I'd come to this conclusion long ago when the question of how much tone woods affect your electronic signal came up.
(But there's still that matter of looking good!)
https://youtu.be/n02tImce3AE
Proof enough for me.
Moderator: J D Sauser
I think it would depend on the application. A humbucker just seems wrong for Hawaiian or swing music, but would be fine for rock or blues. As a player, my favorite pickup is a Rickenbacker horseshoe or similar.
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J D Sauser
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Everybody ought to take the full time to watch thru this whole video Thomas Bray posted.
It's mind boggling and throws pretty much ALL assumed knowledge out'a the window (and picture, it's winter and the window is CLOSED) it's that drastic
<iframe></iframe>
... J-D.
It's mind boggling and throws pretty much ALL assumed knowledge out'a the window (and picture, it's winter and the window is CLOSED) it's that drastic
<iframe></iframe>
... J-D.
__________________________________________________________
A Little Mental Health Warning:
Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.
I say it humorously, but I mean it.
A Little Mental Health Warning:
Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.
I say it humorously, but I mean it.
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Steven Pearce
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Dave Mudgett
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This was discussed here - https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=377709
Sorry, not proof enough for me. IMHO, the idea that basically the only thing that matters in tone is the scale length, pickup/placement, and electronics is bunk. I've heard too many different types of guitars with the same exact pickup/electronics/amp/etc. that sound very different that I beg to differ. E.g, a really heavy Tele and a really light Tele with the exact same pickups and effects/amp/etc. sound really different to me. I've done the experiment - but in the room with a bunch of people playing and listening. I also find natural sustain different too. I also find different solid-body guitars (e.g., again real light vs. real heavy Teles) often react very differently to the the way a guitar is played. I can often even feel/hear the difference before plugging in. The difference between my cast aluminum Clinesmith and any other lap steel I've ever played is stark - acoustically, with the amp, I don't care, it is palpably different. On the other hand, if one can't tell the difference, I guess it doesn't matter.
I didn't state this on that other thread - but there is also the impact of the recording setup. Depending on how that's done, it can mask a lot of tonal differences.
This is not intended to discourage anyone from building their own guitars out of whatever materials they want. But I think the materials do in fact matter. Sometimes quite a lot. IMHO.
Sorry, not proof enough for me. IMHO, the idea that basically the only thing that matters in tone is the scale length, pickup/placement, and electronics is bunk. I've heard too many different types of guitars with the same exact pickup/electronics/amp/etc. that sound very different that I beg to differ. E.g, a really heavy Tele and a really light Tele with the exact same pickups and effects/amp/etc. sound really different to me. I've done the experiment - but in the room with a bunch of people playing and listening. I also find natural sustain different too. I also find different solid-body guitars (e.g., again real light vs. real heavy Teles) often react very differently to the the way a guitar is played. I can often even feel/hear the difference before plugging in. The difference between my cast aluminum Clinesmith and any other lap steel I've ever played is stark - acoustically, with the amp, I don't care, it is palpably different. On the other hand, if one can't tell the difference, I guess it doesn't matter.
I didn't state this on that other thread - but there is also the impact of the recording setup. Depending on how that's done, it can mask a lot of tonal differences.
This is not intended to discourage anyone from building their own guitars out of whatever materials they want. But I think the materials do in fact matter. Sometimes quite a lot. IMHO.
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J D Sauser
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I think we have to differentiate 3 types of approaches and outcomes.
1- Scale length, solid yet "neutral" anchor, pickup. = The "unaffected"/"neutral" outcome
2- same as above but worse materials and outcome
3- same as above but better outcome.
What I am trying to say is, we often compare guitars with a slew of alternate options... but never to a "neutral" or "base line", which makes it very difficult to pin-point exactly WHAT brought about the change for better or worse, as it may indeed be a combination of factors.
... J-D.
1- Scale length, solid yet "neutral" anchor, pickup. = The "unaffected"/"neutral" outcome
2- same as above but worse materials and outcome
3- same as above but better outcome.
What I am trying to say is, we often compare guitars with a slew of alternate options... but never to a "neutral" or "base line", which makes it very difficult to pin-point exactly WHAT brought about the change for better or worse, as it may indeed be a combination of factors.
... J-D.
__________________________________________________________
A Little Mental Health Warning:
Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.
I say it humorously, but I mean it.
A Little Mental Health Warning:
Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.
I say it humorously, but I mean it.
-
Dave Mudgett
- Moderator
- Posts: 9648
- Joined: 16 Jul 2004 12:01 am
- Location: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
In the specific 'shootout' I mentioned above, we took several Telecasters and Stratocasters and just switched harnesses - pickups, electronics, everything - and ran them through the same amp (my '65 blackface Deluxe Reverb) on the same settings. Same strings - Ernest T. Ball Regular Slinkies - with action set the same (we measured with the same stainless steel ruler that measures down to 32nds of an inch, that I still use for this purpose). This is 23-24 years ago, when I was running a guitar store. Some days we had too much time on our hands, and on Thursdays, we were open late and our amp tech was generally on hand. We all hung out after hours with local players to the extent that we weren't gigging that night, screwing around with guitars and amps. Sometimes there was beer involved. 
There are a lot of factors, even with the same general design, like a Tele or a Strat. Not just body materials/design or neck materials/design, but bridge assembly particulars, tremelo (or not), fret size (and sometimes material), tuners, and so on. But they were all Teles and Strats with the exact same pickup/wiring harness, and thus same distance from strings, and so on.
And I never said anything about 'better' or 'worse'. Most of us just found them 'different' from each other. One guy would bond with one guitar, another with another, no doubt partly based on sound, partly based on playability, how the guitar reacted to a particular player's playing (which obviously includes the reaction from the amp if plugged in), how it felt, or whatever.
There are a lot of factors, even with the same general design, like a Tele or a Strat. Not just body materials/design or neck materials/design, but bridge assembly particulars, tremelo (or not), fret size (and sometimes material), tuners, and so on. But they were all Teles and Strats with the exact same pickup/wiring harness, and thus same distance from strings, and so on.
And I never said anything about 'better' or 'worse'. Most of us just found them 'different' from each other. One guy would bond with one guitar, another with another, no doubt partly based on sound, partly based on playability, how the guitar reacted to a particular player's playing (which obviously includes the reaction from the amp if plugged in), how it felt, or whatever.