DOES WOOD MATTER ???

DOES WOOD MATTER!!!

The collective opinion says that rosewood is warmer and fuller sounding ...but it can muddy or be uneven.

The maple is bright ,even, tight and clean but can be a bit harsh or strident.

Actually all things being equal except the neck ...both sound great
.
Personally the maple to me is my preference because in a band context it cuts thru the mix just a bit better.
But you want the guitar when sitting on a stand to say "PLAY ME" ....so the look is important ...whatever gets that guitar in your hands the most should be your choice.

DON'T YOU WISH THIS WAS AN OPTION ON EVERY GUITAR?

    .....WOOD MATTERS

 

I found this cool video of a guy who owns several old Strats. All but his 63 are                      either Alder or Ash.

But compare them to the 63 in Mahogany. The Mahogany is noticeable darker sounding. It is fatter in the low mids and has a lot of bass. Mahogany in a Fender is very unusual!

Gibson use mainly mahogany.

  DOES THE WOOD ON AN OLD GUITAR SOUND BETTER ? 

It most certainly can. It is scientifically guaranteed to be different. Science can not argue better!

I have read of knowledgeable people say it does not.

They say it is a myth. Myths can cause the placebo effect. They also claim there isn't any science on it.

Well those that can hear the difference get the 'last laugh'

There is now ample proof.

  YOU HAVE JUST GOT TO LOVE THE PIANO  

For years Yamaha have been trying to build the perfect piano. No matter how good they made
it the establishment and indeed the players preferred the Steinway.
So what was it about the Steinway that made a difference?
 AGE ?? MAYBE?? Those that were the best players played the best concert halls and those halls had a Steinway of course. BUT those halls are very old...and so was their Steinway. LOL
So...Yamaha searched around and found some old Steinway's that were way past their 'best before' date.
In short junked ones kept for  parts.
They hired both chemists and even botanist to cut up the wood and see what made it tick.
It turns out all wood contains sap. It dries out pretty fast when the tree is cut and dried. BUT the sap slowly crystallizes over the years. This will happen naturally but the process is enhanced by vibrating the wood. Could it be by hammering the metal strings over it?
So Yamaha has managed to artificially 'AGE WOOD'.and had the experts compared. YES!!!!
Sooooo they have just moved a similar system into their Acoustic guitar manufacture.

Having said all that Paul Reed Smith says it is all about moisture. It is generally assumed that if wood is air dried to a content of 805 it is Ok to make sh@t out of it that will not warp. So guitar makers do just that. A 59 Les Paul after drying out for years has a moisture content of 20%. WHOA!!!
The PRS kiln dries it's wood over 3 days until it HAS 20%.