which parts of the guitar affect tone the most?

[Mossy Moss]

which parts of the guitar affect tone the most?

 

top two i think are pickup and string types, followed by the electronics and bridge. everything else is minor in my experience

 

what say you?

[jacobarber]

This is an awful question that has been visited too many times

[Saturday]

the most important thing that affects your tone is outside the guitar: the amp.

the second thing it's also outside and it's your fingers.

then you have the pickups.

[Mossy Moss]

the most important thing that affects your tone is outside the guitar: the amp. the second thing it's also outside and it's your fingers. then you have the pickups.

 

 

amps are very important but im just talking about whats on the guitar itself

[Mossy Moss]

left out of the poll: hollow vs semi vs solid body, scale length

 

oops

[caveman]

P'ups, strings and electronics. Fortunately these are the easiest to mod.

[Hubert Stumblin]

Don't discount wood/materials. It plays a huge part in a guitar's character. It's just that people don't want to accept that because it is much easier to test different pickups, electronics, strings on one guitar and get very drastic differences. It's a lot more difficult to test two of the same guitar but made from different woods/materials swapping the same pickups, electronics, bridge, etc. Not everybody has the means or opportunity to do that other than pro-luthiers.

[frankie pajamas]

Pickup rings and cavity screws.

[Shiny_Surface]

This is an awful question that has been visited too many times

I don't know about ranking, but I believe in starting with a strong foundation (wood) even if other components have more of an effect.

[RickBeall]

I vote for pickup rings and pickguard screws.

I only use spent plutonium plugs for my screws.

[Mossy Moss]

Don't discount wood/materials. It plays a huge part in a guitar's character. It's just that people don't want to accept that because it is much easier to test different pickups, electronics, strings on one guitar and get very drastic differences. It's a lot more difficult to test two of the same guitar but made from different woods/materials swapping the same pickups, electronics, bridge, etc. Not everybody has the means or opportunity to do that other than pro-luthiers.

 

 

i think its overblown. theres a difference but its so subtle its overshadowed by everything else

[guitarman3001]

had you asked me this yesterday morning I would have said the pickups. Today I'll have to go with built-in bluetooth and garage door opener.

[Cats-o-caster]

Amp

[Hubert Stumblin]

i think its overblown. theres a difference but its so subtle its overshadowed by everything else

I disagree completely. By your way of thinking a lucite guitar should sound pretty much the same as say, a swamp ash bodied guitar if all else is the same. No way. There's considerable difference even between swamp ash and alder for example. But as I said, people want to deny that for some reason. Maybe because it's something that is less in their control when they are dealing with their own guitars.

The differences between different chunks of the same type of wood are subtle. But each type of wood definately has it's own character that can be applied across the board (pardon the pun).

It's a matter of straight up physics. The strings are going to cause vibrations in the given material and the way each material vibrates is different from another. How that material vibrates then interacts with the strings' vibration imparting characteristic tonal qualities to the guitar. Yes, even with solid body electric guitars. You can hear it without them being plugged in. Then how well the pickups translate that into a signal is another matter.

[Angry Tele]

pickups and then cinderblocks

[RaVenCAD]

pickups - most important.
strings - meaningless.
electronics - important, but as long as they work, they're fine.
bridge/tremolo combo (or just bridge sans tremolo) - Mostly meaningless as long as everything is working properly.
body wood - almost meaningless.. Body wood, or more specifically the density of the body wood, has more to do with sustain than tone on a solidbody guitar.
fretboard wood - purely visual and feel.
nut - Very important, as long as you're playing open strings.. Once you fret it, the nut doesn't exist.
headstock - A nice headstock sounds better than an ugly one.
tuners - Long as they work, they mean nothing.
neck/body joint - More of an ergonomic issue than anything.

[FoonkySteve]

The Strap.

[ballhawk]

On every one my guitars the thing that affects tone the most is my nuts.

[Belva]

Pickguard material. Also type of fret board markers are very important. Clay dots sound way better than mop.

[flump]

I disagree completely. By your way of thinking a lucite guitar should sound pretty much the same as say, a swamp ash bodied guitar if all else is the same. No way. There's considerable difference even between swamp ash and alder for example. But as I said, people want to deny that for some reason. Maybe because it's something that is less in their control when they are dealing with their own guitars. The differences between different chunks of the same type of wood are subtle. But each type of wood definately has it's own character that can be applied across the board (pardon the pun). It's a matter of straight up physics. The strings are going to cause vibrations in the given material and the way each material vibrates is different from another. How that material vibrates then interacts with the strings' vibration imparting characteristic tonal qualities to the guitar. Yes, even with solid body electric guitars. You can hear it without them being plugged in. Then how well the pickups translate that into a signal is another matter.

Say you make 2 guitars. Both strat shapes and fender necks. One is made of alder with 2 paf humbuckers. One is made of particle board and has Fender single coils. Which one is going to sound more like a strat?

[flump]

pickups - most important. strings - meaningless. electronics - important, but as long as they work, they're fine. bridge/tremolo combo (or just bridge sans tremolo) - Mostly meaningless as long as everything is working properly. body wood - almost meaningless.. Body wood, or more specifically the density of the body wood, has more to do with sustain than tone on a solidbody guitar. fretboard wood - purely visual and feel. nut - Very important, as long as you're playing open strings.. Once you fret it, the nut doesn't exist. headstock - A nice headstock sounds better than an ugly one. tuners - Long as they work, they mean nothing. neck/body joint - More of an ergonomic issue than anything.

 

 

I'm with this except for strings. Different gauge strings make a huge difference in sound. You'd have to be deaf not to notice it.

[mrbrown49]

I'm with this except for strings. Different gauge strings make a huge difference in sound. You'd have to be deaf not to notice it.

 

 

Different materials make a difference too.

[Metalrulez]

Pickup rings and cavity screws.

You are very close but,the knobs on the end of the tuning machines have more effect then the screws.

[Guitar Heel]

left out of the poll: hollow vs semi vs solid body, scale length oops

 

 

Yeah, I think scale is #2 behind the pickups...but #1 HAS to be the pickups.

[Mossy Moss]

I disagree completely. By your way of thinking a lucite guitar should sound pretty much the same as say, a swamp ash bodied guitar if all else is the same. No way. There's considerable difference even between swamp ash and alder for example. But as I said, people want to deny that for some reason. Maybe because it's something that is less in their control when they are dealing with their own guitars. The differences between different chunks of the same type of wood are subtle. But each type of wood definately has it's own character that can be applied across the board (pardon the pun). It's a matter of straight up physics. The strings are going to cause vibrations in the given material and the way each material vibrates is different from another. How that material vibrates then interacts with the strings' vibration imparting characteristic tonal qualities to the guitar. Yes, even with solid body electric guitars. You can hear it without them being plugged in. Then how well the pickups translate that into a signal is another matter.

i've played two teles each with a different body wood. same stock electronics, no real difference in tone. i forget the models