How much does the guitar body factor into tone?

[paddok]

For example, if someone took a DK1, a RR1, and a Les Paul Custom, all with EMG's, and the same controls and whatnot, and played them through a Recto or a 5150, how radically different would they sound ?

Sometimes I listen to this music, and I hear this thick thick sounding guitar. Yet whenever I try and achieve anything similar, I some how fail.

In the past, i'de play with my RR1 w/ EMG's through my 5150, and it would sound good, but it didn't have that sheer thickness too it. My Charvel Explorer had a thicker tone than my RR1, but even that still is nothing like what I hear on albums. I've heard people comment on how huge les pauls sound, but at that same time, I've heard GREAT sounding RR1's. So what can I be missing? How much does the body effect the sound?

Have my ears just been spoiled by hearing so many studio tricks? Should I start saving for a delay pedal? Or is this tone out of reach in a live setting?

[Fragle]

Re: How much does the guitar body factor into tone?

in short words: VERY different. some light basswood ibanez sounds radically different from a heavy mahagony lespaul.

the rr is pretty light so in order to get a thick tone you can try to use bass-heavier pu's such as the emg 85 (if you want to stick with emg) or the dimarzio tonezone.

and of course, studio studio studio. once i found a interview that said in order to get that thick crushing tone (they were talking about metallicas black album) they built a room that emphasizes a special frequency (they didnt say which one, though [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ) that is a very important part of james' guitar sound.
furthermore, most of those thick sounds are mixed together from seperately recorded tracks that use amp settings that most likely wont work if used alone, but blended with another track with different amps/settings they sound amazing (so for example a boogie mk2 set very bass heavy combined with some marshalls for the highs).


i don't know why you are talking about a delay pedal? maybe you mean chorus? that may help to add thickness, but as far as my experience goes you have to be very careful not to use too much chorus to keep it from getting VERY muddy.

greets
fragle

[Newc]

Re: How much does the guitar body factor into tone?

You would use a Delay pedal to add thickness as well, but you have to set the delay time very short, and almost match the dry and effected output volumes.

And yes, you will never get the studio sounds live out of one amp. Two amps will get you close (different EQs), but unless you're running through a stereo rack system directly into the mixer, with different EQ settings on both channels AND panned slightly left and right, you can hang it up cuz it won't happen.

Newc

[StuTDavis]

Re: How much does the guitar body factor into tone?

Copying the sound you hear from a studio album can be very hard to darn near impossible. And, different people hear the sound differently, so what might sound "dead on" to someone else, might not sound even close to your ears. Copying the sound from earlier Anthrax and Metallica albums has been my quest for the 18 years I've been playing. And, at this point, for my ears anyway, it takes all this crap to do it...

http://hometown.aol.com/stutdavis/page3.html

Hehehe...on the other hand, some guys plug straight into a Marshall combo and their ears tell them it's the right sound. Just depends on finding the right pieces of gear for YOU to nail down what YOU hear in YOUR head. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

The same goes for guitar bodies, necks, fingerboards, down to every little piece of gear you have, your cords, picks, batteries in pedals etc etc etc. Different people can interpret more or less variance between how any part of their gear affects or doesn't affect their tone. I've got an ESP Horizon neckthrough and an ESP KH2 neckthrough. The only major differences are body and fingerboard wood...they sound and feel completely different. Other guys might play them and not notice much difference in the sound between them, you never know.

What amp gear you have can play a BIG part in determining how much difference you hear between one guitar and another, or one guitar cord and another etc etc, too. Some amps mask sound differences more than they enhance differences. For instance, I was on my tone quest for years, every so often getting a slightly better guitar, then a slightly better amp, back and forth, over and over. What was happening was, a slightly better amp would bring out the differences in my guitars better, and I'd want to get better guitars. I'd get a better guitar, then I'd think...hmm...maybe with a better amp, this guitar would REALLY rip! Back and forth. Now, I wish I'd have just went ahead and solved the one part of the equation right up front and got a top-line, high-end guitar a long time ago. It could have saved me a lot of headache in looking for amps and kept me from going back and forth buying slightly better guitars and amps all those years, because I would have at least KNOWN that my guitar couldn't get any better, yaknow? Anyway...those are my thoughts... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Stu

[ March 06, 2004, 12:26 PM: Message edited by: StuTDavis ]

[Iced In Flames]

Re: How much does the guitar body factor into tone?

Originally posted by Fragle:


the rr is pretty light so in order to get a thick tone you can try to use bass-heavier pu's such as the emg 85 (if you want to stick with emg) or the dimarzio tonezone.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I ordered a Rhoads made of Korina, I havent played one made of anything other than Alder. Would there still be the "light" issue even with the Korina? I like a full meaty sound.

[Ryhenki]

Re: How much does the guitar body factor into tone?

I ordered a Rhoads made of Korina, I havent played one made of anything other than Alder. Would there still be the "light" issue even with the Korina? I like a full meaty sound.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hi! I've ordered also a custom rhoads made of korina [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] It should be finished in summer [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: How much does the guitar body factor into tone?

answer: a lot!

[jgcable]

Re: How much does the guitar body factor into tone?

Korina is a fantastic tone wood and REALLY light. You are gonna love it. My favorites are Mohagony and Swamp Ash.

[Wizard of Ozz]

Re: How much does the guitar body factor into tone?

Plug your RR1 into a Bogner Überschall and then tell me it sounds thin. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

I really think that if you're using alot of gain, the tpye of guitar (body design/wood/etc.) has much less of an impact on your overall tone, than say if you're playing Mark Knopfler covers thru a Fender DR. If I plug in a Les Paul or a Soloist into my Über, either guitar has all the thick bass heavy tone I'll ever need.

Another point to consider is the type of speakers & cab you're using also.

[Iced In Flames]

Re: How much does the guitar body factor into tone?

Hey Ryhenki.

My order just went in so I'm hoping to get mine mid to late summer.

I'm a big fan of Mahogany. Love the rich sound. But I've heard that Korina is even better if you like Mahogany so I went with that. Alder is too thin sounding for my tastes.

[Ryhenki]

Re: How much does the guitar body factor into tone?

Originally posted by Iced In Flames:
Hey Ryhenki.

My order just went in so I'm hoping to get mine mid to late summer.

I'm a big fan of Mahogany. Love the rich sound. But I've heard that Korina is even better if you like Mahogany so I went with that. Alder is too thin sounding for my tastes.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ok, I put mine in november, and hoping to get it couple of months earlier. PM me with the specs your ordered if you want? [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]
Actually, my reasons where the same, I like alder though, but I wanted a more deep/rich sound, I hope we both get the sound we imagined? [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]