Hi Guys!
I have recently written a contribution on the build aspects of the MK Sig, here is some more backing on my statements
Here is a good clip on a very old debate: the sound of maple vs rosewood on Strat necks. The guy takes it to the limit and plays a solid rosewood neck against a solid maple neck. His findings are similar to what John Suhr describes. Rosewood actually has more presence and at the same time a little scoop at the upper mids. Maple has more upper mids and a little less presence.
The Knopfler Strat neck with its slab rosewood board will therefore be on the brighter side of things.
Ash for the body wood will deliver a more scooped tone with more presence and bass compared to alder. He is a great clip from a guitar parts supplier, Warmoth, showing this:
That test was done scientifically well, so they really only swapped the body, everything else staying the same.
So for the MK Sig, neck and body will already sound bright. To make things funkier, Mark added med jumbo frets which are not that tall but wide! Being wide, they add a certain metallic, bright aspect to the tone compared to vintage frets. The source for frets heavily influencing tone is a discussion I had with one of the Fender Master Builders. I am currently having a Strat built and that was one of the aspects to discuss.
In general I am upholding theory from that post: the MK Strat, from its components, is designed to be on the bright side of things.
The Texas Specials pronounce the upper mids:
https://www.strat-talk.com/threads/fender-texas-specials-analysis-and-review.403909/.
This is how things are meant to be "balanced".
