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Topic: Soil ??? |
Al Miller
From:
Waxahachie Texas
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Posted 31 Oct 2006 11:05 am |
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Ok Fellas this thread on tone and sustain mod has got me to thinking ...
How many of us truely know where the "WOOD" that your guitar was made Is from and was grown? and better yet what type of soil it was grown in? or what region of the world the wood come from ?...is this really an issue to some people Just curios..
Boo Miller [This message was edited by Al Miller on 31 October 2006 at 08:46 PM.] [This message was edited by Al Miller on 01 November 2006 at 06:44 AM.] |
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Bill Moore
From:
Manchester, Michigan
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Posted 31 Oct 2006 1:26 pm
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Black soil would probably make it sound the best!  |
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Joe Smith
From:
Charlotte, NC, USA
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Posted 31 Oct 2006 1:52 pm
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Well Boo, it would depend on if it was clean dirt or dirty dirt.
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My playing sounds more like it did before than it does now
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Curt Langston
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Posted 31 Oct 2006 1:59 pm
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Well, how about this: When the guitar's body was cut and planed, was there a full moon? You know the moons pull on the Earth will cause the tides to roll way out. So, it stands to reason that if your guitar was built under a full moon, you may have better tone than those guitars that were built while the moon was just a crescent! After all, the moons gravitational pull on the wood of the guitar would "draw out" any anomalies or imperfections in the wood, thus creating the perfect resonance!
So, not only do you have the Mullen and the Mullen Royal Precision to choose from, but also, the "Full Moon" Mullen as your options!
(No disrespect to Mullen Guitars intended. Just using the name as an example) |
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Al Miller
From:
Waxahachie Texas
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Posted 31 Oct 2006 3:08 pm
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LOL
Maby this should be moved to the humor section . that is brilliant curt... LOL
Boo Miller [This message was edited by Al Miller on 31 October 2006 at 03:09 PM.] |
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Fred Justice
From:
Mesa, Arizona
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Posted 31 Oct 2006 3:35 pm
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Boo, I'm gonna have to find you a day job somewhere buddy, you got way to much time on your hands. 
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Fred Justice,
Justice Custom Cases & Cabinets,
Fred's Music, www.fredjusticemusic.com
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Brian Henry
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Posted 31 Oct 2006 3:55 pm
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| Another factor that we might consider as well as the soil is the type of water used to water the tree from which the wood was sawn to make the steel guitar cabinet. The ph can make a great difference. Acidic water will give a more mellow "resonance potential", whereas alkali water will give a brighter "resonance potential". [This message was edited by tbhenry on 05 November 2006 at 08:50 AM.] |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 31 Oct 2006 3:55 pm
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Part of Al's question certainly has some validity.
Many wood species...even varieties of the same species...can significantly affect guitar tone. It's not as huge an issue in pedal steel construction as six-string, where there's little metal reinforcement and no basic metal substructure.
But wood is by its nature a resonant material, and it can enhance (or kill) certain overtones, change sustain qualities, affect weight, etc.
This is why you will see acoustic guitar players pay thousands of dollars more for a dreadnaught with a Brazilian rosewood back/sides set over an East Indian one. The differences may be subtle (and depend on the construction as well) but do make a difference.
On steel, with all the metal parts, heavy changer/bridge, pickup jammed up against the bridge, etc, it's less of an issue, but still can have an effect. Personally, with normal steel construction the LAST wood I would consider for the bulk of the body would be maple; you already have a physical setup that is going to enhance treble, and maple inherently has a bright resonance. I would think Rosewood, Mahogany, Cedar or Koa would be far superior tonal choices. Move the pickup away from the bridge, and Maple's effect would be smoothed out to a degree. |
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Colm Chomicky
From:
Kansas, (Prairie Village)
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Posted 31 Oct 2006 4:47 pm
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| Certainly soil makes the difference for grapes and wine. I'd get a tree from vineyard country if you really want your ax to whine. |
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Bill Duve
From:
Limestone .New York, USA
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Posted 31 Oct 2006 5:07 pm
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Jims right for part,
In bars use white ash, (baseball bat stuff)I dont know about the dirt but im a woodworking mill electrician retired and wood I know, Im already thinking of A nice fat glued up club of African Ribon Mahogany for this old MSA and I cant even play yet heee-hee..... |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 1 Nov 2006 5:36 am
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T.B., you had me going for a minute there.
I was buying it, wondering what PHisohex or PropaPH would do for my guitar.  |
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Curt Langston
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Posted 1 Nov 2006 6:45 am
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Soil?.......
