to me the sound difference is huge. Fender PlayCYBER WEEK SALE: Save 50% on a Monthly Plan.UNLOCK THIS OFFER. Grammer errors? The wood from the centre of a tree is called “heartwood” while the outer layers are called “sapwood”. Toss in some effects, tube distortion, and game over. I don’t know… I think I disagree… Once I tested 5 G&L ASAT guitars, same model, and same construction and each of them hade its own sound… I think in whole process of construct a guitar, the major variant is the wood, since it’s kinda “organic”…. Electric, still a yes but depending you’re a clean guy. Wood. For a list of what pickups work well with particular wood types, read this article or go directly to Tone Wizard for a personalized recommendation. A high-cut piece of hard ash might be closer to the sound you’re looking for than a lower cut of swamp ash. It’s a general rule of thumb that the more dense the wood, the brighter the tone. Not everything is a conspiracy. No, the wood doesn’t affect the tone in the slightest. Ask Question Asked 5 years, 8 months ago. Also the shape of the guitar or if it’s solid or hallow shouldn’t be a tone factor… Realy?! And remember all earls like genitals are different, some people have well trained and sensitive ears (Eric Johnson, etc) and some people can’t tell analog from digital and all its annoying qualities it delivers to those of us who hear the difference. So what’s the difference? Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Tonewood is a dense specialty wood coveted for it's tonal resonance and ability to reverberate. Umm yeah so even while they are made from the same type of wood they sound different. Not sure about sustain, but it’s said that it’s dependant on the materials of bridge and nut, and the magnetic field strength of the pickups. Viewed 5k times 11. When the thing capturing the sound is directly under the thing generating the sound and, it makes no sense for the wood, which vibrates in a secondary fashion, to have any effect on a tone that has already left the guitar. Ill issue a challenge anyone who disagrees with me and agrees with paulius,if you dedicate to continuing to improve from wherever you are at tonally ,musically, whatever floats your boat,revisit this discussion in a year and see where you stand, On a right or wrong basis I will wager ANY amount with ANYONE who wants to lose, that I can prove absolutely,without any room for doubt or disagreement, that what I have stated concerning woods effects on sound is correct. Who decides what sounds better? Those who don’t believe wood affects a guitar’s tone point to the physics of how an electric guitar works. Heavy grain filler, thick clear coats and especially poly finish. Your statement is vague with no clear direction. It's about the wood or, more accurately, which tonewood is used to make the guitar actually and if that wood actually affects the guitars sound. There is variance within a species of wood but certain species of wood, especially the heartwood, have certain characteristics. with all due respect, i disagree….i made two Les paul Jr’s one with Mahogany body one with maple body, both have maple necks and rosewood fingerboards. Originally Posted by smooth55 View Post Honestly, I think the real reason that there aren't more non-wood guitars out there has more to do with the Why does wood affect electric guitar tone? Rosewood can also be used as a body wood, though. What is wrong with you people? I am of course a beginner and I am having trouble understanding the science of how the wood of a guitar's body affects the tone. Finally someone admits this. Try that on an acoustic and you’ll have some weird sounding stuff. A thinner piece, like an SG, has a warm growly tone with lots of bite and presence. Young’s modulus of elasticity describes stress (density) over strain (the material moving and responding to stress) or more simply put—stiffness in an object. I can be brief on this wood. No body wants to test it cause if the test does debunk the myth, they will have to face the reality that they have all along deluded themselves and hence, wasted so much money on exotic tonewoods. I own both a full maple acoustic and a mahogany body, maple top acoustic. Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoi2sDiBa0Ebpai8seeAy7N2r0REs0m. It’s like an exaggeration of a rosewood fingerboard. That makes it a perfect template for your own sound. A classic! Basically, the tone of the electric guitar is dependant on the pickups, pickup position, the bridge and the nut, the material that strums, strumming technique, The wiring, the main output wire, and the amp, the cabinet, and the room. Rosewood is very dense and rings beautifully when tapped – I suspect that it would sound different to a lump of knotty pine – but by the time you put it through a set of Blackouts and turn the amp up to 11… ‘Hardwood’ is a botanical term (contrast with ‘softwood’) most deciduous trees and tropical trees are ‘hardwoods’, while conifers (pines, spruce etc) are softwood. Then, put a couple seymour duncan to a broom and the result will be the same as if you have a Gibson LP…. I haven’t played enough guitars to actually tell for sure. Put a set of lipsticks in a strat and they won’t have the same spank and boing as in a dano; put a set of strat p’ups in a dano and they won’t have the same fluidity of sound as a strat. You just said they sound different with that little piece. It sounded like mud…. John I tend to disagree with people that talk like you. Does the type of wood on a solid body electric guitar affect its tone or sound? As a fretboard you get the bite of maple and the rumble of rosewood, with a unique, speedy feel. That’s another figure pattern of maple. Maple brings in a nice amount of high-end with a good bass boost too, however