Форум гитаристов

Let’s hang on to this fact: the wood defines the sound of the electric guitar. The – I am tempted to say: new-fangled – electronics can only add nuances! The basic tone is generated by the wood.”
"Indeed, we have also already seen this opinion. A well-respected author writes in 1977 A.D.: ‘every piece of wood has its intrinsic sound’. A few pages on, the same author opines (in the same book): ‘the sound of an electric guitar depends mainly on the pickup’, and in 1994, he proclaims in a new edition: ‘for solid-body guitars, as well, the body has a decisive influence on the sound’. In the same new edition, we again read a few pages later: to a large part, the difference in sound between electric guitars is due to the pickups’. So there we have it again, what the (original) elders already knew: all things are connected … everything depends on everything else. What is more important, though: pickup or wood?”

"In my literature search I have looked into this issue, as well. The thing is: for the luthier who knows everything about wood but has had no course on electro-acoustics, the sound of the electric guitar is in the wood. However, those who have graduated in physics or electrical engineering but cannot tell a board of beach wood from swamp ash, nor from birch – to those the sound is exclusively due to the pickup.

♦ Wood does not influence the sound (Pearson/Webster, in: May p.144).
♦ Wood must have an influence, differences in pricing between guitars are due to the wood (May, S.144).
♦ Using high-grade wood is futile (Zills, in: May, p.86).
♦ Wood has an influence on the sound (Evans/Evans, in: May, p.145).
♦ The influence of the wood on the sound must not be underestimated (Gitarre & Bass, 3/97).
♦ Experts agree that the sound of a solid-body is mainly determined by the electronics
(Carlos Juan, Fachblatt Musikmagazin, 1996).
♦ The sound of an electric guitar depends relatively strongly on the wood (Meinel, p.47).
♦ The sound is not mainly determined by the pickup; rather, the wood provides the foundation (Jimmy Koerting, Fachblatt Musikmagazin).
♦ Pickups convert the vibrations they are subjected to and do not form the sound themselves (G&B 5/06).
♦ The tonal characteristic of the electric guitar is substantially determined by the choice in the wood. Pickups and amplifiers support the sound of the guitar but rarely change, influence, or mould it fundamentally (Day et al., p.205).
♦ Solid guitars can, however, be manufactured in almost any shape and size; no considerable effects on the sound should be expected by this. (Day et al., p.140. That’s the same Day as in the previous citation).
♦ The wood does not only determine the sound color but in particular the information of the string vibration (Gitarre & Bass, 02/00).
♦ The electrified plank-guitar is predominantly an acoustic instrument. The wood determines the sonic character; the pickups only to a very small extent. Hence a humbucker is nowhere near to be able to exorcise the characteristic sound- and attack-evolvement from a Strat with alder- or ash-body (Udo Klinkhammer, Gitarre & Bass, 2/00).

♦ Looking at the process of the sound generation of the electric guitar, we quickly grasp that the quality and type of the wood used will influence the sound of an instrument just as massively as the construction (Day et al., p.206).
"Now that is a clear vote: the majority sees the wood of an electric guitar as determining the sound. If that were not the case, we could build great-sounding guitars just as well from inexpensive materials. Which is not what the specialist trade can be interested in. Or at the most there is a supplementary interest. That’s why every brand manufacturer points out that they have only the most expensive tone-woods underneath their sunburst finishes. And that, my friend, easily necessitates to a price of one or two grand.

