Another mirage II post

For those of you who have played/owned both maple and koa top Mirage IIs: have you noticed much of a tonal difference between the two? If so, was one better or worse than the other, or just a little different? Also, was the construction on the IIs the same? The I has the blended neck heel, but both maple and koa IIs have the standard heel, correct? Thanks so much.

Travis, pardon my short tone, I smell something funny ( not you BTW ) I've owned both and prefer the koa top Mirage II, it seems like it has a little less zip and a little more air in the tone, by and large they are similar ( both have standard neck heels ) and could be made to sound almost the same w/ careful pickup selection

Thanks so much for the response.

Trav,

As far as mine are concerned... my Koa II is brighter/clearer than any of my Mapletops(with the stock JB/59 combo). My Mapletops sound almost identical with the exception of one that has a bit of a mid scoop. I also agree with Bill's Pickup musings as my Koa II with the JB was WAY too bright but I swapped the bridge PU with an "Angus Young" model and now it's probably my fav of the bunch.

Construction wise they have the regular heel as stated, HOWEVER... there's a guy who posted a pic a couple years ago of a Koa II with the blended heel! I think he said it was a prototype and it had a great top too!

Here's my current pup configs:

Koa II... Angus/59

Tobacco Burst... Voodoo 59's(A5/A3)

Tobacco Burst... Antiqities

59 Burst... Seths

Honey... Bluesbucker/59

Red... P-94s

AdmiralB has a bunch with some very interesting pups... maybe he'll chime in as well.

How do the Seths sound in the Mirage? When I get one, I know for a fact that the JB will be coming out fast, assuming that's what is still in the one I get. I'll probably go with more of a vintage tone with the Mirage II as I have plenty of shredders. The 59s sound great in my Artist Korina but I'm always looking for something different for variety's sake.

If your going for a PAF style tone then Seths are a good choice. I do really like the 59 in the neck of the Mirage though... gives a bit of a Strat character and they stay clear when you roll back the vol. Then Seths seem to get a bit muddier with the vol rolled back but are REALLY fat and fun when going all out!