The "Swamp Ash" thread got me thinking again about something I've always wondered about.....
Do "tonewoods" really matter all that much with electric guitars?
I was talking to a Gibson rep/builder not too long ago and he said it doesn't really matter. Historically most woods are chosen for appearance. My guitar ear isn't that refined though. But I do firmly believe that with drums, for example, the shell wood means very little. The tonal differences between maple, birch, oak, etc shells is very insignificant and drum tone is much, much more dependent on head type and tuning. Wouldn't it be the same with an electric guitar? Aren't there more important variables that significantly affect tone than the stupid wood that the guitar is made of? I'm not saying there's no difference, but I'm thinking the differences are pretty negligible. Don't things like strings and pickups and pots and the friggin amp itself matter way more than wood?
Do "tonewoods" really matter all that much with electric guitars?
I was talking to a Gibson rep/builder not too long ago and he said it doesn't really matter. Historically most woods are chosen for appearance. My guitar ear isn't that refined though. But I do firmly believe that with drums, for example, the shell wood means very little. The tonal differences between maple, birch, oak, etc shells is very insignificant and drum tone is much, much more dependent on head type and tuning. Wouldn't it be the same with an electric guitar? Aren't there more important variables that significantly affect tone than the stupid wood that the guitar is made of? I'm not saying there's no difference, but I'm thinking the differences are pretty negligible. Don't things like strings and pickups and pots and the friggin amp itself matter way more than wood?