goof1073
New Member
I've got a PS order in the works and am trying to get some thoughts on your own personal experiences between these two woods.
Plain and simple request...go!
Plain and simple request...go!
Black Limba vs Mahogany
- Thread starter goof1073
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Rider1260
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Black Limba is Korina it is a brighter tone wood I had a KL-33 PRS with that wood great guitar also early Flying Vs used it
I have seen wood libary guitars with Korina backs and necks, I have heard some say not to match it with ebony fret boards as it can be overly bright
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminalia_superba
I have seen wood libary guitars with Korina backs and necks, I have heard some say not to match it with ebony fret boards as it can be overly bright
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminalia_superba
elvis
Hamfisted String Banger
WHICH mahogany?
BostonGuitar
Former DGT Club President
Korina body and neck with BRW fretboard on my McKorina are magic...
I have been a bit hesitant to mix Korina with Maple top, but I have heard VERY good things about some DGTs done this way...
I have been a bit hesitant to mix Korina with Maple top, but I have heard VERY good things about some DGTs done this way...
sergiodeblanc
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I own the aforementioned KL33 and it f@ckin' rules.
I also own a SE with a korina body, maple top, and ebony fretboard that also f@ckin' rules.
If/when I go PS it's mos def gonna be korina too.. 'cause it'll f@ckin' rule.
I also own a SE with a korina body, maple top, and ebony fretboard that also f@ckin' rules.
If/when I go PS it's mos def gonna be korina too.. 'cause it'll f@ckin' rule.
django49
New Member
I DID have a WL DGT from Willcutts that had the "normal" set up of mahogany body, maple top and a BRW board on a korina neck. It was a great combination. Lookign back at he dealer's prose......"Highly responsive and resonant with great low end wallop and strong upper mids". Or words to that effect. Sounds about right. I ended up getting a PS DGT with pernambuco neck, so the WL with korina ended up leaving.
FWIW, I did do some "research" on pernambuco when I heard how much people were raving about it. Interestingly enough, on at least one scale as to being a "tone wood" (for necks), korina was said to be very similar to perny. I sorta had that impression, but have no recorded comparisons. But I DID keep the PS and let the WL go.
Also, I had another (non-PRS) guitar that was semi-hollow, custom ordered (not by me) with korina body and neck. Maple top and BRW board, with Duncan Imperial HBs. Just an outstanding guitar. All the pieces worked together very well, IMO. Might be a consideration if you were thinking of going chambered or semi-hollow.
I think there MIGHT be a danger, as per above comment, that ebony may not mesh as well.
FWIW, I did do some "research" on pernambuco when I heard how much people were raving about it. Interestingly enough, on at least one scale as to being a "tone wood" (for necks), korina was said to be very similar to perny. I sorta had that impression, but have no recorded comparisons. But I DID keep the PS and let the WL go.
Also, I had another (non-PRS) guitar that was semi-hollow, custom ordered (not by me) with korina body and neck. Maple top and BRW board, with Duncan Imperial HBs. Just an outstanding guitar. All the pieces worked together very well, IMO. Might be a consideration if you were thinking of going chambered or semi-hollow.
I think there MIGHT be a danger, as per above comment, that ebony may not mesh as well.
goat-n-gitter
Dismembered
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My WL 594 is korina back and neck, maple top and BRW fretboard. I don't find it overly bright compared to my mahogany P22. Very resonant, lighter than mahogany. The neck pickup in single coil through moderate grind are to die for (as are the rest of its' tones). Go for it.
Mark Ray
The RockTrain
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My non-PRS guitar that I had a certain builder from California build, who's known for his use of black limba as well as koa, is one piece black limba back, black limba neck, BRW board, and quilted maple top. I love the sound of that combo!
11top
Cousin Eddie's cousin
Choose the wood you like, and then pick your pickups for tone. Maybe that's an over-simplification, but I'd be more concerned about pickups and amp. I've seen your current guitars; obviously aesthetics is a major consideration (as it is with most designing a PS).
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11top
Cousin Eddie's cousin
Ron builds a great guitar!
I agree with 11 Top that the pickups matter, and if you're picking for looks mainly, go with what appeals to you.
However...
I do sometimes think that if you're looking for the sound that most appeals to you, there are certain recipes that make a very audible difference, and might even make the difference between what sounds "tone in your head" and "a nice looking guitar that you don't bond with and rarely play."
So yeah, I think there's something of an "it" factor with certain combinations of tone woods, and that's one reason why people keep returning to them year after year. One of those classic combinations is mahogany neck and back, with maple top. Another is swamp ash with maple neck. Yet another is korina with korina neck and no maple top. Et cetera., rinse and repeat.
So it's a matter of whether you want to experiment a little with something different, or want a more familiar tone.
Pickups are easy to change. Amps are easy to switch between. But a guitar body is what it is, and can't be changed once it's done. The resonances inherent in a block o' wood aren't going to change, no matter how the pickup amplifies things.
Just something to think about.
However...
