Fact, heavier more dense wood sounds brighter and sustains longer than light porous wood. I a/bed 4 same year and model guitars, the heaviest one sounded best and was the one I bought. My friend who was with me said I bought the one that sounded best, but he thought it was because of the pup, wiring and pots. I guess we'll never truly know.
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Body TONEWOOD - Myth or Fact?
- Thread starter bitwo
- Start date
The only way to know is to blind test different guitar/basses with different tonewoods, all other things staying equal. By blind test I mean not playing the instruments blindfold but listening to the actual amp without playing it. I'm sure the differences are extremely small, and once recorded they're insignificant.
It's the psycho-acoustic difference of PLAYING different tonewoods that is meaningful. Tonewoods FEEL different and influences our playing.
It's the psycho-acoustic difference of PLAYING different tonewoods that is meaningful. Tonewoods FEEL different and influences our playing.
I have 40+ year old gibson flats on my 70's P. I dread the day one of those breaks. It's got a sound like no other, which I also attribute to the pickups. It's a super light 7.5 pounder that's all nexk, and I have more sustain on a few of my other basses. I think the thread point is bunk. There are many factors involved, all lending something to the equation.
Yes. Many love roasted chestnut.
Dont use natalie wood. It doesnt float.
The one crucial thing missing from all of these statements is the relationship of signal strength to body materials. The "hotter" the pickup- including factors like height adjustment, circuit topography, etc, - the less materials make a difference. The lower the gain, the more you need to physically move the strings, the more body wood is a factor to overall tone.
YEAH - TONEWOOD MYTH!!! Give it a try and tell me ANYBODY who could find out, which kind of wood this is (without looking - for sure):
If the body and the material had such a great influence on the tone you should also be able to tell the kind of lacquer (sparkly? acrylic? nitro?). Haha!
Don't take me wrong: I think these really look funny, but the "feel" of wood is strongly preferred. Have a look here as well - Are plexiglass(clear) basses any good?
If the body and the material had such a great influence on the tone you should also be able to tell the kind of lacquer (sparkly? acrylic? nitro?). Haha!
Don't take me wrong: I think these really look funny, but the "feel" of wood is strongly preferred. Have a look here as well - Are plexiglass(clear) basses any good?
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Do they all have the same pickups, electronics, strings, setup?Myth or Fact? As a civil engineer who spent a lot of time in testing labs, I can tell you that pretty much everything effects anything that you're testing. So, yeah, "tonewood" is more of a fact than a myth. The real question should be "how much effect does it have?" And, personally, my answer is - I don't know; mainly because I don't care. But, I suspect the answer is - on a solid body bass or guitar? Not a whole Hell of a lot... I have 23 basses and 7 guitars (plus a banjo and a mandolin); they're made out of most of the different "tonewoods" that basses and guitars are made out of. And, some of them are made out of stuff that they usually aren't made out of. Do they all sound different? Yes, they do; but not all that different. My Ricks sound like Ricks. My Gibson T-Bird sounds like a T-Bird. My Danelectro Longhorn sounds like (you guessed it) a Longhorn. They all sound like what they are. Which is why I have them. If you want to splash around in the Great Tonewood Swamp, be my guest; in fact, splash around for me some, too. I have better things to do - like playing my basses and guitars...
... splash around in the Great Tonewood Swamp, be my guest; in fact, splash around for me some, too. I have better things to do ... Me as well, forget the tonewood, use what you have handy.
That indeed was/is my guess, that is why I tried do discuss this topic. I am experimenting and actually make measurements. Maaybe I publish in another "dead horse" thread.
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