]

With an 81-7, that should be fine. My guitar with that construction isn't muddy with a Duncan Custom. It's just evil. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[eaeolian]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

[ QUOTE ]
Alder with a Korina top for brightness. Get the 707 not the 707-81.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, straight alder, 7 string, and EMG do not mix well, for whatever reason - either the 81-7 or the 707. Duncan JBs sound great in it, and with the korina it's fine...

Personally, I think a maple neck rosewood board with swamp ash and EMGs might work very well...

[pro-fusion]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

I had Noodles's Jackson Stars 7 before he did, and I put the 81/7 in it because the 707 was so muddy and lifeless in that guitar. That is not a very 'live' guitar, and the EMGs probably aren't the thing for it. Personally, I can't stand the 707, but then I prefer the 81 to the 85, in general. I would definitely stay away from 707s in a mahogany body--you'd get low-end mush, most likely.

[siggy14]

Re: 7 string body wood ?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Also, most JEM's were Alder, no?

[/ QUOTE ]

IIRC from the current line only the white one (7vwh ?) was alder, the rest was basswood - including the 7dbk i had an occasion to play multiple times - it just wasn't sounding good no matter what - one of the worst sounding guitars i've played to this day.

The "good sounding" jem was a very old (beginning of the 90's) JEM777DY

About the 707 vs 81-7 thing i heard that the 707 isn't as tight as the 81-7 and more muddy :o.

Too bad i'm going for a one humbucker guitar - otherwise I'd go for 81-7b 707n and if something wouldn't be ok i'd just switch them [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

btw.DSS3 how do you like the Hellraiser you have ? how's the neck on it ? how's the sound and how well does it play?

[/ QUOTE ]

Even though most people down play basswood, the honest truth is it is a good resonating wood with great tone. What usually kills the tone of basswood is the fact that it is so soft that manafactures put many coats of paint to stop the dinging/denting which deadens the sound.