Quality of wood, parts

[tanpsi]

I thought this could have its own thread although I was inspired by this one:

http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63478

What does quality mean to people?

For me it would mean:

1 Current function
2 Durability

So for woods, you would want them to sound good, and not warp (happened to my USA Les paul neck!!)

Metal parts: smooth, precise esp. for tuning. Will stay that way!

Electronics: sound good, low noise

So how do other people measure or think of quality?

[rjohnstone]

1/4 sawn Maple necks and Mahagony bodies are my favorite combo for wood.
Properly machined parts are a must. No rough edges and clean finish work.
As for the electronics, if it sounds good I won't touch it, but I will replace all the stock parts with CTS pots and Switchcraft jacks if needed.
I also would ditch the thin crappy wiring and replace it with a heavier gauge for improved signal quality.

[HoWheels]

I thought this could have its own thread although I was inspired by this one:

http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63478

What does quality mean to people?

For me it would mean:

1 Current function
2 Durability

So for woods, you would want them to sound good, and not warp (happened to my USA Les paul neck!!)

Metal parts: smooth, precise esp. for tuning. Will stay that way!

Electronics: sound good, low noise

So how do other people measure or think of quality?

Since I've spent several years in QA ...
Quality is when something operates as designed, and does what it is designed to do well.

With that said, overall quality of a guitar is not always related to the sum of the quality of its parts.

The wood on your Les Paul, for example, may have been high quality wood, but it may have been poorly treated at the factory. For example, if the wood is not properly cured or kept precise moisture levels, then an otherwise high-quality piece of wood can end up performing very poorly once the guitar has been constructed. Thus, you can have a low-quality guitar with high quality parts!

-a

[Hossman]

The wood is the guitar - parts are easy
The wood was picked very carefully at Charvel mfg - many bodies and necks got tossed becaused they did not rate. Early Charvel's are known for the quality of the wood used.

The Wood Is Good

[xenophobe]

Quality? Choice of components, level of craftsmanship, high quality wood.

Custom Jacksons usually have a feel that standard USA Selects or cookie-cutter imports lack. It doesn't take a custom shop to make a guitar that feels just perfect to you, but customs almost always seem to achieve more. At least to me. I've owned at least a dozen custom shop peices, and more than a few USA Selects. All of the nicest Jacksons I've ever played were custom.

[max]

The wood is the guitar - parts are easy

+1