Electric guitar acoustic sound changes

[SillyOctpuss]

Some folks will disagree with me on this but I only buy electric guitars that also sound good unplugged and don't sound dead or muted.

I have a couple of friends who say it doesn't matter and that only the amplified tones matters. Because I play mine acoustically round the house as well as plugged in I prefer instruments that ring really well and are pleasing to play unplugged as well as plugged in.

Four years ago I had a pretty high end tele partscaster put together by the chaps at Feline Guitars in London. It was the third time I'd done this and annoyingly the first time I'd felt a bit disappointed with the result. The guitar looked great, played fantastically, the tuning stability was rock solid and plugged in sounded awesome, however, unplugged was really disappointing. It sounded really thin and plinky.

I kept the guitar because it did sound fantastic plugged in and played great but was always disappointed with the acoustic performance so only ever played it plugged in.

Fast forward to four years later and it sounds fantastic unplugged now. It genuinely sounds like a different guitar, the sound is so much deeper and more resonant. I've heard my acoustic guitars tone change from new but I've never observed this in an electric before.

Have any of you lot had an electric whose sound has drastically changed over time without changing out any parts other than strings?

 

[Eagle]

The acoustic sound is very important ,sustain and its ability to ring harmoniously are entirely acoustic properties of all electric guitars. The only one that’s not important for electric guitar that is for acoustic is volume. You are right about it changing over time and how much you play it. You need to play over all the neck to keep the acoustic tone at its best.
This is why vintage instruments can sound so good. Everything starts to ring together. John Suhr was experimenting with vibration of new instruments to improve the properties.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

The acoustic sound is very important ,sustain and its ability to ring harmoniously are entirely acoustic properties of all electric guitars. The only one that’s not important for electric guitar that is for acoustic is volume. You are right about it changing over time and how much you play it. You need to play over all the neck to keep the acoustic tone at its best.
This is why vintage instruments can sound so good. Everything starts to ring together. John Suhr was experimenting with vibration of new instruments to improve the properties.

I'm just so surprised at how much it has changed but it gets played a lot. It's my main gigging guitar these days along with the prs in my avatar.

 

[Eagle]

I'm just so surprised at how much it has changed but it gets played a lot. It's my main gigging guitar these days along with the prs in my avatar.

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Telecasters have a great acoustic tone I often play mine unplugged.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Telecasters have a great acoustic tone I often play mine unplugged.
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What's the specs on that one? Is that another one of your own builds?

 

[Eagle]

What's the specs on that one? Is that another one of your own builds?

Yes Broadcaster clone with a 16” radius and stainless steel Jescar57110

 

[Eagle]

It has Abby Y broadcaster pickups and blend wiring .

 

[laxu]

I haven't found much correlation between the acoustic sound of a solid-body electric guitar vs its electric sound. I have guitars that feel very resonant (you can feel the vibration of the neck and body when playing acoustically), and others that are more "dead." They all still sound just fine when plugged in, with sustain to spare, no noticeable dead spots etc.

A good number of the guitars I own are 20, 30, 40 years old. To me they don't sound better or worse than the newer 2-10 year old guitars I own. I have absolutely no idea if their sound has changed over time. Even the oldest one I have (a Yamaha SA-1200S semi-hollowbody from the late 1970s or early 1980s), I've owned for 20 years now. It's impossible for me to say anything about how those guitars sounded a decade or two ago. Probably good because I kept them all these years.

If I want to play acoustically I'd rather pick up my acoustic or use my full hollowbody Schecter Coupe for that.

 

[TSJMajesty]

If that power lumbar in your driver's seat doesn't hit your lower back just right, the car will still get you to work. But you don't feel as good driving it.

I was just now playing my 20th Majesty unplugged, and I agree about acoustic resonance. I don't want a dull-sounding guitar, even though it will still sound good amplified. I probably cannot tell the difference, but I'd wager at the very least, it won't be as harmonically rich as one that "sings", unplugged.

And no, I can't say that I've ever experienced a guitar's sound changing over time like you describe, but I can certainly agree on the possibility.

I have 9, between 45 years old and 1.

 

[Eagle]

I haven't found much correlation between the acoustic sound of a solid-body electric guitar vs its electric sound. I have guitars that feel very resonant (you can feel the vibration of the neck and body when playing acoustically), and others that are more "dead." They all still sound just fine when plugged in, with sustain to spare, no noticeable dead spots etc.

A good number of the guitars I own are 20, 30, 40 years old. To me they don't sound better or worse than the newer 2-10 year old guitars I own. I have absolutely no idea if their sound has changed over time. Even the oldest one I have (a Yamaha SA-1200S semi-hollowbody from the late 1970s or early 1980s), I've owned for 20 years now. It's impossible for me to say anything about how those guitars sounded a decade or two ago. Probably good because I kept them all these years.

If I want to play acoustically I'd rather pick up my acoustic or use my full hollowbody Schecter Coupe for that.

Dead spots and sustain are both functions of the acoustic properties of the instrument first and foremost but you can drag a bit extra out of them with feedback.
I have never come across an exceptional electric guitar that wasn’t also equally exceptional unplugged.

 

[Baba]

I've never heard that phenomena, BUT, that might be because I agree with the OP, 1,000%, and won't buy a guitar that doesn't sing acoustically.

When trying them out, I play them MUCH more unplugged than I do plugged in. My #1 is one that I played unplugged in some guy's garage, while making a CG trade. Never even plugged it in, but it's now my #1.

 

[Devin]

Most of my fave guitars are loud and resonant as hell when played acoustically

It's actually quite important to me because I'll often just grab one and play it unplugged if a riff or melody pops in to my head; generally more often than my actual acoustic guitars

 

[metropolis_4]

I love when I’m playing an electric guitar plugged in and I can feel the vibration in the neck and body as it resonates.

Don’t know if it actually makes a difference to how it sounds to anyone else, but it’s nice as a player

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Don’t know if it actually makes a difference to how it sounds to anyone else, but it’s nice as a player

That's probably all that really matters.