I do sometimes think that if you're looking for the sound that most appeals to you, there are certain recipes that make a very audible difference, and might even make the difference between what sounds "tone in your head" and "a nice looking guitar that you don't bond with and rarely play."
So yeah, I think there's something of an "it" factor with certain combinations of tone woods, and that's one reason why people keep returning to them year after year. One of those classic combinations is mahogany neck and back, with maple top. Another is swamp ash with maple neck. Yet another is korina with korina neck and no maple top. Et cetera., rinse and repeat.
So it's a matter of whether you want to experiment a little with something different, or want a more familiar tone.
Pickups are easy to change. Amps are easy to switch between. But a guitar body is what it is, and can't be changed once it's done. The resonances inherent in a block o' wood aren't going to change, no matter how the pickup amplifies things.
Just something to think about.
Korina Jack
New Member
I love korina. It has a smooth sustain tone. I don't view it as a brighter tone wood. My experience is that you get a brighter tone with a mahogany/maple cap guitar. The magic with korina is that it has a sweet mid-rangey tone. It definitely has a unigue sound. But it's not a one-trick pony either. Go for it, you'll dig it!
11top
Cousin Eddie's cousin
MA Pete
Pattern Thin Convert!
Chris:
I am a HUGE fan of Korina! But I have just dipped my toe in the water so far. Certainly Eric Cummins from Willcutt and Kingsley D have influenced me in that regard, and Kevin/BostonGuitar.
I played Kevin's Korina McCarty in like 2009, it sounded great. At the time I didn't "get it" at the time, it was too plain looking for me.
If they offered a completely Korina McCarty 594 as a Core guitar, I would be hitting "Add To Cart" without hesitation!
Eric C had talked about how great the WL DC 245 Ted's were with Korina Necks. This one was mine for a brief time earlier this year, I traded it in as I got into the 594 and felt the 245 scale wasn't for me:
http://distinctiveguitar.com/electr...-ted-mccarty-dc-245-wood-library-honey-burst/
It was one of the very best sounding DC Ted's that I have owned, which is saying a lot, I have owned like 15+ of them.
Based on that experience, I ordered a guitar of a different brand with a Mahogany body, Maple Top, Black Limba neck, Rosewood Board. It turned out AMAZING, killer tone.
I have also ordered another guitar with a White Limba / Korina Body AND Neck, with a Rosewood Board and Maple top. I haven't received that yet, but should get it by the end of the year.
I have a PS McCarty 594 in the oven with a Mahogany Body and a Maple Top, Korina (White Limba) neck and Rosewood Board, from the September visit. I thought of doing Korina Body and Neck, but I chickened out, and just did the neck, a formula that had worked great for two previous guitars. I am looking forward to getting that 594, but that won't be until next year.
Longer term, I do want to do a PRS PS Korina Body and Neck guitar, and maybe even with a Korina Top as well.
I don't find the Korina necks to make the guitars "bright". I associate "bright" as bad, I like "warm" and "dark" my 2 Korina necked guitars were warm and dark, but with some sort of extra mid sizzle that was awesome.
My 2 cents...
-Pete
I am a HUGE fan of Korina! But I have just dipped my toe in the water so far. Certainly Eric Cummins from Willcutt and Kingsley D have influenced me in that regard, and Kevin/BostonGuitar.
I played Kevin's Korina McCarty in like 2009, it sounded great. At the time I didn't "get it" at the time, it was too plain looking for me.
If they offered a completely Korina McCarty 594 as a Core guitar, I would be hitting "Add To Cart" without hesitation!Eric C had talked about how great the WL DC 245 Ted's were with Korina Necks. This one was mine for a brief time earlier this year, I traded it in as I got into the 594 and felt the 245 scale wasn't for me:
http://distinctiveguitar.com/electr...-ted-mccarty-dc-245-wood-library-honey-burst/
It was one of the very best sounding DC Ted's that I have owned, which is saying a lot, I have owned like 15+ of them.
Based on that experience, I ordered a guitar of a different brand with a Mahogany body, Maple Top, Black Limba neck, Rosewood Board. It turned out AMAZING, killer tone.
I have also ordered another guitar with a White Limba / Korina Body AND Neck, with a Rosewood Board and Maple top. I haven't received that yet, but should get it by the end of the year.
I have a PS McCarty 594 in the oven with a Mahogany Body and a Maple Top, Korina (White Limba) neck and Rosewood Board, from the September visit. I thought of doing Korina Body and Neck, but I chickened out, and just did the neck, a formula that had worked great for two previous guitars. I am looking forward to getting that 594, but that won't be until next year.
Longer term, I do want to do a PRS PS Korina Body and Neck guitar, and maybe even with a Korina Top as well.
I don't find the Korina necks to make the guitars "bright". I associate "bright" as bad, I like "warm" and "dark" my 2 Korina necked guitars were warm and dark, but with some sort of extra mid sizzle that was awesome.
My 2 cents...
-Pete
goof1073
New Member
Thanks Pete and gang...
...for what it's worth I stuck with African Mahogany as my choice for the body.
...for what it's worth I stuck with African Mahogany as my choice for the body.
