What the guitar companies don't want you to know (video)

[egan.]

"Tonewoods" certainly matter for the acoustic; hence the feel. So if it does not matter to the pick-up, but it vibrates better in your hands and you're more confortable, you'll play better. Now for the tonewoods vs pick-ups; if there's no difference with wood, I would guess that there would be one with a guitar made of rock, stainless, crystal, etc..

But there is a significant difference in electric tones depending on the wood as demonstrated in the link I provided. Beyond that, I put a lot more stock in the opinions of Strandberg, Keith Roscoe, Rick Turner, Roger Sadowsky, and Stuart Spector (to name a few) than a guitar builder no one has ever heard of hurling epithets on YouTube.

 

[indecizo]

pretty interesting results

 

[LeSedna]

no, I mean a construction where none of the parts are connected by a type of body in any way.

Since the guy said the type of wood doesn't matter (despite the fact that they have different physical attributes), I conclude that you don't need a guitar body at all, according to his logic.
At last for the tone (playability aside).


Here's a really bad scetch of what I mean

Weird test? for sure. interesting non the less
Would be a bitch to get the dimensions, angles and stuff right.
If you make the poles shock absorbing it would be even better. No connection between the spots where the strings come in contact with a body whatsoever.

IMO it sounds ridiculous to say it doesn't matter at all.
I've correctly named guitars in blind tests from the acoustic tone, and the tone it gave through an amplifier. It most definitely relates through the pickup. Strandberg test shows the rest I think.

It's worth noting that as much as wood wouldn't affect tone, it doesn't mean "no wood = the same", it probably affects the tone by the principle it, at minimum, provide a physical link between the two extremities of the strings !

In theory it should affect the tone a bit, wether it affects it a lot or not is another question. But a theoretical body which would have an infinite stress resistance would not allow much vibration. The only vibration would be allowed by the string elasticity in itself. For example in the picture you display, the simple elasticity quality of the vertical poles would be CRUCIAL to the vibration of strings, therefore you would be comparing two incomparable things unless you provide stress or whatever measurements of both sides, with some official way of comparing them.

 

[Notuern]

As someone who has owned over 20 guitars and played several hundred, if not thousands of them, the wood does make a huge difference.. people who argue about it probably have little to no experience building or working with guitars.
Although i do admit that the kind of wood makes less impact than the quality of it, and to be honest i really think there are better materials to build guitars with(From a tonal standpoint that is.).

I used to work at a piano repair shop where we had this thing with different kinds of wood stacked on it which you could strike with a mallet to hear the different qualities and characteristics of the woods, and the non-tonal woods produced a "clack", while tonal woods actually produced a note.

 

[Plendakor]

Notuern, have you watched the video ? He's not debating that there's no sonic difference acoustically, that would be silly (just put your headstock on a wall or a table to prove it), but for what the pick-up picks up.

 

[Notuern]

I wasn't only commenting the video, i was also commenting on the discussion going on.

Of course it affects what the pick-up picks up, but how much depend on what kind of hardware you have on your guitar.
I would say that the most important part in hearing this difference would be the bridge.
How the pickups are mounted also makes a difference, as does the material of the nut etc.

In the end though i don't think it really makes a HUGE difference between different types of wood, but for me its definitely a big enough of a difference to make it an important consideration when looking at different guitars.

Edit: Oh, and if you don't think the body affects the signal.. try a hollow body.

 

[Mutant]

Whats up with the prostitute at the beginning of the video?

You must be gay if you dont know who Natalia Forrest is...

Something like this perhaps?

Nice ! But probably about 5 times too pricey like all other "designer" items.



And here Kirk using it live:

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Tonewood? Why not get rid of all wood! (I've always wanted to play one of these but don't know anyone sane enough to buy one)
http://gittlerinstruments.com/gittler-guitar

Interesting as fuck, but the price is horse shit (and yeah I know titanium is not cheap).

Kind of like this:

http://www.odd.org.nz/atom.html

I think those designs are pretty neat, but they sound like shit and are way more than I want to pay for some exotic POS.

 

[Clockwork]

Interesting as fuck, but the price is horse shit (and yeah I know titanium is not cheap).

Kind of like this:

http://www.odd.org.nz/atom.html

I think those designs are pretty neat, but they sound like shit and are way more than I want to pay for some exotic POS.

Agreed on the price. I always marveled at guitars with really exciting designs when I was in trade school for lutherie but as time went on it always seemed like old tried and true designs proved to be the most effective and cost efficient with minor tweaking.

I'd be interested to hear how that 3d printed guitar sounds though. It is always interesting to see people revisiting current industries with new tech.

 

[LeSedna]

I will never have this 3D printed guitar for a sole reason : it's gonna accumulate so much dust !

 

[egan.]

Kind of like this:

http://www.odd.org.nz/atom.html

I think those designs are pretty neat, but they sound like shit and are way more than I want to pay for some exotic POS.

Interestingly enough, for the Odd guitars the neck, pups and bridge are all mounted to a core of either mahogany or maple.