nienturi
Active member
So you claim that tone wood matters? How dare you? All the tone comes from the pickups.
Just kidding
I know what you mean
Okay, I guess I'm warming up to DiMarzios
- Thread starter Archer250
- Start date
Just kidding
I know what you mean
Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
The more I dive into it, tonewood is a myth perpetuated by Big Guitar to justify their designs to buy the cheapest varieties of wood suitable for guitar. Little Guitar ran with this idea, using expensive woods makes a medium hit on the cost of the instrument, but allows them to charge a lot more for their boutique exotic instrument.
If tonewood really mattered, it would not be a debate. I mean come on, we can all agree that a roughcast versus sintered magnet sounds different but we can't agree that a guitar made out of ash sounds the same as a guitar made of cinderblocks?
If tonewood really mattered, it would not be a debate. I mean come on, we can all agree that a roughcast versus sintered magnet sounds different but we can't agree that a guitar made out of ash sounds the same as a guitar made of cinderblocks?
Archer250
Well-known member
The more I dive into it, tonewood denialism is a concerted effort by the industry to reduce costs by selling the shittiest materials to the users (shmucks), who now will gladly eat anything up as long as it has stainless frets and "specs"
ie "you will eat the bugs and sleep in the pods in your designated 15 minute city and you will enjoy it"
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
The guitar is a sonic brew of many materials - I did not specify the wood!So you claim that tone wood matters? How dare you? All the tone comes from the pickups.
Just kidding
I know what you mean
Masta' C
Well-known member
There's a difference between recognizing that there are "grades" of wood and certain physical properties of materials that matter in an electric guitar vs. suggesting "tonewoods" are able to be categorized by wood type alone.
For instance, there are higher and lower grades of mahogany, but also significant variances in density, stiffness, moisture level, etc. within those grades. Thus, to make blanket statements that "mahogany" sounds a certain way or that certain pickups sound best in "mahogany" compared to other woods is just spreading falsities.
So, until the concept of "tonewood" becomes associated with something OTHER than the bold over-generalization of the tonal characteristics of specific wood species, the better informed among us are obliged to point out the misinformation when it presents itself.
To be fair, you're not wrong about manufacturers racing to the bottom when it comes to wood quality, but that's just how Capitalism works. Keep in mind, we're also at a point where deforestation is widespread and global reserves of historically popular species like mahogany and rosewood have become heavily strained.
Personally, I think it's great to look beyond the "standard" options of Alder, Swamp Ash, Maple, and Mahogany...
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
I don't mean to say the materials a guitar is made of don't make a difference. My two Les Pauls have the same scale lenght and pickup placement relative to the bridge, yet they sound different even with the same pickups. They have different body thicknesses and wood combos.
That being said, I've had bright Mahogany guitars and dark Alder/Maple guitars. Some people claim "X pickup goes well in X wood". I'd personally say since wood even of the same kind can be all over the place, pickup placement and distance relative to bridge make as much difference... if not probably more, IME.
That being said, I've had bright Mahogany guitars and dark Alder/Maple guitars. Some people claim "X pickup goes well in X wood". I'd personally say since wood even of the same kind can be all over the place, pickup placement and distance relative to bridge make as much difference... if not probably more, IME.
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Juanhanglo
Active member
Wood matters.
The individual piece moreso than species.
Mahogany, alder and basswood work for me.
Ash is the outlier of the standard woods.
I am completely open to alternatives as well.
All wood needs to do is be workable, and easily finishable to be a body. Aesthetics are a plus from there.
FS1 one of my favorite strat bridge pups. Super Distortion...
Especially the 70s ones...there is a distinct tine warp to 70s hard rock and early metal.
DP103 PAF havent cork sniffed a gazzillion pafs but i see nothing to warrent ever swapping it.
Stratocaster Area pickups....on the other hand were probably THE worst sounding strat pickups ive ever heard and were replaced with squier strat pickups just to get them OUT.
So every company makes great pickups and every company makes ones youll hate. Thats all move on
Especially the 70s ones...there is a distinct tine warp to 70s hard rock and early metal.
DP103 PAF havent cork sniffed a gazzillion pafs but i see nothing to warrent ever swapping it.
