Any difference on same body woods?

[El Chiguete]

Since we all know that many of our great guitar gods didn't played expensive guitars, if you make a parts guitar using the body and neck woods that you wan't but from a not expensive guitar, does it matter for the tone?

What I really wan't to get at is, is there any difference on the wood (maybe alde or ash) that you get on a less expensive Fender Strat than the one you get on a top of the model Fender??? or the mahogany of a Les Paul copy any different than the one of a top of the line Gibson?

[GodOfRhythm]

Yes, of course. You've got variations in wood quality within the same species.

Though, when putting up a lower-end mahogany guitar to a higher-end mahogany guitar, all other factors being equal, I'll bet you $50.000 if you can here a difference in tone, while playing through an amp, with some gain on it.

[Newc]

Not sure, but I doubt Gibson and Fender were as snobbish about wood quality back in the old days as they are today - "10 tops" and all the "AAAAAAAAAA+++" ratings and whatnot.

We're talking 50s through 70s here.

I mean, I doubt the Les Paul that Les Paul used with Mary Ford had a higher grade of mahogany than your average piece of furniture.

Back then, yeah, they had some idea of tonewoods, but serious study and nitpicking didn't come about until someone figured out how to apply a clear stain over a piece of defective maple.

Flamed, quilted, and birdseye are actually not "good" - they're defects in nature that weaken the wood and traditionally lessen its quality - most people wanted uniform grain.

Not sure when or why Gibson decided to use Koa and/or Korina for their guitars. Probably as an alternative to maple or mahogany - maybe as a tonal midway point between the two.

[Musician78]

I love Korina. I wish I could get a KV2 in Korina... (maybe I can.... I seem to recall that no longer being an option).

[Ace]

EVERY piece of wood sounds slightly different. Pick up two Les Pauls sitting next to each other. They can be several pounds difference in weight, and you can bet they'll sound different too!! And a good guitar builder can tell a good piece of mahogany from a crap one any day of the week, and I am sure that Gibson favored more resonant pieces of wood for their "special" guitars than for their entry level models.

[Jayster]

I have a flamed bubinga wood guitar with rosewood neck, not sure of pup's ,but I played it into needing a refret

[nikopapp]

Yes, to answer your question.

[surfreak]

Not sure, but I doubt Gibson and Fender were as snobbish about wood quality back in the old days as they are today - "10 tops" and all the "AAAAAAAAAA+++" ratings and whatnot.

We're talking 50s through 70s here.

I mean, I doubt the Les Paul that Les Paul used with Mary Ford had a higher grade of mahogany than your average piece of furniture.

Back then, yeah, they had some idea of tonewoods, but serious study and nitpicking didn't come about until someone figured out how to apply a clear stain over a piece of defective maple.

Flamed, quilted, and birdseye are actually not "good" - they're defects in nature that weaken the wood and traditionally lessen its quality - most people wanted uniform grain.

Not sure when or why Gibson decided to use Koa and/or Korina for their guitars. Probably as an alternative to maple or mahogany - maybe as a tonal midway point between the two.

Well, when Gibson made the first Les Paul, they had already been making guitars for 60 years, and their luthiery skills and knowledge of wood were extremely advanced, minus today's marketing bs...

Think of the Loar-era mandolins and archtops in the early '20s. Or even the idea of sandwiching a mahogany slab and two pieces of maple: considering that from '52 to '57 you could only get a gold top LP, clearly this was made exclusively for structural integrity and tonal reasons.

As for korina, Gibson has used it since '57 (flying V, Explorer), again for its tone and weight properties.

[bibz]

Different ends of the same log will sound different, as the climate and environment around the tree will change over time. We're still learning alot about wood today, and the more I learn myself, the less I think it can matter to a guitar at times. Tone is subjective after all.