Can you hear the "hollow" in an electric guitar?

smitty_p said:
You're getting warmer!
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My understanding was that this point related to sustain, not tone in connection with how long the strings vibrate. Since the pickups are receiving vibrations directly from the strings, I do not get why the hollowness would affect tone. Please move me closer to the fire because I will not get any warmer on my own!!
 
eSGEe said:
oh the TAILPIECE! SHITE I forgot that --- and is there a Trem? and are the strap buttons large or small......and ....and ....and ....and ....and uhm--- ergh
e3738fa2d6edf4bfe1399ce8e02b7b69.jpg
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Yes, I guess it is not that easy to consider one variable on its own, although I have seen some darn fine attempts (just not with regard to the semi-hollow issue). Maybe that is why this debate still continues.
 
eSGEe said:
Well this sounds WAY different ahn the post 11 tone......

and this again sounds WAY different than the other 2..........


but --- there are UNLIMITED variables in room dynamics--- crowd VIBE-- amp wattage, wood, construction,geometry,speaker cone volume, material(paper metal) --number of pedals(battery powered or wall warts) - cables---strings---tone woods-- playing styles---recording quality/technology----pythagorean theory---air speed velocity of Laden Swallows.....and how many MICe you can find in an Elsinore beer--- not to mention some amps go to 11 ------speakers YOU are listening to any of it through--- are you on a WiFi or a hardline download???could effect tone-----

who can ever really say ---
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Which do you prefer?
 
TAIL........WHERE ARE YOU......CHASING.........ER.......
add another pedal that will balance it---wait no take 2 away--- UGH -- no we need a mixing board like this to get the EXACT tone----

BOP_12-EaFiQcoXiq_WLe1J4htGidtIlqfbjKOR.jpg

Im over it--------plug the guitar in the amp and CRANK IT ---done

:)
 
RVA said:
How does the guitar resonating get to the amp (other than the manner Don described before - which is more like sound NOT getting to the amp)?
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Ah yes... resonation leads to vibration and harmonization and sustain-ion, into energization of the pickup-tion and slams the amp-tion... :dood:
 
RVA said:
My understanding was that this point related to sustain, not tone in connection with how long the strings vibrate. Since the pickups are receiving vibrations directly from the strings, I do not get why the hollowness would affect tone. Please move me closer to the fire because I will not get any warmer on my own!!
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The signal is generated by the string vibrating in the magnetic field of the pickup.
Any factor that affects the vibration of said string will affect that signal.
The body of a hollow guitar is more likely to vibrate in sympathy (or in
opposition) to the string than say, the body of a solid Lucite guitar.
The Lucite guitar will sustain longer because there will be less guitar body
vibration to interfere with the string vibration than an ES 175 for example.
The Lucite guitar will also have much less harmonic content because for all
practical purposes the only thing going on is the vibration of the string.
 
DonP said:
There is one way a hollow body will affect the sound. Because it is naturally loud (acoustically), it pulls energy out of the strings faster than a solid body. That will decrease the sustain a bit.
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And the attack will be more pronounced (which is just the other side of that medal). Actually my archtop can have a more aggressive punch than any solid body which often needs to be tamed through the playing technique.

My impression is that semi solids like the ES335 are somewhere in between - compare Blackmoores Sound with the Gibson and later with his strat. I do not believe the dynamics of his playing the Concerto for Group and Orchestra can be done with a strat.
 
Tony M. said:
The signal is generated by the string vibrating in the magnetic field of the pickup.
Any factor that affects the vibration of said string will affect that signal.
The body of a hollow guitar is more likely to vibrate in sympathy (or in
opposition) to the string than say, the body of a solid Lucite guitar.
The Lucite guitar will sustain longer because there will be less guitar body
vibration to interfere with the string vibration than an ES 175 for example.
The Lucite guitar will also have much less harmonic content because for all
practical purposes the only thing going on is the vibration of the string.
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Quantity of vibration, yes. Quality of vibration, no. The vibration goes from strings to pickups. Why should the TONE be affected by how long the string vibrates? Now, if you are suggesting, as I think Bea is suggesting, that you may need to hit it harder to get a given speed of vibration, maybe, but not much and not audible.
 
Robert Herndon said:
I had aluminum tailpieces made for the 6 and 12 string necks on my double neck by MojoAxe. I am using a Faber TP-59 aluminum tailpiece on my Gibson SG.
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My 135 has a Trapeze while another friend's Dot Deluxe has a Stoptail. I also used to have an Epi ES 175 full hollow with a Trapeze.
I know it was not my imagination that the hollow and semi hollow with the Trapeze sounded more wooly or woody playing the low strings.
 
Frequencies, harmonics, and the eq of the tone in general is all about a combination of vibrations within that single string. All of this contributes to what the pickups are reading. The pickups are reading all the nuances of various vibrations. I thought everybody knew this... :hide:
 
I will let Ted make my case of How a Hollow can sound different than a solid,,,,,,,,,,,,, in his many ways with this set of songs.



Same man, same hands, same attack and dynamics,,,,,, but to me the sound is most definitely in hollow vs solid.

 
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syscokid said:
Frequencies, harmonics, and the eq of the tone in general is all about a combination of vibrations within that single string. All of this contributes to what the pickups are reading. The pickups are reading all the nuances of various vibrations. I thought everybody knew this... :hide:
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Tension, string thickness, amount of string vibration. Check

Now tell me how, with the same amount of vibration, the hollowness affects what the pickup gets from the strings?
 
look a the "thing in the above pic...........half semihollow half solid half railroad tie ----- I mean COME THE FOOK on THIS IS THE GENESIS of rock and roll electric guitar an its a P.O.S.
NONE of you would buy it ---if it was sold as a "new innovation"--- I wouldnt---
but it is the SHITE ---it is what started it all .....bolted on half assed sides/wings to a SOLID 4x4 hunk of wood -------the rest is FLUFF.
 
eSGEe said:
look a the "thing in the above pic...........half semihollow half solid half railroad tie ----- I mean COME THE FOOK on THIS IS THE GENESIS of rock and roll electric guitar an its a P.O.S.
NONE of you would buy it ---if it was sold as a "new innovation"--- I wouldnt---
but it is the SHITE ---it is what started it all .....bolted on half assed sides/wings to a SOLID 4x4 hunk of wood -------the rest is FLUFF.
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Point well taken. Each of these threads should end with "Shut up and play". But we need something to post about!
 
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