whats in wood?
Ok I have played guitars with poplar bodys some of the guitars like the mexican fender sounded good but others sounded and felt crappy.is there a big issue about what kind of wood youre guitar is made of or not?
# 1
Yes the wood is very important it gives you your all important tone. For example If you've ever picked up a quality bass (carl tompson, Tobais, even Fenders) yo'll feel how heavy they are and that's because of the wood, a bass need a dense wood to deliver a great bottom end sound. Same with LP's they are damn heavy guitars and as you know they are seen as some of the best guitars for tonal qualities. If you want a good wood for a guitar thats affordable look for a maple body they produce a very sweet tone plus when they are flamed it looks so friggin cool.
"I need a girl who's as hot as my guitar."
# 2
A solid-body guitar gets almost all of its sound from the materials its made from. The pickups can only enhance or modify the sounds produced by the physical characteristics of the guitar itself.
There was a discussion on Harmony Central.
http://acapella.harmony-central.com/Forum16/HTML/007305.html
There was a discussion on Harmony Central.
http://acapella.harmony-central.com/Forum16/HTML/007305.html
# 3
Carl Thompson will actually use all kinds of woods in his basses, and from what I hear (http://www.ctbasses.com/) they're actually very light instruments.
Raskolnikov
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Guitar Tricks Moderator
Careful what you wish for friend
I've been to Hell and now I'm back again
www.GuitarTricks.com - Home of Online Guitar Lessons
# 4
Wood has different properties.
1. How much vibration does it absorb?
The more it absorbs, the less sustain generally, however the absorption rate will not be flat across the spectrum.
Different woods will absorb different frequencies and harmonics. The result is different tones.
Hard and dense absorbs the least.
Soft and light will absorb the most.
It's the principle of "inertia," I think. The heavier and harder the guitar's body in proportion to the string, the less the string's vibration will affect it.
2. How much does it resonate?
Resonance is sympathetic vibration, or the wood's ability to "dance" to the string's note. This is very important with acoustic guitars. (Some kinds of spruce are very resonant, and used on acoustic tops. Mahogany is softer, therefore "warmer," more often used on sides or back. Lots of others.)
Resonant woods can enhance certain frequencies and harmonics. The harder (not heavier) the wood, generally, the more resonant.
3. How good does it look?
Purely psychological, but if that quilted maple gets you off, you play better.
**
So weight by itself won't do much for you if the wood's quality is poor.
One cool place to check out some fairly strong opinions is Ed Roman's website. He makes some nice stuff, and when he trashes Gibson and Fender, you get the idea he knows what he's talking about.
Regards...
1. How much vibration does it absorb?
The more it absorbs, the less sustain generally, however the absorption rate will not be flat across the spectrum.
Different woods will absorb different frequencies and harmonics. The result is different tones.
Hard and dense absorbs the least.
Soft and light will absorb the most.
It's the principle of "inertia," I think. The heavier and harder the guitar's body in proportion to the string, the less the string's vibration will affect it.
2. How much does it resonate?
Resonance is sympathetic vibration, or the wood's ability to "dance" to the string's note. This is very important with acoustic guitars. (Some kinds of spruce are very resonant, and used on acoustic tops. Mahogany is softer, therefore "warmer," more often used on sides or back. Lots of others.)
Resonant woods can enhance certain frequencies and harmonics. The harder (not heavier) the wood, generally, the more resonant.
3. How good does it look?
Purely psychological, but if that quilted maple gets you off, you play better.
**
So weight by itself won't do much for you if the wood's quality is poor.
One cool place to check out some fairly strong opinions is Ed Roman's website. He makes some nice stuff, and when he trashes Gibson and Fender, you get the idea he knows what he's talking about.
Regards...
# 5
