Why is wood important for an electric guitar?

[Fenix]

I don't know if this is a dumb question but i might as well ask.

Why is wood type important for an electric guitar? I understand why it is important for an acoustic since the sound resonates in the body and the wood type determines the warmth of the sound you get. But electric guitars are solid and the sound comes from the vibration of the strings. So why is wood important?

Thanks guys.

[Gibby]

Well, from my understanding, a darker wood will give you a darker sound (mellow).  To where a lighter wood (maple I think) will give a brighter tone.

[Fenix]

Well, from my understanding, a darker wood will give you a darker sound (mellow).  To where a lighter wood (maple I think) will give a brighter tone.

Thanks Gib.

On an unrelated note, what is your role in your band in church? Do you play rhythm or lead mostly?

[Gibby]

Thanks Gib.

On an unrelated note, what is your role in your band in church? Do you play rhythm or lead mostly?

it depends, I play both depending on the situation.  If one of my band mates are not there, I will play rhythm to make the sound fuller.  but if everybody is there, I will switch from rhythm to lead.  it depends really 

[Sonar]

Well, from my understanding, a darker wood will give you a darker sound (mellow).  To where a lighter wood (maple I think) will give a brighter tone.

I get that wood is ONE item in consideration...along with bridge style & composition, neck joint and material, saddle composition, etc.

The tighter grain hardwood like ash might impart a brighter tone as compared to alder it is said.

Check out this site for some more ideas:
http://www.jemsite.com/jem/wood.htm

Worrying about wood is typically for guys buying $1,000+ guitars...so I don't get much call to let it bother me much.   

Get this figured out to your satisfaction and you can go on to worry about the myriad pickup brand & model selections and which boutique oil in paper vintage capacitors your guitars need. 

[Fenix]

Get this figured out to your satisfaction and you can go on to worry about the myriad pickup brand & model selections and which boutique oil in paper vintage capacitors your guitars need. 

Uhh, riiiiiiiiiight...

I got enough to worry about before i start worrying about all the other extra stuff.

Right now i just bought an Epiphone Les Paul Special 2 and i am loving it! I can't wait to try it out in church. I can't figure out why the dude at guitar center hated it so much he had to say he'd rather i buy a Ibanez than a <bleeping> Epiphone. I tried both of 'em out and i preferred the Epiphone's tone especially for rhythm playing.

I also like the fact that its a Les Paul style guitar so now i can believe, by faith, i am getting a Gibson.

AMEN!! 

[Sonar]

Uhh, riiiiiiiiiight...

I got enough to worry about before i start worrying about all the other extra stuff.

Right now i just bought an Epiphone Les Paul Special 2 and i am loving it! I can't wait to try it out in church. I can't figure out why the dude at guitar center hated it so much he had to say he'd rather i buy a Ibanez than a <bleeping> Epiphone. I tried both of 'em out and i preferred the Epiphone's tone especially for rhythm playing.

I also like the fact that its a Les Paul style guitar so now i can believe, by faith, i am getting a Gibson.

AMEN!! 

I'll second your AMEN to that.

If you're playing it for your church, it's ALL "GOOD WOOD" in my book. 

[gtrdave]

I don't know if this is a dumb question but i might as well ask.

Why is wood type important for an electric guitar? I understand why it is important for an acoustic since the sound resonates in the body and the wood type determines the warmth of the sound you get. But electric guitars are solid and the sound comes from the vibration of the strings. So why is wood important?

Thanks guys.

The same word applies to both acoustic and electric guitars: resonance.
Electric guitars still have acoustic properties and while they don't produce much sound on their own, they do still produce sound on their own and the body and neck wood are the primary pieces that help create that acoustic sound.
If it were just strings and pickups then you could make a guitar out of a ball of rubber bands, stick a pickup and strings on it and jam away.
But you can't. You need wood OR something else that has an inherent resonating property like wood.

[Fenix]

The same word applies to both acoustic and electric guitars: resonance.
Electric guitars still have acoustic properties and while they don't produce much sound on their own, they do still produce sound on their own and the body and neck wood are the primary pieces that help create that acoustic sound.
If it were just strings and pickups then you could make a guitar out of a ball of rubber bands, stick a pickup and strings on it and jam away.
But you can't. You need wood OR something else that has an inherent resonating property like wood.

Thanks Mr Malmsteen.

It makes sense now plus i did some research online too. Seems like when you pluck the strings on a guitar it creates a vibration that we know as sound. This sound needs something to bounce back off of. Enter the wood needed. Different woods absorb and reflect sound waves according to their properties.

Hence a darker, heavier wood should produce a warmer and more mellow sound and vice versa for a lighter wood.

So for electrics, the wood the body is made out of reflects the sound back to the pickups, thus defining the type of sound one gets.

...or something like that.

[gtrdave]

Thanks Mr Malmsteen.

It makes sense now plus i did some research online too. Seems like when you pluck the strings on a guitar it creates a vibration that we know as sound. This sound needs something to bounce back off of. Enter the wood needed. Different woods absorb and reflect sound waves according to their properties.

Hence a darker, heavier wood should produce a warmer and more mellow sound and vice versa for a lighter wood.

So for electrics, the wood the body is made out of reflects the sound back to the pickups, thus defining the type of sound one gets.

...or something like that.

There's a lot more to it than just wood type: there's the quality of the wood type (not all mahogany is the same, not all maple is the same, etc.l..), there's the quality and integrity of the neck/body joint, there's the filler and finish of the wood (nitrocellulose lacquer breathes and ages nicely, polyurethane is durable but bot nearly as breathable).
Add in the frets, bridge, nut, pickups, electronics and so on and you've got the many different items that play a part in how the electric guitar will sound.

