give me your honest opinion

[vtpcnk]

my swamp ash warmoth jazzmaster is so resonant - the notes literally sing on it.

when compared to it my alder mij strat (with a warmoth conversion neck) feels dead (it is slightly heavier though).

is it the swamp ash Vs alder factor?

or the one piece of swamp ash Vs the multiple pieces of alder?

my jazzmaster has lollar p90s - while the strat has texas specials. not sure if this is the only factor.

appreciate some insights.

 

[greywolf]

Take the pickups out of the picture to answer the question .  Each piece of wood has it's own character .

When I got my Strat 25 years ago , I played literally every guitar in the shop .. it took me a few days. I wasn't even looking for a Strat. I played each unplugged in a quiet room . The one I got was the one that sounded best unplugged.

I have guitars made of both , and they are both great acoustically , adding the pickups enhances what is already there.

laminations can reduce resonance as can heavy finishes.. there are a lot of factors in the overall tone.

 

[tfarny]

+1 to greywolf, I guess. Some guitars sing, others are dogs. It's a combination of stuff. I love my Lollars too, I'll be ordering more from that guy pretty soon.

 

[vtpcnk]

i'm not saying that my strat sounds bad. actually it sounds good - smooth and solid. but on my jazzmaster, when i play a chord it is like sprinkling water! the sounds leaps out. but the strat has a solid feel that the jazzmaster doesn't - maybe due to its greater weight.

 

[GoDrex]

what kind of bridge on each?

 

[vtpcnk]

the strat has the regular strat bridge/tremolo. the jazzmaster has the warmoth modified mustang bridge with a jazzmaster tremolo.

 

[GoDrex]

is the strat bridge floating or flat against the body?

 

[guitlouie]

Before I go giving honest opinions, one quick question.  Do they both have fresh strings?  I have found it useless to compare any of my guitars unless they are all on equal footing as far as the strings are concerned.  When I first played my first Warmoth, I knew I loved it, but when I compared it to my old Gibby, I was trying to figure out how the SG sounded soooo bad.  A new set of strings vs. one that has a couple months of gunk on them will do that.  They are a little more equal now. 

 

[vtpcnk]

yea both of them have new strings. as i change strings frequently.

 

[vtpcnk]

how important is the "acoustic" sound of the guitar? will a guitar which sounds lound unplugged necessarily sound better when plugged in? and in contrast will a guitar which sounds dull unplugged necesarily sound bad when plugged in?

 

[David]

I would think the pickups would be the biggest factor.  P90s versus Texas Specials.