Mahogany vs Basswood?

[Zaphod_Beeblebrox65]

Right; I have my all tube amp, my awesome guitar, my effects chain (pretty basic) but I still have stock Ibanez pups in my axe.

I have a tone in mind and I know my amp is capable of it and I know which guitar and pickups can help get me there but the question is:

Do nailbombs in a mahogany guitar sound very similar to nailbombs in a basswood guitar?

What exactly would be the tonal difference between mahogany and basswood with the same pickups?

If they sound very different what would get me the same kind of tone in a mahgany guitar as nailbombs in a basswood guitar?

[WezV]

mahogany brings its own characterists to the mix... basswood tends to be far more transparent

they will still sound like nailbombs though

[Nolly]

mahogany brings its own characterists to the mix... basswood tends to be far more transparent

they will still sound like nailbombs though

Yep, my experiences exactly.

[Zaphod_Beeblebrox65]

mahogany brings its own characterists to the mix... basswood tends to be far more transparent

they will still sound like nailbombs though

Yep, my experiences exactly.

So basically even in my Ibanez s470 they would still sound very similar to the tone in your youtube clips Nolly?

[Transcend]

well i believe nollys are in basswood,.

but his bridge is ceramic

[Zaphod_Beeblebrox65]

well i believe nollys are in basswood,.

but his bridge is ceramic

I know; that's the point of the question.  I was thinking I would go with a stock AlnicoV bridge anyway because I want my tone slightly warmer than that but not much and I think (if I remember rightly) that that's what the difference is between ceramic and AlnicoV (besides the output).

[Transcend]

well i believe nollys are in basswood,.

but his bridge is ceramic

I know; that's the point of the question.  I was thinking I would go with a stock AlnicoV bridge anyway because I want my tone slightly warmer than that but not much and I think (if I remember rightly) that that's what the difference is between ceramic and AlnicoV (besides the output).

the ceramics are tighter as well.

[Zaphod_Beeblebrox65]

the ceramics are tighter as well.

Not a big deal; my tone's pretty tight even with the stock INF Ibby pups, it's just mising that certain something.

[Transcend]

the ceramics are tighter as well.

Not a big deal; my tone's pretty tight even with the stock INF Ibby pups, it's just mising that certain something.

you should be all set to go then.

[Zaphod_Beeblebrox65]

Awesome, now all I need is about £200...

[Nolly]

mahogany brings its own characterists to the mix... basswood tends to be far more transparent

they will still sound like nailbombs though

Yep, my experiences exactly.

So basically even in my Ibanez s470 they would still sound very similar to the tone in your youtube clips Nolly?

Yeah I think you could expect that. I think I've just clicked onto something.. You the same Zaphod off UG? If so, the "I know my amp is capable of it" statement makes alot of sense..
Nailbombs aren't your only option though, I'm loving my Painkillers in my mahogany B2 atm, they're a similar voicing, but even clearer than the Nailbombs!

[Zaphod_Beeblebrox65]

mahogany brings its own characterists to the mix... basswood tends to be far more transparent

they will still sound like nailbombs though

Yep, my experiences exactly.

So basically even in my Ibanez s470 they would still sound very similar to the tone in your youtube clips Nolly?

Yeah I think you could expect that. I think I've just clicked onto something.. You the same Zaphod off UG? If so, the "I know my amp is capable of it" statement makes alot of sense..
Nailbombs aren't your only option though, I'm loving my Painkillers in my mahogany B2 atm, they're a similar voicing, but even clearer than the Nailbombs!

Indeed I am, I'll wait for clips on the B2 though and I do want good cleans, how are the painkillers for clean sounds though?

(Beautiful B2 btw, I totally want one)

[Nolly]

Ah cool, good to see you on here mate!

The Painkillers cleans are amazing. Far far better than I was expecting - the neck pickup is beatifully deep and clear. I'm getting some really funky sounds with the coil=splits engaged as well. I don't really use the bridge on it's own for cleans, but they're certainly passable by BKP standards, which means better than most other bridge pickups you'll find.

[Zaphod_Beeblebrox65]

Ah cool, good to see you on here mate!

The Painkillers cleans are amazing. Far far better than I was expecting - the neck pickup is beatifully deep and clear. I'm getting some really funky sounds with the coil=splits engaged as well. I don't really use the bridge on it's own for cleans, but they're certainly passable by BKP standards, which means better than most other bridge pickups you'll find.

I'll have to consider those as well then but I'm not using the Laney for cleans anyway; I never got 'round to selling my FA60 so I'm going to use that with an A/B box for cleans, I'll probably use one of the positions that involves the middle single coil for cleans as well but that's a whole other thread.  Would you say the Painkillers are a better choice than the Nailbombs then?  At least for those kind of Sikth ish tones and fluid sounding leads in the neck?

[Nolly]

Would you say the Painkillers are a better choice than the Nailbombs then?  At least for those kind of Sikth ish tones and fluid sounding leads in the neck?

I wouldn't say better necessarily, but they can certainly do both of those things extremely well plus a whole load more. At the end of the day, you really should give Tim a call - he'll know the right pickup for the job. Plus it's really nice to be able talk to the guy who will make your pickups.

Also, don't forget that I used a tubescreamer (set with the drive at 0) in front of the Laney in those videos ;) I'd seriously recommend it if you're not doing that already