Does The Wood Matter as Much as We've Been Told???

Robert Herndon said:
This has proven to be one of my most interesting experiments.

A Mahogany set neck vs. a multi-ply alder Strat with bolt-on maple neck, played back to back through the same amp within seconds of each other, that sound nearly identical.

View attachment 59308

Guitar #1:

Schecter Hellraiser C1FR, Maple/Mahogany/Maple carved top body, 5 piece Mahogany set neck, EMG 81TW mounted 4/64" from the strings. All controls on 10.

Guitar #2:

1982 Fender MIJ Standard Stratocaster, 10-ply alder body, maple bolt on neck, DiMarzio Neanderthal 16.5k, Alnico 9 adjusted 9/64" from the strings with staggered pole pieces, set to specific measurements given to me by DiMarzio. All controls on 10.

Here's a shot of the Strat body, without paint, showing its 10 layers of multi-ply construction:

View attachment 59313

The Amp:

Blackstar ID-Core 100watt 'direct out' with settings shown:

View attachment 59309

The waveforms from the 02/15/2021 recording - the Schecter is the first waveform, flowed a few seconds later by YelloStrat:

View attachment 59310

The recording:

Listen to Hellraiser EMG81TW Vs YelloStrat DiMarzio Neanderthal 02 - 15 - 2021 by Von Herndon on #SoundCloud
soundcloud.app.goo.gl

Hellraiser EMG81TW Vs YelloStrat DiMarzio Neanderthal 02 - 15 - 2021

Quick Sound clip Comparison Hellraiser EMG81TW Vs YelloStrat DiMarzio Neanderthal 02 - 15 - 2021
soundcloud.app.goo.gl soundcloud.app.goo.gl

The most amazing thing to me is how the volume levels are almost mirror images of each other, despite significant differences in construction and electronics.

I thought some of you gents might enjoy this, although some will likely hate it because it may not support personal marketing theories, it was very interesting nonetheless.
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Why do you think some guitars sound dead as hell?
Why do you think some guitars sound great?
Why do you think some guitars have infinite sustain?
Why do you think some guitars have no sustain at all?

Hint: it's not the pickups, and a brass nut does not cause a guitar to sustain.
It's not voodoo magic.

Of course it's the wood the guitar is made from.

If you want an electric guitar that has no sustain at all, build it all out of hard rock maple.
No harmonic overtones, no touch sensitivity, just DEAD.
It sounds like there is a blanket wrapped around the strings.

If you want a guitar that has great sound and sustain:
Mahogany, Ironwood, Koa wood, Teak wood (all types of mahogany).
Walnut might be another contender. Cocobolo etc...

Why do you think Les Paul designed a guitar made primarily out of Mahogany?
Why not plywood?
If the wood makes no difference, why not use plywood?

OF COURSE
pickup vendors want you to think that the wood makes no difference !
So you will buy a lot of pickups.
So you will believe that the sound of the guitar comes from the pickups.

Of course no matter what pickup you install on a dead sounding guitar - it STILL sounds dead.
Final answer.

It doesn't take a genius to figure this out.
 
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Amp Mad Scientist said:
Why do you think some guitars sound dead as hell?
Why do you think some guitars sound great?
Why do you think some guitars have infinite sustain?
Why do you think some guitars have no sustain at all?

Hint: it's not the pickups, and a brass nut does not cause a guitar to sustain.
It's not voodoo magic.

Of course it's the wood the guitar is made from.

If you want an electric guitar that has no sustain at all, build it all out of hard rock maple.

If you want a guitar that has great sound and sustain:
Mahogany, Ironwood, Koa wood, Teak wood (all types of mahogany).
Walnut might be another contender. Cocobolo etc...

Why do you think Les Paul designed a guitar made primarily out of Mahogany?
Why not plywood?
If the wood makes no difference, why not use plywood?

OF COURSE
pickup vendors want you to think that the wood makes no difference !
So you will buy a lot of pickups.
So you will believe that the sound of the guitar comes from the pickups.

Of course no matter what pickup you install on a dead sounding guitar - it STILL sounds dead.
Final answer.

It doesn't take a genius to figure this out.
Click to expand...


When it all comes down to it, my listeners don't care what type of guitar i use or play, or what kind of wood is used in the guitar. They are only interested in hearing the music, that's all that matters to them. Just saying;)
 
Session 5 said:
When it all comes down to it, my listeners don't care what type of guitar i use or play, or what kind of wood is used in the guitar. They are only interested in hearing the music, that's all that matters to them. Just saying;)
Click to expand...
This is true. Only about 1% of the audience are guitar players, and I know from personal experience that the non guitar players don't give a :poo: about any of this stuff. The only thing they care about is: can you play the damned thing, and does the band sound good.
 
It reminds me of a scam perpetrated by transformer salesmen.

