Does wood matter?

[ant_riv]

Re: Does wood matter?

Yes wood matters!

I love the beauty of the grain and it's infinite variety. I am partial to "plain" tops but flame and quilt maple are also very attractive. Black limba ("korina") is also very appealing. In fact, I don't think there is a wood grain that doesn't matter to me.

For tone alone? Black guitars sound best. Or white. Some red and blue, too. Or ......

 

[Dahla]

Re: Does wood matter?

Here's what makes me say wood matters: You can take two guitars of the same model and they aren't necessarily gonna sound identical. Assuming that the hardware and electronics have tolerances such that their effect is minimal, you're left with the wood parts accounting for the difference. If two pieces of the same wood species can sound different, it stands that different species of wood would have a greater impact based on grain structure, density, etc.

I would say wood makes a difference, but it doesn't matter. Every guitar sounds different, and there are plenty good sounding guitars, regardless of wood.


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[aleclee]

Re: Does wood matter?

I would say wood makes a difference, but it doesn't matter. Every guitar sounds different, and there are plenty good sounding guitars, regardless of wood.

Using that reasoning, one could just as easily argue that nothing matters. The lack of absolute correlation between wood type and good sound is due to the subjective nature of good sound rather than the relative impact of materials on tone. There are plenty of good sounding guitars, regardless of whatever factor you're evaluating.

 

[Dahla]

Re: Does wood matter?

The lack of absolute correlation between wood type and good sound is due to the subjective nature of good sound rather than the relative impact of materials on tone.

That's why I said wood makes a difference and doesn't matter. Either way it's all subjective what good wood is. (Insert sexual joke here).

And please don't apply my subjective opinion on everything/anything else. I didn't said nothing matters, just wood differences.


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[aleclee]

Re: Does wood matter?

And please don't apply my subjective opinion on everything/anything else. I didn't said nothing matters, just wood differences.

If the same reasoning wouldn't apply to attributes other than wood, why does wood not matter?

 

[vinta9e]

Re: Does wood matter?

If you can't tell, it doesn't matter.

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Does wood matter?

I would say wood makes a difference, but it doesn't matter. Every guitar sounds different, and there are plenty good sounding guitars, regardless of wood.


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It doesn't nail down an exact tone but it does give you certain characteristics and a range. Sometimes different woods overlap in their ranges.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Does wood matter?

Does it matter for what? Looks, weight relief, tone, etc.

I think it does but not nearly as big of a factor as I use to think it was. That being said, what proves to me that it does is trying a JB in Basswood and Alder Strats almost identical in parts and yet produces a different tone. I've tried the JB in several Basswood guitars and can never dial it in (which is funny because a lot of guys love it.) Also, a Maple fretboard sounds snappy compared to Ebony and Rosewood...might be playing differently because of the "feel" but Maple is generalized as bright and snappy/poppy.

I think pickups, scale length and bridge type play a ton into the tone–but ultimately the tone is a sum of many parts including the person playing. Others who play guitar through my gear do not sound like me–and we are using the same gear.

 

[dominus]

Re: Does wood matter?

Some woods are going to have a more consistent tone than others, and *usually* you can ballpark a sound that you're going to get out of them. You're still better off trying out each guitar as a sum of its parts though, and then dialing in from there. I had three identical guitars once, and one weighed a full pound more than the others. Nice sustain. Completely dead sounding. Had to stick an active pickup in it to get a decent tone out of it.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Does wood matter?

The devil in me makes me ask you again:"does wood matter in an electric guitar?" I know the answer, but what the others would say?

I know, "not this sh_t again!" But I mean it's embarrassing that the guitar world still doesn't have a definitive answer... Which is a very good ground for fraudulent profiteers. What can you say?

IMHO . . . yes, and no !

YES, if you play clean, and clean'ish, it does.

. . . . . BUT . . . . .


Once you go past a certain amount of gain/filth/dirt, it becomes less critical what the guitar is made from.

Sunn O))) could use any wood for their LP's and they would sound the same (imho)

Take a JCM800, turn the gain up, to 50%. Add a Big Muff. Turn the Big Muff Gain to 50%.
Plug an LP-shaped guitar in, with humbuckers.
NO ONE will be able to say for a fact what wood was used for the guitar, through all that distortion.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Does wood matter?

I don't know man... I've had other guitars with humbuckers. Even with Dimarzios...still didn't sound like my Les Paul stock.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Does wood matter?

I don't know man... I've had other guitars with humbuckers. Even with Dimarzios...still didn't sound like my Les Paul stock.

Yeah but don't you play mostly clean style stuff? He was talking about full balls gain.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Does wood matter?

Yeah but don't you play mostly clean style stuff? He was talking about full balls gain.

plexi/voxac30 style gain

 

[astrozombie]

Re: Does wood matter?

Yeah but don't you play mostly clean style stuff? He was talking about full balls gain.

My Les Paul makes the red channel on my JCM2000 sound very deep and aggresive. Other guitars were similar but the sound had a different natural eq.

 

[dominus]

Re: Does wood matter?

plexi/voxac30 style gain

That's considered clean in my book.

 

[dominus]

Re: Does wood matter?

Sunn O))) could use any wood for their LP's and they would sound the same (imho)

Take a JCM800, turn the gain up, to 50%. Add a Big Muff. Turn the Big Muff Gain to 50%.
Plug an LP-shaped guitar in, with humbuckers.
NO ONE will be able to say for a fact what wood was used for the guitar, through all that distortion.

Hmm.



I think these guys did it better..

 

[Archer250]

Re: Does wood matter?

My god, you guys are starting 2016 with the same topic that you guys started 2015 with.

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[Archer250]

Re: Does wood matter?

In my opinion, the type of wood doesn't matter nearly as much as the quality and grade of wood.

Of course, I tend to not think in terms of "bright" vs "warm" and instead think in terms of "****" vs "good"

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[kramersteen]

Re: Does wood matter?

In my opinion, the type of wood doesn't matter nearly as much as the quality and grade of wood.

Of course, I tend to not think in terms of "bright" vs "warm" and instead think in terms of "****" vs "good"

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How would the quality change anything? A average looking slab of mahogany could pass the tap test no worries. One that's nicer sometimes wont.

i do like quality wood tho :headbang:

 

[Archer250]

Re: Does wood matter?

How would the quality change anything? A average looking slab of mahogany could pass the tap test no worries. One that's nicer sometimes wont.

i do like quality wood tho :headbang:

I meant resonance, not grain. Sorry for confusing you

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