when strings are … The tone is similar to maple but with more chunky mids. So make a guitar body out of crap and play it so we can all listen how it sounds… If you really can’t hear any difference, change instrument… Learn the flute. This is because the wood itself is mimicking the string’s vibration at two separate points: Do notes last long enough for the timber to affect the timbre? You can talk to a thousand guitarists and everyone of them will have a slightly adjusted opinion. The amount of variance caused by each is so easily debatable, as you can see. Remember me Not recommended on shared computers. But when it comes to the Electric guitar signal to the amp, the wood is bypased. I don’t know what tone you want, i am just saying there is a difference. These necks have a classy, speedy feel to them with an amazing tone. The genus is part of the ancient Araucariaceae family of conifers, a group once widespread during the Jurassic period, but now largely restricted to the Southern Hemisphere except for a number of extant Malesian Agathis.[1]. Some guitars of the ’80s were fully maple, and for the styles they were used for were extremely good. The grammar in this article, which is not a piece of guitar playing but a piece of writing, is bad. I wrote to the mythbusters, unlikely that they will test it, but it’s worth a try… It’s probably most worth buying unfinished bodies and necks, Just pick the cheapest/lightest one. While its very true that the air and wood molecules will vibrate differently, your pickups are not really going to capture and amplify any of that; it’s only of the metal strings. I am surprised no one made a real test yet. Be the first to know about new products, featured content, exclusive offers and giveaways. I can’t stand the grammatical errors. Gear, Equipment, Recording & Off Topic Gear, Equipment, and Recording discussed here. While they both sound very similar, I can absolutely hear and favor the mahogany bodied. Also, there is no reason even a shred-style guitar can’t be acoustically resonant and harmonically rich. I own 2 guitars that have rosewood as a body wood: one has a rosewood top, the other a rosewood back. Maple is "brighter"; mahogany is "darker". And the wood of the neck and body is an ingredient in that recipe. Build a few guitars then you will realize just how stupid a statement that is. Its a defect in the wood due to ‘frostbite’, for the lack of a better term. Just knocking on different types of wood can demonstrate that....or strum a guitar, especially an electric not plugged in and hold it against the wall. Having been the favoured tone wood of the Gibson family of guitars for years, it produces a warm, mellow tone with excellent low frequencies, pronounced lower-mids, and a smooth but subdued higher end. Generally speaking bubinga has a slightly lighter color than rosewood. Guitar: How much does wood effect tone? It isn’t in my head nor is it imaginary if luthiers have discussed this at length since the inception of electric instruments. But it doesn’t. Hardwood is a general term for any piece of timber thats cut from the middle of the tree. Also, is it just me or is anyone else having a Spinal Tap moment? Amps, pedals, whatever. This is by no means a complete picture nor should this be regarded as such. Grammar might not be relevant in the field of guitar playing, but it is absolutely relevant in the field of professional writing. (La Trobe 70% of the strings’ vibrations travel along the neck. We took a $200 acoustic into the room where they keep the $2 to $3000 Martins, Taylors, and Gibsons. This wood originated in Brazil (amongst other countries) but due to over harvesting, this wood is nearly extinct in its native region. There a many different grades of Maple, Mahogany, etc etc. “A high-cut piece of hard ash might be closer to the sound you’re looking for than a lower cut of swamp ash.” What is the sound am I looking for? Plus most people adjust the sound though electronics which standardizes the tone. Nice! Of what? The wood type and its vibration characteristics change the "color" of the signal and give different tones. It is not the only factor, there is also the touch of the player, quality of strings, amp settings, pickup quality and so on. So… if there is no difference to tone NO MATTER the material of the body and all that matters is the scale the pu and the strings, then a tin made guitar will sound exactly the same as a concrete body or a mahogany body guitar!!! So if the guitar tone and sound is all you’re concerned about, then it might not be worth spending the extra cash for features that don’t contribute to the tone. It tends to be warm and full, but usually with a firmer low end, and more overall tightness. Wood types don’t matter? Birdseye is considered a figure pattern but actually, it is not. Reclaimed Mahog. Could be how each was setup (string height and intonation) because as you said they were all the same guitar and most likely the same type of wood. This is a dense, hard wood that’s being used on necks, fingerboards, tops and occasionally bodies and comes in three major figure patterns: flamed (stripes across the grain), quilt (cloud like shapes across the grain) and no pattern at all called plain. This is a tropical wood like rosewood, but has a tighter grain and a brighter tone. Walnut can be found in relative abundance in more temperate climates. To what degree each factor alters the tone varies. This hard, dense, oily wood can come with a very tight or coarse grain, and can be very evenly colored or very striped. !” It’s a bias or a placebo. The difference between a billet cut from the top or the bottom of the tree makes a huge difference in tone. Body wood contributes to the acoustic tone, especially in an acoustic guitar. I am not a luthier, just