Aristotle said it first: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. An
experienced guitar builder can anticipate how different materials and
designs will interact and affect the sonic outcome.
For a builder, the forks in
the road are endless. Singlecoil
spank or humbucker heft?
Maple-neck twang or mellow
mahogany? One of my favorite
tonewoods for tops is spruce,
but it rarely comes up in solidbody
discussions. It’s well suited
for applications when a bit of
airiness is desired, whereas using
maple may affect string inertia
and result in a harder tone. Even
the choice between sugar maple
and broadleaf maple can yield
quite a difference. It’s both a
complex puzzle and balancing
act for the designer, who tries to
stack the deck in just the right
way and in the exact proportions
to achieve the desired goal.
Along the way, there are
always decisions and compromises.
Sometimes cost is a factor—
other times vanity—but
the important thing is to make
certain everything serves the
bigger purpose in mind. I recall
a marketing meeting where
a colleague suggested that an
incongruous feature be included
because his teenage son said it
was “cool.” I can’t remember if
anyone laughed out loud. Be
it for sonic reasons, marketing
leverage, availability of materials,
or cost, those incremental
decisions come together in
the final product to create the
whole. This is before we even
consider cosmetics.
Compared to choosing a guitar
for its color, commissioning
a custom instrument can be a
labyrinth of unknowns for the
average guitarist. And there’s
no shortage of convincing
arguments for each individual
choice. The important thing is
to keep your eyes on the prize
and be true to your goal. If you
are convinced that a particular
wood is going to give you the
look you desire, you need to
keep its effect on the whole in
mind. If it’s a bright sounding
wood like rock maple, you may
want to accentuate it with a
longer scale, or offset it slightly
with a shorter one. The type
of bridge also needs to be considered
carefully. Some bridges
couple directly to the guitar’s
body, while others are isolated
on thin posts. A wraparound
style is short on string length,
but those that require a tailpiece
add length, and therefore
add tension to the strings. The
result is a shift upwards in
the harmonic signature of the
notes. Choosing the feel of one
bridge-type over another certainly
has a sonic ramification.
Construction materials for
bridges also matter. Aluminum,
brass, and steel each chime in
with a different contribution
to the recipe. The metallurgy
involved in the hardware can
have a perceptible consequence
and needs to be evaluated seriously.
Aluminum is light in
weight and it responds to the
string quickly. Unlike steel,
which reflects the string’s
energy, aluminum resonates.
Some interpret this difference
as a lack of attack, while others
call it “airy.” Purists even
claim that the depth, diameter,
and composition of bridge and
tailpiece anchors make a difference
in tone. I don’t dispute
it, but doubt if I could pick up
on that in a blind test. Still, if
you are looking to reproduce a
certain sound, all stones must
be turned over.
As you can see, it’s already
getting complicated, and we
haven’t even scratched the surface
yet. In an effort to provide some
guidance here, I’m going to say
there are four general categories
to consider and I’ve listed them
in order of importance.
Scale length and overall
string tension. I’m going out
on a limb by suggesting this is
the most important decision to
make, because it affects both
tone and feel. Note that I’ve
not limited this to just scale,
because overall tension is the
real issue here.
Neck material, dimension/
body material, and dimension.
In that order. Of course, as the
body gets bigger and perhaps
hollow, this ranking can get
inverted. Those of you who
are certain that pickups overrule
this thinking probably buy
expensive vocal microphones
instead of singing lessons.
Pickups/electronics. The
previous categories create your
instrument’s voice. Now you
need to match the pickups to
that voice, and my thought here
is that a good choice can make
or break a guitar. Don’t ever
assume that because a certain
pickup sounds good in one guitar,
it will work well in another.
Everything else. From this
point on, it’s a matter of finetuning.
This isn’t to say that
choices for hardware or shape
aren’t important—they all add
up. Every little percentage point
has a way of getting together
with the others to create the
whole, so choose wisely.
Rather than plotting out
a complete matrix for every
possible choice and the resulting
effect (not a bad idea for a
book), I’ll just recommend that
you make sure your builder has
the experience and background
to help guide you through the
maze. My hope is that if your
project is headed for the sonic
cliff, your builder has the scruples
to offer alternatives to your
destination, instead of watching
you crash and burn while he
cashes the check. If an experienced
builder suggests a turn in
the road you hadn’t imagined,
it’s probably worth considering.
So, sleep on it and keep your
real intentions in mind.
Jol Dantzig is a
noted designer, builder,
and player who co-founded
Hamer Guitars,
one of the first boutique
guitar brands, in 1973.
Today, as the director of
Dantzig Guitar Design, he continues to
help define the art of custom guitar. To
learn more, visit
guitardesigner.com.