Tonewood doesn’t matter

Joe Bfstplk said:
I think Les used a 4x4, if memory serves....

A vintage 4x4 for thick tone. Not one if these modern day 4x4 thingies that are more like 3.5x3.5....


How and how much it is dried, too....
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Well we’ll use 4X4 pallet skids for the build then.

That is a great story about the Log and evolution of electric guitars. I’ve read it all before but it’s been awhile so I read it again.
 
While not buying into the whole "tonewood doesn't matter" thing, the effects of the guitar material are vastly overshadowed by the player ("it's in the fingers") and in particular, the acoustic environment of the space in which the listening occurs. The subtleties of differences between different woods - at least to these ears - make not a jot of difference if the guitar is being played in different venues, as part of a band that is creating multiple other sounds that occupy the frequency spectrum, with the room acoustics playing all sorts of tricks on the phase cancellations etc via the PA system, the room treatment, how many people are in the house, and all that.

I'm sure that most of us who have played in big venues - eg large festivals outdoors - know all too well that our guitars just sound different from when they're being played in an indoor venue. And big indoor venues sound different from smaller, intimate ones.

When the guitar is just a component in an overall sound mix, in an uncontrolled acoustic environment, then any arguments about tonewood are, IMHO, null and void.
 
secondwindow said:
I don't mean to be argumentative, but it's been proven that humbuckers are a poor choice for a pallet guitar. You need single coils for that. I'd really hoped that debate had finally been put to rest. Here's a pic of mine - it sounds as awesome as you'd imagine.
View attachment 132525
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Wow man that’s great! I was just kidding but there it is, a majestic pallet guitar! With the singles in it, I’m sure it sounds exactly like a real Strat too.
 
It's not that it makes no difference. And obviously, now we get to make use of IR technology. I love my wooden guitars, for asthetic and aural reasons. But, I'm really enjoying my carbon fiber guitars. I've been strongly considering downsizing to just 1 carbon fiber guitar of each type. For me, classical with be the hardest. I still use the one I had built back in '02, but Klos is coming out with a true classical build sometime soon. Also, if I could, I would get an electric in the Klein shape (my profile pic) in CF. The ergonomics are perfect. (There is a builder who makes a CF electric after the .strandberg shape.) Less maintenance and no real need for humidity/temperature control is very appealing, and CF is quite durable.
 
Doc Rock said:
While not buying into the whole "tonewood doesn't matter" thing, the effects of the guitar material are vastly overshadowed by the player ("it's in the fingers") and in particular, the acoustic environment of the space in which the listening occurs. The subtleties of differences between different woods - at least to these ears - make not a jot of difference if the guitar is being played in different venues, as part of a band that is creating multiple other sounds that occupy the frequency spectrum, with the room acoustics playing all sorts of tricks on the phase cancellations etc via the PA system, the room treatment, how many people are in the house, and all that.

I'm sure that most of us who have played in big venues - eg large festivals outdoors - know all too well that our guitars just sound different from when they're being played in an indoor venue. And big indoor venues sound different from smaller, intimate ones.

When the guitar is just a component in an overall sound mix, in an uncontrolled acoustic environment, then any arguments about tonewood are, IMHO, null and void.
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Re. ‘different venues’: if your wife yells at you from the bathroom or from the kitchen, do you still recognise her voice?
 
Listen Up, Plebes: Why Your Tone Sucks and Mine Doesn't (Hint: It's the Wood)

Alright, gather 'round you tone-deaf troglodytes, because it's time for Uncle Scrote to drop some knowledge on you peasants. You've been strumming on those plywood planks you call guitars, convinced your amp settings and pick attack are the keys to sonic nirvana. News flash, sunshine: you're about as far from Hendrix as a kazoo is from a Stradivarius.

The real secret sauce, the holy grail of sonic mojo, lies not in knobs and gadgets, but in the very bones of your instrument – the glorious, rare, exotic wood. You think that 1959 Burst sings like a canary in spring because of its vintage mojo? Nonsense! It's the meticulously aged Honduran mahogany whispering sweet nothings to the pickups, that's what. And don't even get me started on Brazilian rosewood fingerboards. The sustain? It practically orgasms on those babies.

Sure, you can slap any old chunk of lumber on a guitar and make noise. But will it be music? Will it resonate with the very soul of rock and roll? Will it send shivers down the spines of angels and make demons weep?

Let me tell you about a real guitar, a tonewood masterpiece. I'm talking Honduran mahogany, aged for decades, with a figuring that'd make a grown man weep. Flamed maple top, bookmatched like a billionaire's library. Brazilian rosewood neck, smooth as a baby's behind and resonant like a cathedral. This ain't your grandpa's plywood special, this is a symphony waiting to be unleashed.