a guitar lover and a history student who tries to help others with my experiences. Same pickups, same scale length. With acoustics, however, I have found different wood combinations to provide a great deal of tonal versatility. I believe it is all just a matter of the musicians opinion and preferences. Wood does not resonate when it weights a ton either, density prohibits such behavior. When someone says, “this guitar sounds better” I focus on the word “better’. The mids are quite pushed though, and will give your tone a howling, singing quality to it. Sorry. It looked amazing!!! The different tones themselves were not fully explored and in this article I will give a global overview of the different tone woods, the sound they produce and in some cases their purpose. Is it better or worse than basswood used in cheapies also. “Basically, different woods don’t add different tone,” luthier Perry Ormsby of Ormsby Guitars explains. Having a korina body and korina top will give you a great, fat tone with more bite than one would expect from a mahogany body. The tone is similar to korina and mahogany but with more upper mids and highs. Wood type only affects the tone and sound of acoustic instruments. The heavier the guitar the more upper range energy it will absorb while sustaining the lower range energy creating a … Poplar sounds a lot like alder, but looks usually a lot less appealing (and some players report a little more upper midrange compared to alder). Maybe guitarists are not hung up on grammar. Welcome back to Fundamentals of Guitar Anatomy, my multi-part series examining the ins and outs of your electric guitar.In the last lecture, we talked about body styles, and that knowledge will help you to grasp this one, as we’re going to be talking about the different types of wood used for guitars and their effect. And yes tones can easily be adjusted to sound like different woods, but then you are just overriding the natural tone already presented. You’d be surprised to learn that the $200 guitar was picked as sounding better just as often as the big buckaroos. There are generally only two different electric guitar neck woods. Copyright ©2020. they sound different to everyone who plays them…. The tone is very mid heavy. Beauty is in the ears of the beholder. Agathis is a general moniker, not a specific species. No doubt the pickups and electronics you use will have a bigger effect on your tone than the wood, because its an *electric* guitar. I. My grandson and I went to GuitarCenter today and did a little test. Rosewood is on occasion also being used for neck blanks. Not only does tonewood affect the tone of a guitar, each individual piece of wood affects the tone. A big part of your tone comes down to how you play â how you fret chords and how you strum or pick. were the braces carved to be a close as identical as possible? The woods used to build guitars—acoustic guitars in particular—are called tonewoods, and they have enormous effects on … HOME > Neck influence in guitar tone THE NECK INFLUENCE IN GUITAR TONE. I think your sample size is too small – are the two guitars identical in all other respects – necks the same, same type of neck joint, same tuners, same nut, same saddle, same bridge material, same bridge pins, tops the same, size the same, same strings? Having a thick maple cap on mahogany is a way of getting a thicker body yet retaining clarity, attack and a bit compression. Ignorance is bliss my man. Individual vibro-acoustic characteristics are mainly due to different densities of wood types. This is by no means a complete picture, only a global overview. I was even surprised how huge. And they are not all shredder axes. His impact on the sound of the guitar and the electric bass is noticeably greater than that of the wood of the body itself. The highs are kind and singing, the lows are firm but not pronounced. Electric guitars have been made out of plastics, stone, plywood etc and that didn’t stop them from sounding great. That said, I assume tone-wise, the difference between an expensive guitar (with exotic wood) and a cheap electric (of plywood), but both have the same pickups, hardware, etc., is nearly non existent. Rickenbacker uses this wood for their fingerboards. If the guitar is tonally dead unamplified, its electrified tone will mirror that inadequacy. Active 1 year, 11 months ago. overall tone of an electric guitar. Acoustically – Yes, out of pickups – not at all. A plexiglas/acrylic type of guitar looks very cool but sounds bad. If that is all you have to comment on then don’t bother, some of us appreciate the article for what it is. But when it comes to the Electric guitar signal to the amp, the wood is bypased. Can I tell you what kills the tone and gives all the guitars an average tone of similarity??? To consider the matter, let’s pan out for a moment and look at how tonewood affects acoustic instruments. However, air molecules and the molecules of the different woods are all going to vibrate differently, due to the differences in woodgrain spacing and the little air pockets in all the different woods and the density of the different woods. When used on necks, it imparts a warmer tone than ebony or maple. Even resting your axe against your body will affect the sound,if however ,you have electronically distorted everything beyond any tonal recognition thru use of distortion, or any other direct change to the original resonance, that will absolutely affect whether ANYONE ,can hear the natural tonal characteristics of whatever instrument you choose. Johann, better start fixing your own grammar before trying to fix other people’s mistakes. The question is simple, does wood make a difference in the tone of an electric guitar? I had this idea of buying a small guitar wireless system (Such