Maple vs Mahogany neck

[Zentar]

Zentar,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well I dont really care about it one way or the other. Even so Ive still gone further than you have. All you had to do was google <cement guitar> and <aluminium guitar>

Since you are asking the questions, it would make sense that you want answers, but you havent even bothered to look.

 

I have been good enough to answer two of your questions (& can answer more). When are you going to answer mine in post #46 ? If you cant, I think an apology is in order. You have misrepresented me after all.

 

-evans

 

Perhaps you should make it clear that no one should disagree with you.

 

The fact is that aluminum or steel bodies give off distinctly different tones than wood.

Listen to a steel guitar. If there are no such thing as tone woods then why doesn't a steel guitar sound like a mahogany bodied Les Paul?

[merciful-evans]

Perhaps you should make it clear that no one should disagree with you.

 

I never said anything you accused me of.

 

Put your money where your mouth is or give up parroting his quackery.

 

Stop wriggling and explain it.

 

 

 

 

 

PS

The fact is that aluminum or steel bodies give off distinctly different tones than wood.

I never said they did. Are you hallucinating or what?

 

Listen to a steel guitar. If there are no such thing as tone woods then why doesn't a steel guitar sound like a mahogany bodied Les Paul?

A steel guitar is not made out of steel. Its usually made out of wood.

[qblue]

To me the construction is the key to tone. The woods either add or subtract what the luthiers were trying to attain. A hollowbody is more akin to an acoustic guitar, in which the solid woods used are to increase resonance of the strings of the instrument, along with the air inside the guitar body. This is why they will feedback easier in a gain situation, and why some guitarists will use a floating pickup, to avoid some feedback and only amplify the resonant guitar sound.

 

A comparison with a CS-336 and a ES-339, while similar in size, approach resonance in subtly different ways, due to their construction. The semihollow ES-339 ( Please include the mother of all semi-hollow guitars, the ES-335) has a laminate that is strictly used for the lack of adding resonance, as this laminate is pretty stiff, but air inside the semi-hollowed chambers gives it some added resonance. The hollow body of the CS336 adds to the resonant nature by vibrating in some fashion with the strings. The solid wood maple top of the CS model will also vibrate and add more resonance; its way of reducing feedback is by the thin body, unlike its larger brethren hollowbodies. The solid hollowed Mahogany of the CS-336 body makes it a region for some vibration, but more than a laminate maple/poplar/maple combo would allow.

 

There is some interaction with the woods used in solidbodies, but it was designed to have the least interaction with the vibrating strings. So allowing for the differing pickups installed, the different sound is primarily due to the pickup amplification of the strings.

 

There are differences in the tone between the ES-335 and its little brother the ES-339. The larger semi-hollowbody of the 335 gives a more resonant sound, call it deeper, wider, or bassier, but because of the increased size and air within the semihollowed chambers this difference is manifested. To me there is little difference between the solid Les Paul and the ES-339, in tonal resonance.

 

Woods vibrate in concert with the strings, so it is feasible to think, that different woods will cause subtly differing tones, but one will see this better exemplified in acoustic and amplified Jazzboxes, e.g., L5 CES, Wes Montgomery's favorite. These jazzboxes have a formula of solid maple back and sides, but employ a spruce top, like any other acoustic guitar. I do not think the wood of a fingerboard contributes much to the sound of any guitar, but they may look aesthetically pleasing. Its like selling a clear Pepsi, one would swear the food colored version would taste better. Binding on a guitar only increases cost, but does offer protection from some dings and scratches. Binding doesn't change the tone.

 

Recently Gibson has played around with the formula of the jazzbox, adding a body of solid mahogany back and sides, capped with a solid maple top. It has the same dimensions as a typical L5 CES, and call it the L9. I think they are trying to build guitars without ebony fingerboards and other non sustainable woods. I predict it will sound different.

[qblue]

As for necks I believe a stable neck is the best. A one piece mahogany neck usually symbolizes a Gibson hallmark. It's stable and works great. It is seen on most Les Pauls and ES-335, 345, & 355s. But most of their archtops and some ES models have a 3 or 5 piece construction, mostly with maple. I have a 3 piece neck on a ES-347, and it hasn't had a truss rod adjustment in 25 years. The BBKing model has a 3 piece maple neck. Their higher regarded guitars usually have a single mahogany neck. But arguably the 3 and 5 piece necks may be more stable.

 

The ES-175 has a single mahogany neck.