Does wood matter?
- Thread starter vivanchenko
- Start date
some_dude
Raging BB Gunologist
Re: Does wood matter?
If you pick up a guitar and listen to it acoustically it's going to give you a pretty good idea of how it's going to sound amplified. Some people like to argue that in an electric guitar you can't hear the acoustic properties of the instrument, but in my experience if it sounds like a Tele unplugged it'll sound like a Tele plugged in, if it sounds like a Strat unplugged it'll sound like a Strat plugged in, and if it sounds like a Les Paul unplugged, it'll sound like a Les Paul plugged in. If it's bright unplugged it'll be bright plugged in, and if it's dull unplugged it'll be dull plugged in.
A Les Paul with a corian nut, Nashville bridge and pot metal tailpiece will sound like a Les Paul. A Les Paul with a nylon nut, ABR-1 bridge and an aluminum tailpiece will sound like a Les Paul. A Les Paul with '57 Classics will sound like a Les Paul. A Les Paul with an Burstbuckers in it will sound like a Les Paul. All of those Les Pauls will sound different, but putting a corian nut and Nashville bridge on any of those Les Pauls won't make them sound like an SG, nor will putting a nylon nut and ABR-1 bridge on any of them make them sound like a 335. Due to the similarities these three models will have a characteristic sound most will identify as "Gibson", but an SG will sound like an SG, a Les Paul will sound like a Les Paul, and a 335 will sound like a 335... even if they all came stock with '57 Classics.
Conversely, a Les Paul with a mahogany cap sounds like a Les Paul Custom and not a Les Paul Standard.... and swapping bridges, nuts, pickups and tailpieces won't make a Standard sound like a Custom.
IMO... YMMV.
If you pick up a guitar and listen to it acoustically it's going to give you a pretty good idea of how it's going to sound amplified. Some people like to argue that in an electric guitar you can't hear the acoustic properties of the instrument, but in my experience if it sounds like a Tele unplugged it'll sound like a Tele plugged in, if it sounds like a Strat unplugged it'll sound like a Strat plugged in, and if it sounds like a Les Paul unplugged, it'll sound like a Les Paul plugged in. If it's bright unplugged it'll be bright plugged in, and if it's dull unplugged it'll be dull plugged in.
A Les Paul with a corian nut, Nashville bridge and pot metal tailpiece will sound like a Les Paul. A Les Paul with a nylon nut, ABR-1 bridge and an aluminum tailpiece will sound like a Les Paul. A Les Paul with '57 Classics will sound like a Les Paul. A Les Paul with an Burstbuckers in it will sound like a Les Paul. All of those Les Pauls will sound different, but putting a corian nut and Nashville bridge on any of those Les Pauls won't make them sound like an SG, nor will putting a nylon nut and ABR-1 bridge on any of them make them sound like a 335. Due to the similarities these three models will have a characteristic sound most will identify as "Gibson", but an SG will sound like an SG, a Les Paul will sound like a Les Paul, and a 335 will sound like a 335... even if they all came stock with '57 Classics.
Conversely, a Les Paul with a mahogany cap sounds like a Les Paul Custom and not a Les Paul Standard.... and swapping bridges, nuts, pickups and tailpieces won't make a Standard sound like a Custom.
IMO... YMMV.
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
Re: Does wood matter?
Resonance can't be defined by the quality of the timber. Otherwise every high end custom shop guitar would be quartersawn.
Resonance can't be defined by the quality of the timber. Otherwise every high end custom shop guitar would be quartersawn.
KeeperOS
New member
Re: Does wood matter?
Does it matter as much as in a Classical or Acoustic? No
Does it matter as much with copious amounts of gain/compression as it does clean? No
Does it matter at all? Yep
Can you tell the difference? Why are you asking me? Go out and find out for yourself!
