Instrument builders that are woodworkers/carpenters/musicians all their lives usually can hear the tonal differences in woods just from handling them for years and years. When you are lifting wood onto tablesaws, surface planers, shop tables, then you'd hear how they sound and feel how they vibrate when being knocked around while machining them. Those moments are unavoidable. And then when you have played hundreds of guitars, owned over a hundred guitars, built a few... what the ears hear is UNDENIABLE. Your ears don't hear any differences? I am sorry for you and your ears. I cannot lend you my ears. But because you don't hear the differences, does in NO WAY mean that I cannot. Tonal differences exist in acoustic and electric instruments. Pickups are microphones, they hear some of the wood. There is no argument. Only a debate: who can hear it, vs who cannot.
Pickups are magnetic. Not microphonic. No one needs to be lent ears. First, tonewood proponents need to do better than anecdotes and appeals to authority. The placebo effect is real and accepting that tonewood is BS means you have ti admit you were suckered into buying a really expensive piece of furniture to bolt the much cheaper, actual tonemaking components to. But maybe there are tonewoodentologists out there that just believe in the power of the tonewood thetans no matter what because their $4000 piece of furniture has granted them high operating tonewood thetan status. Let's analyze the Esquire electronics: tone & vol- just vol -direct. One pickup. Explain how wood is going to effect tone as much as the pots after doing that. Alot of creators are going to nuke their credibility to make a quick buck from the manufacturers protecting the profitable tonewood myth. Is the tonewood debate the transgender debate yet. Appeals to "special knowledge" and feelings. Dude, a man ain't a woman and a magnetic pickup ain't a microphone. I don't care what the dude that bolted those awesome jugs on ya said. No amount of makep and plastic surgery will make that tonewood affect the magnetic pickups. Spare me your auditory gnosticism.
@@gnarlantlers70 play a guitar with your ear on the neck and you’ll hear just how much is going on throughout the instrument. Being a blowhard doesn’t make you correct. About pickups not being microphonic? Lol. Some are, some aren’t. Your point implying they’re all the same is wrong to begin with. The unpotted PAFs in my guitar are quite microphonic. And about trans people… it’s a spectrum. There are masculine and feminine versions of both basic categories. There’s definitely a more manly man out there than you. And me for that matter. There’s almost certainly several woman out there that would beat both our asses. And I’d implore you to reconsider your categoric binary beliefs by heading over to your favorite porn site and researching women with large “parts” and/or men with small “parts”. There are greyscale shades of both binaries, quite naturally (no surgery) blurring the lines you’re saying don’t exist. Aka hermaphrodites. If these genetic variations exist in tangible form why wouldn’t they in other ways (mental/emotional complexity)? I respect PRS but the guy’s delivery/ego is only slightly less toxic than Kanye’s.
So Paul uses violins as his example to back up tone woods. Last I checked Violins were acoustic instruments. Then he talks about "hollow bodies" which has a definite acoustic dynamic. 🙄 Most people won't argue tone wood greatly affects acoustic instruments. Please tell me how ash, poplar, basswood maple, sassafras, Alder, bazillion vs African mahogany tones cause a significant difference, especially in the mix. These variables have much more to do with the tone: hands, the pickups/hardware, amp, and effects.
@@orbitaljellyfish808 it doesn't matter how much sound is going through the neck. All that matters is what the pickups detect and the pot values. You're using a resonance argument here and resonance translates to feedback susceptibility. More resonance = more prone to feedback, has nothing to do with electric tone but will affect false feedback sustain.
I don’t believe the experience argument holds up with the Jim Lill example. Dude is a well regarded professional touring & studio musician. He also doesn’t suggest the wood (or whatever mass the vibration passes through, including a workbench) has zero impact. He just proved it’s objectively less important than things like the pickup, wiring, & pickup placement/height. I own several PRS guitars & they’re great… but to pretend like the guy who makes wood library guitars, with massive margins, for 30K, isn’t biased, is absurd. I’d also love someone to take a blindfold test between a lower tier core model PRS & any of the new car priced options. I’d wager neither of you guys or Paul can tell the difference. At a minimum you’re looking at significant diminishing returns from a cost/benefit analysis.
It's amazing how much hate Jim Lill received from doing nothing more than well-thought out tests. He put in the work that no one else has ever done and people bash him for it. It boils down to anecdotal evidence versus scientific evidence and I'll believe scientific evidence every single time.
