Guitar Body Wood Tone Wood Question

[multo74]

For those who have done builds on guitars like, The EVH Star or other very pointy bodied type guitars (Icemen, Flying V's etc etc):

What body woods did you use and what were your experiences?

I'm thinking about doing a Star type of guitar build and was contemplating this.

Basswood? Alder? Ash? Mahog?

I'm thinking more likely one humbucker than two, but I havent yet totally decided on if Id do a hard tail bridge, vintage trem or floyd.

Pickup would likely be in the hot-PAF range/family

Thanks for your suggestions and advice.

[EVH_Erupted]

In all honesty, I don't think anyone can give you a straight answer. You'll have the snobs that either say wood doesn't matter or ones that sniff over every grain like a fine wine.

In my amateur opinion, it really depends on the rest of your set up and what you plan to do with it. Some woods are brighter, some are darker, and you want the best to compliment your amp and other gear. There are so many damn variables.

[ErickC]

body wood is all about preference.
Of the common woods

Ash - brightest and sustainy
Alder - a little less bright, more balanced between bright and warm
basswood - warmer. gets bad rap for being too soft
Mahogany - very warm sounding.

The star shape, if you go by Eddie's logic that he ruined the Destroyer by sharking it and removing the hunk of wood from behind the bridge, means you have less wood to help with the overall resonance, so you could pair it with a hard tail to help with the sustain (more stuff is in direct contact with the body as opposed to a trem like a floyd), ash body and a higher output pup, but with a higher output pickup means you'll lose some of that thick buttery warmness of a classic PAF. So if you go mahogany it might help counter balance the hot pup. Or go with the ash body and the low-medium output PAF.

You can either look at the star shape like a super V or a hacked Explorer. Both Gibson V's and Explorers are famous for being made with white limba aka korina (warm like mahog) and with mahogany with hardtails. The Jackson Vs range from alder-basswood and mahogany with floyds or string throughs.

Then there's the neck/fingerboard wood to think about, so thats something else to consider as well.