996ttcab

A buddy of mine has like a 57??? remake of a Gibson SG. The guitar is extra sweet and has modern electronics. The remake SG sound is a good cross between a strat sound and the low end warm sound of a Les Paul.

I also have a 72 Fender Stratocaster that is all orginal. That is a very bright sounding guitar. I like the warmth and sustain of a Les Paul. I once upon a time had a 1968 black custom with 3 factory installed humbuckers. That was probably my favorite. These new Les Pauls are set up on their new Pleck'd system and are really sweet though.

I grew up in the 80s playing in garage bands so most of the songs I know are from the 80s and my influences are very 80s ish.

I now spend most of my time playing Metallica, Randy Rhodes stuff, Van Halen, Led Zep. and making stuff up.

What do you play?

Ala Pete Townsend. These Les Pauls would do some serious damage to a bass drum. hey are heavy suckers.

Lotuslevi

I like funky Jazz or Jazzy funk, groove stuff, reggae, latin, anything that people can dance to and makes me bob my head while I`m playing. I was playing in a jazz bar in Chiang Mai for a while before I left Thailand, but here in Japan, the standards for musicianship are a bit higher.

But I gotta pay tribute to that 80`s stuff, it`s what taught me how to play guitar. I`m not much of a strat man, but i tell you, I`d trade in my left nut for a six-string Rickenbocker Hollowbody from the 70`s.

Ah you bastard, now I have the guitar solo for crazy train stuck in my head!

__________________
more time for wastin'

jonny danger

^ Very pleased to meet you. In case you've never seen this:

I hope this isn't considered, "it's like senior citizens wit' attitude round here"

Guitar Wood Types & Tones FAQ by Frank Falbo for jemsite.com
» Discuss on the forum here
last updated 3/8/2004
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Body Woods

Basswood:
Basswood is a soft wood with tight grains. Its relatively inexpensive of all the usual guitar woods, and it’s easy on router bits in the factory, easy to sand, and easy to seal and finish. The softness of basswood means that sharp highs are dampened and smoothened. That helps offset the tinny sound associated with knife edged tremolo contacts. The softness also fosters a weaker low end. It’s light in weight, but not because of large pores. Rather it’s low in mass overall. Deep, breathy sub-lows aren’t resonated in Basswood. The reduction in these outer frequencies leaves the mids pronounced in a hypothetical response curve. Its very suitable for the typical guitar range, and very suitable for lead guitar, because of its pronounced “out front” sound. Complex overtones are muted along with the highs leaving a strong fundamental tone.
Production notes: Japanese factories like Ibanez seem to get a tan colored, more uniform Basswood while other Asian factories get a more flawed yellowish basswood. And there seems to be a big difference in tone. A clearer, darker Basswood should produce more sound, while the yellowish lower grade seems to have more of the undesirable tonal qualities of Poplar. A hardtail emphasizes the reduced dynamics of the outer frequencies.

Alder:
Alder is light in weight with soft tight pores like Basswood. But there is a large swirling grain pattern to it with harder rings and sections. So imagine a Basswood type texture but with harder rings peppered throughout. That adds to the stiffness, and the complexity of the tones. It retains more of the highs that Basswood softens, but also gives some room to the lows. You have a broader spectrum of tones, which leads to the perception of a little less mids than Basswood.
Production notes: Not much difference between factories, production.

Swamp Ash:
Not to be confused with Northern “Hard Ash” Swamp Ash has huge, open pores with hard and soft layers within each ring of the tree. So you basically have a very rigid skeleton with open and softer pores throughout. It is very resonant across the whole frequency spectrum. It has clear bell-like highs, pronounced mids, and strong lows. It has some random combing away of mid frequencies, which will vary the sound per guitar more than Alder or Basswood. Two Ash bodies are more likely to sound more different from one another, whereas Basswood and Alder are more consistent. A heavier piece, or a piece from higher up on the tree will be more dead and lifeless. More dull sounding, because the wood is harder and more uniformly dense. So the sweetness of the soft open pores is gone, and left is the compressed sound of a rigid, non-responsive wood, without all the brightness and sustain of a harder wood or the openness of a softer wood.

Production notes: An Asian mass produced factory guitar should be checked for weight, and openness of grain if the finish allows. Ash used at the big factories has a higher ratio of poor pieces than with smaller boutique builders, or other US builders, probably because it is a US wood.

