New video: Body wood tone test - Alder vs Swamp Ash vs Mahogany

[aarontunes]

Top tone woods revealed...and #3 will shock you!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k_A8GhN0L8[/youtube]

 

[amigarobbo]

Top tone woods revealed...and #3 will shock you!
[/youtube]

Well, that's certainly baited me into clicking on it!

 

[Logrinn]

You guys are the best. Love every video you make. Keep ’em coming.

 

[rgand]

Well, then. That explains a lot. Thanks for this video. I can't say I liked any particular wood better than the others. They were just different and each has a place depending on what you play. Keep making those videos, Aaron!

 

[Rick]

cool  :glasses9:

 

[stratamania]

Definitely can hear differences but all of them sounded good. I like the mahogany but my main guitar for many years was Honduran mahogany so that does not surprise me.

It would be interesting to see what these three bodies after being finished in the same paint sound like.

 

[amigarobbo]

:icon_jokercolor:

 

[aarontunes]

:icon_jokercolor:

Haha....it is inevitable. By and large, people on the internet are anonymous savages. I don't mind if they go all Lord of the Flies on me, as long as they keep staring at the Warmoth turtle while doing so. My revenge is the satisfaction of knowing that I get to make videos and play guitar for my day job.  :headbang:

 

[vetteman]

I think we should now be debating which color tone shirt that Aaron was wearing made the guitar sound best? :laughing11:

 

[Axkoa]

I guess if anyone can do a tone-wood test video, it's Warmoth!

Can't say that I noticed much difference between them. I'd say Mahogany sounds a little fuller, with Alder being the least full, and Swamp Ash in between. Makes it pretty easy to just say wood doesn't really matter other than aesthetics, weight, and feel. I'll have to revisit this video when my left ear isn't messed up. Definitely an interesting video :icon_biggrin:

 

[T89Rex]

I was surprised to hear as much difference as I did, and to hear it so consistently.

Swamp ash was my favourite, though that could be because that's how Teles are 'supposed' to sound. Surprisingly I liked alder the least which has got me rethinking my next build a bit  :icon_scratch:

 

[Strat Avenger]

I heard the differences, although they were very slight. 
The mahogany seemed consistently louder than the others.

 

[DangerousR6]

I pretty much agree AA, but if ever so slightly as Street Avenger noted....Maybe as you say, a difference from hearing it live as opposed to thru youtube. Although, adversely to you, I personally love the feel of natural wood. Over the years I've grown to dislike hard finishes... :dontknow:

And what a swell video AA... :headbang:

 

[DangerousR6]

Also, I've done the same test of my own, sans the electronics. Just raw bodies and necks, to me personally, I get much more of a "feel" of the woods nuances...

 

[Cagey]

I could hear the differences, but they're too subtle for me to be concerned about. It's kinda like comparing a 3.6Ghz processor to a 3.8Ghz part - while tangible in certain scenarios, the practical differences aren't enough to sway a decision in the vast majority of cases. I'd be looking at weight and/or aesthetics long before "tone". Lighter weight is going to be more comfortable and respond differently to external influence, while aesthetics are purely subjective.

 

[Rick]

And this video shows why you need at least one guitar body made from each tone wood. 

 

[ByteFrenzy]

I wonder if having the exact same weight for the three bodies doesn't actually introduce a bias instead of removing one. Wouldn't you be having a lighter than average mahogany body and a heavier ash one?

 

[rgand]

I was surprised to hear as much difference as I did, and to hear it so consistently.

Swamp ash was my favourite, though that could be because that's how Teles are 'supposed' to sound. Surprisingly I liked alder the least which has got me rethinking my next build a bit  :icon_scratch:

Don't discount roasted alder, though. In my opinion, the Strat Aaron played in this video has better clarity, much like the swamp ash, than most.

 

[Mr. Neutron]

Maybe it's my cheeseball little speakers on my laptop I watched (and listened to) the video on, but I couldn't tell a nickel's worth of difference in any of them.  :dontknow: And I won't rule out my nearly 63 year old noise-tortured ears as another reason I couldn't hear a difference either, hee hee......  :laughing7: I wouldn't let this influence what type of wood I buy next.

However, I kinda feel there are, hard as Aaron tried, too many variables for a really accurate test. First and foremost is the Aaron himself. There can be subtle differences in his playing on each "session" that he couldn't keep from happening no matter how hard he tried. Were the strings changed when the hardware was changed over from one body to the next? I'd assume amp settings stayed constant, but what about the guitar's tone/volume control settings?

It's kinda like the different T-shirts. Everyone knows 50/50 cotton blend has warmer, richer high frequency tones with a chunkier mid-range and girthier bottom ends. Common knowledge......  ccasion14:

 

[aarontunes]

However, I still feel there are still, hard as Aaron tried, too many variables for a really accurate test. First and foremost is the Aaron himself. There can be subtle differences in his playing on each "session" that he couldn't keep from happening no matter how hard he tried. Were the strings changed when the hardware was changed over from one body to the next? I'd assume amp settings stayed constant, but what about the guitar's tone/volume control settings?

The Aaron.


The Aaron.


I like the sound of that. A lot.


Henceforth and forever, I shall be known as The Aaron.