how well a guitar resonates

[bluesfloyd]

hi guys,
i hear guys say that a good eletric guitar will resonate when played acoustically, a sign of good wood on that guitar, how would you guys check how well a guitar resonates, would you only use your hears or maybe use some sort of meter to give a reading, if i had a system that could check resontes, it would be helpful when buying my next guitar,

all the best, bluesfloyd.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: how well a guitar resonates

The proper test equipment looks about like this:

Make sure all strings sound evenly loud, notes in chords are distinguishable, and the tone/frequencies heard are pleasing and even across the spectrum.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: how well a guitar resonates

with the guitar hanging on the wall, pluck the g string (some people do it with the b string, I do the G cuz it's the lowest tension plain string) and grab the lower bout of the guitar (near the jack location on a fender). Feel for intense vibrations. pluck it again and feel the tip of the headstock. again, feel for intense vibrations. play some notes or open strings with your ear pressed against the body. What you hear should be musical and pleasing.
If you feel lots of vibrations and hear some good stuff through these methods, take it down and play it. Play every fret and listen for dead spots or live spots. Bring your amp when possible. Ask if there is a small room you can play in. Guitar shops with big open floors can add a nice room reverb but you don't want that to mask any shortcomings you may find if you play it in a small space.

 

[Oinkus]

Re: how well a guitar resonates

Resonant - 1. deep, clear, and continuing to sound or ring.2. (of a room, a musical instrument, or a hollow body) tending to reinforce or prolong sounds, especially by synchronous vibration. When I change a stock TOM to a Babicz TOM replacement I strum the guitar and let it ring until I can no longer hear it. Usually lasts much longer and sounds better to me and has almost nothing to do with the wood the guitar is made out of.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: how well a guitar resonates

I dont know what others do. But beyond just listening normally i will put my ear against the guitar and hit each string.

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: how well a guitar resonates

I just strum it on the wall hanger and see how it does.
Some guitars are much louder and sustain much longer than others.
Don't confuse that with wood grain... 15 guitars from the same company using the same wood will have 15 different resonances. That's a fact jack.

 

[stringbender11]

Re: how well a guitar resonates

The proper test equipment looks about like this:

Make sure all strings sound evenly loud, notes in chords are distinguishable, and the tone/frequencies heard are pleasing and even across the spectrum.

Thats pretty much how I listen to guitars, too. If an electric doesn't sound good acoustically to me I wont like it. Interestingly my laminate bodied '89 squier strat sounds really nice acoustically, very lively and strat-ish. It shows you that a guitar doesnt need to be made from 'tone wood' to sound great.

 

[ErikH]

how well a guitar resonates

I strum it on the wall hanger and listen for how it rings out. If that's ok (lively and not plinky or dead) then I sit down with it and play it so I can feel it resonate. Feeling it real good in my gut tells me it's got good wood.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: how well a guitar resonates

Thats pretty much how I listen to guitars, too. If an electric doesn't sound good acoustically to me I wont like it. Interestingly my laminate bodied '89 squier strat sounds really nice acoustically, very lively and strat-ish. It shows you that a guitar doesnt need to be made from 'tone wood' to sound great.

It's largely luck of the draw. My 1990 Squier II Strat, for example, rang out with all the resonance and musical conviction of a sandbag being dropped into mud. It weighed a ton; I suspect it was mostly glue and knots. It's okay to say "plywood"; I've played other plywood-bodied guitars since then that have been very respectable players.

Does a guitar made from the beloved tonewoods guarantee a good, great, or usable instrument? Of course not. It might stack the deck a certain way, but you still have to play them and get one that does "it" for you. Pickups and amps might be responsible for a large percentage of the sound that you (yeah, you -- not somebody else) can wring out of a guitar, but they can't do it all. They have to start with something. And even if they're just amplifying and processing the vibrations of the strings, it might just be possible for things that influence those vibrations to have an impact on what comes out of the speaker. Or something.

 

[jimijames]

Re: how well a guitar resonates

I just pick up a guitar and play it for a while. If it's a really good player or really resonant you know immediately, otherwise just put it back and move on. I also find that when building a parts guitar it needs to be played for a couple of months before it really starts to open up an resonate.

Honestly I think if you find a good playing guitar it will end up sounding better by virtue of how much you play it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: how well a guitar resonates

In an acoustic I look for resonance. I play the guitar and lightly touch the top, and look for vibrations all across the top and out to the edge. I strum the open string and see how much vibration is transmitted to the tip of the headstock. I look to see if a guitar begins to open up after a few minutes of hard strumming.

I do similar tests with an electric. But I try not to confuse sustain with resonance. A guitar made from granite would have tremendous sustain, but limited resonance and very limited dynamics. My LP Historics feel so alive, vibrating from endpin to the top of the headstock. This kind if resonance is what I look for...it's a big priority.

Bill

 

[Der Oberherr]

Re: how well a guitar resonates

Ive only owned 2 guitars, but here's my test:

1. Put ear against guitar body
2. Strum

I found my second guitar like this. When I strummed it just seemed to 'sing' (for want of a better word). My first guitar didn't and its far worse than the one I have now. My current guitar only cost £100, but I like it for its playability. Thats probably more important than resonance, but just take the time to listen and see if a guitar 'sings'.