Do wood types affect guitar/bass tonality?

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indecizo

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Jun 11, 2011
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So I've been under the impresion they do after reading too much in the internet, but I came across this video, the guy say it doesn't change tone and now I'm having my doubts. What do you guys think? BS?

 
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For electric instruments (Not electroacoustic, nor piezoelectric) all the signal that is captured comes form the movement of the strings. So the impact of the wood on the sole vibrations of the strings is relatively small compared to qualities of the string itself (like thickness, material, brand,...) and the pickups. On acoustic, or piezo instruments the wood has much bigger impact on sound, because the sound you hear does not mainly come form the string itself, but form the vibrations of the wood (the strings vibrate the wood).
 
If this were true everyone would just play steinberger guitars.

Play an alder guitar and then play a mahogany one, alder will sound brighter and more "zingy" whereas mahogany is darker and thicker sounding.

I've played two of the exact same model of guitar side by side, one sounded garbage and the other resonated brilliantly. Bridge, pickups etc were all identical, the only difference was the finish and the cut of wood (same species) that each guitar was made from.

Wood makes a BIG difference.
 
Short answer: Yes, it does but not much on high gain.
 
I'm pretty sure that there's a thread here somewhere, were we discussed this, starting with the exact same video as in the OP.

My opinion:
Yes it does, although it's hard to judge, when there's allready differences between guitars with the same specifications.
 
It absolutely affects tonality, low gain, high gain, or whatever. It's plain as day and easy to demonstrate, and manufacturers use the difference tonal characteristics of different types of woods to help predetermine the sound of the instrument. For example, an all-mahongany guitar will be somewhat dark sounding. Slap a piece of maple to it (such as on a Les Paul) and the guitar instantly sounds a bit brighter and arguably more balanced. The tone of the wood can be offset by the pickups and other factors, but that still doesn't remove the wood's tonality from the equation. This goes for any wooden instruments - guitars, drums, violins, etc.

It goes even further than that too. Two identical guitars made of the SAME type of wood can have significant tonal differences. Go play 5 Fender American Standard Stratocasters - they'll all sound a little different. Anything organic will be naturally inconsistent and idiosyncratic, and no two slabs of wood sound identical.
 
The only time I've really tested this theory is between my Carvin Dc800 flamed koa top/walnut body/5-peice koa/maple neck and my buddies DC800 alder/flame maple neck, and there is for sure a difference. The koa is notably darker, more of a growl, clear mid range, and the alder was brighter, snappier, and the mid-range had a biting top end. Obviously I prefer my guitar haha
 
Really good points in here! And i´m agreeing with you guys. Keep in mind though, if you had 2 identical guitars (good wood, great guitar overall), and one would be neckthru and the other bolt-on, you would have some differences in the tone, as well as sustain etc.
 
The cavities in the guitar can also have an effect on the sound kinda like recording vocals in a bad room. I experienced it first hand when I started using strings that were much thicker than normal use on my LTD with the Floyd Rose. To fight the increased string tension, I had to add 2 extra springs to the Floyd Rose. Suddenly my guitar had a built in reverb. It wasn't just a subtle sustain. We're talking 5 second reverb that was loud enough to mask everything I played.
Once I realized the problem, I packed foam between and around the springs and it did the trick.
But the pickups certainly pickup more than the vibration of the strings. Especially if they are active.

This isn't really a tone thing but can really affect clarity.
 
abaga129 said:
The cavities in the guitar can also have an effect on the sound kinda like recording vocals in a bad room. I experienced it first hand when I started using strings that were much thicker than normal use on my LTD with the Floyd Rose. To fight the increased string tension, I had to add 2 extra springs to the Floyd Rose. Suddenly my guitar had a built in reverb. It wasn't just a subtle sustain. We're talking 5 second reverb that was loud enough to mask everything I played.
Once I realized the problem, I packed foam between and around the springs and it did the trick.
But the pickups certainly pickup more than the vibration of the strings.

This isn't really a tone thing but can really affect clarity.
Click to expand...

well... They pick up vibrations of all magnetizable parts nearby. In your case also the springs in the Floyd Rose. Speaking about magnetic pickups right now, naturally. Piezo pickups and Opto-pickups that's a totally different story.

But not to generalize that only strings vibrate on the guitar. Actually vibrations from the strings are transfered to the wood and back. So even if pickups don't pick up vibrations of the wood, it definitely has effect on tone.
 
just something quite interesting I read on his channel

SixStringHarmonies
Thanks for the link, Scott. The Lacis test is OK. Anyone who hears any variation must realize it has NOTHING to do with the build materials of the electric. The test is an utter failure based solely on one premise alone: In order for the experiment to be legitimate, one MUST swap ALL pups, and electronics, from switch to jack, and all wiring from Gtr A to Gtr B. The varying resistances in pickup windings, pots, cap, switch, jack, and wire are contributing to any tonal difference heard, not wood.

groovydjs (Scott Grove)
My pleasure, and FINALLY understands that you can't compare 2 different guitars, you have to use EVERYTHING from guitar A and transfer it to guitar wood B and to guitar wood C. Not doing it that way leaves way too many variables that can and will make a difference. So, just as stated, EVERYTHING has to be put on to all other wood types and then analyzed. It's nice to know that there is at least one guy who actually GETS it instead of dismissing it just BECAUSE. lol Cheers.
 
Wood absolutely makes a difference! Even two "identical" guitars made with the same type of wood will sound slightly different because no two pieces of wood are identical.

Take a strat you know well, as far as tone, and swap necks on it. You'll hear the tone change with a different neck on it.

Play any two guitars unplugged and you will clearly hear that they sound different. This is because of different woods used as well as construction methods (bolt-on vs set neck or neck through, etc.).
 
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