Fatback

Interesting. I really don`t like guitars with bound necks. Binding contributes zippy, zilch, zero to the sound of a guitar. I have one deeper PRS. I don`t think that any one thing makes or breaks the sound of a guitar. Is it the sound you`re looking for? Do you get juiced every time you pick up the instrument and play? There`s a reason so many different PRSi are made. The goal is to find the ones that light your fire sonically and visually. I bet it`s a great guitar. For me, tonal nirvana is where you find it. Kind of like happiness.
 
Interesting. I really don`t like guitars with bound necks. Binding contributes zippy, zilch, zero to the sound of a guitar. I have one deeper PRS. I don`t think that any one thing makes or breaks the sound of a guitar. Is it the sound you`re looking for? Do you get juiced every time you pick up the instrument and play? There`s a reason so many different PRSi are made. The goal is to find the ones that light your fire sonically and visually. I bet it`s a great guitar. For me, tonal nirvana is where you find it. Kind of like happiness.


I believe Paul would agree that no single aspect will make or break the guitar but that the sum of the parts are what's important. Watch his TED talk and he confirms that they are working to help not detract from the instrument but try to balance it as best that they can.
 
Twice the BS.

Not really.

The thickness of the mahogany makes a difference, just as it does with a Singlecut vs a McCarty with the same pickups.

It probably makes as much of a difference as all the stuff you worry about with how big the chambering is on your Artist III type models. Maybe more.

Compare an SC245 with a McCarty with the same neck, same pickups. You'll see that the mass of the mahogany matters.
 
Not really.

The thickness of the mahogany makes a difference, just as it does with a Singlecut vs a McCarty with the same pickups.

It probably makes as much of a difference as all the stuff you worry about with how big the chambering is on your Artist III type models. Maybe more.

Compare an SC245 with a McCarty with the same pickups. You'll see it matters.


Hey Les, with a hollow or semi hollow I partially agree. Not volume so much as air around the note. Twice as loud with a solidbody? BS X 2. Put a DB meter in front and lets see it. Also, its construction method. I just had an HB2 here that was no louder than either of my semi hollows, and the POM does not even have an F hole!!
 
I was just curious - I don't know anybody who's tried one :)
Sorry if I came on a bit strong. :) Lol! You read so much of this stuff online it really hits a nerve with me. Especially with PRS guitars. (Which I love!) However, extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence. If someone is claiming that kind of difference, ask for some proof! Saves you time, money, and gets the right guitar in your hand!
 
I'll echo Les here. Thicker hog backs yield thicker, heftier tone. Twice the volume? Likely BS.
 
However, extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence. If someone is claiming that kind of difference, ask for some proof! Saves you time, money, and gets the right guitar in your hand!

True this, however if my experience with the McCarty Singlecut vs SC245, and the thicker 'hog 20th Anniversary of Private Stock guitar are any indication (both have thicker mahogany backs than normal), it does matter.

Twice as loud? Well, no.

But different? Yeah, I really think so. I feel a little more power and sustain with both. Though there are also no doubt other factors.
 
Hey Les, with a hollow or semi hollow I partially agree. Not volume so much as air around the note. Twice as loud with a solidbody? BS X 2. Put a DB meter in front and lets see it. Also, its construction method. I just had an HB2 here that was no louder than either of my semi hollows, and the POM does not even have an F hole!!

True this, however if my experience with the McCarty Singlecut vs SC245, and the thicker 'hog 20th Anniversary of Private Stock guitar are any indication (both have thicker mahogany backs than normal), it does matter.

Twice as loud? Well, no.

But different? Yeah, I really think so. I feel a little more power and sustain with both. Though there are also no doubt other factors.


I have a semi hollow on order, but my "body" of experience is largely with solid bodies. My experience with perceived acoustic volume is that thinner bodies can often sound "louder" strummed than thicker bodied guitars. I can't really say how this translates to actual output amplified all things being equal. I also agree that body thickness is an important factor in overall tone, but IME probably not as much as the neck joint. e.g. SC vs DC....I prefer DC almost always, but other people sound amazing through sc guitars, just not me or I haven't found the right one. It is very interesting how differently all of us could potentially perceive the attributes of a single instrument in our hands respectively which just goes to show how much is in the "hands". I believe the in hands thing has in many ways nothing to do with the talent of the individual, but more how well the particular instrument and the individual holding it match up. We have likely all had the experience of hearing a friend sound amazing through a guitar we thought was a dog. Interesting stuff to me.
 
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I think we are all saying roughly the same thing. Can body thickness change tone? Absolutely. Does it make it sound twice as loud? Absolutely not. (Although even with two of the exact same model, one guitar can sound much louder than the other.)
 
I have a semi hollow on order, but my "body" of experience is largely with solid bodies. My experience with perceived acoustic volume is that thinner bodies can often sound "louder" strummed than thicker bodied guitars. I can't really say how this translates to actual output amplified all things being equal. I also agree that body thickness is an important factor in overall tone, but IME probably not as much as the neck joint. e.g. SC vs DC....I prefer DC almost always, but other people sound amazing through sc guitars, just not me or I haven't found the right one. It is very interesting how differently all of us could potentially perceive the attributes of a single instrument in our hands respectively which just goes to show how much is in the "hands". I believe the in hands thing has in many ways nothing to do with the talent of the individual, but more how well the particular instrument and the individual holding it match up. We have likely all had the experience of hearing a friend sound amazing through a guitar we thought was a dog. Interesting stuff to me.

It's true, we are all going to relate to guitars differently for the reasons you say...the hands. Well, also, how our brains perceive what the hands do, and so on. I always say that playing an instrument is a feedback loop - brain to hands, hands to instrument, instrument to ears, then to brain again, adjust hands, etc.

Since we all have different brains, different hands, and different tastes, well, we're going to like different guitars.

No doubt there are thinner bodies that sound louder strummed than thicker ones, and vice-versa. I've had both. And of course you're right, the amp factors into the equation, as does the hardware, the electronics, etc. It's a system. One nice thing about being a string player is how much we, the players, influence the tone. I also play piano, and while touch is extremely important, the hands don't come into play in terms of the tone generated from the instrument, aside from our touch, how hard we strike the key, etc. Piano is like using a pick, but the "fretting hand" is a system of felt-covered hammers striking the strings. So it's less "personal."
 
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