If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups?

[ItsaBass]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

IME, no. The output of the pickups (which is also influenced by string size, type/material, and distance) is really what "translates" through your cable. The way a string vibrates could possibly be affected by the design and materials of the guitar, but IME not in a way that directly or extremely (as in much more so than any other factor) contributes to what we hear as "volume" through an amp. Tonal differences? Well, that's something a bit different, and it seems to be what all the followup posts are focusing on, but it's not what the OP asked. He simply asked if louder unplugged electrics are louder plugged in electrics. The answer to that oversimplified question is an oversimplified answer: no. Because when it comes to simple volume, electronics specs and electronics adjustments easily overwhelm any other factor. If the question was phrased more specifically, the answer might not be so simple.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

^ Exactly as I was trying to point out. There may be many factors that can affect tone or output/volume, but they are so insignificantly small that they don't even matter.

 

[PAPADON]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

My intuition would be no . . . because pickups just translate the vibration of your strings into a signal. A guitar can be louder because the body resonates without actually making the strings vibrate more.

Congratulations. You answered correctly.

 

[OLDERBUDWISER]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

Elastic means when a material is deformed thru force the object will maintain its properties. "Plastic" means the force was excessive enough to change the properties of the material. Take a spring, keep within it's tensile strength and the spring will remain essentially the same, but exceed that amount and the spring is done

 

[Chistopher]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

Congratulations. You answered correctly.

On whose authority are you making this claim? The pickups of a guitar sense the string, not the body. The particulars of a body affecting the volume of a guitar would obviously require the body to affect the strings.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

The question then is - ‘Can the guitar body/components attached to the body affect the way the string vibrates?’

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

The question then is - ‘Can the guitar body/components attached to the body affect the way the string vibrates?’

No. We know that the body can dampen strings by absorbing energy. If the body was made of cheese, you would get less string vibration. The question is ‘Can the guitar body/components attached to the body increase the way the string vibrates?’

I'm pretty sure the answer to that is no.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

On whose authority are you making this claim? The pickups of a guitar sense the string, not the body. The particulars of a body affecting the volume of a guitar would obviously require the body to affect the strings.

Lol...you should be more sensitive. I sense that it was a sarcasm...or mocking.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

On whose authority are you making this claim? The pickups of a guitar sense the string, not the body. The particulars of a body affecting the volume of a guitar would obviously require the body to affect the strings.

On whose authority are YOU making THIS claim?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

The question then is - ‘Can the guitar body/components attached to the body affect the way the string vibrates?’

No. We know that the body can dampen strings by absorbing energy. If the body was made of cheese, you would get less string vibration..

Well then, the answer would be YES.

The question is ‘Can the guitar body/components attached to the body increase the way the string vibrates?’

I'm pretty sure the answer to that is no.

Actually, that question cannot be specifically answered because the word "INCREASE" is a relative term and it hasn't been specified what it is relative to. Relative to the sound when the body IS made of Swiss cheese? When it is made of rubber? Because of this, the best answer (which would be a very general answer) would have to be "YES".

However, as I and others have accurately stated, even though there are many factors that can affect the acoustic and the amplified sounds (mainly "loudness") of a guitar, those effects would have a negligible affect (relative to the affect that the pups and amplifier have) on the loudness of an amplified guitar to even consider.

So then, in a practical sense, the answer WOULD have to be "NO"

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

(I DO hope my answers have thoroughly confused everyone).

 

[greekdude]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

I think that the final waveform of the sound sensed by the pickups must be a very complex function, whose set of parameters/inputs include all aspects of the guitar's construction. Just to clarify with two rather extreme examples :
1) super loud acoustically. This might mean energy lost off the strings, less sustain.
2) some notes/harmonics are barely heard acoustically. Most probably this would translate to also poor amplified tone when plugged in.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

^ In other words...."I confirm what GuitarDoc has said".

 

[greekdude]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

^ In other words...."I confirm what GuitarDoc has said".

if you say so bro

 

[Francois]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

Considering the world's greatest players will sound unbelievable on a Yamaha Pacifica through a Peavey Bandit -I'd say all the tonal nuances and maximizing our tonal improvements through gear and material selection is really something more important for us less than incredibly gifted players. :lmao:

So let's become great players and let's forget about saddle material.

 

[Francois]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

Thread: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups?

I would say only if the pick ups are the same.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

^ Great players worry about making great music. People who suck worry about obtaining great tone to compensate for the lack - great tone only noticeable when playing alone at 2 a.m. in the bedroom.

Yet I have to admit, I love watching people making a fool of themselves discussing dumb ideas like those in this thread.

 

[PAPADON]

Re: If an electric guitar is acoustically louder, does this translate through pickups

Simple answer? No.