Solid vs Chambered Audio Details

[stratamania]

...So his tone was all in his rack...

And in him.

So true.

 

[Cagey]

I had the great good fortune to see Gary Moore at the Beacon in the early 90's. Played the whole concert with humbuckers finally at the end of the concert he starts to play a real screaming song with big bends and he breaks his E string. Within a couple seconds a roadie runs out with a Strat single coils and a switch is made and he finishes the song with the same screaming sound. Nothing changed, the tone was exactly the same. So his tone was all in his rack. Surprised the heck out of me.

Stories like this, combined with my own experience, are what make me wonder what people are hearing when they make assertions about differences they can hear between lacquer and polyurethane finishes, Alder vs. Swamp Ash bodies, TUSQ vs. bone nuts, etc.

 

[WindsurfMaui]

I had the great good fortune to see Gary Moore at the Beacon in the early 90's. Played the whole concert with humbuckers finally at the end of the concert he starts to play a real screaming song with big bends and he breaks his E string. Within a couple seconds a roadie runs out with a Strat single coils and a switch is made and he finishes the song with the same screaming sound. Nothing changed, the tone was exactly the same. So his tone was all in his rack. Surprised the heck out of me.

Stories like this, combined with my own experience, are what make me wonder what people are hearing when they make assertions about differences they can hear between lacquer and polyurethane finishes, Alder vs. Swamp Ash bodies, TUSQ vs. bone nuts, etc.

Well I think these materials do make a difference when used with different amps etc. But my impression with Gary Moore's set up was that whatever signal was sent to his rack was then converted to the pre-set tone so it wouldn't matter if the signal came from a guitar or a harmonica. The tone was all in the rack.

Not that I'm complaining. It was an awesome concert. I still listen to songs like Still got the Blues, Cold day in Hell and Story of the Blues and admire that screaming sound.

 

[WindsurfMaui]

Can I ask those who own chambered body Warmoths. The chambers are generally on one side of the guitar so does it give the guitar an unbalanced feel? Light weight on one side of the guitar and heavy on the other?

 

[stratamania]

Can I ask those who own chambered body Warmoths. The chambers are generally on one side of the guitar so does it give the guitar an unbalanced feel? Light weight on one side of the guitar and heavy on the other?

They just feel like a guitar.

 

[Fat Pete]

Can I ask those who own chambered body Warmoths. The chambers are generally on one side of the guitar so does it give the guitar an unbalanced feel? Light weight on one side of the guitar and heavy on the other?

They just feel like a guitar.

This (not least because they're not just chambered on one side).

 

[Cagey]

Can I ask those who own chambered body Warmoths. The chambers are generally on one side of the guitar so does it give the guitar an unbalanced feel? Light weight on one side of the guitar and heavy on the other?

I'm not sure where you got the idea that they're only chambered on one side, but they're chambered overall and it's to make them lighter.

If you're thinking of these illustrations on the Warmoth site...

...those are mockups of a cutaway view, to illustrate what chambering means and how it would look if you peeled away the top for a peek inside.

 

[WindsurfMaui]

I'm not sure where you got the idea that they're only chambered on one side, but they're chambered overall and it's to make them lighter.

If you're thinking of these illustrations on the Warmoth site...

...those are mockups of a cutaway view, to illustrate what chambering means and how it would look if you peeled away the top for a peek inside.

That is exactly what I was thinking. Mainly since many of the Strat controls are on the other side of the guitar I didn't see any place for chamber holes on the right side of the body.

 

[TBurst Std]

Well, is even a bigger chamber for the controls.

 

[WindsurfMaui]

Right but the pots and switches as well as the wiring make up for the loss of wood for the routing. But if it just feels normal and not unbalanced that is good to know. Thanks.

 

[Cagey]

The only time you need to worry about balance is if the neck turns out to be heavier than the body relative to its extension in space AND the mount point for the forward strap hanger is too far back from the center of gravity (COG). That is very difficult to do with traditional Fender body designs, verging on impossible. I have a 2lb neck (Ebony over Bloodwood, which is almost as heavy as they get) on a Strat and there's no imbalance whatsoever. I've put together numerous other guitars with heavyweight necks, also without issue. Ebony over Pau Ferro, for instance, is a heavy neck, as is Brazilian Ebony. No problem. Most other manufacturer's body designs have been pretty good about paying attention to that as well.

Where you see it being an issue is on bodies where they forward strap hanger is at the heel, which is almost never the COG. Many Gibson designs are this way, due to the lack of upper horns to attach a hanger to easily. They're forced to put the hanger at the heel, and even a lightweight neck will wanna dive on you. SGs, Melody Makers, Firebirds, Explorers... the list is long. Les Pauls and Vs are among the few that don't dive on you, and the only reason Vs don't do it is because they have so much weight behind the rear hanger. Of course, those things have their own inbred awkwardness, which is a whole 'nother discussion.