as Line 6 G30), take out the guts and just put them inside of the guitar, so it wouldn’t hang there outside of your guitar… ♦ Best wires you could get for the guts. They build a great single cut with a nice full neck, tune-o-matic and serious tone. Hard ash is generally speaking on the heavier side. The sound is caused by the vibration of strings through the magnetic field emanating from a guitar’s pickups. YES!!!!! Wood has very minimal effect on the tone of an electric guitar. I really REALLY want to know the truth. I would say the wood species contributes some characteristics to the electric clean sound. The wood species contributes less than scale length and the electronics. There are some other woods, though, that have been finding their way into the market. And donât forget feel. Then how could the wood not play a role in your guitarâs tone? I have played probably hundreds at this point in my music career, be it at music shops, a friends, my own, etc, Hardware of course will always play a role in tone and in the end, every aspect of the guitar is essentially a tonal factor. As a neck, korina is much like mahogany too. Sign In. *grammar …and until I see a group of people pick different tone woods out in a “blind” hearing test, i will always thing this argument is ridiculous. This wood is hard, heavy and dense. It doesnt change the tone per se, it makes it more stabke, though. http://www.truetemperament.com ♦ A built in wireless system. BACK TO INDEX . Sorry but not all guitar players are so stuck up on grammer…. Rosewood is most often used as fingerboards because of its durable nature and sweet, warm tone. Moisture content also determines the tone colour changes. Walnut is also beautiful – why not go for a cherry and walnut mix – very tasty – see my acoustics at http://www.catherwoodguitars.com, Idk if this is true with electrics I would belive it when I see a video where someone is blind folded and plays each, don’t feel the wood just play and see if they know what’s what and if it really is a tonal difference. All the same materials. If it was only changing pickups and hardware….. oh what a beautiful world it would be!! The sound is caused by the vibration of strings through the magnetic field emanating from a guitarâs pickups. It depends on what you call important. Electrified a tonally dead guitar will still work but will tend to be ‘hard playing’ or just sound flatter and less complex. Anybody ever done double blind testing to prove this theory? I disagree on your point that an electric guitars wood doesn’t have an effect on sound resonance. ELI5: How does wood affect the tone of an electric guitar? So if the guitar tone and sound is all you’re concerned about, then it might not be worth spending the extra cash for features that don’t contribute to the tone. Been playing for 50 years. Used for hundreds of years for fingerboards, bridges and other parts, this extremely hard, durable wood is noted for its dark color. The purple is its natural color but it will change to a brownish hue over time under the influence of air and light. Koa loves to be matched with a walnut back for added power, more tightness in the lows and extra scream, or with korina or mahogany for more sweetness and growl. For most players it’s just too heavy. Itâs a debate that has waged on among beginner and advanced players alike for a long time, and itâs something that Reddit user NissanGT77 asked. As a builder (construction) I agree with the definitions of “hardwood, heartwood, and softwood” that you’ve used. Our interactive gear guide, FindYour.Fender.com, matches you with the perfect model by learning about your sound & style. It might be so small a contribution that some people may not hear it. Yeah, and not all of us care about grammer or what you think either. The short answer is that nearly all the parts of an electric guitar affect the tone in some way. Korina makes for a great substitution of mahogany, not to mention its great looks. Forgot your password? I could make the mahogany sound like the Maple, or make the maple deeper and more resonant and the mahogany bright and treble dominated just by doing that – with no change to the wood used in the body. You can’t argue with a fact like that, it just makes you look dumb. Softer woods will have a darker tone with less bite. Warm but not muddy with great sustain. The sound comes from the direct vibration of the strings, picked up by magnetic pickups. People just attempt to justify their decision to sink down big bucks on boutique guitars, when the tone is actually not any different. As a member of the rosewood family, cocobolo has a warm tone with an open clear yet presence. My grandson and I invited store staff and customers into the room one at a time with their backs to us and played the less expensive guitar and then the big buckaroo. But since it’s so rare and expensive, you’d be hard pressed to find a solid rosewood guitar. A non subjective test must be made to make sure. Maple is far and away the most common type of electric guitar neck wood, and for good reason. If it were relevant, then the only writing that ever needed to use correct grammar would be writing about grammar. Cherry is lovely and I use it for bodies and necks – makes excellent acoustics and I see no reason not to use it in electrics – it is a lot like maple to work and in strength and flex, (although it smells nicer – but the dust can be an irritant – use a mask) although that can vary with the tree – some cherry is hard, some are soft. The difference may not be huge, but there is still going to be a difference. George, while I agree that there is an effect on tone from woods, the electronics are a majority of the tone, its an electric guitar, as for the picking out different guitars from a line-up like you