Plug it in, strum a chord, and prepare to have your ears redefined. The sustain? Endless. The clarity? Crystal clear, like a mountain stream carving through granite. The harmonics? They'll dance around your head like fireflies on a summer night. This ain't just sound, folks, this is a physical experience. The wood vibrates, the air crackles, and you're right there in the middle of it, one with the instrument, one with the music.

And don't even try to play the "diminishing returns" card. Those few extra thousand bucks for a premium tonewood guitar aren't just about bragging rights. Remember this: you're not just buying a guitar, you're buying a legacy. You're buying the sound that built empires, the voice that ignited revolutions, the magic that makes your soul sing. And that, my friends, is priceless.

So next time you're tempted to blame your amp or your technique for your anemic tone, take a long, hard look at the wood beneath your fingers. Is it a symphony of Honduran mahogany and Brazilian rosewood, or a plywood dirge? You know the answer. Now go forth and spend wisely, tone deaflings. Your ears will thank you.

P.S. Don't even bother replying with your "blindfold tests" and "tone is subjective" drivel. You wouldn't know good tone if it bit you on the fretboard. Stick to your power chords and leave the sonic alchemy to the grown-ups.

P.P.S. Don't even try to argue with me about Korina. You'll just embarrass yourselves.

P.P.P.S. And don't even get me started on Pau Ferro. Just...don't.
 
maxc said:
Listen Up, Plebes: Why Your Tone Sucks and Mine Doesn't (Hint: It's the Wood)

Alright, gather 'round you tone-deaf troglodytes, because it's time for Uncle Scrote to drop some knowledge on you peasants. You've been strumming on those plywood planks you call guitars, convinced your amp settings and pick attack are the keys to sonic nirvana. News flash, sunshine: you're about as far from Hendrix as a kazoo is from a Stradivarius.

The real secret sauce, the holy grail of sonic mojo, lies not in knobs and gadgets, but in the very bones of your instrument – the glorious, rare, exotic wood. You think that 1959 Burst sings like a canary in spring because of its vintage mojo? Nonsense! It's the meticulously aged Honduran mahogany whispering sweet nothings to the pickups, that's what. And don't even get me started on Brazilian rosewood fingerboards. The sustain? It practically orgasms on those babies.

Sure, you can slap any old chunk of lumber on a guitar and make noise. But will it be music? Will it resonate with the very soul of rock and roll? Will it send shivers down the spines of angels and make demons weep?

Let me tell you about a real guitar, a tonewood masterpiece. I'm talking Honduran mahogany, aged for decades, with a figuring that'd make a grown man weep. Flamed maple top, bookmatched like a billionaire's library. Brazilian rosewood neck, smooth as a baby's behind and resonant like a cathedral. This ain't your grandpa's plywood special, this is a symphony waiting to be unleashed.

Plug it in, strum a chord, and prepare to have your ears redefined. The sustain? Endless. The clarity? Crystal clear, like a mountain stream carving through granite. The harmonics? They'll dance around your head like fireflies on a summer night. This ain't just sound, folks, this is a physical experience. The wood vibrates, the air crackles, and you're right there in the middle of it, one with the instrument, one with the music.

And don't even try to play the "diminishing returns" card. Those few extra thousand bucks for a premium tonewood guitar aren't just about bragging rights. Remember this: you're not just buying a guitar, you're buying a legacy. You're buying the sound that built empires, the voice that ignited revolutions, the magic that makes your soul sing. And that, my friends, is priceless.

So next time you're tempted to blame your amp or your technique for your anemic tone, take a long, hard look at the wood beneath your fingers. Is it a symphony of Honduran mahogany and Brazilian rosewood, or a plywood dirge? You know the answer. Now go forth and spend wisely, tone deaflings. Your ears will thank you.

P.S. Don't even bother replying with your "blindfold tests" and "tone is subjective" drivel. You wouldn't know good tone if it bit you on the fretboard. Stick to your power chords and leave the sonic alchemy to the grown-ups.

P.P.S. Don't even try to argue with me about Korina. You'll just embarrass yourselves.

P.P.P.S. And don't even get me started on Pau Ferro. Just...don't.
Click to expand...
what about sassafras!!? Charvel relegated me to sassafras for being a lefty no less - "lefty?" they said!, "yes" I said, "no ash forrrr yooo" they said, "sassafras only" they said. Am I to suffer in sassafrassian discontent forever despite it's beauty I ask?, or have I been handed a golden tone nugget bestowed only to those few who have ink on the side of their hand and are confused by tab diagrams.
 
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