Okay... so if wood doesn't matter.... and scale length doesn't matter....

[Orvillain]

Then what is it about my previous Ibanez guitars that made them sound so cool, but also so very thin at the same time? When compared to a Les Paul for instance. Same pickups in both circumstances.

I started off on an Ibanez. A cheap one mind you. I put Bareknuckles in it, then Duncans, and it never really sounded "phat" in the lows like my Les Paul does.

A few years back I owned an Ibanez RG721, and I loved how it looked, I even loved how it sounded.... but for our stuff, it didn't bring the low-end beef. I did a few shows with it, and then went back to my Les Paul. Love the beef. Felt like home.

What say you?

 

[spawnofthesith]

I don't personally buy into guitar construction nihilism

 

[spawnofthesith]

And, as someone who actually works in a scientific field, those videos "scientifically proving" that none of those things matter are really irritating

 

[jellodog]

Same pickups in both circumstances.

Was it the same pot, cap, resistor values? Same wiring?

Mind you, even with the "same" pot values you get variance, same as any other resistor.

 

[Orvillain]

Was it the same pot, cap, resistor values? Same wiring?

Mind you, even with the "same" pot values you get variance, same as any other resistor.

Yup, but not the EXACT same ones. Same values though. 20% tolerance between pots, so yeah....

 

[TSJMajesty]

Then what is it about my previous Ibanez guitars that made them sound so cool, but also so very thin at the same time?

I don't know the answer, specifically, but whenever a guitar seems to sound thin, I would look at the location of the bridge PU, compared to other guitars as one possible reason. Like, you know how on some guitars that PU is angled with the low end more towards the headstock?

It's definitely a thing when it comes to the neck PU on 22 vs. 24 fret guitars.

And honestly, if I was concerned about scale length and how it affects the tone, I would probably sit down and make myself a spreadsheet showing the various string tensions, for different string gauges across different scale lengths, just so I could accurately compare things side-by-side.

It could be revealing, in that perhaps comparing a set of say, 9's on a 25.5" scale guitar, vs. 10's on a 24.75" (LP, e.g.) shows the tension to be different enough that that's a reason you hear them differently...?

That's actually an experiment I've thought about doing, but haven't gotten around to it. Could actually be fun (if you like that sort of thing), since you could just set up the formula for calculating the tension, then just drop in the various string sizes and scale lengths and see the results quickly.

Hmmm, now I'm thinking... I may do this. TBC

 

[the-trooper]

Who said scale length doesn't matter?

 

[jellodog]

It's definitely a thing when it comes to the neck PU on 22 vs. 24 fret guitars.

YES! 22 frets and neck pickup all day long

It really does matter.

 

[TSJMajesty]

YES! 22 frets and neck pickup all day long

My first thought is that it has to do with the PU being located right under the first harmonic, but in reality that would only be a factor when playing those harmonics or open strings, which of course happens, but not that often. So it must just simply be that the further you get away from the bridge, the warmer the tone of the string.

Which reminds me..., have any of you guys ever actually placed your ear right next to the underside of the neck when playing? The guitar has a unique tone there, that has made me wonder if it would be possible to somehow amplify that sound. I know. Weird.

 

[Justincase]

I play my Ibanez in drop D or drop C....sounds phat as phuck

 

[Justincase]

 

[Gearzilla]

Here’s my opinion:

Everything matters. Some elements are more easily observed than others, and certain elements have a more typically pronounced effect.

 

[Orvillain]

ewwww

 

[jellodog]

Another thought to add to the rapidly growing thonk pile here:

I can make my pickups in the same guitar sound fat or thin with pickup height variance too. Sometimes I fall out of love with the same pickups I love again weeks later after some height tweaking

@Orvillain Did you measure pickup height and adjust that to be exactly the same too, after moving them? Can we rule that out in this case?

 

[surffisherman]

OF COURSE tonewood matters . I sent a message to George Lynch about tonewood and he responded right back, I was shocked ., He went into depth about what his guitars are made of and what sound the different body and neck woods would produce . Great guy

Ask John Suhr or Tom Anderson if tonewood matters .


https://acoustics.ippt.pan.pl/index.php/aa/article/view/2949/pdf_582


Research Paper On the Audibility of Electric Guitar Tonewood

 

[Justincase]

 

[Orvillain]

Another thought to add to the rapidly growing thonk pile here:

I can make my pickups in the same guitar sound fat or thin with pickup height variance too. Sometimes I fall out of love with the same pickups I love again weeks later after some height tweaking

@Orvillain Did you measure pickup height and adjust that to be exactly the same too, after moving them? Can we rule that out in this case?

Nah, nothing as scientific as that.

 

[Piing]

Oh! My guitar sounds so honky! What pickups do you recommend?

Oh! My guitar sounds so thin! What pickups do you recommend?

Oh! My guitar sounds so muddy! What pickups do you recommend?

After than silly rant, I must say that I had a Suhr Pro Series that was totally lifeless and dull. Not even the Supraharmonic G-Spot-Exciter Dynamic Compressor Enhancer Vibrator features of the Axe-FX could bring that guitar to life. It was a defunct piece of lumber only good for a fireplace. I verified the pots, caps and wiring, and it had the same Suhr Aldrich bridge pickup as my basswood RG550LTD, which is my #1 guitar. And it was signed by John Suhr at the back of the headstock!

So definitively yes, wood matters. But it is hard to make generalizations because even the same kind of wood can bring very different results.

 

[Stone]

Well the Misses says yes Wood & scale length does matter

 

[ManWithGas]

Well the Misses says yes Wood scale length does matter

Without nails of course..........................ouch!