Laminate top vs maple or spruce?

[JBGM]

These charts are interesting. However, it's my guess (correct me if I'm wrong) that they record the sustained sound - that is the sound coming from the guitar AFTER the pick or the fingers have left the string.

The reality is that these charts correspond to the same 30-second piece with 7th chords interpreted between frets 5 and 12. The chart is an average of a given window. Details about the algorithm in the Audacity forum.

That said, I readily admit that it is very difficult (impossible?) to destinguish between a hollow and a solid body guitar in tests. Such blindfold tests have been posted on this forum from time to time, and I was never able to tell which guitar was what. Often I could hear a slight difference in sound, but it was surpricingly little, and I coudn't attribute it to the guitars being hollow/solid. I remember once when I was sure that a particularly lush tone I heard must have come from an L5. It didn't. It was a Strat with stock PUs and a non-blocked tremolo. Some may say that this tells more about my hearing than it does about the similarity of the sounds. But others were just as much fooled as I was.

I have been fooled a few times too, but with isolated samples, and mostly in samples that eliminate frequencies by rolling down the tone. I learned my lesson and never try to guess in isolation. AGAIN: What I have found out is that if you compare a solid body against a hollow body playing the same piece through the same set up, it is nearly trivial to tell them apart.

Thus it is my belief that with sensible use of the tone controls on the guitar and the amp - maybe with the help from an external EQ unit - one can dial in almost the same sound with a lot of different guitars (of course provided they are set up, stringed and played the same way)

As I mentioned before, I have a Roland GR-55 synth, and a GK-3 hexaphonic pickup installed on my Les Paul 59. I can program the sound of a L-5, but in my studio it does not sound satisfactory; live, nobody cares. Even without the Roland, I can approximate the jazzy tone with my favorite solid body, but then I play my hollow and they are a world apart.

[tdearn]

If you cannot tell that tdearn is using a solid body from his recordings, then it's a moot point. IMHO it is evident. If yoI a solid body and you are happy with the sound, there is no need to do anything else. If you are not (and tdearn seems to be in this category), then you need to keep looking as it becomes an itch while playing. I have been there, sympathize with his quest, and that is why I have been feeding this and only this thread. I have solved my own tone quest. Now I spend my time studying harmony and answering THIS thread

Let me repeat once more : Spectral analysis is most useful to COMPARE. C O M P A R E ! ! ! It feels like some of the comments try to refute something that has not been said. If you think you can make a hollow body sound like a solid body, then COMPARE it against a hollow body and see where the differences are. Listen to the two in a blind test... and most likely you will be able to tell which is which. All the half-decent hollow body guitars I have tried have a richer frequency response than all the solid body guitars I have tried. I have not tried them all, but I have tried quite a few.

In the recordings I am using a Peavey Rockingham hollow archtop. I think its 17inch deep? With a Gibson 57 classic humbucker in the neck. There are no solid bodies in the recent recordings though I Was previously using a Les Paul for gigs.

[Para]

In the recordings I am using a Peavey Rockingham hollow archtop. I think its 17inch deep? With a Gibson 57 classic humbucker in the neck. There are no solid bodies in the recent recordings though I Was previously using a Les Paul for gigs.

17" deep, that is a big guitar, you would need long arms, I think you mean wide.

[tdearn]

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca8qluo1mxg


The video in the next post is the sound I am getting from a solid body.
The sound cloud below is using an archtop with the same amp.

[tdearn]

This is the solid body LP but the guitar in the recordings is an archtop. Personally I prefer the archtop sound but it feeds back at gigs.

[tdearn]

17" deep, that is a big guitar, you would need long arms, I think you mean wide.

Lol. Yes sorry.

[ah.clem]

This is the solid body LP but the guitar in the recordings is an archtop. Personally I prefer the archtop sound but it feeds back at gigs.

You get a nice Rhodes sound outta that LP!

[tdearn]

You get a nice Rhodes sound outta that LP!

Thankyou.

[Para]

This is the solid body LP but the guitar in the recordings is an archtop. Personally I prefer the archtop sound but it feeds back at gigs.

Try what I posted earlier cover the F holes with tape or something should stop a lot of feedback.
Check this vid of Jim Mullen 6.49 in. He had plugs made for the F holes you could make some from foam and just wedge them in when needed.

[tdearn]

Try what I posted earlier cover the F holes with tape or something should stop a lot of feedback.
Check this vid of Jim Mullen 6.49 in. He had plugs made for the F holes you could make some from foam and just wedge them in when needed.

Yes I intend to try this at the next large gig. Just small ones this week but a big hall next week so will give it a go. Thanks.

[Bluedawg]

Try what I posted earlier cover the F holes with tape or something should stop a lot of feedback.
Check this vid of Jim Mullen 6.49 in. He had plugs made for the F holes you could make some from foam and just wedge them in when needed.

LOL


"If you're trying to play some music and there's one note coming out that's howling in feedback ... you just lose all interest in life"


Yeah there's multiple facets to the questions here ....

If you muck about with the EQ and effects you can make almost any two guitars sound alike ....

And that's one of the things I dislike about the "turn down the tone knob" approach ...

The whole point of an archtop to me is that you don't have to turn down the tone knob or muck about with the EQ to make it sound like an archtop ...

I prefer to leave the tone knob on an archtop wide open or close to it ... then you can get the rich archtop highs that just aren't there on a solid body guitar

[Para]

Just a thought TD I don't know what settings you use on your amp but cutting the bass back on the amp will help reduce feedback.

[tdearn]

Thanks. Yes I've been rolling the bass right off but stilp getting problems. I've got some foam which I need to cut to the f hole sizes.

[Para]

You could glue the foam to a thin piece plastic or something slightly bigger than the F holes to make sure you dont push it right inside the guitar

[Woody Sound]

That little curved sop sax in the 2nd half looks funny on that big guy.

[tdearn]

He is a big guy. Im six foot and you can see how much taller he is than me.

[tdearn]

Well thanks for the advice guys. I bit the bullet and brought a guitar yesterday. I knew that what I really wanted was a Gibson es 175 and that if I had anything else I would only have ended up paying more out at a later date so I got myself a used Gibson 175. It was up for 1749 pounds then they knocked 100 off and gave me 500 trade in on my strat so I ended up paying 1149 pounds. Its a 91 with a natural finish.

[Para]

Pics?

[339 in june]

Congrats on your purchase which seems to be a good deal
Enjoy your "new" guitar in good health

[tdearn]

Thanks.

[Para]

Nice guitar m8 hope you enjoy playing it.

[tdearn]

Nice guitar m8 hope you enjoy playing it.

Thanks mate. I brought it yesterday then had to rush off and do a rock gig last night so was up early this morning putting flatwounds on it ready for a wedding fair gig today. I was impressed with it at the gig, sounds great, comfortable to play and no excessive feedback.

[tdearn]

Here is a clip of the new guitar in action at a recent gig I played. Guitar solo starts at 1 min 45.