Why Wood Matters | Rules of Tone: Episode 1 | PRS Guitars

7704A said:
There are more things than just the wood that can vary.
Click to expand...
What exactly? Three times I have conceded that my end result guitar was not going to work for me so I swapped out ONLY the body and was extremely pleased with the results. Yeah I took a bath selling the rejected finished bodies but unfortunately some pieces of wood aren't good for guitar bodies. I've seen it multiple times and it is still the biggest drawback to rolling your own Fenders.

Sometimes a different pickup can 'help' a tone dead piece of wood but those guitars end up being the least played on the wall.
 
tallcoolone said:
What exactly? Three times I have conceded that my end result guitar was not going to work for me so I swapped out ONLY the body and was extremely pleased with the results. Yeah I took a bath selling the rejected finished bodies but unfortunately some pieces of wood aren't good for guitar bodies. I've seen it multiple times and it is still the biggest drawback to rolling your own Fenders.

Sometimes a different pickup can 'help' a tone dead piece of wood but those guitars end up being the least played on the wall.
Click to expand...
Yeah but did you use laser leveling and precision measurement devices and then evaluate everything with a science device? If not then your example is discarded
 
Holy-diver said:
Yeah but did you use laser leveling and precision measurement devices and then evaluate everything with a science device? If not then your example is discarded
Click to expand...
A "science device" lol--I'm guessing you are being facetious? The bodies I use are cut with precision measurements and CNC machines...I'm not whittling them down in the back yard.

Hey I want people to think electric guitar bodies don't affect tone and sustain--I need someone to buy my dogs off me. They do tho.
 
RaceU4her said:
If all things are switched out.. pickups, pots, wiring, bridge, nut.. I’m no scientist but I would think variances in the electronics, magnets and density of metal would effect the tone more than what wood those things are screwed into, and the tests I’ve seen back that up
Click to expand...
The only wood that changes my tTone is the wood in my Pants
 
Pick up and strum a Martin D18 and a D28. If you can’t hear a difference you are lucky.

To think that different types of woods don’t affect electric guitar’s sounds….baffling.
 
Greazygeo said:
Pick up and strum a Martin D18 and a D28. If you can’t hear a difference you are lucky.

To think that different types of woods don’t affect electric guitar’s sounds….baffling.
Click to expand...
To think tree rings don’t exist is baffling
 
rsm said:
I think guitarists have long ago "jumped the shark" on this discussion.

Back when I had Vox AC amps with Blues, and a few Rics, I also had a BC Rich Stealth and an Engl rack rig with V30s. Putting my Rics into the Engl or putting my Stealth into a Vox; the difference mostly due to the amps, cabs, speakers not the guitars.

Music goal, neck size, playability, pickups, hardtail/trem/floating trem, etc., have more influence on why I use certain guitars and signal chains than whatever wood is used in making the guitar, especially solid body electrics.

In the early '90s, I had original Steinberger L guitar and bass, composite, active EMGs; they were very neutral sounding, and could achieve many different guitar sounds based on the signal chain; I've had a Gittler Titanium for several years, no wood, it has volume, treble and bass controls which give me a wide range of tones.

I think plugging electric guitars directly into oscilloscope, audio analyzer, spectrum analyzer, etc. and comparing the data would provide more information on the actual differences. Then using the same amp and mic , and measuring tools, for each guitar would provide an audio comparison with the supporting data.

Any tone/timber differences between the guitars, including those made by the same company, same model, same day, etc., could still be due to many factors not just the wood...i.e., nothing definitive to isolate the wood of each guitar enough to measure its impact on tone/timbre

IMO.

still it's a fun discussion, and watch the ideologies argue.
Click to expand...

I agree with you that other things in the signal chain are more important than body wood for overall tone.

I'm all for measurements and I will be one of the last people there dying on that hill in any argument. If I can't measure it then it doesn't exist. The video I posted that was acoustic had numerous different guitars tested at various parts of the body. He also documented what happened to those measurements as he went from a built guitar to a finished guitar. Just removing a little wood from the braces, sides or top changes things and the measurements are documented. If removing wood from an acoustic changes the measurements would removing wood from an electric change the measurements in a similar way?

If you had an identical Gittler made of some acoustical absorbing panel I don't believe it would sustain as long as your titanium version. It would still sound like a guitar but I think the sustain difference would be easily measurable and noticeable to someone who doesn't even play an instrument.

I would love to test things like you're describing as well. I think it can be done but it's just a money/time thing for most people. Always fun to discuss and learn things.
 
CDawg said:
I agree with you that other things in the signal chain are more important than body wood for overall tone.

I'm all for measurements and I will be one of the last people there dying on that hill in any argument. If I can't measure it then it doesn't exist. The video I posted that was acoustic had numerous different guitars tested at various parts of the body. He also documented what happened to those measurements as he went from a built guitar to a finished guitar. Just removing a little wood from the braces, sides or top changes things and the measurements are documented.
Click to expand...
I was pretty blown away by a demonstration at Roberto Venn where the instructor added a single, very thin, maybe a bit thicker than a chopstick, sized brace just by wedging it between the body top and the body back. It was a totally different guitar. He would put it in, take it out and invited us to play it in and out. Pretty nuts just what construction techniques can do to an acoustic guitar.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top