Lil tonewood discussion thread

[GuitarStv]

Re: Lil tonewood discussion thread

The only OEM component that changing out is a reasonable stand in for quality of your tone is strings. If you've had to change strings 3-400 times on your main guitar, I'd lay good odds on you having developed some half decent tone.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Lil tonewood discussion thread

The only OEM component that changing out is a reasonable stand in for quality of your tone is strings. If you've had to change strings 3-400 times on your main guitar, I'd lay good odds on you having developed some half decent tone.

I was making jokes.... but I'm talking about pickup changeouts etc...

 

[larryguitar]

Re: Lil tonewood discussion thread

Ever get a really dull or really bright guitar? I have a Music Man that sounds like it is covered in mud. All mids. It plays great, though and a few mid-scooped pickups makes it sound 'normal' to me. It is made of poplar and maple. I have an alder version of the same guitar (same hardware) with none of those issues...a very balanced sound, so I can use different pickups.

That's interesting. The best sounding guitar (to my ears, obviously) I've built to date was a poplar body with maple neck and rosewood fretboard. It was a great 'rock' guitar, with a Jb and 59 in it.

The thing I loved about it was the extremely focused and strong fundamental that seemed to stay clear and sharp when played with some gain (think Scorpions or early UFO.) I wonder if we're hearing the same thing (a strong fundamental in the mid-range) and either liking or not liking it, based on our tastes and what we want to play on the instrument?

Larry

 

[Mincer]

Re: Lil tonewood discussion thread

That's interesting. The best sounding guitar (to my ears, obviously) I've built to date was a poplar body with maple neck and rosewood fretboard. It was a great 'rock' guitar, with a Jb and 59 in it.

The thing I loved about it was the extremely focused and strong fundamental that seemed to stay clear and sharp when played with some gain (think Scorpions or early UFO.) I wonder if we're hearing the same thing (a strong fundamental in the mid-range) and either liking or not liking it, based on our tastes and what we want to play on the instrument?

Larry

To me, it just sounded like a guitar with the tone knob turned down to 3. Not really a stronger fundamental, but like a giant low pass filter. This isn't a judgement on how poplar sounds (Steve Morse uses a poplar body for his Music Man, and I love his sound). But this guitar had an 'issue' I had to correct with pickups.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Lil tonewood discussion thread

I play different on different shape guitars
I see myself differently when I pick them up

I think about patterns different on a skinny neck as opposed to a wide one

On some flat fretboard you can't get your thumb over top so you adjust to play different

On some the body thickness or size puts you picking hand in another position

It may not be so much the wood

I saw where Rob Chapman and that guy at Anderson's made a mahogany ML1 and a swamp ash ML1

Each were identical save that body wood

There was a difference


But as you know
If you play a half dozen Fenders all the same model there will be some that are flat
And some that aren't

The mahogany LPs are the same way
Play any five spec'd the same
And they will each have minute differences


It's the rug I tell ya
The rug

 

[LLL]

Re: Lil tonewood discussion thread

I was making jokes.... but I'm talking about pickup changeouts etc...

You may have been making jokes, but I wasn't.

My logic is 100% sound.

(I'm up to tone = 4 now)

:13:

 

[LLL]

Re: Lil tonewood discussion thread

But seriously, folks...

There is merit to the following concept:

One can have so much gain/distortion and corresponding compression going on with their tone that it completely cloaks any of the guitar wood's nuances.

So, very difficult to hear any difference wood-wise if you're always playing at extreme levels of gain/distortion.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Lil tonewood discussion thread

I don't know if there are 'laws of tonewood'. But I know for a fact that certain pieces of wood sound different than others- anyone who has swapped pickups for a few years can hear it. I've heard woods break these laws, like darker maple and brighter mahogany. Or like my mid-heavy poplar that some swear is bright or at least balanced. Trees were living, and each is unique.

I totally agree with you on all points here.

Each piece of wood is unique and brings its own characteristics to the table.

Guitar manufacturers would have you believe that the type of wood is everything, but "type" is such a small part of the equation in determining how a guitar feels and sounds in the end.

To each his own, though. After all, what fun would life be if we all agreed for once? :lmao:

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Lil tonewood discussion thread

But if you're always playing at extreme levels of distortion, you shouldn't be playing at all. So tone doesn't matter and therefore wood doesn't even matter anyway.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Lil tonewood discussion thread

I don't think poplar and maple could ever sound like each other.