@@scatto365 If you’ll take time to reread my comment there is a specific & clear delineation between the entry core model guitars & the more expensive wood library/private reserve options being discussed. I’ve played both. The pretty wood doesn’t make the higher end models play or sound better, regardless of the tone wood claims.
@@tacdoc8736 Wood Library isn't necessary just before private stock. Usually Artist is just before private stock. I have just about all levels of core models. From a 90's CE to a private stock. They sound different. My maple artist HB2 artist sounds very different from my spruce HB2. My Tremonti sounds different from my SC245 and original singlecut. Oh...and every SE I've ever played sounds like a joke compared to almost all of the others
@@tacdoc8736 The fact that PRS offers several ranges other than the wood library/private reserve options, under the same branding unlike some companies, seems to indicate a lack of bias rather than a bias. The tone wood claims don't have anything to do with how a piece of wood looks. That's a separate factor that also affects the price. I have never seen a claim of correlation between how pretty a guitar is and how it sounds. No one is saying that a guitar sounds great because it looks great. It's not like every piece of the same type of wood has the exact same grain pattern, or the exact same sound, and it's not like anyone is claiming they do. A strictly high end luthier will have discarded beautiful pieces of wood that sound dead as well as plain pieces that sound wonderful.
I guess it’s my own fault for expecting a person whose literal job is to upsell “tonewood” to engage in this “debate” from an intellectually honest point of view.
There are differences in the tones of all musical instruments it makes no difference if it's wood brass or bamboo most people that don't play can't hear it they can only tell between some one that can play and someone that cant
Dynamic microphones transform the movement of the air caused by the sound into an electrical signal, guitar pickups are unaffected by the movemet of the air around them, they only pickup the variations in the electromagnetic field caused by the vibration of the strings. So tonewood might affect the final sound because of the way that the strings vibrate, but it's not comparable to a violin played into a mic.
@@TOBORtheMighty He just explained why not. Pickups are not microphones. Microphones detect air pressure changes. Pickups detect changes in a magnetic field.
@@cominginsecond Like I said, those are all basically the same parts. When you actually look at how those things you keep repeating work, all youre doing is adding the medium of air between the string and the inductor+magnet. All other parts are functionally the same. Average Joe reductive takes like "pickups aren't mics" doesn't mean what you think it means. Ever yell in to one? Obviously that makes a big difference, but it's silly to think it erases everything else from the equation.
Theres a magnet that moves from the air pressure. Magnetism is involved to turn the signal into an electrical impulse. The string moves based on pressure from striking it and vibrates based on what its attached to and the air around it. The pickup turns it into an electrical impulse. It all comes down to magnetism anyway.
I agree, we're talking apples and oranges here, i.e. microphones v. pickups. Clearly PRS must know the difference, so his argument seems disingenuous. Naturally he has an interest in his position otherwise he can't justify using all that 'tone wood' other than for their looks and charging those prices.
are you being sarcastic? some of the biggest YT guitar chans are by guys making wood doesn't matter vids with thousands of comments in agreement, very sad paranoiid con-spir-acy types with tin ears who think wood is a marketing con, lol. You comment there you get banned. Yet those chans thrive in their bubble of nonsense
@@email3575 please read my original comment. I said ‘acoustic instruments’, as per Paul’s example. The internet debate is focused on electric instruments. Nobody claims wood has no affect on tone for acoustic guitars, or violins for that matter.
With an acoustic guitar, what moves the air you hear (sound) is the wooden soundboard and the chamber of the body. With an electric solid body guitar the thing that makes the sound is the movement of the paper cone of the speaker and the chamber of the speaker's cabinet. Arguably the choice of wood species of the speaker cabinet will have a more profound effect on what is heard than the species of wood that supports the bridge, pickup and nut
WOW, I actually watched this more than once - really. Great, yet somehow odd interview and discussion. I'm thinking there are some anger management issues lurking about. The importance of "tone" wood was promoted and diminished during this chat. At one point "of course it's important, stupid to think it's not". Then I heard something about "the nut and bridge are the most important things...", then comments about how reverse engineering 10K pickups resulted in "finding the tone", or was it "finding the note", or something ( I should watch/listen again), but it was the sound being sought. That seems to diminish the level of "tone" wood importance. Not sure what my final takeaway is, but at least the price of admission was right. Fun times.