Mahogany:
Open grained with large pores, Mahogany has a more uniform grain pattern and density than Swamp Ash. Its density is constant within the ring and from one ring to the next. So it’s rigidity is inherent in its composition, not in a “skeleton” with soft sections in between. It’s constant density compresses the mids a little, and this can be considered a thick sound, because it does still produce good lows and low mids. Without the mids popping out, being responsive to dynamics, its more of a “wall of sound” Its not that it isn’t midrangey, because it resonates those guitar frequencies well, but its not as responsive to them as an Alder or Ash. It also combs away more upper midrange frequencies for a more nasal sound. It has a good balance of fundamental and overtones for higher register soloing. High notes are richer and thicker than Alder or

Ash.
Production notes: There are many different kinds of Mahogany, and unless it has a sparkle to it like some of the Japanese and US guitars it will have a similar sound from one piece to the next. A nicer piece of mahogany has an iridescence to it usually combined with what looks like wide stripes, almost as if it’s been pieced together by multiple 1” strips. Catalog photos often reveal that the endorser gets a better piece than the production line.

Walnut:
A darker wood with Ash-like grains, but like mahogany, the density is uniform. It is harder and denser than Mahogany so the tone is brighter, but the open grains make for a complex midrange that seems to be compressed in some frequencies, but dynamic in others. There’s a nasal response to rhythms, while solo notes jump out. It has a lot of advantageous features of the other main guitar woods. It has a snappy attack and solid lows like Ash, but with smooth highs like Mahogany, and textured mids like Alder. The drawbacks are that it’s heavier, and more stubborn in its sound. It doesn’t respond to random pickup changes. The pickups have to be well suited to the guitar. A Walnut body will dictate the tonal signature of the guitar more than the other main woods. A heavy piece will dampen the mids to produce an overly nasal and lifeless sound, so it needs to be light and open grained enough to resonate the main guitar frequencies.
Production notes: Again watch for heavy pieces. The extra weight adds nothing good to the sound except perhaps more sustain. But sustain is abundant in Walnut already.

Koa:
Oilier than Mahogany or Walnut, its denser than Mahogany but not as bright as Walnut, due to its actual makeup. It’s an oilier wood like Rosewood, and that dampens some highs in the attack. But then its density makes up for it a little. Think of the highs as present, but compressed. They don’t jump out like glass breaking. They are more omnipresent. And they are more in the upper midrange than the highs. That’s either a very musical sound for someone interested in fundamental, or a less expressive sound for someone into playing hard picking blues.
Production notes: Koa is rare, and it’s expensive with dramatic price fluctuations. It’s often a high cost upgrade. Figured Koa is very expensive, more rare, and cut for tops.

Korina:
Somewhat of a “super-mahogany” or “mahogany deluxe” its grains are similar and so is its sound. It’s said to have a sweeter midrange, and be more responsive. Although the grains look similar the material itself is slightly less dense. So if it weighed more than a same-sized mahogany piece it would more likely be due to higher moisture content than higher density.

Production notes: Rarely used, it is more expensive and rare than garden variety Mahoganies. The price of a Korina guitar usually reflects this, plus a little extra markup.

Soft Maple:
Used extensively in Korea, it’s not as hard as hard maple. But it’s a little heavy, bright in the upper midrange, and dull sounding in the lows. The extreme snappy highs aren’t there either because the pores are so tight that the highs get compressed. Some redeeming qualities can be brought from it with the right pickups, if you like a brassy, searing upper midrange sound for the bridge or a dry, combed rhythm sound.

jonny danger

Neck woods:

Maple:
The most common electric guitar neck wood, Maple has a uniform grain, it’s strong and stable, and it has less reaction from environmental changes than other hardwoods. Its tone is highly reflective, and focuses more energy onto the body wood. All things being equal, bolt-on Maple necks are less of a factor on the guitar’s tone and emphasize the body wood.

Mahogany:
The even density makes stable necks, and the open pores make the neck a little more responsive than a maple neck. The Mahogany will absorb a little more of the string vibration than Maple will, and compresses the attack and the highs a little.

Koa:
The tone is somewhere between Mahogany and Maple with a little sweeter top end.

Rosewood:
Heavy, oily wood, a Rosewood neck will produce excellent sustain while also smoothening out the highs. Generally with greater sustain comes a brighter top end. This is not true of Rosewood. It mutes the high frequency overtones, producing a strong fundamental that still has the complexities of mid and low mid overtones.

Wenge:
Stiff, strong, and stable, Wenge trims some high overtones like Rosewood does, while resonating more fundamental mids and low mids due to it’s multi-density “stripes” combing away a little more of the mid and low mid overtones.

