fyb Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 I searched some and didn't quite find the answer I was searching for ... I know plenty of people will use thinner bodies for comfort, weight reduction, etc.. All other things being as equal as possible (i.e. body/neck materials, pickups, hardware, etc.), what do you think the tonal differences will be in going with a thinner body? Thanks fof the input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 who knows?try it and find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 I know plenty of people will use thinner bodies for comfort, weight reduction, etc.. All other things being as equal as possible (i.e. body/neck materials, pickups, hardware, etc.), what do you think the tonal differences will be in going with a thinner body? My Melody Maker is 38 mm thick...probably one of the thinnest guitars out there. It's a really comfortable guitar and it sounds great --unplugged. But plugged in, it definitely has problems. I've tried a bunch of different pickups with it (humbucker, mini-humbucker, P90, various single-coils) and never found the 'right' sound. It's back to a stock Melody Maker pickup, which probably sounds the best of all. But still...to me, the guitar lacks a certain 'oomph' , there's no depth to the sound...maybe if it had a neck pickup, that would compensate a bit. Since the rest of the guitar is nicely built (that old 60s era Gibson mahogany and rosewood), I've always assumed that the tone issues I have with it come from the thinness of the body. But there are other factors --the neck is pencil thin, and I'm sure that has a lot to do with it too --I'm guessing that if there were more meat in the neck, there'd be more meat in the sound. On the other hand, a heavier neck would knock the guitar out of balance. So given all of the different factors (because all things will never be equal), the only way to know is to try... I mean, this might not be the sound I want from the guitar, but maybe it's exactly what you're looking for. You're the only one who'll know that. yeah, I know, lots of help, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Gibson SG’s are pretty thin. I rank Agnus Young’s guitar sound as one of the best there is and he is certainly not lacking oomph The “information” I have found about thinner bodies is that the sound is pretty much the same but the completed guitar is more dynamic(more attack and less sustain). I have only built one “thin” body guitar (a Tele with a body thickness of around 41 mm). This is indeed more dynamic than my standard sized Tele. But then again the body and fret board woods differ so there are NO science to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Take this for what it is worth as Wes is right to say try it and see what you think. Anywho, speaking from an acoustic point of view(solid body would be effected much less I suspect). The mass of a bridge has a significant effect on the way a guitar plays. A high mass bridge will tend to react slower(less attack), sustain longer(after the mass is moving it keeps going pretty good), and the decay is slower(again the decelerating mass is more gradual). Less bridge mass will allow for fast reaction(fast attack) and more rapid decay(generally more dynamic and less stable or smooth). Mind you that is notable on an acoustic, but a solid body is a very different animal, and other variables will certainly play a big role in how percievable this effect would be. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee6 Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 As stated, the sg is thin; about 35mm. My understanding from what I read was that it was designed to increase resonance. But then again, that was one of the reasons for solid bodies to begin with! The sg is a bit neck heavy unless you make a custom with 3 pups to balance it out. Just my $.02. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_48_Johnson Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 My Ibanez S470 is VERY thin around the edge, about 1/2" or so. The middle of course is thicker to hold the depth of the pup's and the bridge. It's mahogany and has very nice sustain and is very warm, much warmer than my Stratocaster. B-rad in Akron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMS Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 (edited) I am trying to figure that one out too, and I am thinking that the wood and scale length has a lot to do with it. But the strange part is that I used to own a 1995 LP Classic and though it had that basic tone of an LP type guitar 24 3/4" scale it seemed no mater what pickup I put in it to tone was just lacking that substance. Now my 1980 LP Deluxe I think sounds good and it was a lot hevier than that Classic was but I am not sure if that matters I played an SG and it blew away anything I have ever played, though I forget what amp I was playing through, this going back 15 years. So was it just a good combination of guitar, wood, pickups and the amp.....I think so. Edited January 4, 2007 by RMS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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