Can you tell these Tele's apart?

[Rog]

I reckon the Korina one is my favourite, the fender sounds very lifeless in comparison to the other two!

I chose #2 as my favourite because it had more 'life'. Turned out to be the Fender. Goes to show how subjective it all is.

[StrummersOfThunder]

Thought it was about the only half way near decent attempt at looking at this with some scientific method. Still, one needs double blinding and standardized string strike ie by a machine.

True, but avoiding the only test that really means anything: Does this guitar in my hands inspire me/make me want to play more, or not?

As Metallica says, Nothing Else Matters.

I couldnt agree more, the LOOK and FEEL of a guitar will certainly dramatically effect the players response to it and visa versa but thats not the question here. Im curious about the science behind it, and im very happy for the outcome to sway me either way, but as it stands I dont think there is much, if any influence of wood type on tone.
Aesthetic = YES
Feel = YES
Sustain = Quite Possibly
Tone = Dubious.

[Scooter13]

I believe it does.

Hardly scientific let alone intelligent vid, but here's an example I came across the other day.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLxE8iDWD_w[/youtube]

Found that vid because I don't like the tone of my Super Distortion in my swamp ash super strat, too bitey and mosquito-like, despite it being one of my favourite pups.

Arguing about this stuff on the internet though....#tinfoilhat

[StrummersOfThunder]

Yes I watched that video too, and form the outset its tempting to take it as a reasonable test. But still too many variables - different player, can be minor differences in pickup winding, again force of string attack ...all make my head hurt
I think this is once where those in each camp will have to agree to disagree.
Might have to set up my own experiment one day

[Jay]

Lancaster - all is forgiven, you may have been right all along

[Rog]

Lancaster - all is forgiven, you may have been right all along

[Bg]

Thought it was about the only half way near decent attempt at looking at this with some scientific method. Still, one needs double blinding and standardized string strike ie by a machine.

True, but avoiding the only test that really means anything: Does this guitar in my hands inspire me/make me want to play more, or not?

As Metallica says, Nothing Else Matters.

I couldnt agree more, the LOOK and FEEL of a guitar will certainly dramatically effect the players response to it and visa versa but thats not the question here. Im curious about the science behind it, and im very happy for the outcome to sway me either way, but as it stands I dont think there is much, if any influence of wood type on tone.
Aesthetic = YES
Feel = YES
Sustain = Quite Possibly
Tone = Dubious.

So what do you think changes the tone of a guitar? Shape? Weight? It can't be pickups because the same pickup sounds different in different guitars.

So it I got a lenker prs a like, upgraded the electronics, put prs pickups in it etc then it should sound as good as the prs?

[Rog]

So it I got a lenker prs a like, upgraded the electronics, put prs pickups in it etc then it should sound as good as the prs?

Probably better ~ balsa is a great tonewood

[StrummersOfThunder]

So what do you think changes the tone of a guitar? Shape? Weight? It can't be pickups because the same pickup sounds different in different guitars.

So it I got a lenker prs a like, upgraded the electronics, put prs pickups in it etc then it should sound as good as the prs?[/quote]

Id say it CAN be just pickups.
Yes the guitar will sound the pretty much the same, but NO it wont play/feel the same so you probably wont be satisfied with, or be able to reproduce the same sound all over the neck as you play it in your normal fashion. Differences in the action, fretting etc. But I think ( and this is just my own opinion, and being a man of science, the TONE of a single plucked open string, minus some difference in sustain, would be very, very similar. To me it just has to be.
Now to be fair, I have never really thought much about this before, until Jvpp got me thinking the other day after we tested guitars. And im basing my arguments on no evidence, which I dont like, so as far as im concerned I still dont KNOW what the answer is but I suspect there is minimal influence from the wood.

In my mind this experiment would answer it.

Several different planks of wood, attach a nut and a bridge and route a place for a single pickup with a single volume pot.
A pendulum let go from a set height with a flexible pick set to just strum the strings as it passes.
Multiple passes averaging the frequency and output.
repeat for multiple pieces of wood keeping all variables static.

The problem with all these quasi experiments on you tube is that there is no blinding, and with no blinding our bias of opinion effects proper observation and flaws our conclusion.

[willow13]

I reckon smashing a guitar would greatly effect its tone

[Slowy]

...I don't like the tone of my Super Distortion in my swamp ash super strat, too bitey and mosquito-like, despite it being one of my favourite pups.

This is exactly my impression of high gain and Swamp Ash. But as someone here correctly observed, it doesn't apply to Eddie Van Halen.

IMHO you cannot quantify the tone of a guitar; much less the wood. There are broad characteristics to be found but nobody realistically expects to sound like someone else just by playing their guitar..... do they? And as for pendulums with picks attached, I'll get back to you when I need to re-attach my severed arm with garden twine.

[Slowy]

So what do you think changes the tone of a guitar? Shape? Weight? It can't be pickups because the same pickup sounds different in different guitars.

Strings
Picks
Fingers
Pedals
Amp
Enviroment
Mood
Degree of intoxication....or not.
Price

[StrummersOfThunder]

Fair enough. I think I may have lost my mind somewhere along the way. Let me know if you find it.

I like guitars.

[jeremyb]

After owning a hard ash bodied tele with humbuckers I can tell you 100% that the wood affects the tone, it was really trebley, and I like my treble, but wayyyy too much, same pickups in a different body and it was night and day!

[willow13]

Fair enough. I think I may have lost my mind somewhere along the way. Let me know if you find it.

I like guitars.

of all the things you've lost, your minds the thing you miss the most .... I to like guitars

totally irrelevant but I just recorded 4 guitar tracks using my pod GX using 4 different guitars and 4 different amp models and cabs (all software) and bam they all sound exactly the same