Thats what you will do to your underwear when you realize that you cannot find any mod on your guitar, after sending it off. |
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Al Miller
From:
Waxahachie Texas
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Posted 1 Nov 2006 7:49 am
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I tend to feel pretty strong about The tone of my mullen guitar and Del mullen, and His family and this thing started with this fellow stating or someone stating MULLEN TONE MOD.. so it ruffled my feathers
i didnt entend to put this fellow down in anyway it just seems far fethced to me and a little too deep . and out of respect for the builder (OF ANY BRAND) we shouldnt say "Hey I Can Make your Guitar sound better than you can cause i know more about it" those people have put there life into building Every one of us a great instrument .. if we want a guitar that sounds so much differnt than the leading brands than we sould imbark on Building our own . i hope i didnt PI#@ anyone off its just my opinion and we all have one ...
Boo Miller |
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John Fabian
From:
Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 1 Nov 2006 7:50 am
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It probably is not much of an issue to most people other than instrument builders.
The question is not frivolous.
The grain and density of the wood from each individual tree varies even though they may be genetically identical trees.
The quality of the air, amount and type of sunlight, temperature, humidity, soil nutrient and mineral content, type and amount and attacks of pests, fungii etc. all have an impact on a tree's growth and consequently the wood that comes from it. Different grain patterns can enhance or detract from the desired timbre and tone of a musical instrument. Some highly figured patterns can be less desirable than straight grain patterns and vica-versa. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve "sound-wise".
Maple is a very good compromise for steels due to the structural demands placed on the cabinet, desire for stability, and the apparent tone desires expressed by the vast majority of players.
[This message was edited by John Fabian on 01 November 2006 at 07:57 AM.] |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 1 Nov 2006 1:19 pm
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Thanks for the dose of reality, John. I'm getting tired of these childish rants.
(edited for grammar)[This message was edited by Mike Wheeler on 01 November 2006 at 04:35 PM.] |
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Curt Langston
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Posted 1 Nov 2006 1:23 pm
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Hey Mike,
Hop on over to "Off Topic" if you want to see some real rants.
I DO know how to throw down some rants!
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Gary Preston
From:
Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Posted 1 Nov 2006 1:29 pm
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| If it was grown in '' sugar cane country '' the sound would be much sweeter !!!! G.P. |
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Henry Matthews
From:
Texarkana, Ark USA
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Posted 1 Nov 2006 2:18 pm
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| What would a steel sound like if the cabinet were made of another hardwood, say oak? Has anyone tried this? |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 1 Nov 2006 2:50 pm
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| Maybe that would be a better place to persue this. |
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Brian Henry
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Posted 1 Nov 2006 3:15 pm
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| . [This message was edited by tbhenry on 05 November 2006 at 08:47 AM.] |
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Tommy Young
From:
Ethelsville Alabama
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Posted 2 Nov 2006 6:18 am
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| john i do appreciate your post on this subject as some people dont have a clue what u builders have do deal with while making these wonderful instruments that we playand love, and to add to thisu must also know the types of aluminum hardness of steels types of and hardness of each anodizing how deep what kind is best, the lacquers what kind will last longest and many other such aspects of the STEELGUITAR so if any of u want to start building a guitar think before u bark thanks your friend tommy |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2006 7:57 am
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| I would love to try an all-wood mahogany steel, but it's a $2000 experiment that might not work - YOU build it, and I'll let you know what I think... |
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John Fabian
From:
Mesquite, Texas USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 2 Nov 2006 9:08 am
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| I would love to try an all-wood mahogany steel |
Been there. Done That.
We built an all-wood mahogany steel for one of the forum members. Maybe he'll read this and comment on it. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 2 Nov 2006 10:30 am
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| Quote: |
| maple inherently has a bright resonance. |
I know this is true. I have an all maple LP style guitar that is way too bright sounding. I have to EQ out some of the treble when I play it.
But at the same, my maple MSA has a dark sound. It might be the pickup, or the way i set my amp, but the maple MSA sounds darker than either my dieboard/mica one or my millennium.
Maybe it's just tht one individual tree. I don't pretend to know the answer.
BTW I think the best sounding guitar in my collection is a Japanese LP from the late 80s, (brand name Vega) whose body is carved from a single piece of mahogany. Here are some pics.
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quote:
Great minds discuss ideas.
Common minds discuss events.
Small minds discuss people.- Eleanor Roosevelt
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My web site
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 2 Nov 2006 10:31 am
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| Quote: |
| We built an all-wood mahogany steel for one of the forum members. |
John. What is YOUR opinion of the guitar? |
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