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

[DrewJD82]

Not even the Supraharmonic G-Spot-Exciter Dynamic Compressor Enhancer Vibrator features of the Axe-FX could bring that guitar to life.

Sh*t, I’m really behind on updates!

 

[Orvillain]

Who said scale length doesn't matter?

Some dude on the internet!!!

 

[DrewJD82]

There’s only one answer to this- buy more guitars. Just keep buying them until you have so many, you have one guitar perfect for each thing you want to do.

I know for myself (and I suspect the overwhelming majority of others) is that there is a huge amount of crossover between what we’re hearing and what we’re feeling, physically, as we play. Separating these things doesn’t seem to be an easy task and more often than not, confirm our biases. There are so many variables involved in this stuff that we have zero control over that while I have certain wood/spec preferences, they’re more about ensuring a guitar feels the way I want; I love ebony fingerboards and stainless steel frets. There’s not much out there that feels as smooth as that to me and I really enjoy it, but I always go back to “what difference is this going to make in a mix, live or recorded?” and 9x out of 10 it just doesn’t matter because that extra bit of “top end” you’re hearing and believing is the result of the stainless steel frets can be completely wiped away by adjusting the treble of the amp, slightly adjustment of a mic or EQ. Or you swear you can hear the difference all day long when playing in the room you always play in, then you move the same rig with the same settings to another room and all of a sudden it’s gone and you’re adjusting your amp to bring it back again so you can say “Ah yeah, there it is! I knew it!”

So I’m not really being sarcastic with my opening line, I started buying guitars for the tones they’re known for, which often confirm my biases over how nothing sounds as big as a Strat on the neck pickup with a clean tone than a Strat on the neck pickup, or that my Solar is the ultimate metal guitar because it’s a 10lb Explorer with pickups designed by a guy known for chugging, or my JEM is the ultimate guitar for lead playing because of how effortless it is to pull of technical sh*t on it and because the way the pickups are wound the leads just jump out of a mix with little effort, so on and so forth. All this sh*t can be done with other guitars, but they all confirm my little biases and idiosyncrasies that make me want to pick them up for specific purposes.

How’s that for nihilistic consumerism? Nothing f*cking matters, buy it all.

 

[Orvillain]

Oh! My guitar sounds so honky! What pickups do you recommend?
View attachment 1521
Oh! My guitar sounds so thin! What pickups do you recommend?
View attachment 1522
Oh! My guitar sounds so muddy! What pickups do you recommend?
View attachment 1523

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.

In all seriousness, you should be cognizant of what EQ actually DOES to your signal. It isn't the first port of call for me, because of phase relationships - particularly with multi-mic sources, but still true with a singular source.

EQ works by manipulating the phase of a signal and performing phase cancellation in order to give you the boost and cut you're looking for. Which often has negative side effects such a pre-ringing, Haas effect, and deconstructive phase relationships.


All in all, it isn't the first tool I reach for. I'd rather move a microphone, change an IR, or indeed change a pickup, before I even make a move towards an EQ.

 

[Orvillain]

There’s only one answer to this- buy more guitars. Just keep buying them until you have so many, you have one guitar perfect for each thing you want to do.

I know for myself (and I suspect the overwhelming majority of others) is that there is a huge amount of crossover between what we’re hearing and what we’re feeling, physically, as we play. Separating these things doesn’t seem to be an easy task and more often than not, confirm our biases. There are so many variables involved in this stuff that we have zero control over that while I have certain wood/spec preferences, they’re more about ensuring a guitar feels the way I want; I love ebony fingerboards and stainless steel frets. There’s not much out there that feels as smooth as that to me and I really enjoy it, but I always go back to “what difference is this going to make in a mix, live or recorded?” and 9x out of 10 it just doesn’t matter because that extra bit of “top end” you’re hearing and believing is the result of the stainless steel frets can be completely wiped away by adjusting the treble of the amp, slightly adjustment of a mic or EQ. Or you swear you can hear the difference all day long when playing in the room you always play in, then you move the same rig with the same settings to another room and all of a sudden it’s gone and you’re adjusting your amp to bring it back again so you can say “Ah yeah, there it is! I knew it!”

So I’m not really being sarcastic with my opening line, I started buying guitars for the tones they’re known for, which often confirm my biases over how nothing sounds as big as a Strat on the neck pickup with a clean tone than a Strat on the neck pickup, or that my Solar is the ultimate metal guitar because it’s a 10lb Explorer with pickups designed by a guy known for chugging, or my JEM is the ultimate guitar for lead playing because of how effortless it is to pull of technical sh*t on it and because the way the pickups are wound the leads just jump out of a mix with little effort, so on and so forth. All this sh*t can be done with other guitars, but they all confirm my little biases and idiosyncrasies that make me want to pick them up for specific purposes.

How’s that for nihilistic consumerism? Nothing f*cking matters, buy it all.

And this is why the industry of drum samples exists!

 

[TSJMajesty]

nihilistic consumerism

Another band name.

 

[DrewJD82]

And this is why the industry of drum samples exists!