They told you that if you "upgraded" your transformers, your amp would suddenly sound fantastic...
(and many people foolishly believed this)

$500 later...the transformers were "upgraded..." and the amp sounds exactly as it did before.
Congratulations, you were duped....by transformer salesmen.

All it takes is : advertising hype.
They can make you believe anything. Because you want to believe it.
 
Amp Mad Scientist said:
Why do you think some guitars sound dead as hell?
Why do you think some guitars sound great?
Why do you think some guitars have infinite sustain?
Why do you think some guitars have no sustain at all?

Hint: it's not the pickups, and a brass nut does not cause a guitar to sustain.
It's not voodoo magic.

Of course it's the wood the guitar is made from.

If you want an electric guitar that has no sustain at all, build it all out of hard rock maple.
No harmonic overtones, no touch sensitivity, just DEAD.
It sounds like there is a blanket wrapped around the strings.

If you want a guitar that has great sound and sustain:
Mahogany, Ironwood, Koa wood, Teak wood (all types of mahogany).
Walnut might be another contender. Cocobolo etc...

Why do you think Les Paul designed a guitar made primarily out of Mahogany?
Why not plywood?
If the wood makes no difference, why not use plywood?

OF COURSE
pickup vendors want you to think that the wood makes no difference !
So you will buy a lot of pickups.
So you will believe that the sound of the guitar comes from the pickups.

Of course no matter what pickup you install on a dead sounding guitar - it STILL sounds dead.
Final answer.

It doesn't take a genius to figure this out.
Click to expand...

Expensive maple/mahogany/maple guitar

Cheap plywood guitar.

Produces same waveform on a recording.

Hmmmm....

Ok, so this morning I'm thinking about building another guitar, and now I'm thinking, why???

Why not put race cams in my Mustang???
 
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I personally do not get so hung up on tones of wood to the point i am constantly looking for something better. When i buy a guitar i play it first, if i like the looks , feel and sounds from the pickups that are in it, i will buy it and i will play that guitar, i will not swap out any parts. I believe it is a waste of time. My only guitar my new Custom which i was not able to play was made with the parts i wanted, measurements etc. I took a gamble by doing this, but it worked out better than ever expected.. Now i concentrate on what songs i want to play to my listeners. Like i said they are not interested in what kind of wood or pickups or what sounds the guitar makes, they are interested in listening to the music, that's what its all about.
 
Robert Herndon said:
Expensive maple/mahogany/maple guitar

Cheap plywood guitar.

Produces same waveform on a recording.

Hmmmm....

Ok, so this morning I'm thinking about building another guitar, and now I'm thinking, why???

Why not put race cams in my Mustang???
Click to expand...
A guitar is the sum of its parts, if thebparts work together they work together. What each individual part is made of is irrelevant because what part it plays in the end result is not quantifiable. A guitar made of plywood can sound great, so can a guitar made from mahogany, or cardboard, or concrete.
 
The difference becomes less obvious the higher the level of distortion. I was just playing my SG with relatively moderate output pickups through a 1987 and 412 with just enough RAT to give it a little edge. It sounds like an SG. Very bright, edgy and in your face. Then I plugged in one of my Les Pauls and it sounds completely different. Thicker, woodier, less biting upper mids and treble. Does Gilmour's Strat sound like a Strat? Hell, no! You can't tell what it is with those active pickups in it.
 
Session 5 said:
Sounds good to my ears....Looks good too! all we need now is a lightweight concrete, Ok Astral here's your chance to invent lightweight concrete..:D That body colour looks fantastic!
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Astral Traveler said:
Yeah it looks great and sounds great to my ears. 19 lbs though, without electronics!
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No heavier than most les Paul's.... :)
 
Well,

I spent $600.00 on a $23.00 1982 Fender MIJ 10-Ply Body....just basically spending my tips....but what did I really gain other than some experience???

Nothing...

And If I buy a $375.00 Warmoth body...or build another $325.00 custom neck for the Jackson...what is the end result???

I'm just seeing this as another rabbit hole. If I do what I have been planning, I will be $700.00 poorer and without really anything to show for it...

I've got a $1,400.00 Schecter and a 10 ply MIJ Stratocaster and both sound similar enough you can't tell a difference in a live mix....Hmmmm
 
Robert Herndon said:
Well,

I spent $600.00 on a $23.00 1982 Fender MIJ 10-Ply Body....just basically spending my tips....but what did I really gain other than some experience???

Nothing...

And If I buy a $375.00 Warmoth body...or build another $325.00 custom neck for the Jackson...what is the end result???

I'm just seeing this as another rabbit hole. If I do what I have been planning, I will be $700.00 poorer and without really anything to show for it...

I've got a $1,400.00 Schecter and a 10 ply MIJ Stratocaster and both sound similar enough you can't tell a difference in a live mix....Hmmmm
Click to expand...
Yep, and most of us probably couldn't tell a Strat from a Les Paul in a fully produced song. At least not with any level of certainty.
 
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