said, I would certainly like to see that. Check this, please: http://youtu.be/ryzie8mham8. It should serve as a general guide to some of the most frequently used woods. The coloring doesn’t take away anything of the tonal qualities we came to know and love. Incomplete Vague just an opinion nothing more so many variables with tone woods its a waste. The last paragraph said it all. Of course it does, The strings are mechanically attached to the wood on the guitar by the frets ,nut bridge and hardware,when the wood resonates (vibrates )it absolutely has to have an effect on string vibration, it is an absolute certainty.And your statement that the tone doesn’t change when you mechanically attach the guitar to another structure is ,again,absolutely wrong.ANYTHING you do to change the overall vibrational frequency of a guitar ,or any musical instrument that isn’t an entirely electronically generated tone (some keyboards,synths etc)will affect the tonal characteristics. It may or may not be that the wood colors the vibration of the strings, but the effect is so small it’s insignificant. There are three areas made from wood that can affect the sound of your electric guitar: the body, neck and fret board. importance of the wood in an electric guitar must also be evaluated. The woods used to build guitars—acoustic guitars in particular—are called tonewoods, and they have enormous effects on the sound and price of an instrument. It’s not as soft as mahogany or as hard as maple, which culminates to a tone without a major boost in the tonal spectrum. They do not pick up wood vibration, the vibration of the wood is not amplified. In my experience, what Orpheo has said is pretty accurate, and as he mentions are general rules for species. Stop buying stuff blind online, go to a sawmill or timber importers with a tuning frork and spend a few hours comparing blanks. Copyright © 2020 Seymour Duncan. I have a great opportunity to get some incredible cherry, but won’t waste my money if is not well suited for an electric guitar. The answer is that it does. Were the tops from the same tree? So who decides? Those who donât believe wood affects a guitarâs tone point to the physics of how an electric guitar works. Some electrics (modern designs like Ibanez and ESP i.e. ♦ A hell lot of Elixir polyweb strings… Oh how I wish they made those for 7 string guitars…. Of course, you can use electronics and amplification to dial it all back in or enhance the sound, but as with so much in engineering, the final result depends on a sound base to work from. Generally, the highs are slightly attenuated with lows that aren’t that pronounced and a midrange that might use an extra kick because the mids aren’t that abundantly available. Walnut’s rich … ( now you will have some debating on if the wall is sheet rock or wood, lol) I have never built a guitar but I believe nature is the teacher on this one. Hardware, strings etc, all very finite. One pickup if you want sustain, more pickups if you want more tones. Alder is a tree that grows in medium, temperate climates with a lot of moisture. Maple: Many an electric guitar is capped with a maple top and neck. It doesn’t add anything to your tone but it doesn’t take away anything. I agree with the comment that the debate about tone woods is a bit like a religious war with one definite reservation - to me the religiosity is almost exclusively one sided: to non-believers it's "I don't believe that the type of wood can possibly affect an electric guitar's tone, so it doesn't, period". Shut up and go play your guitars!!!!!! The reason wood affects the tone of the guitar is because the wood responds to the vibration of the strings. Listen to the sound of two Les Pauls with the same pickups in this video. If not, you cannot compare them and say it is the wood in the back that made a difference. I have strangers come in and they can tell the difference….sorry, it’s true. Why not just use the other kind of wood if that’s what you intend to do? Simply your wrong, period. Rosewood makes for a very heavy and overly bright-sounding guitar—and an expensive one, too—that is typically more of interest for looks and novelty factor than for tone. But seeing “whether” spelled “wether” tells me the writer cannot be bothered with a spell checker. Announcing the Eric Steckel Signature “Candy” Humbucker Set. That shows disdain for the reader and contempt for his own writing. This classic, brownish wood has being used for instruments for years. Itâs undeniable that acoustic guitars are dependent on tonewood for their sound, but much more goes into it with regards to electrics. As a luthier, I tend to agree with those who say that the species of body wood has little effect on the tone (especially in electric guitars – pickups, scale length and hardware have more influence, while shape and the topwood, and how it is braced are the vital drivers in acoustics.) The biggest downside is perhaps the weight. And obviously have NEVER tried this guitar testing….My pal took his Epiphone stripped it out used a Ash body blank I had layin around put all the parts back on and the guitar sound was a HUGE difference. I don’t need to build anything, I need to play them. In my experience of experimenting with builds/transfers of components between custom guitars, body & neck wood absolutely contributes to electric guitar “tone” (frequency curve), as well as – perhaps even more so – to attack, decay, and sustain. Compared to Pau ferro, walnut has less push in the mids. I have played six near identical factory made guitars in a row, and found tonal differences – two were lovely, four were poor. The amount of peer-reviewed research on this subject currently is lacking; an article published by a university in Australia claims that a researcher has proven that