Stratocaster Area pickups....on the other hand were probably THE worst sounding strat pickups ive ever heard and were replaced with squier strat pickups just to get them OUT.
So every company makes great pickups and every company makes ones youll hate. Thats all move on
Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
What makes ash the outlier? Are you getting yours from above or below the waterline?
Juanhanglo
Active member
I just dont like it. I like a more middy tone. Ash doesn't get me as easy. I have to work harder crafting the mids via pickup and eq. compared to the others listed.
I keep trying, but every time I do, I don't hear the mid signature I'm used to.
Its rare I don't like a guitar made of the other woods.
Dimarzio over duncan for humbuckers. Again, all about the mid tone quality/texture/etc.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
The only Ash guitar I've had was a Chapman Rob Scallon which was pretty good!
And on Duncans vs. DiMarzio... I think both have a wide enough catalog that I'm sure you could find something you'd like (or dislike) with either brand. My favorites happen to be Duncans (and Gibson and Fishman), but if I were to be stuck with DiMarzio, I wouldn't mind playing a D Activator or a Dominion. I'd love to try a Breed, Evolution, or a Titan or Mirage.
And on Duncans vs. DiMarzio... I think both have a wide enough catalog that I'm sure you could find something you'd like (or dislike) with either brand. My favorites happen to be Duncans (and Gibson and Fishman), but if I were to be stuck with DiMarzio, I wouldn't mind playing a D Activator or a Dominion. I'd love to try a Breed, Evolution, or a Titan or Mirage.
Juanhanglo
Active member
Juanhanglo
Active member
I just installed my dark matter 2s in my rg520qs. They replaced a mojoe/pafjoe set that I really liked.
Well, its been about an hour and I like these just as much, maybe more.
Dm2 neck is pretty much a lower output breed neck. Thats a good thing.
Dm2 bridge sounds like a bridge version of the neck. Really. Id say its somewhere between breed neck in bridge and mo'joe.
Edit: the above descriptions are close.
The neck is a lower powered breed with a ceramic magnet, big time. At least to my ears. It reacts super quick in comparison to the breed neck. 275mv is a very sweet spot in the power band. Air norton and paf joe are there too.
The bridge is 330mv (again, a nice sweet spot). The description I made initially still stands.
Tweak these pickups! I did not like initially, but im getting there.
If a neck air norton is warm and smooth/wooly with gain, the DM2 neck is warm but clear and precise.
The bridge is more of the same, and then some.
I don't have anything like this in my collection. Come to think of it, I can see using these in applications I would use my full shreds for. Ooooo, gotta compare these two!
I tend to live on the classic side of the classic/modern sounds, but just so. Say ⅔ classic, ⅓ modern? More satch than vai, if that makes sense.
The satch pickups above are the yin to these puppies yang.
Satch = classic that can do modern in a pinch
Dm2 = modern that can go classic if needed.
I think the Satches are the more versatile currently.
Well, its been about an hour and I like these just as much, maybe more.
Dm2 neck is pretty much a lower output breed neck. Thats a good thing.
Dm2 bridge sounds like a bridge version of the neck. Really. Id say its somewhere between breed neck in bridge and mo'joe.
Edit: the above descriptions are close.
The neck is a lower powered breed with a ceramic magnet, big time. At least to my ears. It reacts super quick in comparison to the breed neck. 275mv is a very sweet spot in the power band. Air norton and paf joe are there too.
The bridge is 330mv (again, a nice sweet spot). The description I made initially still stands.
Tweak these pickups! I did not like initially, but im getting there.
If a neck air norton is warm and smooth/wooly with gain, the DM2 neck is warm but clear and precise.
The bridge is more of the same, and then some.
I don't have anything like this in my collection. Come to think of it, I can see using these in applications I would use my full shreds for. Ooooo, gotta compare these two!
I tend to live on the classic side of the classic/modern sounds, but just so. Say ⅔ classic, ⅓ modern? More satch than vai, if that makes sense.
The satch pickups above are the yin to these puppies yang.
Satch = classic that can do modern in a pinch
Dm2 = modern that can go classic if needed.
I think the Satches are the more versatile currently.
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