jimistone
long standing member
I believe the wood effects tone on electric guitars somewhat but if anything effects it 60% or more I would agree with mutt and gerg that it's the pickups.
For instance...and this goes to the "if it sound good acoustically it will sound good plugged in" thinking...
Every les Paul I've ever picked up and played unplugged sounds thin, lifeless, and dosen't project much volume. When les Paul's are plugged into a tube amp and overdriven they sound really good....but not si good when played clean. Strats for the most part sound really good unplugged. Plugged in they sound very good clean and mildly overdriven... Not as good as a les Paul when highly overdriven.
I think that it's more a case of humbuckers sound the best when overdriven and single coils sound the best clean.
Also, I think the pickups play a key role in mahogany guitars having a warm thick tone and alder/swamp ash guitars having a brighter snappier tone.
Single coils sound brighter and snappier while humbuckers sound warmer and thicker.
A mahogany bodied strat with single coils will be plenty bright and snappy whole an alder bodies guitar with humbuckers will be plenty warm and thick.
Acoustically unplugged, lighter bodied guitars resonate better than heavy bodied guitars because a denser larger mass of wood is not resonated by guitar strings as a lighter smaller mass of wood is.
All that being said I believe type of wood does have an effect but on electric guitars it's more subtle.
For instance...and this goes to the "if it sound good acoustically it will sound good plugged in" thinking...
Every les Paul I've ever picked up and played unplugged sounds thin, lifeless, and dosen't project much volume. When les Paul's are plugged into a tube amp and overdriven they sound really good....but not si good when played clean. Strats for the most part sound really good unplugged. Plugged in they sound very good clean and mildly overdriven... Not as good as a les Paul when highly overdriven.
I think that it's more a case of humbuckers sound the best when overdriven and single coils sound the best clean.
Also, I think the pickups play a key role in mahogany guitars having a warm thick tone and alder/swamp ash guitars having a brighter snappier tone.
Single coils sound brighter and snappier while humbuckers sound warmer and thicker.
A mahogany bodied strat with single coils will be plenty bright and snappy whole an alder bodies guitar with humbuckers will be plenty warm and thick.
Acoustically unplugged, lighter bodied guitars resonate better than heavy bodied guitars because a denser larger mass of wood is not resonated by guitar strings as a lighter smaller mass of wood is.
All that being said I believe type of wood does have an effect but on electric guitars it's more subtle.