A Guitars Sound ..........The way we want it !

[Tony Burns]

A Guitars Sound might seem like a large and complex post , but i wonder ?

Sometimes wonder about what differences can be made to change its sound or coax the sound that i want out of a guitar . What deadens sound ?

 

1.) I think strings make the main difference - giving up on any guitar because of how it sounds - or doesnt sound like so and so is kinda silly . Ive noticed major differences in tone and texture from brand to brand as well as different gauges ( of strings on the same guitar ) . i like the feel of EX-light , but Its not the sound I want , So Im trying everything reguardless of what some others may say -Im working with Custom lights now on the Larry - and ill change the Martin when her strings are dead ( wanted to use my last set of EX-lights just to get rid of them ) .

 

2.) Does adding pickups- or a k+k western mini - hurt the acoustic sound ( when its not plugged in )- Been thinking about this pick-up but maybe thinking gluing something on the underside of my saddles plate may dampen the guitars sound - or absorb it - any opinions ?

 

3.) how a guitar is held - Seems the more physical contact i have with the guitar the more the sound does not resonant - a good or bad way to dampen it.

 

Hey its all about the sound - I think the more we know about how to make our guitars sound better or the way we want them to sound - or tweaking the sound , might give us better results .

[kwakatak]

Most important IMO is the state of your hands/fingers as well as your state of mind. Like any other part of your body, your hands' muscles and tendons need to be stretched. The mind isn't too different; not only do you have to have the desire to play, but you've also got to get "in the zone" mentally.

 

For example, some days I feel like picking up the guitar but sometimes I don't feel like putting in 100% effort. Do I blame the guitar? No. Maybe my hands feel a little stiff or maybe something is dogging at my mind. Sometimes maybe something else is dogging at my mind and keeping me from "getting into" playing. Other times, maybe that worry/joy/whatever actually helps my playing by creating an inspiration. Whether it's a good day or a bad day for playing I really don't have any control over it. It just depends on what kind of day I have before I decide to play my guitar.

 

Also, if you play fingerstyle (without fingerpicks) then your nails/flesh make a large contribution to tone. Whether it's humidity or poor grooming, a soft or broken - or even jagged fingernail can really throw off your tone. IMO it's best to keep them trimmed and sanded - and keep 'em out of your mouth!

 

My biggest bane is actually washing dishes/baby bottles. My hands don't get a break and my nails' rigidity seem to be softer after I've been soaking them in dishwater/bathwater/etc. OTOH, they seem to be tougher if I've been out working in the yard and getting dirty. Of course, then you gotta worry about chipped nails and dirt getting on your fretboard.

[redhawks2]

I've been wondering the same thing about the K&K pickup. I have a Martin with one of these installed and I've never used it but always wondered if it inhibited the acoustic sound in some way??

[rjoxyz]

Tony, if you are looking for a fuller sound with less string tension, consider a round core string like DR Sunbeams or Newtone Master Class (pricey). My experience has been that they feel almost a gauge lighter than their rating (I use either in 13-56).
For my 000-15s and OM-03R (pretty much used just for fingerpicking), Martin Fingerstyle strings in 12-54 seem lighter and very slinky due to a smaller diameter core wire. If you have not tried any of these, may be worth a shot.

I installed the K&K mini in my L-03 and can't discern any difference in tone when unplugged.

I agree with you on the way a guitar is held. I try to keep the back away from my chest/belly for the very reason you state.

[Cripes]

When selecting a guitar I look for volume and balance for the least amount of effort. Tone and intonation throughout the register are also checked. I play with a thumbpick and fingernails 99% of the time. If I can lightly pluck each of the strings and like what I hear then I will play aggressively to see if those same qualities remain intact. Some lightly built guitars begin to distort certain frequencies when played agressively. I had a Larrivee OO-05 that did that.

Body contact does contribute to the sound of the guitar - most definitely. Sitting vs standing creates a difference as it is impossible to leave the back of the guitar as free to reverberate when standing as it is sitting. I prefer to stand when playing guitar so I do get some losses.

Kwak is right about being 100% when playing. I don't think I've ever been 100%, though. I do think I have some days when everything goes right but, ironically, it's when I'm not so anal about playing that I seem to do much better. So, 100% just might include relaxing and not taking oneself so seriously and just letting the music happen. Guitar sound is so much more than the guitar itself.

I would also encourage everyone to pick up a guitar not to play what they already know but to do just the opposite. I sometimes think people select instruments for the sound they make based solely on music they already know, and how close their mind's ear can associate a particular instrument to it. I try to avoid that so I will run scales and make the above-mentioned checks as my means for selecting something.