Hahahahah you know what’s funny about this? I love recording drummers. It doesn’t seem to matter what level the drummer is at, how expensive their kit is or how far into the “I spent years finding the best sounding drums for how I play” they are, they just seem content hearing their drums on a recording, even before the mix starts, before any EQ is applied to the kit. They’ve always been the easiest to work with in regards to drum sounds. We won’t get into a metronome/timing discussion here.

 

[Orvillain]

Hahahahah you know what’s funny about this? I love recording drummers. It doesn’t seem to matter what level the drummer is at, how expensive their kit is or how far into the “I spent years finding the best sounding drums for how I play” they are, they just seem content hearing their drums on a recording, even before the mix starts, before any EQ is applied to the kit. They’ve always been the easiest to work with in regards to drum sounds. We won’t get into a metronome/timing discussion here.

Recording a great drummer is a thing of beauty. and almost the perfect plot for a porno movie.

 

[Fireproof]

Well the Misses says yes Wood & scale length does matter

It’s not the wood and size that matters - it’s all in how you use it!

 

[andergtr]

wood and scale length matter, but maybe not as much as the internet says it does.

as far as why your ibanez never sounded as beefy as your les paul...probably a combination of the neck joint, the thickness of the LP body, and the overall design.

in other words, nothing sounds like a les paul other than a les paul.

 

[psychodave]

I love arguments like this.... I can't help it if I have more discernable ears. Heck, it's more of a curse being able to hear things others can't. Even if imaginary

 

[itchyfingers]

I've built several partscasters and one common theme I've noticed is that generally the tone follows the neck. Big neck = big tone, thin neck = thinner tone. That's not to say that its the be all end all, it's still the sum of all the parts; bodies, pickups, EQ and electronics can all play a part, but I think the neck size and shape dominates the equation.

 

[Badonkey Kong]

Now that's a complete trip! Not just the guitar. But I was in a band with that guy in high school! We went to different schools but met through a mutual guitar playing friend... He showed me how to play the Spirit of Radio lick and all sorts of other cool Rush and Pat Travers stuff. Bob you still rock!

 

[Piing]

I've built several partscasters and one common theme I've noticed is that generally the tone follows the neck. Big neck = big tone, thin neck = thinner tone. That's not to say that its the be all end all, it's still the sum of all the parts; bodies, pickups, EQ and electronics can all play a part, but I think the neck size and shape dominates the equation.

Not at my equations.

 

[Baba]

I've built several partscasters and one common theme I've noticed is that generally the tone follows the neck. Big neck = big tone, thin neck = thinner tone. That's not to say that its the be all end all, it's still the sum of all the parts; bodies, pickups, EQ and electronics can all play a part, but I think the neck size and shape dominates the equation.

I agree with all of this, and RG's, as we know, have thin necks. Add the body construction, bolt on neck, and tremolo system and who knows what the block is made from, and voila, IMO.

I own everything from an RG, to PRS Customs, I own a strat with humbuckers, and Balaguer with a Mahogany body and neck, a Godin with a Mahogany body/neck, and a Greco LP Custom, and they pretty much go from thinner sounding to thicker sounding, in the order that I listed them above.

It's scale length, materials, construction, neck thickness, pickups, stoptail/string thru/tremolo differences, etc. All of it.

 

[la szum]

Nothing matters. I am a Tonal Nihilist!

 

[Justincase]

I agree with all of this, and RG's, as we know, have thin necks. Add the body construction, bolt on neck, and tremolo system and who knows what the block is made from, and voila, IMO.

I own everything from an RG, to PRS Customs, I own a strat with humbuckers, and Balaguer with a Mahogany body and neck, a Godin with a Mahogany body/neck, and a Greco LP Custom, and they pretty much go from thinner sounding to thicker sounding, in the order that I listed them above.

It's scale length, materials, construction, neck thickness, pickups, stoptail/string thru/tremolo differences, etc. All of it.

 

[Baba]

I totally hear you, but my statement still stands, when I plug my guitars in, the differences between them, are there.

 

[Justincase]

I totally hear you, but my statement still stands, when I plug my guitars in, the differences between them, are there.

Its a trip...I've got 8 different Ibanez RGs and they all have subtle differences. Funny thing is the "thinnest" sounding one has active Seymour Duncan blackouts in it. It does however have an Indo replacement neck on a MIJ mahogany body. My 2000 MIJ RG570 tuned to drop C sounds absolutely huge as does my 2010 prestige in dropped D.

 

[eaeolian]

I was just having this discussion with a buddy, who was complaining about a Jackson he recently purchased with a JB in the bridge not sounding like his other guitars with JBs in them.

I did the dance with Jackson OEM JBs from the '90s/00s, which seem to be universally hotter than all of the non-Jackson JBs I've had.

Sure enough, he pulls the pickup and it's almost 18K instead of 16.4K.

Pickups are the single biggest contributor for tone in an electric guitar. Fretwork and string clearance is number two. After that, bridge, scale length, wood, etc. all play a much tinier role than the EQ knobs on your amp and your speakers. Especially if you're playing with any clipping at all in the signal chain. (Caveat: unless you're one of those sickos who likes microphonic pickups. Pickups are not microphones.)