I've heard the same thing that Lucasman is talking about from musicians and salesmen alike. However, I find personally that wood really doesn't make that much of a difference as I would expect in regards to the body of a guitar. With active pickups, I can't notice any difference tonally. My style of music involves distortion, which may mask any acoustic properties that good woods may have over others. The more I think about it, the less difference wood makes in electric guitars. Strats have single coils that sit in plastic over a routed out body cavity. I really think that guitars that actually do have a woodsy sound or overtones would be semihollow bodied guitars, not so much solid body electrics. I think the wood is still important for sustain purposes to some extent, value, balance, appearance, but I have guitars made out of plenty of woods like maple, agathis, mahogony, basswood, some with spalted tops, some open pore, different finishes, ages, etc. If I put the same pickup in multiple guitars, you wouldn't really hear a difference with distortion on it.
As for single coils sounding shrill in a Les Paul, I would disagree. I have some guitars made of mahogony, and as they are typically humbucker equipped guitars, I have put coil taps on some of them which of course makes the humbucker sound like a single coil, and operate like a single coil. Its fine... its not shrill. Its not my cup of tea, but it sounds like a Fat Strat with a coil tap.
As for the neck, your woods will definitely make a bigger difference here. Most necks are maple, but there are some other materials used. Neck wood should be a good strong wood to resist bending and warping the best it can. However, there are different ways to make necks, and different cuts to use. Quartersawn necks typically resist bending the best. Also, multiple piece necks have grains going in different directions and resist warping as well. Although a solid neck may be the most expensive, its not always the best. Actually, a solid neck with birdseye maple is probably one of the more expensive necks. The birdseye is actually from knots on the tree and are weaker spots. Cosmetically its nicer, but structually its not.
Fretboards are mostly for feel. Your fingers will likely be rubbing up and down on them for years to come. I find 0 tonal difference no matter what fretboard a guitar has, rosewood, ebony, maple, ebonite, whatever. I do feel a difference in my playing going from a lacquered maple neck to a grainy rosewood neck to a smoother feeling ebony neck. I haven't messed with too many exotic woods. Another type of neck I play is a scalloped neck which you cannot feel the fretboard at all. Try checking out a Yngwie Malsteen Strat at the music store (if they have them) and see the difference a scalloped fingerboard makes.
Edit: Dave, Im not so much as disagreeing with you or Lucas. I said for the type of music I play with distortion. If you feel otherwise, thats great. And I'm glad you own over 20 guitars. I own over 40 and that doesn't make me better or more knowledgeable.
As for single coils sounding shrill in a Les Paul, I would disagree. I have some guitars made of mahogony, and as they are typically humbucker equipped guitars, I have put coil taps on some of them which of course makes the humbucker sound like a single coil, and operate like a single coil. Its fine... its not shrill. Its not my cup of tea, but it sounds like a Fat Strat with a coil tap.
As for the neck, your woods will definitely make a bigger difference here. Most necks are maple, but there are some other materials used. Neck wood should be a good strong wood to resist bending and warping the best it can. However, there are different ways to make necks, and different cuts to use. Quartersawn necks typically resist bending the best. Also, multiple piece necks have grains going in different directions and resist warping as well. Although a solid neck may be the most expensive, its not always the best. Actually, a solid neck with birdseye maple is probably one of the more expensive necks. The birdseye is actually from knots on the tree and are weaker spots. Cosmetically its nicer, but structually its not.
Fretboards are mostly for feel. Your fingers will likely be rubbing up and down on them for years to come. I find 0 tonal difference no matter what fretboard a guitar has, rosewood, ebony, maple, ebonite, whatever. I do feel a difference in my playing going from a lacquered maple neck to a grainy rosewood neck to a smoother feeling ebony neck. I haven't messed with too many exotic woods. Another type of neck I play is a scalloped neck which you cannot feel the fretboard at all. Try checking out a Yngwie Malsteen Strat at the music store (if they have them) and see the difference a scalloped fingerboard makes.
Edit: Dave, Im not so much as disagreeing with you or Lucas. I said for the type of music I play with distortion. If you feel otherwise, thats great. And I'm glad you own over 20 guitars. I own over 40 and that doesn't make me better or more knowledgeable.