Fretboard Woods:
Perhaps more significant than neck wood, the fretboard is the place your string launches from. It is the “bridge” on the other side. Fretboard differences are as dramatic as those between a hardtail and a tremolo.

Maple:
Very bright and dense, Maple is highly reflective. When used on a fretboard, Maple encourages tremendous amounts of higher overtones and its tight, almost filtered away bass favors harmonics and variations in pick attack.

Rosewood:
The most common fretboard, Rosewood is naturally oily, and works well for any surface that sees frequent human contact. The sound is richer in fundamental than Maple because the stray overtones are absorbed into the oily pores

Ebony:
Ebony has a snappy, crisp attack with the density of Maple, but with more brittle grains, oilier pores, and a stronger fundamental tone than Maple. It has a tremendous amount of percussive overtones in the pick attack, that mute out shortly thereafter to foster great, long, sustain.

Pao Ferro:
Quite simply, Pao Ferro is a wood that falls between Rosewood and Ebony, and the tone follows suit. It has a snappier attack than rosewood, with good sustain, and its warmer sounding than Ebony. Some consider Pao Ferro to represent their favorite aspects of the two.

996ttcab

That Gold top is sweet. Is that a 50s model?

S-71, I have seen those, but never played one that I know of. Cool item.

jonny danger

It always amazes me to know the Stratocaster and the Les Paul are soo old yet never really been improved. Some designers get it right the first time.

Notice above how a maple top dampens the highs when it's glued onto a mahogany bottom. Now Senor Gibson didn't know that, it was discovered by experimentation. You'd think maple being more dense would have the opposite effect. That's why the SG has a stingier tone, for example.

For me the Strat is the most comfortable guitar to play. Many musicians aren't at ease with that thin sound, and the neck scale takes a bit of getting used to if you're a long-time Gibson man. . Strats are easy to tweak. You need a pick-up with more windings. But then the tones in the 2nd and 4th switch position (two PUs) has a real nice mid sound. Clapton calls it "the lady tone."

That LP in the photo is a gold top, it's not mine. Mine was older, all gold. I sold it for $500 in 1980. I bet it's worth $5000 today. I also had the TV 2PU model, yellowish stained mahogany with thin Fender-like frets.

Yo, let's keep this thread alive so we can talk about guitar shit, alright?

Umbuku

I came across this guys website when searching for pictures of an S-1 before.

Man, he has a nice collection.

boogity

__________________
The free man thinks about nothing so little as death; his mind is focused upon life, not upon death. I always feel a bit sad when I see someone who thinks that the purpose of life is something other than living.

jonny danger

This Chiorboy was copied by a Korean company called, RIVA. I brought one to Thailand when I arrived. Sold it tho, dammit. Had the old Firebird PUs, small humbuckers, semi hollow. Great Blues guitar.

__________________
“The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie”

996ttcab

The Deluxe Fender Stratocaster with the maple top and the double coil or humbucker is a Les Paul converter. Strat lovers looking for more of a Les Paul type of sound pick these up and say no need to ever buy a Les Paul. Les Paul people pick these up and like the sound and the feel. That guitar is the best of both worlds in my opinion.

.:: Fender®.com ::.

I agree that Stratocaster feels the best to play. Les Pauls can be bulky, thick feeling around fret 19, and some feel that the arch top gets in the way of strumming. I used to play classical and had a Randy Rhodes eddition back in the day so I learned on wide flat necks. I like picking on the more narrow necked guitars, but I believe my left hand position feels more natural on the wider necks. For example, I can pick like mad on a Stratocaster, especially on songs like Master of Puppets or the faster portions of One. The Les Paul would be my choice for sound, sustain, tone and feel on the slower parts on One.

jonny danger

LP is okay unless you play every night. I like the thick necks. The C Strat V-neck is my fav. and my hands are small. Fret height is a particular too. Hate them too low, hate them too high. I also hate that varnish on Fender maple fingerboards, and I usually take it off, brings the frets up to a better level too. One thing Strats don't do very well with is movement off your body. That cut-away kinda locks it in place, even tough just a little. The SG LP is a fav of mine too, but they're neck-heavy, so are SGs in general.

__________________
“The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie”

Killing Me Softly 101

Finally a thread where you have added content. About time. Good luck. But still no welcome party.

And still waiting for the utility bill from a Florida Electric or Water company.

__________________
One day I woke up and my rose coloured glasses were opaque.

Lotuslevi

They made a Bonnie Rait custom strat for women and the vertically challenged as the regular fender is more geared towards larger people. I fit into the small person category.

__________________
more time for wastin'

jonny danger