Acoustic guitar sound board with tone knobs
- Thread starter Wayne27
- Start date
beaubrummels
Well-known member
Easy way to find out is play an ES-335 / Gretsch hollow type guitar, then remove the electronics and play it again.
Benjy_26
25's Nemesis
335 has a center block. I have a feeling that will negate the effect.
I'd think anything touching the soundboard can affect the sound...even dragging your fingers on it. It isn't a common way to mount controls, so unless you found someone who took a guitar and did that (and compared the before-and-after) no one can be absolutely sure.
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
I would think yes the sound changes but is it noticeable? Is it better? Worse? That is for the player to decide. I did it with a cheap classical in the 80s and did not have any ill effects. I later added a preamp to the top side of the guitar and it still sounds good. Both of these mods were to make the guitar more "live friendly". So the benefits outweighed any changes to tone, though I noticed none.
beaubrummels
Well-known member
Ok, ES-330 / Casino / Gretsch hollow then
You'd have to do it before you drilled the holes though. Thats really the 'before' scenario here.
Most acoustics with controls have them on the sides - much less important tonally.
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Technically? Yes. Anything you do impacts the sound. Including that gaping hole in the middle.
Can you HEAR the difference? Can't say. Maybe not at all, maybe a little, maybe a lot. I'd guess it depends on how heavy the item/pot attached is and how it dampens vibration.
Just play it. But you might notice the are all on the side for at least convenience, if not sound.
Can you HEAR the difference? Can't say. Maybe not at all, maybe a little, maybe a lot. I'd guess it depends on how heavy the item/pot attached is and how it dampens vibration.
Just play it. But you might notice the are all on the side for at least convenience, if not sound.
A long time ago I installed a sound-hole pup to an acoustic and put a volume pot and a tone pot on the sound board. I didn't notice any difference in tone at all. A few years ago I removed the pup and pots leaving the two holes in the soundboard. I didn't notice any difference in tone at all.
Was there actually a difference? Enough to be measured by some sensitive equipment? Maybe. I don't know. And I don't care because I couldn't hear any difference, and that's what matters.
Was there actually a difference? Enough to be measured by some sensitive equipment? Maybe. I don't know. And I don't care because I couldn't hear any difference, and that's what matters.
We got a definitive answer in a before/after scenario!
chadd
Well-known member
My J45 and my D18 both have controls in the center sound hole and no other holes in the soundboard. I really like the fact they're so unobtrusive and easily accessible
This is the way I like the controls, too.
JB_From_Hell
Jomo's Nimions
Hollow body electrics have way thicker tops than acoustic guitars, so that’s not really a great comparison. They’re also typically made of laminated wood.
Also, if you’re talking about altering the plugged in tone of an acoustic guitar, it probably won’t matter. Most of what you’re hearing with that is the piezo pickup and the preamp.
Also, if you’re talking about altering the plugged in tone of an acoustic guitar, it probably won’t matter. Most of what you’re hearing with that is the piezo pickup and the preamp.
The plugged in sound has a lot to do with the limitations of typical piezo systems, and less-than-full-range amplification systems.
I would have to take an acoustic guitar, play it in a quite room, then install pots & knobs, and repeal the experiment. Would I hear a difference? Would I remember what the non-holed version sounded like?
Acoustic instrument builders are pretty crazy about their bracing patterns, believing that any alteration in the soundboard can affect the tone. I don't have that kind of fidelity in my hearing, though.
I would have to take an acoustic guitar, play it in a quite room, then install pots & knobs, and repeal the experiment. Would I hear a difference? Would I remember what the non-holed version sounded like?
Acoustic instrument builders are pretty crazy about their bracing patterns, believing that any alteration in the soundboard can affect the tone. I don't have that kind of fidelity in my hearing, though.
Benjy_26
25's Nemesis
I'm almost sure you would notice a difference in that situation. I swapped the tuning machines on a classical guitar many years ago. I remember distinctly hearing a difference in tone, probably due to one set being heavier than the other.
