Official Guitar, Amp, Pedals, and Gear Thread

[hendrix]



The highest-end acoustic guitar luthiers have all converted to poly, since when done right, it can be applied much, much thinner than nitro, placing less burden on the wood and allowing it to resonate more.

resonation in electric guitars is what dampens sustain. Unless you're playing a jazz box, you don't want excessive resonance.

 

[TheFoo]



resonation in electric guitars is what dampens sustain. Unless you're playing a jazz box, you don't want excessive resonance.

Who said anything about excessive?

Take a Les Paul, for example. Sustain is not an issue, as mahagony is a heavy, dense wood. Energy travels more slowly through it. However, it can easily sound dark or murky. In contrast, resonance tends to increase clarity and acoustic volume. Hence, Les Pauls with lighter mahogany bodies are generally more valued.

The point is, you need balance. Heavier wood being cheaper than lighter wood of the same variety (true for the ash and alder used in strats, too), a lack of resonance is more likely to be a problem than a lack of sustain.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Matt, I think that is only internet groupthink fueled by flawed logic honestly.

Late fifties Les Paul's were lighter.

Every recorded player with a late fifties les paul sounds awesome.

Lighter Les Paul's must have better tone.

Essentially late fifties les Paul's sound better because all of the examples of hearing them were played by great guitarists primarily because they were cheap back in the day and less sought after than Fenders. It is more of a mystique than anything.

 

[Piobaire]

I'm going to say something that is probably heresy here.

I've noticed that great guitar players play guitar greatly. Doesn't matter what they're playing, above a certain threshold, they just sound great no matter what they're playing.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

Exactly. They sound good because they are good themselves.

 

[hendrix]

The reason heavy LPs sound "murky" is nothing to do with the weight of the wood, it's because when the heavy ones were produced coincided with changes in electronics that were for the worse:

1. Concentration on higher output pickups to drive amps harder. Higher output pickups are inherently more mids-y and bassy and less scooped or chimey tjan low output pickups like the classic 50s ones. high output pickups generally end up sounding muddy unless they're made differently by utilizing ceramic or other types of magnets or just going for active pickups.

2. Movement away from 50s wiring that prevents treble roll of when you turn down the volume pot. This was a great idea and i don't know why they stopped doing it.

3. The utterly inexplicable decision by Gibson to use 300 or even 100k pots when every man and his dog knows humbuckers should have 500k. This is the most critical one. Take any 50s lp and put a 300k pot in it. Sounds bloody awful. Do the opposite with a 70s lp and it sounds excellent.

None of this has anything to do with resonance.

 

[Piobaire]



Exactly. They sound good because they are good themselves.

Which is not to say us duffers do not have fun collecting or chasing gear. This is the case of all hobbies/leisure pursuits. The important thing is to have the self awareness to realize it's not our gear or equipment limiting us, no matter what activity we're pursuing, but rather our innate ability and our time to dedicate to the pursuit. The best guitarist in the world could not step into either one of our jobs without years of training and it's important to realize these pursuits of ours are just to relax and make life worth living.

 

[TheFoo]



Matt, I think that is only internet groupthink fueled by flawed logic honestly.

Late fifties Les Paul's were lighter.

Every recorded player with a late fifties les paul sounds awesome.

Lighter Les Paul's must have better tone.

Essentially late fifties les Paul's sound better because all of the examples of hearing them were played by great guitarists primarily because they were cheap back in the day and less sought after than Fenders. It is more of a mystique than anything.

Obviously a better player can play better--but not all 50's LPs sound equally good in the same hands. Some '59 Bursts are known to be total duds.

There is no mystical power at work here. We're talking about wood, steel, and magnets. It only makes sense that wood density and weight would effect tone. I might suck, but I still get a better tone out of some guitars versus others.

The reason heavy LPs sound "murky" is nothing to do with the weight of the wood, it's because when the heavy ones were produced coincided with changes in electronics that were for the worse:

1. Concentration on higher output pickups to drive amps harder. Higher output pickups are inherently more mids-y and bassy and less scooped or chimey tjan low output pickups like the classic 50s ones. high output pickups generally end up sounding muddy unless they're made differently by utilizing ceramic or other types of magnets or just going for active pickups.

2. Movement away from 50s wiring that prevents treble roll of when you turn down the volume pot. This was a great idea and i don't know why they stopped doing it.

3. The utterly inexplicable decision by Gibson to use 300 or even 100k pots when every man and his dog knows humbuckers should have 500k. This is the most critical one. Take any 50s lp and put a 300k pot in it. Sounds bloody awful. Do the opposite with a 70s lp and it sounds excellent.

None of this has anything to do with resonance.

This has been debated again and again on other forums. Wood resonance matters because it influences string resonance. Take current production Historic Reissue LPs. Weight is one of the factors that most consistently affects tone. Neck thickness, too.

 

[hendrix]

Of course wood resonance has an impact on string resonance. It has a negative influence in that it reduces sustain.

It has no impact on tone, which is entirely to do with the relationship between the strings, the pickups, any inductance in the circuit i.e. pots and cables and and the amp input.

Unless the unplugged sound of your electric guitar is a big deal to you or you're interested in reducing sustain, wood is an entirely aesthetic or romantic consideration.

I have no problem with these romanticisms, Id just prefer it if silly ideas weren't perpetuated.

There is one other consideration to make- denser woods are less microphonic. That's largely irrelevant when there are plenty of silent pickups on the market today.

 

[El Argentino]

That elusive ghost in the machine...

 

[hendrix]

Here's my direct rig, with some helpful guidelines for those confused:

 

[origenesprit]

You're all boring.

Here's a picture of BB King playing an ES-5 and wearing Thom Browne.

 

[hendrix]

Hmmm 3 knobs? All volume? I like that.

 

[origenesprit]

Pocketsquareguy has one from 1955 I believe. Might even be on the first page!

I'm guessing it is three tones and one master volume near the pickguard.

 

[Sabrosa]

Pretty sure the 3 lower knobs on the ES-5 are for volume in replacement of a pickup selector and the knob up top is a master tone control.