PDN Sadness!

[JCottle]

I have a Luke II roasted maple PDN. Wow, what a great playing instrument. Wow what an unusual wood combo! And I am beginning to understand why maple necks aren't more commonly mated to all mahogany bodies. As beautiful as this guitar is, it just sounds a bit...odd. I'm not sure if it's even bad as tone is a very personal thing but there is just a bit too much history between these two trees to not wonder what EBMM was trying for.

So I'm trying to think of some options. In this instrument I have a nice neck and a nice body. Get a LIII and swap out the neck. Will they fit? This would at least give me two guitars with some pedigree behind the the wood combos. Thoughts?

 

[lessthanone]

hmmmm, some of the best sounding guitars I've ever heard have been mahogany bodies with maple necks... Just preference I guess.

 

[Tollywood]

Welcome to the forum, J...how about an upload to Soundcloud so we can hear what you mean, please?

 

[JCottle]

Thanx Tollie. I'll try to get something together.

Indeed preference. After kicking myself for not liking this tone I wondered if anyone else had any thoughts to try to make myself feel better. Found an interview with Guthrie Govan talking about his gear. I thought "he has a 'roasted' neck and I think Mohogany body, he may have something to say". He said those to woods "do not talk together" and he used koa rather than Mahogany because they do "talk together". I found other forums, Suhr in particular, explaining this phenomenon. To each his own. Mine plays so well and looks so nice I'll force myself to find a place for it in my collection.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Maybe its just different to what you are used to? If you are not digging it, rather than take it to bits get something else that would be perfect for you?

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Or put an EQ pedal in your rig and make the guitar sound just how you like it!

 

[aleclee]

I have a PRS with mahogany body and maple neck and I think it sounds great...even with PRS pickups.

 

[JCottle]

Maybe its just different to what you are used to? If you are not digging it, rather than take it to bits get something else that would be perfect for you?

Very true. I have an all mahogany guitar and the two of course sound totally different, as all of my instruments do. I'm still mulling it over. Despite how I feel about the tone, it is a fantastic guitar. And don't get me wrong. I am not saying the tone is bad (which is almost an impossible statement to make in general). It's just so unusual that I wonder if I'm missing something here. It "caws" like a crow. Or honks a bit. Is this what you guys would expect?

 

[JCottle]

It does cut through the mix quite well because of that.

 

[JCottle]

I have a PRS with mahogany body and maple neck and I think it sounds great...even with PRS pickups.

Well that is something. If Paul is putting together guitars along those lines then who am I to doubt.

 

[aleclee]

Well that is something. If Paul is putting together guitars along those lines then who am I to doubt.

Well they did discontinue the model.

 

[Coffeemug]

While Mahogany with a maple neck might not be the most traditional setup, it's up to your ears whether you like it or not. Don't drive yourself crazy browsing the web reading what everyone and their aunty have to say about that wood combination. I remember reading how ash bodies and rosewood boards (let alone massive rosewood necks) just don't fit together before I got my BFR Rosewood AL...boy, am I glad I was curious enough to not listen to these "experts"...this particular one is - and most likely always will be - my number one!

 

[Tollywood]

Well they did discontinue the model.

You are not helping...hehe

 

[DrKev]

Don't drive yourself crazy browsing the web reading what everyone and their aunty have to say about that wood combination.

+1

There is more crqp on the internet than there is actual knowledge.

EBMM didn't try something while doing the production run. There is no combination of woods that they have not tried, they knew what they were doing. There is no "better", there is no "good" or "bad", only personal preference.

 

[ScoobySteve]

It's why the rock gods invented EQ!

But all kidding aside, I think it suits every musician best to do their absolute darness to eliminate notions of what "good tone" is, because it needs to be what sounds good to you. While a lot of our preferences are shaped by the musical influences of our lives, I'd say its worth venturing to see what a particular "tone" can do for you musically, as opposed to discarding it in favor of a "tone" that's been standardized by someone else, if there is such a thing any whos.

Brain scramble over.

 

[Big Poppa]

Well that is something. If Paul is putting together guitars along those lines then who am I to doubt.

Only paul?// what about us! ahahahha

 

[Big Poppa]

also with active pickups wood becomes secondary.

As far as Guthrie being the wood cocktail expert.....I dont buy it.. Fabulous player but please dont take his opinion as gospel. I have worked with the greatest guitarists ever and many have quirks and preferences that the next one completely believes the opposite....Also each log that is milled makes different sounding guitars.....No two are exact.

 

[JCottle]

Only paul?// what about us! ahahahha

come on i guess you can't write sarcasm.

You guys are certainly not chopped liver.

 

[JCottle]

also with active pickups wood becomes secondary.

As far as Guthrie being the wood cocktail expert.....I dont buy it.. Fabulous player but please dont take his opinion as gospel. I have worked with the greatest guitarists ever and many have quirks and preferences that the next one completely believes the opposite....Also each log that is milled makes different sounding guitars.....No two are exact.

I had wondered about the active pickups relationship. I'm considering passive electronics but your saying that may enhance any tone qualities be them desirable or undesirable? If there is a sense of this issue being dire, I can assure you this is far from it. There's a place for this instrument with me. I'm more curious at this point about experience or opinion of others. Similar and contrary as well.

 

[straycat113]

I agree totally with what Sterling states in the above post and besides PRS, Gibson, Fender as well as a lot of other well known names have all used/use the combination. I own two Strats both bought in 01 that have Noiseless pups and I constantly see thread after thread with half the posters talking about how they sound sterile or do not quack or whatever, and I honestly believe more than half of them never owned or even played the pups but just run with what they see others post on the internet and take it as gospel. I also believe Clapton and Beck know a thing or two about tone and both use Noiseless pups lol. Most great players always go outside the box or norm of what others do which is kind of what makes them unique and then when it is exposed the flocks all follow. I own two EBMM guitars with Roasted Maple necks that are hands down two of the best instruments I ever owned-period! Sometime after I received them I ran into a thread on The GP where some vintage die hards were calling it snake oil that Boutique builders were trying to push and John Suhr posted explaining the whole process behind the roasting process and some nit wits with their closed minds were just down right disrespectful. The funny thing was that I was the only one posting who owned guitars with roasted necks lol.That was two years ago and it is funny how two guys who called it snake oil posted NGD's since then with guitars with Roasted Maple necks and how killer they are? I have yet to get a chance to play a PDN but I own 9 EBMM guitars and everyone is sublime and a keeper. I have a lot of friends on this forum who's feedback on gear I respect and a lot of guys are very talented players. Though I have yet to checkout a PDN everyone seems to be more than happy with theirs. I am not doubting your statement about just not meshing with the tone, but that can happen with any guitar no matter if it is a high end guitar of the most common tone woods used. The only advice I can offer you is to stay off of forum boards reading threads about that wood combination and looking for the hair on the egg as it will play with your head! Sit with your ax and turn the knobs on your amp, if you still can't find a tone you like then sell or trade it, as there is no sense keeping a guitar you don't click with. I try to keep things real and do not want to come off as a fan boy, which if you know me is as far from the truth as is possible. But EBMM is in my top two of favorite guitars and one thing they do is continue to push the envelope in all area's while many others play it safe and under those circumstances you are not going to please everyone at times -myself included.