More mass = more resonant guitar??

[RanchManSandy]

Read my post correctly you spaz. I said the neck pickup.

I'd suggest rethinking that kind of ableist language

The bridge/trem obviously make a difference, which is why I didn't mention that, but still... there's no evidence to back up your claim about the shape of the wood (regardless of pickup position) because you can't use the same piece of wood. not sure why that's hard to understand
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[Chistopher]

Thank you! It's why I tell my clients that an electric guitar is an acoustic guitar FIRST, and then everything else filters that sound.
Basically - a Tele and a Les Paul sound very different when played unplugged.

Well one has about 10 pounds more string tension, all else being equal, on average.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I experimented with three blocks on my Strat, FWIW. Stock Zinc, steel, and brass.

I honestly noticed no difference in sustain, but a little difference in EQ that kinda sorta made it through the pickups subtly. But no difference in sustain at all, even if the steel and brass blocks were noticeably more massive than the stock Zinc.

 

[Mincer]

Thank you! It's why I tell my clients that an electric guitar is an acoustic guitar FIRST, and then everything else filters that sound.
Basically - a Tele and a Les Paul sound very different when played unplugged.

Forums and YouTube videos are full of people that don't believe this. Personally, I care most about how a guitar sounds plugged in. I don't care if it is the pickups or wood or construction techniques. If I like the way it sounds, and it ergonomically works for me, I will use it. Thing is, I am more likely to play a few notes on it before I plug it in. If it starts singing, I am hoping the plugged in sound can capture that.

 

[GuitarStv]

Thank you! It's why I tell my clients that an electric guitar is an acoustic guitar FIRST, and then everything else filters that sound.
Basically - a Tele and a Les Paul sound very different when played unplugged.

So . . . wouldn't hollow body and semi-hollow guitars all be much better sounding than solid body guitars then? They're much louder acoustically.

 

[ICTGoober]

Volume is not the same as tone or sustain.

 

[Securb]

So . . . wouldn't hollow body and semi-hollow guitars all be much better sounding than solid body guitars then? They're much louder acoustically.

Good point better is subjective isn't it. No way I could do my gig with a ES335.

 

[PS412]

In regards to sustain
This

is not as good as

This

 

[BadAspen]

I seem to have stirred the pot a little. I ask because I am debating getting Lace Sensor Alumitones direct mounted into my warmoth SG type guitar, but it's already pretty light and I don't know if taking out all the mass of the pickups would kill the sustain, being that the current sustain is okay at best.

 

[solspirit]

https://www.tennessean.com/story/en...03/28/les-pauls-log-one-kind-guitar/99518476/

 

[JMP/HBE]

Doesn't always work that way.

 

[jtees4]

Volume is not the same as tone or sustain.

Totally agree, but many folks think resonance and sustain are the same. I've never thought that. Years ago there were big online discussions in various groups, I said I thought resonance was bad in solid body electrics but good in acoustics. People said I was nuts, BUT then a few true scientists and engineers said I was right....I don't claim to be right, and don't care either way. Personally I just go by how a guitar sounds, period. Well, feel and looks too but sound is still most important.

 

[solspirit]

^ Resonance and sustain are similiar but at opposite ends of the spectrum, resonance is the action, sustain is the result.

 

[Securb]

^ Resonance and sustain are similiar but at opposite ends of the spectrum, resonance is the action, sustain is the result.

I don't get it can you explain please

 

[Chistopher]

The more a wood resonates, the more the wood is vibrating. This can be either because the wood is light and doesn't have much inertia, or because their is excess energy leaving the strings through the body.

 

[solspirit]

I don't get it can you explain please

Imo the resonance causes the sustain, something must resonate in order to sustain that resonance. So, I would Imagine, better resonance = better sustain.

 

[ToneFiddler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRwOLbkINo4

 

[beaubrummels]

My experience is more mass/density = less resonance/vibration through the body, but more sustain in the strings. Less mass or lower density = more resonance/vibration in the body and less sustain. The extreme example is the difference between a 10 lbs solid Les Paul and a fully hollow ES-330. But scale length and string gauge are also factors that can counter act some of those affects.

 

[Securb]

I the resonance causes the sustain, something must resonate in order to sustain that resonance. So, I would Imagine, better resonance = better sustain.

Yep, but there are many factors to consider. More resonance would mean increased volume, allowing us to hear the note for a longer duration. Thus, more perceived sustain, lots of times, the physics of sound are beyond our ability to hear. But yes, you are spot on. The one thing resonance loves is air, which allows the frequencies to match their surroundings effortlessly. For this reason, acoustic and semi-hollow guitars have much more resonance than solid bodies.

 

[JMP/HBE]

oh teH sustain ---->