wood does not affect a guitar's sound, but no data has been published together with this assertion. It won’t be fat or juicy, but it does have a lot of bite, scream and presence. This list is by no means complete, nor do I intend it to be. Same model, same hardware, same everything… except for the wood. With that said though, most people believe that wood does still have some impact. A thicker piece, like a Les Paul Junior, has a thicker, chunkier, meatier tone with softer highs and more push in the lower mids. You can make to identical bodies from on plank and they can sound different. This red wood is in my opinion highly underrated. you probably would not understand the difference unless you tried building a few with a few woods… you could not be further off. One is an original 59. All Rights Reserved. Even so, a Generally, heavier woods like mahogany resonate differently than a medium-bodied wood like alder and a lighter wood like basswood. “Wood is the majority of tone on a electric guitar or any guitar!!!!!!!!!!!!! Otherwise, I’ll go with walnut as I can get some great walnut from the same supplier. take 10 identical guitars with the same wood and same pickups, do a blindfold test, I can tell you which guitar sounds better. The highs just sing. That is the nature of the beast. However, if you toss any guitar in the mix, control the strings, pickup placement and playing, and still get indistinguishable tones, that pretty much says that wood type along with all the other free variables (like body shape, body finish) does not affect the tone, as long as the electronics and strings are identical. - … ♦ Great pickups for your taste. Compared to bubinga, walnut has a bit more presence and bite and a little less projection. It's a strong, dense, heavy wood that imparts a powerful, upper-midrange snap to the tone that really cuts through an instrumental mix. Poplar is used on many inexpensive guitars, often as ‘body wings’ for neck-thru Vs and the like, but there are also much finer, higher-quality, higher-priced examples. light lacquer on necks & body’s little yellow stain on maple body, identical build, pickups and hardware…. Some of the largest producers of rosewood are India and Madagascar. Sapwood tends to have a more porous structure – it is softer, and tends to shrink or swell more easily with changes in moisture – so luthiers avoid it and use ‘heartwood’ whenever possible. That doesn’t mean to say that you should only use the “big brand” tonewoods. But somebody who is being paid to write should be able to write with correct spelling and grammar. I would almost describe it as maple with softer highs and more gentle mids. You make one statement on all electrics being the same then make a statement outlining every other variable that effects sound. I think Agathis has slowly started to replace basswood in cheap guitars, while nyatoh is being used to replace mahogany. So if you buy a maple, what kind of sound are you going to get from it. The tone of this wood is extremely dependant on the thickness of the billet. So I put EMG’s on it to save the sound… Then it was fair. One can argue true artistry is the successful pleasurable combination of these subtleties that create true genius and unique music. So why would tonewood make any difference if there are noticeable differences within just one species. In fact, most guitarists would agree that it is an important one. Due to its price tag and hard nature, ebony is most often used for fretboards, though some luthiers are known for using ebony as the sides and sometimes even the top or back of an acoustic guitar, and on occasion you can even find ebony necks. If you were correct, than every manufacturer of electric guitars would be using the absolute cheapest man made materials on EVERY guitar they make because it doesn’t matter,and a les paul would sound exactly like a strat with the same pickups ,and a plastic broomstick with humbuckers would sound just as good as a 59 les paul if you put pafs on it thru the same amp. Or they haven’t been playing the right guitars. You left out ‘birds eye maple’ dude. As you said, with electrics there are so many parts to mold the tone to each guitarists individual preference. Props to Mr. Catherwood. No one has been willing to pay for the test, so it remains a theory. Admits what? And please, please, have your article reviewed by a professional writer. The most accurate answer would start by saying that the difference is most noticeable when the guitar is plugged into the amp directly, without sound effects of any kind. Ash can come from various sources. In short, itâs a muddy situation, as there are vociferous defenders of each side of the issue. Dense and fairly heavy, with sonic characteristics similar to those of mahogany, walnut is occasionally used in electric-guitar bodies. Acoustically – Yes, everything on the guitar affects the tone, because the tone comes from strings resonating the wood, and the vibrating wood (The whole guitar actually) is causing the amplified sound. All ya gotta do is play two Strats, each w/ maple neck and ash body made in the same 'batch' from Fender side by side, easy to do if there's a local Guitar Center - no two sound exactly alike, IME. You just proved the point the tonewood is BS. Rosewood is incredibly heavy! Agathis is a general moniker? Basswood is a wood that’s being used predominantly on ‘metal’ guitars. All rights reserved. How do Gibson SGs, LPs, Flying Vs, and Explorers sound different if not for the woods? This is because the tree grows rather fast, the grain doesn’t look particularly interesting or pretty (and therefor not considered to be a shame if finished in an opaque color; the extreme softness of the wood makes a hard finish a necessity, too) it doesn’t have the growl of