perhellion Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 What is the theory of Black Machine products? It seems that really thin bodies are usually something found in cheap guitars, but these are relatively expensive. I've seen nothing saying they sound bad, so what's the deal? Any direct experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 Link: http://www.blackmachine.net/ CMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perhellion Posted June 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 CMA, seen the site, but I don't see an answer to "Why thin?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 (edited) I know that. I provided it for anyone else who wanted to reply. CMA Edited June 13, 2008 by CrazyManAndy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 why NOT thin? I'm sure the answer is likely to be in the weight factor for the most part, and 'sleek aesthetics' secondarily. I don't think thin guitars are the realm of 'cheap', though. It takes a bit of work to pull off a thin guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perhellion Posted June 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 I was mainly wondering about the impact on sound. As far as cheap goes, the Black Machine guitars seem quite well made. But in other guitars thin is for the cheaper model. Like the Squier Affinity vs. regular Squier or Melody Maker vs. Les Paul Junior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug 59 Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 I agree with GregP .... it does take a bit of work to pull off a thin Guitar. For me personally, it's the aesthetics thing, and with that comes the lessened weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 i have played one of the snakewood necked models and the thin body leads to a very different playing experience, very impressive stuff... sleek and very fast these things sound awesome and you certainly dont lose tone by having a thin body... its a bit too simple just to say more wood = more tone... quality of materials is much more important than quantity!! any SG fans out there!!! they have quite thin bodies and are known to have a very resonant and lively nature compared to their chubby older siblings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perhellion Posted June 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 Are they like SG thickness? I wonder how an SG would sound without any of the darker sounding qualities -- ie. with 25.5" scale, thin alder body, maple bolt-on neck, maybe a Floyd? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 SG's are a bit thicker than the blackmachines but still thinner than most other guitars.. i was just using them as an example of how thinner than standard doesnt make something sound bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAK Guitars Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 Ibanez has made some pretty good thin guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 Are they like SG thickness? I wonder how an SG would sound without any of the darker sounding qualities -- ie. with 25.5" scale, thin alder body, maple bolt-on neck, maybe a Floyd? It's a bit of a side point, but a 25.5" scale is a "darker" quality... But I agree with what's been said before. Quality over quantity. I don't see how 1.75" became standard thickness for electrics, and I don't think amount of wood/body depth has nearly as much to do with sound quality on an electric, as it does on an acoustic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted June 13, 2008 Report Share Posted June 13, 2008 Are they like SG thickness? I wonder how an SG would sound without any of the darker sounding qualities -- ie. with 25.5" scale, thin alder body, maple bolt-on neck, maybe a Floyd? It's a bit of a side point, but a 25.5" scale is a "darker" quality... But I agree with what's been said before. Quality over quantity. I don't see how 1.75" became standard thickness for electrics, and I don't think amount of wood/body depth has nearly as much to do with sound quality on an electric, as it does on an acoustic. what do we mean by 'darker' here? to me 25.5" scale guitars have extra clarity and make harmonics easier... not what i would call 'dark' another point to consider since a floyd rose has been mentioned is the size of the trem block on the guitar... it will stick out the back if you make the guitar too thin!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted June 14, 2008 Report Share Posted June 14, 2008 Thin guitar does not at all = thin tone. You have to remember that an electric guitar is indeed an acoustic instrument. The electric pickups have to sense the strings, and the wood construction will indeed change your tone quite a bit. But once your amp is cranked and the gain is turned up the effect is lessened. There is no reason whatsoever that a very thin guitar wouldn't sound good. It might sound a bit different than what your used to, but better or worse would be in the eye of the beholder. That being said, I've never played a blackmachine first hand, but I've heard nothing but good things about them and hope to play one sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perhellion Posted June 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2008 I must say I am pleasantly surprised. I was expecting people to say thin was a tone killer. After all, there seems to be plenty of objection to swimming pool routes and weight relief holes, to name two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted June 14, 2008 Report Share Posted June 14, 2008 Chambering is quite popular around here. Swimming pool routs are probably reviled more for the fact that they're ugly and sloppy than they take away much material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Posted June 14, 2008 Report Share Posted June 14, 2008 thin Ibanez..was it the Frank Gambale Sabre model that was super thin?...What ever happened to Franky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted June 14, 2008 Report Share Posted June 14, 2008 JS models aren't exactly beefy either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 14, 2008 Report Share Posted June 14, 2008 I like the fact that big beefy bodies FEEL solid and perhaps give you a feeling of mighty soundness. LPs are awesome for this, as are Explorers. It just isn't true however. Build quality and choice of materials contributes to a larger extent than pure mass of material. I'd put my favourite thin-bodied Ibanez S bolt-on against most people's neck-throughs in terms of tone and sustain any day. I'm not a believer in all that voodoo. It just doesn't exist in this really-real world. Blackmachine are in the position of being able to use choice woods in a small limited run of generally custom builds, so corners don't necessarily have to be cut, so the instrument design can be slender or whatever is on the board. The designs and build look solid as far as I can see (although the backplates look obtuse to my eyes) so I can't see why the instruments shouldn't play well or sound good. Never played one, but the basis for how they are built looks good and I presume they are indeed decent instruments. I swear by the Ibanez S shape. It's awesome, yet i'd like to try the radius/JS models out for size....or the seven-string S for that matter.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWishICouldShred Posted June 15, 2008 Report Share Posted June 15, 2008 (edited) On the note of Ibanez, the SZ (?) model is fairly thin, too. I think it was called SZ. It's got the zero-resistance trem and Herman Li endorses it. EDIT: Oh. I suppose that would be part of the S series mentioned above. Duh. Edited June 15, 2008 by IWishICouldShred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donut Man Posted June 15, 2008 Report Share Posted June 15, 2008 I've always liked the look of Blackmachines, especially after seeing Pin from Sikth play one. I wonder where he gets all wood for the Ebony tops though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestorationAD Posted June 15, 2008 Report Share Posted June 15, 2008 The thin 2mm tops could be obtained from LMI or other sources for a acoustic back sets... I like the fact blackmachines uses dense hard woods as they allow them the thin bodies while structural integrity is maintained. I have 2 parker flys and they are light and resonant. And they save your back... Xanthus is right your electronics play a bigger part in the sound of your electric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthus Posted June 15, 2008 Report Share Posted June 15, 2008 what do we mean by 'darker' here? to me 25.5" scale guitars have extra clarity and make harmonics easier... not what i would call 'dark' another point to consider since a floyd rose has been mentioned is the size of the trem block on the guitar... it will stick out the back if you make the guitar too thin!! I meant that the longer scale emphasizes the lower end frequencies, making the tone darker. To me i.e. bass scales. Longer scales make for a deeper sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGGR Posted June 15, 2008 Report Share Posted June 15, 2008 Not using Tremolo's also makes you can use a thinner body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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