What's more important, Wood, or Pickups?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mightywarlock
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sled":3up30qyh said:
What's more important, air or the wing?
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Nicely put...

I can't even fathom getting into this conversation. It's a two way street 100% of the way. Just as soon as I want to discuss the merits of great pups, wood comes into it. Just as soon as I discuss the merits of wood, it means nothing without a great voice.

There was a time not too long ago where I scientifically assumed that WOOD had ZERO effect on tone. Basically, the metal string vibrates over a wound magnet, this flux creates a voltage, this voltage goes down the pipe and gets amplified. Metal on magnet, nothing else in the equation. But I've come to realize against my own scientific ways that wood most certainly does play a role in a guitars tone, and a massive one at that. To me, they're intertwined 100% of the way... :dunno:

Peace,
V.
 
They are both key but if I had to pick i would say pickups. With that being said - I have had great pickups sound shitty when place in a guitar with the wrong wood. A good guitar to me has to sound great even unplugged as u really get to hear the wood and guitar resonate as a whole. Even with les pauls, I can really hear the differance tonally with the different models and era's wood choice and style builds, the differance between customs and standards, old and new wood, 1 or two piece, set neck to bolt on , etc. When i first started playing I thought all the talk about wood was just a gimmick or hype but I definatly found out different and am now a believer.
 
I played some great and I mean great sounding composite electric guitars at NAMM this year.
 
mightywarlock":19xwrm3j said:
I say WOOD! [...]
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:D

Wood by itself is pretty important, but it's so much nicer after you've picked up someone.
 
Neither, the player is more important. You know how it goes... certain guys (and gals I suppose) pick up ANY guitar and sound like themselves on their own guitar and gear. But, with that being said, an acoustically great sounding instrument only sounds better or would have slightly different resonant frequencies enhanced with quality pickup replacements. Where as if the guitar doesn't sound good you need to TOTALLY change the frequency response so that it sounds passible. Just like messing with the EQ when recording, minor adjustments sound best.
 
both =0as all elements kinda effect each other but i'd say the wood rates higher

how the wood/feels/resonates will have an impact on tone and more importantly feel, just having something that resonates and rings out, only wood can do that acoustically speaking
and that makes a huge difference for me
 
If an electric doesnt sound good unplugged and resonate then it usually wont sound good plugged in either i have found. That being said I have had guitars that play and sound killer unplugged but plugged sounded like shit due to the pickups. So they are both dependent on each other.
 
Don't discount the entire circuit as a whole. You could have a great pickup, top quality resonant wood, and due to poor wiring or layout the entire guitar can sound like a squirrel fart. Lots of opportunities inside a guitar circuit to choke the sound.
 
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