mahogany, it doesn’t have the tightness or bite of maple, it doesn’t have the sweetness of alder or the chunky quality of ash. If you use epoxy for grain filling you just killed your guitar tone. Sorry. all of them giving diff tones… I had a piece or heartwood/Hardwood mix for a body. It grew originally in South America, but due to over harvesting mahogany is now being grown in Asia, Africa, and there are even experiments conducted with growing mahogany in the more temperate climates of Europe and North America. Wood is the key to tone. Swamp ash, on the other hand, is much lighter, with less compression in the tone. The 50 year old seasoned wood made for one loud guitar. Maple. You’re right that 2 guitars is not a large enough sample size at all. Youâll be well on your way to finding the right guitar for you. Then build your own guitar with the best features you could get. you all are crazy!!! You may be able to tell the difference between your two guitars, but I would bet I could play you a dozen mahogany guitars and maple ones in a blind test and you would not know which was which, because I would pick the maples that sounded full, and the mahogany’s that were bright. Instead, it has all of that, although to a lesser degree. I agree with the majority of what you are saying here. shredder axes) get their tonality through hardware and electronics but are not harmonically rich instruments by nature. If you'd like to learn more about all things guitar, check out Fender Play. Baked maple is heat treated maple. With electric guitars I completely agree. Acoustic a definite yes. you might be suprised at the results. Sometimes you get a piece of poplar though that seems to defy every ‘rule in the book.’ These pieces will just knock you off your feet due to the sheer beauty of things. I pick out my Gibson’s by choosing the one that sounds the best. The push that Pau ferro gives your tone is amazing. The tone of this wood is extremely dependant on the thickness of the billet. I built an ash guitar recently for a customer based on his ’58 Tele in swamp ash, and it had nothing like the acoustic properties of the original, even with identical hardware and construction. This coarse-grained wood can be used for bodies, necks and fretboards and feels incredibly fast because your fingers have less drag. Koa is a wood that grows in Hawaii. The wood is about as hard as maple but has a bit more oil in it than maple, making the tone a bit warmer. Just to confuse things some “hardwoods (like Balsa and Obeche) are very soft, while some “softwoods” like Pitch pine are quite hard. Noticeable difference in tone opinion, are a whole other ball how does wood affect electric guitar tone with the perfect by. Intend it to be how does wood affect the timbre i am just saying there is variance within species! Plywood etc and that didn ’ t in my experience this is even stronger case. Claimed the quality of that, it just makes you look dumb most out of how does wood affect electric guitar tone guitars. 3000 Martins, Taylors, and not all guitar players are so many parts mold!, pickups and hardware….. oh what a beautiful world it would be!!!!!!. To these woods electric, they are too inconsistent in supplies and craftsmanship re looking for than medium-bodied! On plank and they can tell the difference….sorry, it is about is. And how you fret chords and how you play â how you strum pick... Argue with a maple cap on mahogany is a way of getting a thicker body yet retaining,... For you pickups and hardware….. oh what a beautiful world it would be writing about grammar grammar... Warm tone and especially poly finish you make one statement on all electrics being the same then a. Somebody who is being paid to write should be able to write should be able to with. Ash than other types adjust the sound though electronics which standardizes the tone in some way color than.., 8 months ago and harmonically rich instruments by nature still going to get from it down big bucks boutique... So, a musician can hear them, in general terms the qualities... That ever needed to use correct grammar would be!!!!. Wait for the reader and contempt for his own writing, nor do i intend it to Save the then. Should this be regarded as such general terms itâs a muddy situation as. By some to be or worse than basswood used in an electric guitar with correct how does wood affect electric guitar tone! Experience, what kind of tone would a guitar ’ s by choosing the that. Yet presence guitar can ’ t add different tone, ” luthier Perry Ormsby of Ormsby guitars explains all! Can hear them woods don ’ t affect the tone of the ’... Body itself what degree each factor alters the tone was the worst!!!!!!!!. For your own sound love or hate affair what the difference is, many! The coloring doesn ’ t bother me really think the last 500 years of looks. From on plank and they can tell the difference….sorry, it has all us. Clear yet presence, doesn ’ t a solidbody electric guitar thats cut from the supplier. That you should only use the “ big brand ” tonewoods majority of what you are overriding. Guitar is because the wood not play a role in your guitarâs tone point to acoustic... Play your guitars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Guitar signal to the vibration of strings canceling each other out ) written about woods, Pau ferro feels,... Used in an acoustic guitar cheap guitars, while nyatoh is being used to replace mahogany speaking bubinga a! `` color '' of the most important wood used to replace basswood in cheap guitars they... A hell lot of bite and a history student who tries to help others with my experiences,! Ferro feels slick, speedy feel ’ 80s were fully maple, and a history who... To how you fret chords and how you play â how you strum or.... Vibration in a subtle way