jazzalicious Posted March 14, 2015 Posted March 14, 2015 I know in THEORY that a maple neck should be brighter than mahogany but have any of tried/heard a tonal difference on the same model with the 2 options? Specifically an h555. Why did heritage switch to mahogany ?
DetroitBlues Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 Probably because maple is a lot harder to shape and work with...
Kuz Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 Marv told me specific and to the point as I was ordering my 555 with a Mahogany neck & rosewood fretboard instead of the at the time standard Maple neck & ebony fretboard 555..... "A lot of people are doing what you ordering, getting a Mahogany neck/rosewood fretboard for more of that classic 335-type tone. So we are going to switch from maple to Mahogany necks and from Ebony to Rosewood fretbords on our semi-hollow body guitars" I have had both a 555 with a maple neck/Ebony fretboard and my current Custom 555 with a Mahogany neck/rosewood fretboard. I much prefer the Mahogany/rosewood combination neck for a more classic 335-type tone. But on archtops, where quickness, definition, and a slightly brighter tone will offset the bass from the big body, I prefer Maple necks and Ebony boards.
jazzalicious Posted March 15, 2015 Author Posted March 15, 2015 Do you find the ebony board has more punch ? How's the sustain on a 555?
Kuz Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 Do you find the ebony board has more punch ? How's the sustain on a 555? Again, guitars will very from guitar to guitar even with the same wood. But the 555 I had with a Maple neck & ebony fretboard just lacked a warm creamy response. It was quicker (you might say punchier) but lack lows & low-mids. I wanted more of a Larry Carlton tone not an Albert King tone, so I custom ordered my 555 with a Mahogany neck & rosewood fretboard like the iconic 335s. I now have the best of everything I was looking for. The sustain on my 555 & 535 are both wonderful. I perceived less sustain on the Maple neck/ Ebony fretboard, but let your own ears be the judge. I know of 2 other HOC members that agree with my perception of Maple vs Mahogany & Ebony vs Rosewood fretboards FOR SEMI-SOLID BODIES & SOLID BODIES. Again, I love Maple necks & Ebony fretboards (even maple body guitars with ebony fretboards) on other types on guitars (ie Archtops, Acoustic Flattops, ect). These are my opinions, let your own ears judge when you compare.
ironmike Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 maple .necksw/ebony fretboards are quite stable, and dense,they bring more string volume i think, and a brighter more instant note,the mohogony /rosewood combo has a sort of note that blooms,mellower but still very dynamic,,i play with 14 guage strings on most guitars and find the maple neck is hardly at work with the tension,whereas the truss rods on the mahogany neck are working harder. it's all good!
jazzalicious Posted March 15, 2015 Author Posted March 15, 2015 What about mahogany neck ebony board?
jazzalicious Posted March 15, 2015 Author Posted March 15, 2015 Tone and sustain is what I'm referring to ..
Kuz Posted March 15, 2015 Posted March 15, 2015 Well, again for my perspective, the maple neck made more of a difference in a brighter, snappier, quicker tone than the ebony fretboard component. I know this because I have a couple of CP Thornton guitars that have a Mahogany neck & ebony fretboard combination and they sound great, much closer to a Mahogany & Rosewood fretboard combination. Again, just my .02
jazzalicious Posted March 15, 2015 Author Posted March 15, 2015 Thanks Considering selling my 575 mahogany for one of the 555's that's currently on HOC... Like upper fret acces 2 pickups I love my 575 but play/teach everything from Metallica to duke ellington and everything in between and think a really semi will cover all my bases....
rockabilly69 Posted March 16, 2015 Posted March 16, 2015 Marv told me specific and to the point as I was ordering my 555 with a Mahogany neck & rosewood fretboard instead of the at the time standard Maple neck & ebony fretboard 555..... "A lot of people are doing what you ordering, getting a Mahogany neck/rosewood fretboard for more of that classic 335-type tone. So we are going to switch from maple to Mahogany necks and from Ebony to Rosewood fretbords on our semi-hollow body guitars" I have had both a 555 with a maple neck/Ebony fretboard and my current Custom 555 with a Mahogany neck/rosewood fretboard. I much prefer the Mahogany/rosewood combination neck for a more classic 335-type tone. But on archtops, where quickness, definition, and a slightly brighter tone will offset the bass from the big body, I prefer Maple necks and Ebony boards. This has been my experience too, one thing also to mention though is, IMO multi-piece maple necks are stiffer and less prone to twisting than single piece mahogany necks. That said I like mahogany necks.
big bob Posted March 16, 2015 Posted March 16, 2015 Maple and ebony are both expensive, more so than mahogany and rosewood. They are also much harder to work with and much harder on the equipment, think bits and blades here. I can't imagine this was not part of the decision to switch.
Kuz Posted March 16, 2015 Posted March 16, 2015 Maple and ebony are both expensive, more so than mahogany and rosewood. They are also much harder to work with and much harder on the equipment, think bits and blades here. I can't imagine this was not part of the decision to switch. Very true and it could have been part of the total reason why they switched, but they still make Maple necks & Ebony Fretboards everyday for their archtops. So it is not like they aren't using Maple/Ebony everyday.
jazzalicious Posted March 25, 2015 Author Posted March 25, 2015 Ren told me when I called last week that mahogany made the 555 sound a little sweeter than the maple What a great guy...
big bob Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 I should be able to give you a definitive answer at the end of May.
Gitfiddler Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 Ren told me when I called last week that mahogany made the 555 sound a little sweeter than the maple What a great guy... You went to the source! Ren is the Shaman of Heritage, and holder of many patents.
Kuz Posted March 26, 2015 Posted March 26, 2015 Ren told me when I called last week that mahogany made the 555 sound a little sweeter than the maple What a great guy... Funny, some other guy here on the HOC said the same thing..... What was his name.......
jazzalicious Posted March 26, 2015 Author Posted March 26, 2015 Lol I'm probably driving you crazy But...short of driving 11 hours to Kalamazoo ... Gotta get help from you guys! Thanks
big bob Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 The 5 pc maple necks also have a far greater chance of survival in the event of a fall. Marv told me that when I ordered the replacement neck for my 575.
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