MegadethFan18

This is a post I read from another forum:

"An electric guitar is not a quiet acoustic guitar. An electric guitar works because a vibrating (ferrous metal) string causes a flux in the magnetic field of the pickup which is converted into a small electric current by the pickup coils. That current is then amplified and the sound transmitted via the amp loudspeaker.

A magnetic pick up does not and cannot amplify sounds generated by the wood of the guitar. When you play an electric guitar unamplified the vibrating strings (and to a much lesser extent the body of the guitar) causes air molecules to vibrate which carry the sound to your ear. A pick up does not do that. When you "hear" an amplified electric guitar you are actually hearing the amp loudspeaker."

I am not saying tonewood does or doesn't exist but I do think it is a very clever marketing ploy. The only way a company could know if a piece of wood sounded good was if they made it into a pre-guitar to see how it sounded and then made it into a final guitar based on how it sounded. What they probably do is pick the nice looking pieces of wood, judging a book by it's cover so to speak.

That and wood isn't very expensive I got a Grade AAA 1 piece Ash Blank for £50 ($75 ).

Sullinger

If it was an actually magnet pickup and not a microphone pickup, the wood wouldn't make a difference.

Sullinger

+1 (although I'm very convinced tonewood doesn't exist.) It's nice to know not everyone on UG is guitarded.

KSEjunkie2468

So your evidence is, " it's just impossible for the wood a magnet sits on to change the amount of different freq. it picks up." So you are saying that the magnet is the only thing that determines a guitar's tone? What about the strings and what they are made of, do you realize that strings are pressed against the fingerboard? Don't you think the type of wood the fingerboard is made of has an effect on the guitar's sound since the strings are constantly in contact with the fretboard when a note is fretted?

A guitar's sound is not defined as "the pickup." Other things factors are involved. That is an indisputable fact, and when you deny facts, it makes you look stupid.

This is simple.

(Guess I'm going to have to try to ask that pickup question another time XD)

W4RP1G

get over yourself. I told you why your arguments don't hold water. I'm not regurgitating anything anyone else has said either.

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mrsixstrings12

Megadethfan actually made a valid point, but if the wood has no effect, what has stopped companies from not making a mold and pouring some sort of plastic into it and selling it for the same price? Build costs would plummet due to only having to pour some stuff into a mold and wire it up. no sawing, sanding, etc etc

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Mesa Mark V

Bass Rig:
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Yorkville Bassmaster

Sullinger

You obviously don't get how an electric guitar works; the pickup (which is a magnet) is the only thing that goes to the amp. It picks up the string's vibration, thus recreating the note via amp. Sure it's fretted, but the wood is really affecting the sustain (and other things like that) not the tone (which is just the shape of the wave a note makes) These "facts" are/were created by the guitar companies to make money; you're stupid for actually falling for it.

Sullinger

Well, because no one would fall for tonal plastic. Tonewood works with acoustics, so the average person would believe the same thing would go for electrics. They have these "tonal woods" for electrics so people will buy more guitars. It's cheaper to replace the pickups and pots in a $100 guitar then to buy a $1000 guitar (but there's build quality, too)... And if you're an avid guitar collector, you're going to buy the rosewood and maple fingerboard versions, since you want "tonal variety".

Sullinger

I already proved you wrong; you just didn't get it.

T00DEEPBLUE

According to your own theory, you would.

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Sullinger

...no? My theory is that: the material the neck, body, and fingerboard are made of make no difference in a guitar's tone when it's plugged in. People would probably fall for tonal plastic, but it's easier to just follow the same traditional route with wood, something people have been falling for for about a century.

KSEjunkie2468

And you say we sound like the people preaching 9/11 conspiracy theories when you're the one talking about the guitar company marketing conspiracy.

If the guitar companies were trying to make money they would say money by making guitar's out of plastic, as Mrsixstring12 pointed out, they would just poor w/e into a mold. These facts of mine weren't created by guitar companies. You say that we can't think for ourselves, well you can't hear for yourself, because different woods have affects on tone however subtle. You said "the pickup (which is a magnet) is the only thing that goes to the amp." Yea, with the exception that the the pickup is connected to a freaking guitar, its not just pickup ---> amp.

Here is the bottom line, the pickup picks up the string's vibration like you said, but not all guitars sound the same unplugged. Sometimes the strings have more of a high-end twang, or they sound a bit darker, some guitars are a bit more midrangey when they are unplugged. This proves that the pickup is not the absolute only thing that affects the sound of a guitar.

Case closed. Now stop acting so silly XD

mrsixstrings12

+1 if it makes ZERO difference on tone and the company proved it, people would be all over them

__________________
Guitar Rig:
Custom Guitar (w/ Wizard Neck and SD Invader/Jazz Pups)
Schecter C-1 FR
Mesa Mark V

Bass Rig:
Schecter Raiden 5-String
Yorkville Bassmaster

T00DEEPBLUE

So i suppose an electric-acoustic guitar can be made of plastic too?

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Sullinger

Well, I should refuse to argue with someone who doesn't know the difference between "poor" and "pour", but I will anyways.
Acoustically, wood makes a difference. Strings will always make a difference. But it's just logic. Since you really know what your talking about, tell me how body wood and fingerboard wood changes the tone.

Sullinger

It could be made of plastic. But, acoustically, material makes a difference. When you're using a magnetic pickup, it doesn't matter.

mrsixstrings12

So youre saying this art project of mine sounds the same as my epiphone les paul? I used the stock bridge pickup from my les paul to make it

__________________
Guitar Rig:
Custom Guitar (w/ Wizard Neck and SD Invader/Jazz Pups)
Schecter C-1 FR
Mesa Mark V

Bass Rig:
Schecter Raiden 5-String
Yorkville Bassmaster

lemurflames

He went from claiming it as fact to calling it his own theory. This thread must be saved.

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OliOsbourne

This obviously has the same tone as a strat with the same pickups, electronics, etc...

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