Are Maple Necks with Ebony FBs bright?

[88prs]

Looking at a wood library semi-hollow 594 that has a maple neck with ebony fretboard. Does this make the guitar much brighter or just snappier?

Buying online so wont know until it gets here and stuck with shipping $$$ if I don't like it.

Anyone have one?

 

[BrianC]

that is certainly what the majority say...

 

[Kiwi]

Based on my experiences, yes - you'll feel the very quick attack, and a brighter tone.

- PRS JA-15 has a lovely flame maple neck and a much quicker, snappier attack and less 'bloom' on the note than mahogany necks like a HB-II.

- Gretsch 6120 has a maple neck and ebony board, and it's got that same snap and attack. The whole package (including FilterTrons) is bright, as you'd expect from a Gretsch.

These are not necessarily negatives. Depends on what you want.

=K

 

[ElrytNamrogo]

I have a Hollowbody II with maple top, back, and neck and an ebony board. While it is brighter than my other guitars, it's not as bright as one would think with all that maple. If anything, I'd say the biggest and most notable tonal difference I hear is the pick and note attack. After picking, both individual and chordal, the notes seem to leave the guitar in a much more pronounced way. I also feel this combo gives a much more piano-like tone to the notes, specifically the open A string. Notes steady and stay particularly pronounced longer than my other guitars, which have either rosewood or mahogany necks with rosewood boards.

Pictures, because we all like those, right?

 

[88prs]

Sounds like I should keep looking and stick to a hog neck for the warmth.

Thanks!

 

[John Beef]

I had a Mushok for about 5 years and could never get away from the aggressive sound of the guitar, no matter how many pickups I tried. It had the maple/ebony combo. My newer SE277 with the rosewood board is a much warmer guitar, though I have been considering changing the bridge pickup to something else to gain some additional warmth.

 

[Casi1]

Yes, those were the specs on my first Custom 24 with 85/15 pickups. It was the brightest Cu24 that I had ever heard... a pickup change to 57/08s helped it but the guitar was still bright. I ended up selling that guitar, even though I quite liked the snappiness.

I now have a rosewood neck Custom 24 (I tried the same 85/15 pickups in it, with same amp settings as the previous guitar) and there was no pronounced brightness.

 

[AP515]

Not exactly the same but it could give you more information. I have a CE22 standard so it's a mahogany body with a maple bolt on neck and a rosewood fretboard. The all mahogany body gives it warmth and the maple neck gives it great definition. I think a maple neck is better than a maple top on the body. I think the rosewood balances the tone.

My thinking is a maple neck with an ebony board would be a lot of treble. Probably too much for me but I'm a low to mids kind of guy.

 

[bodia]

I had a Cu24 with 57/08 with an Ebony board and maple neck. I never thought it was terribly bright. I always described it has having some sizzle.

 

[László]

Looking at a wood library semi-hollow 594 that has a maple neck with ebony fretboard. Does this make the guitar much brighter or just snappier?

Buying online so wont know until it gets here and stuck with shipping $$$ if I don't like it.

Anyone have one?

Snappier is perceived as brighter, but what’s really happening is that the wood is filtering less of the note attack than a mahogany/rosewood combination does.

When you hear a fast transient, such as a note attack, it sounds brighter/snappier.

On the other hand, they make tone controls at PRS that actually work. And lowering the volume a little also affects how the high frequencies get attenuated a bit.

In other words, a lot depends on what you like, how willing you are to use the tone controls that Paul Smith and the gods of music fitted to the guitar, etc.

There are lots of other factors involved. As you may know, the old Gibson L5 jazz boxes, not known for brightness (they’re pretty mellow), had maple necks and ebony fretboards.

 

[11top]

There are lots of other factors involved. .

Amen, brother Les.

 

[László]

Amen, brother Les.

Hosannas to you as well, Deacon 11 Top!

 

[bodia]

Amen, brother Les.

Hosannas to you as well, Deacon 11 Top!

I thought he was a Friar?

 

[László]

I thought he was a Friar?

Or a fryer.

 

[bodia]

Or a fryer.

As long as he’s not fried!

 

[László]

As long as he’s not fried!

He’s probably not. I am.

 

[11top]

I thought he was a Friar?

Tuck

(off)

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I thought he was a Friar?

Friar Top

 

[Tucson Thump]

I thought he was a Friar?

On Fridays he would never handle the fish, but he was a chip monk

 

[alantig]

On Fridays he would never handle the fish, but he was a chip monk

Very modest, as well - always hid his nuts.