Chris Fleming's take on the tonewood question

[Fretworn]

Chris Fleming (former Fender Senior Master Builder) talks to Chappers & The Captain about the importance of wood in guitars.

[Tweaky]

I know tone wood makes a hell of a difference with acoustic guitars, I wasn't as convinced the same applied to electrics....but a very recent experience [yesterday] has changed my mind about that.
Well I should say, what Mr Fleming says about guitars are a system, everything has to work together.

I've had this old alder Strat body hanging around the place for years, a project that I never got around to doing. so prior to Xmas I bought all new tuners, bridges etc and a set of Kinman MKIII pickups and K9 wiring harness.

Now I thought, being a electric, I don't need to splurge out a huge wad of cash on a expensive neck, I'll just get one off Ebay and fret level it etc.

To cut a long story short, I had my Fender Strat sitting next to me when trying the new Frankienstrat out for the first time yesterday, the Kinman pickup's and wiring just killed the Fender, but something didn't sound correct, there was something missing, the overall tone of the Frankienstrat sounded cool and thin.....it's then that I did a A-B test of the two Strat's acoustically / Unplugged.

WOW, the difference was really pronounced, the new Strat sounded anaemic with no bottom end or mid range, just a tinny high end.

I kept swapping the two Strat's between each other, I even bought out my Fender US Tele and compared that acoustically, same thing, the new Strat sounded rubbish.

Then I felt for the vibrations between the neck and body on each guitar with chords and single notes, and how long it sustained for, it was then I figured out it was the cheap neck I had bought that is the most likely culprit.
I had bought GOTOH stagger height HAPM tuners for this Strat build, they aren't the lightest tuners around, combine that with the big steel tremolo block in the Wilkinson 5+1 traditional Strat bridge, gave me two sturdy anchor points at both ends of the guitar, unfortunately, the neck isn't up to the job.

It feels a lot thinner and lighter in weight [ like a Ibanez neck ], though doesn't measure that much difference, the fingerboard is a lot flatter at a 12" radius from the Fenders 9 1/2" radius.... it plays wonderfully, as I spend ages giving it a really good fret levelling and dressing, but bottom line now is, it has to go as I hate it, I know I'm wasting all the expenditure on the other parts of the guitar, and the potential of what this Strat should sound like by using this neck.

I know that a heftier neck is needed for the equipment fitted, the neck fitted now is vibrating as much as the strings, it might as well be made out of rubber, it's why I'm losing tone......If I had light weight tuners and a light weight tremolo block I probably could have got away with using this neck, and it would sound better than it does now.

But as Chris Fleming tells in the interview above, all guitars are a system.
It isn't made obvious until you notice something it's quite right, and if you are like me, will annoy the hell out of you till you can pin point what the cause is.

[dingobass]

Wot Tweaky sed about necks..
I have been banging on for years how you can have the best body timber, hardware and pups but if you have a second rate neck you may as well nail strings on a broom handle.
The neck is one of the most important parts of any Guitar.

[wokkaboy]

have to agree DB. Plus the neck of a Mosrite and Iceman are the handles on the cricket bat so are important