Wood

[Dom_JEM]

So whats your opinion on the wood a guitar is built out of?

 

does it really change the way a guitar sounds as much as everyone says??

can it be really worth splashing out on an expensive guitar when you can change the pickups for less money

 

 

i know what i think but i just wanted other people opinions

[NeoConMan]

Yes, it makes a difference.

 

Can you tell a Strat from a Les Paul on the radio?

[Dom_JEM]

what about...sayy.... the difference in wood between a gibson and epiphone SG

[DAS44]

Yes it makes a difference

[Blackie]

what about...sayy.... the difference in wood between a gibson and epiphone SG

 

The Gibson will be solid mahogany where as the Epi is a veneer with an unknown wood underneath.

[Dom_JEM]

Yes it makes a difference

 

i think so to btw, i just didt know what the more experienced guys thought

[DAS44]

The Gibson will be solid mahogany where as the Epi is a veneer with an unknown wood underneath.

mystery wood! like mystery meat but more expensive

[Blackie]

mystery wood! like mystery meat but more expensive

 

I sanded a G-400 down a little too much........and there went the veneer.....I might have a pic somewhere.

[NeoConMan]

I had an Epi SG Jr. with a P-90.

Sounded pretty damned good for a $90 guitar.

 

The wood felt like Balsa.

 

 

 

I had an Epi "Korina" 58-style Flying V - completely rewired with Duncan pickups.

Sounded pretty damned good too - if a bit thin and harsh.

The veneer made it look good at first glance, but the wood inside was almost like chalk....

 

 

With both guitars, I did not have the luxury of comparing them to their Gibson inspirations.

Both were made in Korea in the late nineties, both played well, both made of sh!t wood.

 

If you see the opening scenes of the movie It Might Get Loud, you'll see what I mean.

 

 

Me?

I will NOT be paying money for Chinese Mystery Wood, no matter what kind of veneer they stick on it.

[NeoConMan]

what about...sayy.... the difference in wood between a gibson and epiphone SG

On the radio?

I can't tell.

 

Live?

I dunno, it depends on a number of factors.

 

Blindfolded, playing it myself?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I could most of the time.

[BoyVader]

what about...sayy.... the difference in wood between a gibson and epiphone SG

 

I've got an Epi G-400 and a Gibson SG Std 2009...they are soooooo different...

 

Apart from the bevels, colour, hardware etc...the necks and body feel like two different guitars....The Epi is heavier, with almost plastic coating on it, the Gibson feels lighter with more of a grain in the wood....so yeah you could swap out the cheap hardware on a cheap guitar but the neck and body will still be 'cheap'...

 

It's not until you play a 'higher' end guitar that you appreciate the difference....even my non playing girlfriend has compared the 2 and can feel the difference....

 

Hope that answers your question....

[Thundergod]

Depends on a lot of factors IMO.

 

1st (is there a difference) yes there's a difference.

 

Now that difference can be noted in a guitar with the same everything (shape, size, electronics, plastic, strings, and so on) and only different wood. Gibson makes/has made some that fit that description.

 

2nd (is it worth it) yes, no, maybe, damn yes... wait...

 

Depends on your opinion and tastes, there are people that just won't play guitars made of (say) ash. There are people who think solid guitars made of mahogany and a maple cap are too damn heavy and just won't go near one.

 

See it's all a matter of perstpective, what you find unusable someone else might find heavenly confortable, same goes with tone/sound. Some woods make everything sound brighter, some make it sound darker.

 

The "less money" thing is subjective too, and doesn't really depend on tone, or any musical factor. Most woods will vary in price because of what the rest of the world use them from, where they grow, what's the cost of producing usable slabs out of it.

 

 

 

And last but not least... My opinion is you have to judge the guitar, not the parts, 'cause every one of them affect how it sounds. You can buy BMW wheels and have them at home in your room, won't do you no good without the rest of the car

[charlie brown]

"Case by case, basis"...IMHO. In general, Mahagony, will sound fatter "warmer," than Birch, Ash, or Maple.

As to if that's good or bad, depends on what you need/want. I WILL NOT get into any Gibson vs Epiphone,

or Fender discussion. It's been done to death, and there are advocates, of All. To me, it's more important

what it sounds like, feels like, and plays like....period. And, also...what one can (realistically) afford. Just my

2-cent's worth. ;>)

 

CB

[NeoConMan]

I've worked on a bunch of Epi SGs and Les Pauls.

I wouldn't own one.

 

 

One thing I have done on several occasions is to play my EDS-1275 next to the Epi double neck.

The difference is HUGE in every respect.

 

The Epi double neck owners were blown away too.

 

I know several people (rdwivedi here is one) who went Epi at first, then went Gibson.

The Gibson is absolutely superior.

 

 

Would I take mine to gigs?

No, I'd probably buy the f-ing Chinese Epiphone for that duty....

[AXE®]

Two rectangular shaped Identically sized pieces of wood bodies with a bolt on interchangeable neck and pickup will sound different.

 

ie: Alder and Mahogany. Ash and Maple. Basswood and Rosewood....ect'...

[Thundergod]

The Gibson is absurdly superior.

 

 

Fixed

 

You get what you pay for man, not fair to compare them, not even funny IMO but then again, there's more to gibby vs epi than just wood quality.

[NeoConMan]

So whats your opinion on the wood a guitar is built out of?

 

"Uh.... huh' date=' huh, huh.... .... huh, huh, huh.... You said '[b']wood[/b]'..... .... huh, huh, huh.... "

 

 

 

[milod]

I think Axe hit it. Any two pieces of wood even with all else being equal, will have something of a different sound.

 

My personal concerns are more along the lines whether a given "guitar" that I like the feel and sound of, is more likely to be damaged simply by virtue of not having been aged well.

 

I've seen some "cheapie" laminated top flattops that are so far superior to stuff I could afford in the mid 1960s that there's no comparison whatsoever.

 

When you buy a Gibbie, for example, you have the assumption that the wood has been properly aged and that the guitar has been properly cared for; that it has other quality materials and quality construction. But not only will mahogany sound different from rosewood in an acoustic, so also will two identical mahogany guitars.

 

Beyond that? No wood item is gonna be perfect and even properly prepared for musical instrument purposes, there's too much variation between two supposedly identical guitars to assume some hypothetical "perfection."

 

m

[sexybeast14]

The Gibson will be solid mahogany where as the Epi is a veneer with an unknown wood underneath.

i have an epi, it aint no mystery wood its mahogany

[NeoConMan]

Where was your Epiphone made?

[Blackie]

i have an epi' date=' it aint no mystery wood its mahogany[/quote']

 

How do you know ? post some pics of the bevels as the grain transfers.

[Thundergod]

Where was your Epiphone made?

 

 

If it's solid mahogany then it probably is one of those fake epis built in the US

[NeoConMan]

There are many variations on the "Mahogany" theme.

There are numerous tight-grained woods grown around the world that can be pore-filled and sanded.

They can then be painted translucent red, and look like Mahogany.

 

To think that there are boats making monthly trips from Honduras to China would be silly.

 

Betcha a dollar that the wood used in Epiphone production is grown someplace close by.

Philippines, maybe?

[sgbass]

It makes a difference in the sound. I'll take the solid mahogany body over the alder boards any time.

[sexybeast14]

How do you know ? post some pics of the bevels as the grain transfers.

well im too lazy to post pics or anything, but on the gc tag it said it was mahogany, does guitar center lie to me