? for guitar players/makers

[lrogers]

A recent pizza commercial featured a couple of unusally shaped guitars, one shaped like an arrow head and one like a double bladed battle axe. This got me wondering, does the body shape of an electric guitar have any effect on the sound quality?????

Isn't it nice when that's the biggest worry you've got?????

[LarryG]

This got me wondering, does the body shape of an electric guitar have any effect on the sound quality?????

The shape, per se ... doubtful. But the amount and density of the wood in the body definitely makes a difference (albeit often EXTREMELY subtle) in the tone. Where the mass is concentrated in relation to the pickups can make a difference, too ... for example, a Gibson Flying V (possibly the arrow-shaped guitar you saw) uses the same pickups and electronics as the more famous Gibson Les Paul, but the two guitars sound a bit different.

Guitar tone, and for that matter feel and playability, is part science, part black art, part dumb luck. Outwardly identical guitars that come off the production line on the same day can and will sound and play and feel ever-so-slightly different.

[Tundra_Man]

... for example, a Gibson Flying V (possibly the arrow-shaped guitar you saw) uses the same pickups and electronics as the more famous Gibson Les Paul, but the two guitars sound a bit different.

The Flying V is also made from korina, where the Les Paul is a mahogany/maple combination. This is probably the biggest reason for the difference in sound between the two.

If one were able to come up with a quantifiable method of measuring how an instrument sounds and were able to isolate all the other sound molding factors, the shape of an electric guitar probably does have an influence on the sound. However, there are many more factors that have much more influence than body shape.

Although, certain guitar shapes do cause the musician to play with a different "attitude", and that certainly has an effect on the sound.

[LarryG]

The Flying V is also made from korina, where the Les Paul is a mahogany/maple combination. This is probably the biggest reason for the difference in sound between the two.

Good point. I meant to mention wood species as a factor, too, but see that I forgot.

Some of the Flying Vs were made of korina, including (AFAIK) all the original run guitars from the late 50s. But there have also been several versions that were made of mahogany, including some of the so-called "reissues." (But none with a Les Paul-style maple cap that I've ever seen ... although there have been solid mahogany LPs without the maple cap ... which sound markedly different from the maple cap guitars.) I don't think I've ever played a korina Flying V, unless maybe it was one of the Korean Epiphones. Flying Vs feel so danged weird to me that I never could stand to play any of them for very long.

[onedash]

cant make to much difference. Geddy lee had that little graphite bass and michael anthony had the gian jack daniels bass.
Not to mention the double neck guitars. Im sure there are tiny differences but I doubt they can be to different. Maybe more or less sustain just like the bolt on necks make a difference especially in sustain.