Does it matter as much as in a Classical or Acoustic? No
Does it matter as much with copious amounts of gain/compression as it does clean? No
Does it matter at all? Yep
Can you tell the difference? Why are you asking me? Go out and find out for yourself!
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
Re: Does wood matter?
haha yeah that's the problem man. Tonewood debates are in the same category as ufo's
haha yeah that's the problem man. Tonewood debates are in the same category as ufo's
GilmourD
Burritotoneologist
Re: Does wood matter?
A picture of this thread is next to the word "perennial" in the dictionary.
Archer250
Well-known member
Re: Does wood matter?
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Ah. Thanks for correcting me.
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Archer250
Well-known member
Re: Does wood matter?
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It's only a matter of time before somebody asks for a double blind study.
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kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
GilmourD
Burritotoneologist
Re: Does wood matter?
I believe I had actually offered to do the science in the past if somebody offered to provide the materials. LOL
Re: Does wood matter?
These sort of double blind test are pretty much pointless......well just sitting listening to tones you are fully unfamiliar with is not an objective test.
Let alone the fact that you can have guitars made of different woods that can actually sound quite similar......just testing even say 10 guitars is not a great sample size for something like that. Its much better getting frequency testing done on an oscilliscope......but then you have all the other protocols to make sure of.
Much better to let the theory give you the answer, and just take every guitar is its own thing.
These sort of double blind test are pretty much pointless......well just sitting listening to tones you are fully unfamiliar with is not an objective test.
Let alone the fact that you can have guitars made of different woods that can actually sound quite similar......just testing even say 10 guitars is not a great sample size for something like that. Its much better getting frequency testing done on an oscilliscope......but then you have all the other protocols to make sure of.
Much better to let the theory give you the answer, and just take every guitar is its own thing.
Myaccount876
Amira-Maker
Re: Does wood matter?
I like wood.
I like wood.
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
uOpt
Something Cool
Re: Does wood matter?
Are you talking about wood species? Or individual pieces of wood of the same species?
Are you talking about wood species? Or individual pieces of wood of the same species?
DarkMatter
Unprofessional Toneologist
Re: Does wood matter?
Where's DreX? Banned again? Wasn't he setting up a highly scientific testing process so that we may finally prove what no guitar company ever could.
Where's DreX? Banned again? Wasn't he setting up a highly scientific testing process so that we may finally prove what no guitar company ever could.
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
Re: Does wood matter?
The question is kinda invalid.
Wood varies an awful lot from piece to piece in terms of density and structure. Comparing a mahogany bodied guitar to an alder bodied guitar is therefore a useless task. The best you can hope for is to compare thousands of mahogany guitars together to figure out what the properties of mahogany are on average. Which still means that you won't know what a guitar sounds like until it's actually made and you're playing it.
You can find bright and snappy mahogany guitars with mahogany necks. You can also find dark sounding ones.
So, does wood matter? Yes, the individual piece of wood makes a difference when you play the guitar and listen to the unplugged sound.
So, does wood matter? No, because the species of wood doesn't guarantee anything . . . especially when you take into account the electronics, pickups, body shape, bridge, nut, neck thickness, and the fact that it's not going to be played unplugged all that often.
^ Both equally true.
The question is kinda invalid.
Wood varies an awful lot from piece to piece in terms of density and structure. Comparing a mahogany bodied guitar to an alder bodied guitar is therefore a useless task. The best you can hope for is to compare thousands of mahogany guitars together to figure out what the properties of mahogany are on average. Which still means that you won't know what a guitar sounds like until it's actually made and you're playing it.
You can find bright and snappy mahogany guitars with mahogany necks. You can also find dark sounding ones.
So, does wood matter? Yes, the individual piece of wood makes a difference when you play the guitar and listen to the unplugged sound.
So, does wood matter? No, because the species of wood doesn't guarantee anything . . . especially when you take into account the electronics, pickups, body shape, bridge, nut, neck thickness, and the fact that it's not going to be played unplugged all that often.
^ Both equally true.
