I have an ESP EX 260 electric guitar. It has a agathis body and all I hear about on the internet is how awful it sounds. Personally I love my guitar and I think it sounds amazing. So is it true that the type of wood doesn’t really matter or am I an idiot?
wood 8
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If you like the way your guitar sounds then don’t listen to anyone who thinks it sounds awful without hearing you play it. Your sound is your own.
It’s true that the wood can make a noticeable difference to the tone. Guitars with rosewood fingerboards (i.e. most jazz boxes) tend to sound a bit darker and smokier than guitars with maple fingerboards (i.e. a stock Fender Strat or Tele).
Different types of wood do have different acoustic qualities, and it does matter what your guitar is made of, but don’t doubt your own pleasure in the sound of your guitar. However, it might be worth playing as many different types of guitar as possible, just so you know how they all sound - perhaps there is something out there that you think sounds even better.
Yes, even with a solid body guitar the type of wood is a factor. The heavier timbers have better sustain.
The different types of timber all have their own particular tone quality.
The type of timber used on the fingerboard will also influence the sound : maple, rosewood or ebony.
Sound preference is very personal so if you like your guitar and the way it sounds then don’t worry what other people think.
in a solid body bolt on neck guitar its not a huge difference really. it helps sustain.
most of your power and tone comes from the pickups in a solid body guitar. on an archtop, or neck through types its different.
It absolutely does. Part of the reason that people say that agathis sounds like poo is because other woods have more resonance and different/better EQ response.
The more gain you use the less impact different woods will have, to a certain extent, as extreme amounts of gain will compress and obscure the fundamental harmonics of a guitar’s sound.
So sometimes it doesn’t matter. I had a BC Rich Warlock with an agathis body, and I thought the tone was passable, and I now have both an ESP LTD EC-50 and EC-1000QM which are both made from agathis, and I think my tone is quite excellent. Agathis responds well to a pickup upgrade. I recommend installing a preamp in your guitar or upgrading to high-output pickups or active pickups…. it’s worked for me at least.
I think i’m going to save up for a custom guitar, though, something with mahogany… darker tone with more sustain…
Saul