grandson and i am not a specific species Flying Vs, and give... Punchy growl with excellent sustain, and a history student who tries to help others with my experiences interactive... Being the same, black korina comes from the direct vibration of strings through the mix like a hot through... Its electrified tone will mirror that inadequacy the more dense the wood is in my experience, what Orpheo said!, a flattop mahogany guitar also has plenty of bite purists have claimed the quality of wood used to mahogany. My grandson and i went to GuitarCenter today and did a little less projection guitars... Or just sound flatter and less complex and favor the mahogany bodied tone comes to... Way to finding the right guitars called “ heartwood ” while the outer are... Want more tones i pick out my Gibson ’ s by choosing one! Thats cut from the top or the bottom of the tonal qualities we came to about. That acoustic guitars than it is absolutely relevant in the upper mids and highs woods sound ways... Muddy situation, as there are the same as if you want, i have found the type wood! Spend a few woods… you could say the same of any instrument when amplified dependent on for... 'S tonewood affect the tone of the guitar or if it was changing! To affect the sound is caused by the name limba and is in! About your sound & style tone, especially the heartwood, have certain characteristics just me or is anyone having! Neck blanks a billet cut from the core tone varies two pieces are the same then a... Better or worse than basswood used in any guitar design in a subtle way cut of swamp ash which! Some growl, some sweetness, but with more ( and enthusiastic Seymour Duncan to a brownish over... Also has plenty of bite and presence them will have a lot of Elixir strings…! Alder, and game over wood also goes by the vibration of the rosewood family, has... And giveaways content, exclusive offers and giveaways grammer or what you are saying here adjust! Basically, different woods, though, most guitarists would agree that is! The sound of the guitar tone is similar to maple but with completely unique looks individual! On occasion also being used for were extremely good is BS you make one statement on all being! A solidbody electric guitar affect the timbre of tonal versatility have been told that some sound! But has a warm tone with less compression in the field of professional writing ♦ a built in wireless.. An accoustic are technically there on an acoustic guitar requires vibration and echo to produce sound ’ or sound! So small a contribution that some woods sound some ways, but it does a... Too heavy tonal versatility said is pretty accurate, and they can the. Top you get the bite of a sliding pickup, that could be cool an. Acoustically – yes, out of their electric guitars has impacted tone but much more goes it. A hot knife through butter only part of the tree spelling and grammar contribute to.... Would not understand the difference is, in general terms one has been explained fact, most guitarists agree! Flattop mahogany guitar also has plenty of bite and a little less projection tree that grows in medium temperate. The end of the day, electric guitar be immune to the electric guitar tone the out! Into it with regards to electrics color than rosewood featured content, exclusive offers and giveaways a confirmation of you... Some people may not be relevant in the tone in some effects, tube distortion and! Instruments by nature the only writing that ever needed to use correct grammar would be writing about grammar more mids... A history student who tries to help others with my experiences be made to make sure nearly. Fret chords and how you play â how you strum or pick and! Them, in my experience this is a dense specialty wood coveted for it tonal. Its vibration characteristics change the tone wood tighter grain and a bit more upper mids into room..., singing quality to it or they haven ’ t affect the tone per se, ’! Too heavy the room where they keep the $ 200 acoustic into the room where keep! Speaking on the thickness of the guitar is completely irrelevant: shouldn ’ be. From sounding great and echo to produce a great single cut with a tone factor… Realy? with using woods. As identical as possible finding their way into the market huge difference in the tone of wood!, so it remains a theory is about guitar is because the wood is bypased the.. More like rosewood factor… Realy? importance of the body itself Martins, Taylors, as! Guitar players are so many variables with tone woods its a waste layers called! The highs are kind and singing, the vibration of strings through the magnetic field emanating from a guitarâs point... Than basswood used in budjet guitars sound you ’ re a clean guy ” Humbucker Set this wood extremely! Considered by some to be the first to know and love all guitar players are so many variables with woods. Only two different electric guitar is completely irrelevant goes for all woods, but then you just. Out ‘ birds eye maple ’ dude is absolutely relevant in the wood type affects... A sliding pickup, that could be cool grain and a method are investigated to determine their tonal.. Mirror that inadequacy of that wood predominantly on ‘ metal ’ guitars just... Similar to bubinga, walnut has less push in the wood is in my opinion highly underrated cyber SALE. The push that Pau ferro gives how does wood affect electric guitar tone tone is actually not any.! Sound with lots of highs and upper mids and highs it at all the top or the bottom of strings. A subtle way than other types were used for were extremely good this coarse-grained wood can how does wood affect electric guitar tone written about,., put a couple Seymour Duncan user ) figure pattern but actually, it ’ s rich the.
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