This guitar certainly sounds superb, and thanks to its fine tonewood ensemble—which consists of a korina neck and body, figured maple top, and Brazilian rosewood—it looks great, too.
When it comes to electric guitar materials, choose the wood that looks good.
Nothing raises the hackles of electric-guitar players like the subject of tonewoods. Maybe that’s why I like to talk about the subject. Unlike many, I enjoy being proven wrong, and believe me when I tell you that, despite my decades of experience, it happens on a regular basis. And despite what may appear to be factual science, there’s also something that can change one’s opinion on matters that don’t get discussed: The practical application of the matter at hand.
Of course, we can all agree on the importance of wood selection in the construction of acoustic instruments. Presumably, this is because there are no pickups involved. The difference between a Sitka spruce- and cedar-topped acoustic should be obvious to most ears. After all, there’s no electronic conversion happening there, it’s just the pure interaction of the wood and strings. On the other hand, when it comes to electric guitars, we’ve all witnessed the transformation that a great set of pickups can lend to a solidbody guitar. This allows us to focus on the nature of electric guitar tone, and where it actually comes from.
There have been endless discussions about how a particular pickup brand’s product has rescued someone’s lackluster guitar, turning it into their No. 1. The opposite is true as well. Either way, anecdotal evidence would suggest that tone comes from pickups. Tests have been devised to eliminate the wood of the electric guitar to prove that pickups alone are responsible for the frequency signature of steel strings. The test rig in question is the Dan Armstrong Lucite guitar. Unfortunately, the only pickups found in these guitars are—you guessed it—Dan Armstrong pickups. But I digress.
What I’m really driving at here is that I’ve come to the conclusion that tonewoods don’t matter. Not that they don’t change the sound of your guitar, but that they simply don’t matter, and that’s okay with me. There are so many elements to guitar tone (with no consensus on what is good, bad, better, or best) that wood simply doesn’t factor into it anymore.
“Tests have been devised to eliminate the wood of the electric guitar to prove that pickups alone are responsible for the frequency signature of steel strings.”
The fact is, many guitar makers assume that you are going to switch out the pickups regardless of what handwringing they do to select what goes into your guitar. This frees up builders to choose the least expensive path or lean heavily on name recognition when stocking their inventory. Or they can offer a smorgasbord of choices to their clients, allowing buyers to feel confident in their purchase. I chuckle at the hours of testing I’ve done to determine which recipe works with this or that model guitar, only to have the customer swap out the pickups anyway. This is, as a good friend of mine puts it, the buyer “putting their own stink on it.”
So, I think that we should look at wood selection for an electric guitar exactly like we would when purchasing (or commissioning) fine furniture. A dining room table works just fine regardless of what beautiful wood you select. It’s going to be the meals and the company of friends that you enjoy—the wood just enhances the mood. A handmade recliner will be just as comfy made from bubinga as it would be if fashioned from curly cherry. And so on. It’s the artistic expression of the builder and an aesthetic choice for the owner. It’s the exact same thing with a guitar.
So, it doesn’t matter if I tell you that a lightweight, chambered white limba guitar will have more air, or that a genuine mahogany will sound fatter. You are going to choose with the greatest, most important sensibility you have—your eyes. Then, after the honeymoon period is over, you can start swapping out pickups and finetuning the tone capacitors and bridge alloys.
You’d think that this might bother or disappoint builders, but I suggest that more of them just get over it and give the customer what they want, regardless of the why. In the end, this benefits everyone. Builders are relieved of the need to ear-test a zillion permutations of Strat, Jazzmaster, P-90, or PAF-style pickups and can focus on delivering a beautiful, well-crafted instrument that looks and plays great. So, there is my new take on the tonewoods and pickup debate. I was wrong, and still am. But at least I understand the new normal. And for those who still think wood makes tone, I’ll be here for you.
Built with dual stainless-steel blades, a ceramic magnet and a finely tuned high-output wind developed closely with Wes, the result is the Jupiter 7. A pair of 7-string pickups that deliver aggressive mid-range focused attack, evenly balanced string response, and clarity.
Widely considered one of the best players in the modern metal scene, Wes Hauch’s reputation precedes him. Whether playing with Alluvial, Devin Townsend, Thy Art Is Murder, The Faceless or as a guest soloist on countless records, Wes’ ferociously aggressive and immaculately clean playing cuts like a knife through the mix
To deliver the articulate and aggressive tones he’s known for, Wes requested a rails humbucker with searing output and maximum clarity and balance. Built with dual stainless-steel blades, a ceramic magnet and a finely tuned high-output wind developed closely with Wes, the result is the Jupiter 7. A pair of 7-string pickups that deliver aggressive mid-range focused attack, evenly balanced string response, and clarity.
For more information, please visit seymourduncan.com.
What are the different parts of acoustic and electric guitars?
All guitars have essentially the same structure and parts. There is the headstock, which includes tuning machines and the nut; the neck, which includes the fretboard and frets; and the body, which includes the saddle and bridge hardware. Additionally, electric guitars have pickups, volume and tone controls, a pickup selector, and an output jack. Acoustic guitars usually have a round sound hole in the middle of the body, where the pickups sit on an electric.
What are guitar strings and gauges?
Most electric and acoustic guitar strings are made of steel or nickel-wrapped steel, while classical guitars use nylon strings. Gauge refers to the thickness of a string. The higher the gauge, the thicker the string will be. Lower gauge strings sound brighter and lighter in general, while higher gauge strings sound darker and heavier.
How often do I have to change guitar strings?
The rule of thumb is to change strings after 100 hours of playing time. For many players, that will mean roughly three months of use. For others, it’ll be six months—or six weeks. Pay attention to how the new strings feel and sound. When they start losing that mojo and you don’t like the sound or feel, change them.
What are sound holes?
These are the holes carved in the top (and sometimes sides) of acoustic and semi-hollow electric guitars that project the guitar’s sound. On an acoustic, they’re the circle, most often, in the middle of the body. On semihollow electric guitars, they’re long holes that come in various shapes. The most recognizable is the f-shaped hole, like you see on this Gretsch Electromatic.
What are pickups?
Pickups are magnets wrapped in coils of wire that convert the vibration of your strings into an electric signal, which is then sent on to your amplifier. The most common types are single-coil pickups, found on guitars like the Fender Stratocaster, and humbuckers, seen on the Gibson Les Paul. Since pickups’ positions on a guitar’s body give them unique tones, the pickup selector switch on electric guitars lets you choose which pickups you’re hearing.
Are guitars made from one single piece of wood?
No! They’re typically made from a number of different pieces and types of wood, which are glued and/or bolted together.
Are all guitars made of wood?
Not necessarily! Some builders use composite materials and laminates in their lines, or metals, or even Lucite, as in the famed Ampeg Lucite guitars and basses of the 1960s.
Can I do guitar maintenance myself?
There are lots of simple maintenance tasks that players can do themselves, like changing strings, polishing the fretboard, changing action and intonation, and adjusting the truss rod. But it’s best to read up on your specific guitar and how to do each of these tasks first.
Where can I find additional reading on guitar strings?
The following articles on guitar strings, tonewoods, and DIY improvements can be found online at premierguitar.com: “DIY: How to Choose Your Electric Guitar Strings,” “DIY: How to Choose Acoustic Guitar Strings,” “Does String Gauge Really Matter?,” “What Will Replace Classic Tonewoods?,” and “DIY: Seven Ways to Soup Up Your Guitar.”