[Sonar]

Hence a darker, heavier wood should produce a warmer and more mellow sound and vice versa for a lighter wood.

I'm a bit confused as to what is the meaning of "darker" or "heavier" wood in this discussion.

I think the question is actually about density and wood fiber.

Ash is a denser hardwood than alder which is barely hardwood. Ash is typically brighter as it quickly reflects sound and doesn't "absorb" as much vibration as the softer alder (or the even SOFTER basswood).

Then you have questions like buying "ash" bodied guitars from Japan that are actually "SEN" and are part of the IVY FAMILY. But they look nice and the grain looks like a busy ash...but it IS considerably less dense than comparable American ash. (Not wishing to add that there's all kinds of "American ash" and each piece should be judged on it's own merits...even taken from the same tree!)   

We should get Lambchop in here to help out with "the guitar wood discussion that NEVER ENDS"! 

[Fenix]

^^^

Thanks Sonar.

So i got my new guitar and was quite disappointed when the bassist at church said it wasn't good enough quality to play in church. Its the Epiphone Les Paul Special II and it sounded good at GC. It is not as bright as a Fender style guitar, or should it? I liked it for the mellow tone that it had and i frankly enjoyed it.

May have to pay another visit to GC to find a guitar that is bright enough for church.

[lilBB]

^^^

Thanks Sonar.

So i got my new guitar and was quite disappointed when the bassist at church said it wasn't good enough quality to play in church. Its the Epiphone Les Paul Special II and it sounded good at GC. It is not as bright as a Fender style guitar, or should it? I liked it for the mellow tone that it had and i frankly enjoyed it.

May have to pay another visit to GC to find a guitar that is bright enough for church.

im disturbed by this...

[gtrdave]

^^^

Thanks Sonar.

So i got my new guitar and was quite disappointed when the bassist at church said it wasn't good enough quality to play in church. Its the Epiphone Les Paul Special II and it sounded good at GC. It is not as bright as a Fender style guitar, or should it? I liked it for the mellow tone that it had and i frankly enjoyed it.

May have to pay another visit to GC to find a guitar that is bright enough for church.

Before you go swapping guitars, there's a couple more things that you need to understand.
First, no, a Les Paul type guitar is typically not as bright sounding as a Strat type guitar UNLESS that Strat has got a mahogany body and is equipped with humbuckers. The wood and the pickups each add to how bright/dark a guitar will sound.
Epi LP Special IIs are not known for having a set of high-quality pickups but neither is a comparable Strat going to be equipped with anything worth bragging about.
So, you could swap the pickups to something that might add some brightness: Duncan Performers and GFS both make nice low-cost good-quality replacement humbuckers for your LP. You could even get a set of P90 type single coils to give you a little more high end edge.

Don't want to change the pickups? Try an EQ pedal or change the settings on your amp to reduce the low end and increase the high end (what kind of amp are you using in church?).
Sometimes people have decent gear but it's just set and/or set-up all wrong for what they're trying to do.

Also, even a simple string change can offer a brighter sound. If your strings are old at all then changing to a new set will definitely help brighten up the axe a bit.

Did the guy at church use the exact words "wasn't good enough quality"?
That's harsh.

[JayP5150]

^^^

Thanks Sonar.

So i got my new guitar and was quite disappointed when the bassist at church said it wasn't good enough quality to play in church. Its the Epiphone Les Paul Special II and it sounded good at GC. It is not as bright as a Fender style guitar, or should it? I liked it for the mellow tone that it had and i frankly enjoyed it.

May have to pay another visit to GC to find a guitar that is bright enough for church.

Ok... I love a Start as much as the next guy, but I hate when people pigeon-hole that into being THE guitar for church use and abuse. (funkstrat, you are excluded from this lol).

I have a beater LP copy that's been to church with me.

I have a Dean that I bought for $75 and modded, and it's been to church with me.

You crank out on what you have right now, and you worry about upgrading later--or like Dave said, mod what you got (I'm paraphrasing lol).

You'll know when it's time for a new guitar. Tell your bassist to chill, and that he's missing a few strings to be talking to you that way  (kidding... don't say that).

[JayP5150]

Goodness... can't type today.

Strat... not "start"

[Fenix]

Thanks guys, i really appreciate it.

Well i went over to Atomic Music (a local music store) and had a talk with them. They were frank with me and told me that a Les Paul style guitar will not sound as bright as a Strat style guitar without some work. I am going to have a conversation with my bassist tomorrow about this.

[jlynnb1]

Thanks guys, i really appreciate it.

Well i went over to Atomic Music (a local music store) and had a talk with them. They were frank with me and told me that a Les Paul style guitar will not sound as bright as a Strat style guitar without some work. I am going to have a conversation with my bassist tomorrow about this.

the last thing i'd do is let a bassist tell me how my guitar should sound, lol

[Sonar]

the last thing i'd do is let a bassist tell me how my guitar should sound, lol

That was my first thought too.

I wondered exactly which model Smith, Brubaker or Lakland bass guitar this gear snob was playing currently at church. 

[gtrdave]

the last thing i'd do is let a bassist tell me how my guitar should sound, lol

Unless he's a well-trusted musician and not just a bassist.
Believe it or not, I've even known some drummers (yes, drummers) who were VERY diverse musicians and I would trust their opinion on vocals, guitars, arrangements, etc...

Granted, this is rare...