Melancon TONE Reference
BODY WOODS

I usually avoid discussions on tone for the following reason. Tone is very subjective and the descriptions of tone can be somewhat misleading. Anytime tone is mentioned, we have to always consider one of the primary tone generators: your Hands! Each individual’s hands produce a tone that is unique. The list that follows is my personal attempt to give you a complete description of the woods we offer and their characteristics.

 

Alder

This is probably one of the most widely used woods in the late 50’s and 60’s for 3 single coil style guitars. This wood will produce a very familiar "vintage tone" It is a clear and articulate sounding wood with thick mid-range tone. Alder is medium to light in weight and has a medium tan color with very little pronounced grain pattern. This wood looks good with sunburst and a few selected transparent colors including red, green and yellows.
 

Swamp Ash

Swamp Ash is just waiting to resonate! This is the other "vintage wood" used in single coil type guitars from the 50’s and 60’s. The ash we use is lighter in weight and less harsh sounding than regular ash. It’s color is light blonde with darker brown grain patterns. This wood looks good in all transparent colors. Being located down in Louisiana, we know a little about swamp ash. All of the good ash grows in the swamps and bayou’s of the deep south. The best part of the tree is near the water line so we have to fight off the gators and snakes! T-Fred Boudreaux (Boo-Dr-O) is our main logger. Nothin’ scares him!
swamp_ash
Basswood

Stong midrange, balanced tone and light weight. Light blonde in color with no grain. This guitar is a nice backing wood for maple tops when combined with humbuckers. Usually look best with opaque color on the back and transparent color on the maple tops.
 
Mahogany

The tone of mahogany is thick and with pronounced mids. It has a mid to mid-heavy weight. The grain is mild and color is medium brown which looks good natural or with red or orange tints.
Maple Tops- Maple is a light colored wood which is sought after for its gorgeous figured grain patterns. We offer it in flamed or sometimes called tiger or fiddleback maple, quilted maple, and burled maple. Our tops are 3/16th of an inch, which we finish in a natural edge binding.
mahogany
Basswood Back|Maple Top

This combination produces a full sound with good balance in the low, middle and higher registers. An excellent choice for humbuckers! Sounds great when combined with a maple fingerboard.
 
Swamp Ash Back|Maple Top

Nice punch with scooped mids. Very alive and vibrant with an open ring and nice clarity. Sounds great clean and dirty! Light weight and looks good with all transparent colors.
 
Mahogany Back|Maple Top

Looking for something to really cut through the mix? This combination is thick and powerful in the middle with lots of clarity. It is not harsh sounding as many people would think. The weight is mid to mid-heavy and looks good with natural back or many transparent colors.
 
Koa Top

This is a very beautiful wood from Hawaii. It’s color is golden brown and has a flamed grain pattern. This wood is getting harder to obtain in guitar quality due to the ban of harvesting koa in Hawaii. The tone this adds to the backing wood is similar to maple except a bit more pronounced in the mids.
flame_koa
Burled Maple Top

This is a very beautiful wood
burled_maple
Flame Maple Top

This is a very beautiful wood
flame_maple
Quilted Maple Top

This is a very beautiful wood
quilted_maple
Spalted Maple Top

This is a very beautiful wood
spalted_maple

Hollow Tone Chambers
We offer this option on all of our guitars. The harmonic content is increased with the addition of tone chambers. The low end is accentuated and the highs seem to jump out a bit more. This is due to the compressed mid frequencies. Weight is greatly reduced also!

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