"Besides, I actually think that the component wood is, in general, overrated“ Ulrich Teuffel, Teuffel-Gitarren, in G&B, 5/04, p.85.
D. Holz: Holztechnologie 25/1, 1984, p. 31-36: about some correspondences between forestal-biological and acoustical characteristics of tone-wood (resonance wood): “A connection between the year rings and the acoustically important properties of resonance woods cannot be specified.”
G.Ziegenhals on the topic: "Recent investigations at the Inst. for Musical Instrument Making” generally support this.” FAMA-Seminar, DEGA 2001.
♦ The Les Paul Custom sports an ebony fingerboard. An ebony fingerboard gives a slightly more mid-rangy sound (Luthier Thomas Kortmann, gitarrist.net).
♦ An ebony fingerboard results in a brighter and more brilliant sound (Gerken).
♦ A fingerboard made of Rio-rosewood will render the sound more brilliant. (Kortmann, gitarrist.net).
♦ The maple fingerboard makes for the clearer sound; the rosewood fingerboard will sound meatier. [Duchossoir, Stratocaster-Book].
♦ Rio-rosewood produces a ‘full octave of additional harmonics’ (Day et al.)
♦ For me, maple fingerboards work much better than the ones made from rosewood because they have a tigher, stronger tone (Eric Johnson, G&B, special Fender issue).
♦ The "Slab-Board" (rosewood fingerboard) is one of the secrets of the renowned old crystal clear vintage-sound especially in Fender guitars (Day/Rebellius, p.72).
♦ Electric guitars with a neck-through construction behave much more favorably compared to a bolt-on neck. The gain in sustain is striking. (Meinel, 1987, p.63).
♦ Set neck and bolt-on neck have equivalent decay times. (G&B, 3/97).
♦ The bolt-on neck diminishes the sustain of the guitar (Lemme 1982, p.59).
♦ The bolt-on neck can generate a long sustain, as well. (Lemme 1994, p.50).
♦ Overall, maple necks are known for giving the instrument a percussive touch (G&B 4/06).
♦ One-piece maple necks sound just like necks with glued-on fretboard (Lemme 1982, p.62).
♦ (There are) practically no differences between three special guitars that are distinct only in the way the neck is attached (glued-on, bolt-on, neck-through) (A. Paté, Nantes 2012).
♦ The maple top contributes a lot to the sound character of the Les Paul (Gibson-CEO Henry Juskiewicz, in: Bacon/Day, Les Paul Book, p.61).
♦ The Les Paul Customs had a body completely made from mahogany, just like Les Paul preferred it to the mix of maple and mahogany. (Bacon/Day, Les Paul Book, p.20).
♦ G&B, 9/05: Les Paul: back then my idea was to manufacture the whole guitar, i.e headstock, neck, and body, from one and the same piece of wood. They didn’t do it. When I asked the president of Gibson why not, he replied: “because now it’s less expensive.”
♦ G&B, 7/02, comparison test: "The Fame LP-IV indeed sound most authentic. Its sound is very similar to that of the original (Gibson Les Paul).”
Fame LP-IV: maple neck, oak fingerboard, alder body, mahogany top.
Gibson Les Paul: mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, mahogany body, maple top.
♦ G&B Fender special issue S.76: ash-Strat vs. poplar-Strat: only 'minute differences'.
♦ G&B 10/04: alder-Strat vs. poplar-Strat: differ only in 'finest nuances'.
♦ Of course, the body wood decisively shapes the Fender sound. … A true connoisseur hears totally different characteristics in a 61 Strat compared to a late 64.
A few paragraphs on, we then read in the same (!) comparison test: as one will imagine, the sound results are very close to each other (G&B 3/06).
♦ G&B 5/06: Squier-mahogany-Strat vs. Squier-basswood-Strat: using the neck- or middle-pickup the two guitars sound all but identical.
♦ G&B 9/05: Still, the PRS EG surprises with authentic Strat-sounds (mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, mahogany body).
♦ G&B 2/00: Despite the humbucker, a Strat can never become a Les Paul.
♦ G&B 7/06: Gary Moore: some people believe that you hear a Stratocaster on 'Ain't nobody', but in reality it’s my own signature Les Paul.
♦ Jimmy Page recorded the complete first Led Zeppelin album using a Telecaster. The guitar sound on that album is exactly that of a Les Paul. (G&B Fender special issue).
♦ G&B 9/05: and so despite identical basis (mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, mahogany body) the three PRS-SE guitars each deliver typical sound characteristics à la Strat, SG/LP-Special, and Standard Paula, respectively, and this on a high sonic level.
♦ E. van Halen: "Die Strat had too little sustain. Hence mahogany" (G&B 7/04).
♦ Larry Carlton: "The Tele doesn’t kick butt sufficiently. Hence Gibson" (G&B 5/01).
♦ Cavities (in the solid body) have no influence on the sound (Lemme 1982, p.54).
♦ "To improve the body's resonance, the core body is drilled with eleven 1,5"∅ cavities." (Duchossoir, Tele-Book, p.31).
♦ "The cavities in the Les Paul have no influence on the sound characteristic of the model; we tested it. (Henry Juskiewicz, Gibson CEO, Les Paul Book, p.61).
♦ "Cavities increase the ability to resonate." (Day et al., p.140).
♦ Resonance chambers: "It is difficult to avoid the impression that the router was called in often, and wood was taken away until the manufacturer was of the opinion that now the guitar is light enough" (Day et al., p.143).
Eric Johnson: "More than 75% of the sound is in the fingers". (G&B 5/01).
E. van Halen: "It’s not really the equipment, it’s in the fingers". (G&B 7/04).
Jimmy Page: "You know, I’m getting a lot of sounds out of that guitar that you will normally not get from it." (G&B Fender special issue).
Richie Sambora: "But you also hear that Hendrix went through only through the amp. It’s his fingers.
The same with Jeff Beck: you may use his rig and his guitar but you will never sound like him. It’s in the fingers." (G&B 11/02).
Jan Akkerman: " It all comes down to your hands." (G&B, 1/07).
Jaco Pastorius: "Piss off the amp and the instrument. It's all in your hands." (G&B 1/06).
Jeff Beck: "no shenanigans, no mumbo-jumbo – just the fingers." The man does get it right ...