crusty philtrum
Vintageologist
Re: Most Important Factor in the "Tone" of an Electric Guitar?
I've had the misfortune to own several guitars that had dead spots and overly-lively spots on the fretboard, although not necessarily the fault of the fretboard. In other words, those instruments were not consistent in their response. Do pickups, wiring and hardware cause that ? Nope, that's the wood quality, or lack thereof.
Certain aspects of those qualities are probably also the reason for some guitars seeming to be quite magic (yes, magic ... I'm a musician, not a bleedin' scientist, and i like to play to human beings, not other damn scientists. And many or most aspects of the production of and enjoyment of good music involve magic ... an extra dimension introduced by actual skill, talent and emotional connection to actual music. When you turn off the distortion and stop trying to sound like a German industrial complex, you may actually encounter some of these concepts).
To anyone who can play and hear properly, the wood is going to be the final frontier, as it always is when seeking a new instrument. If you can't hear and feel it, you are lucky, you will be happy with any old plank of unknown material at much lower costs. If you can feel and hear it, your search will not be over until you find an instrument that manages to resonate evenly and yet has rich sonic character.
and for the record, there was a better scientist here with the same tedious proposition, but he had followers, disciples. Adeus, or something like that, was his name. Just kept going on and on and on about how the wood didn't matter. Since then we don't hear from him.
Some people should probably try to re-engage with the magic of music rather than trying to analyse every aspect of it ... after all, you may love your girlfriend or wife, but do you analyse why, to the finest degree ? Do you try to understand how a magic trick works ? If you do, you destroy the magic and will never enjoy it again.
Time spent worrying about this and annoying others is probably time that could be better spent by actually trying to become a decent player. Sound clips of tone scientists usually reveal one thing ...no, make that two .... they don't play too well and they sound like garbage.
Wood and construction mean everything to a seasoned player, and you will hear it when they play.
I've had the misfortune to own several guitars that had dead spots and overly-lively spots on the fretboard, although not necessarily the fault of the fretboard. In other words, those instruments were not consistent in their response. Do pickups, wiring and hardware cause that ? Nope, that's the wood quality, or lack thereof.
Certain aspects of those qualities are probably also the reason for some guitars seeming to be quite magic (yes, magic ... I'm a musician, not a bleedin' scientist, and i like to play to human beings, not other damn scientists. And many or most aspects of the production of and enjoyment of good music involve magic ... an extra dimension introduced by actual skill, talent and emotional connection to actual music. When you turn off the distortion and stop trying to sound like a German industrial complex, you may actually encounter some of these concepts).
To anyone who can play and hear properly, the wood is going to be the final frontier, as it always is when seeking a new instrument. If you can't hear and feel it, you are lucky, you will be happy with any old plank of unknown material at much lower costs. If you can feel and hear it, your search will not be over until you find an instrument that manages to resonate evenly and yet has rich sonic character.
and for the record, there was a better scientist here with the same tedious proposition, but he had followers, disciples. Adeus, or something like that, was his name. Just kept going on and on and on about how the wood didn't matter. Since then we don't hear from him.
Some people should probably try to re-engage with the magic of music rather than trying to analyse every aspect of it ... after all, you may love your girlfriend or wife, but do you analyse why, to the finest degree ? Do you try to understand how a magic trick works ? If you do, you destroy the magic and will never enjoy it again.
Time spent worrying about this and annoying others is probably time that could be better spent by actually trying to become a decent player. Sound clips of tone scientists usually reveal one thing ...no, make that two .... they don't play too well and they sound like garbage.
Wood and construction mean everything to a seasoned player, and you will hear it when they play.
o People are more likley to act this way on the internets than in person. 
