Tonewoods explained

[Jcub]

I recommend checking out the studies. Study one tested players. Study two tested listeners. The outcome was the same. I agree that the issue is whether the player is inspired and stories inspire and matter. According to the book “Sapiens,” stories are our superpower. The point of the studies was to test what would happen if the story was removed from the equation.

 

[Maertl513]

The opinion of the guitar maker side:

And, changing the perspective, the opinion of the speaker maker side.
Alex Clabber is CEO of UK based cabinet company Barefaced. He quit his career as an officer at the Royal Engineers - there is nothing more to achieve as a human being than becoming a combat engineer ;-) - studied mechanical engineering. As a bass player he founded Barefaced for producing the best bass cabs. One of his most famous customer is Tim Commerford of RATM/Audioslave. Five years ago Barefaced expanded to guitar cabinets (and FRFR), too.
Alex argues and shares examples, why tonewood is not necessary, to conclude, that tonewood counts the most.

Contradiction:

Encouragement:

Personally asking myself - considering my guitars -, if tonewood matters?
I do have guitars with different materiel combinations:

Maple: body wood, full maple neck
Maple: body wood, neck, but ebony fretboard
Alder: body wood, basswood neck combined with fibre glass composit, carbon fibre fretboard
Alder: body wood, maple neck, ebony fretboard
Koa: body wood, full maple neck
Swamp ash: body wood, maple neck, rosewood fretboard
Basswood: body wood (back), maple top, full maple neck
(Basswood: body wood, aluminum neck -> still in production)
Mahogany: body wood (back), maple top, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard
Mahogany: body wood (back), maple top, full rosewood neck
Mahogany: body wood (back), maple top, maple neck, ebony fretboard

The do all sound like an electric guitar, I didn´t select those guitars by focussing much on the materiel in terms of a desired tone.
What made each guitar being worthwhile to be acquired? The look, certain features, ...
The tone wood discussion comes not on the table in terms of budget guitars. And Harley Benton sells guitars like hell. And they do sound aswell like electric guitars, they even offer good sustain. Because everything is cheap, the wages and labour circumstances may be not the best. A morale dilemma.
Considering the materiel side: Cheap parts. They may not put much detail and effort of letting the wood dry out slow to the perfect humidity, twists inside the wood doesn't count or other flaws.
The joints need to be stiff as possible to mitigate loss of sustain.
And remember all those guys, who are annoyed about lack of tuning stability. First guess is the tuner and the demand on proposals for the best locking tuners. But it is the lack of quality of the preparation of the nut and and a loose connection of the strings on the tuner.

The sum of all parts makes the music of an instrument.
And there are guitar makers around who left the paths of wood and use different material for their builds: stone, aluminum, plexi glass. Even they leave the ordinary image of a guitar (e. g. Teuffel Birdfish).

And in those discussions it's funny, when you realize that some use cheap cables, budget amps, budget cabinets and so on - but on the other hand side they put all effort in the guitar. And I don't mention our skills as players.

 

[aamefford]

Here’s the thing:

In the end, it doesn’t matter in the slightest whether a listening panel can correctly identify the Strad. It’s irrelevant.

It matters whether the person playing the Strad is inspired to make his or her best music.

Music is art. Whatever works for the player, works. Whether the big deal about the instrument is or isn’t imaginary is hardly the point.

It might be extra inspiration. Maybe you’ll play better. That would be a good result.

It’s like playing Jimi Hendrix’ actual amp. Or Jimmy Page’s LP. That’s provenance, right? Might give you an extra special inspiration for a session or a show.

Personally, I think the interplay between the hands, ears and brain when producing a note varies from instrument to instrument. Some are more ‘that’ than others.

It ain’t science. It doesn’t need to be science. Just roll with it.

As an engineer who spent some of his career studying vibration induced loads, mode shapes and responses - I don’t think Les’ point could be made any better. Cal the Stradivari brilliantly designed instruments that were masterfully crafted ( by all accounts they were) and made from the best woods and materials (maybe). They are wonderful because they sound wonderful, and they inspire some of the word’s most gifted players. I am an engineer and scientist at heart. Still, sometimes science just gets in the way. Science could help to duplicate a Stradivari, and likely already has. That’s a good aim. But who cares if it’s the best? We care that it inspires the best to play their best. Ok, I’m now starting to repeat Les’ point, so I’ll end. I guess all that to say ^^^This.

 

[Greywolf]

Bob Taylor proved that it's the luthier not the wood with his "pallette" guitar made from a loading dock pallete.
That being said m there are woods that really sing with tap tone and others that are duds. Put the magic woods in the hands of a master, and then a master musician and the real magic happens. For those of us that are less than masters... we can certainly appreciate fine craftsmanship and pretty woods .

I actually turned down one commission because he wanted a "Fugly " bass ..all ebony ( a LARGE georgia boy ) I don't want one of your pretty instruments, I'm the bass player I don't want the focus on me I just want killer bright tone and stability. I pointed him towards my friends at Alembic. As I have never made more than 5 a year , it doesn't help me to make instruments that DON'T get attention .
Few people rave about ugly instruments .. except the faux relicheads with the pre ripped and faded jeans.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

IMO and IME (was a working pro for more than four decades) the individual pieces of wood matter as much as wood types.
An unusually bright piece of mahog can sound brighter than an unusually dark piece of maple.

Totally agree that wood matters even more when it comes to necks.
Neck affects tone, but it's also largely responsible for any particular guitar's liveliness.
That's a big priority for me; I love guitars that wake up and sing when you play 'em.

Liveness and tone are interrelated too, of course, in both necks and bodies.
But that gets even more complicated.
I absolutely believe in tap tone.

 

[Greywolf]

ABSOLUTELY !!! every piece of wood has it's own character.

 

[DreamTheaterRules]

ABSOLUTELY !!! every piece of wood has it's own character.

TWSS!