Whenever the tone-wood debate begins, everyone immediately ignores the fact that Steve Vai and Joe Satriani have been playing 'plastic' guitars forever and have MONSTER tone and sustain.
high gain does not do a resonant guitar any justice, a saturated amp can sound big and all but low gain dynamic stuff stands out with a resonant guitar. plus these guys get better tones with wood guitars, hence why no one plays plastic in the studio
@@ltcuaa this comment only underlines your own biases. Assuming that tone woods DO make a difference to electric guitar tone (to be clear, don't believe they do), why wouldn't it make a difference to high gain "saturated" tones? Wouldn't the amp also "saturate" or boost the resonant tones or do you imagine that the resonance somehow gets lost in the signal somewhere? That's sounds awfully like you don't think the pickups actually "hear" the resonance, which sounds awfully like the point I'm making.
Precisely. It's THEIR argument that tone wood matters. It's on THEM to prove it's true. It's not on anyone else to prove them wrong. Just demonstrate it with a blind test.
Just a suggestion for a beast in the business that you need to interview is Dan Erlewine of Stew Mac! I almost guarantee he's forgot more about guitar than most will ever know. Does also overlay pretty nicely with your sponsor!
As much as I love my PRS guitars, the violin example is absurd, can't believe the hosts of the show didn't questioned Paul about it. The click bait title of this video is so wrong. I will keep loving my exotic wood PRS guitars and keep buying them but the main reason is because those "tonewoods" look gorgeous. I have 3 594s in 3 different body woods, black limba, mahogany and swamp ash, they sound amazing but they sound the same which is a great thing.
Wood is everything to me not pickups though I prefer single coil s PRS doesn't sell any 59 lespauls because that wood doesn't exist anymore the custom shops can try to copy certain things but my cbs strat neck can't be copied ...again it's a peice of figured maple that is tougher to find very lightweight and flamed that was easy to come by 40 years ago it absolutely is the the key to the tone of my strat and of course the ash body
This is actually one of the best interviews with Paul I’ve seen. You both did such a great job moving the conversation, and adding to the overall flow. Wonderful job, and great content
Half way through. Paused to comment. You cannot compare a violin to a solid body electric just as you cannot compare an acoustic guitar to a solid body electric when talking about tone wood. A violin and an acoustic guitar are instruments that absolutely depend on the type of wood used in its construction. Tone wood absolutely matters with those types of instruments. With a solid body electric guitar however not so much. Apples and oranges. One relies upon its acoustic properties and one does not.
I enjoy hearing from him, but I care more about his perspectives, insights and instruments than how well he strokes the egos of youtubers or says what the comment section approves of. Paul has raised the bar of the entire guitar industry and forced the big players to up their game while also opening the doors for small boutique builders to thrive. Even if you don't own a PRS, you've benefitted from them.
This is not True, but the thing is people are letting Paul hear what they think hè wants to hear. But Paul doesnt like that, hè likes people with a mind of their own. And sticking with your opinion. He likes authentic. I discussed with him on 3 occasions (meetings in a guitar store). And the first time he said: you are a strange one of a kind guy. My wife agreed haha, since then its allways fun to see each other (when we do, because i live in the Netherlands)
I’m 63…have been playing for 50+ years and building custom guitars since I was 19…. And I know EXACTLY what you’re talking about! Just to illustrate: I have just completed a custom build with a selection of pieces of Honduras Mahogany for neck and body that had been in my shop for just around 20 years. The blank pieces rang like something that I know would be difficult for anyone to explain especially if they had nothing similar to compare it to. The Final Product just sounds incredible! Using a modern bridge (500 series Gotoh wraparound) and the most “classic” of DiMarzio pickups (which don’t really matter as much as the guitar 😊😉..right?) And everything one can learn over nearly 50 years of building….. PRS knows! Great interview!
Still waiting for ANYONE to do a double blind test showing any noticeable difference between identical guitars that are made with different wood. I'll keep waiting because no one will ever do it
Some of the best, most influential, most historic music ever has been created using "cheap" guitars and amps. No amount of money spent on either can turn someone into a captivating musician. A lack of musical craftsmanship or artistry cannot be blamed on the tools.
Literally no one is saying that. This is a UA-cam channel for people interested in chasing specific tones and crafting their sound. And you’re right, some great music was played on very inexpensive poverty level equipment. On the flip side, some of the most influential music was/is produced on very large and very technical scale. So that’s not a great argument against people chasing certain sounds and instrumental ability.
@@thatguy7850 Whatever you're chasing in terms of tone, you aren't going to get it with "wood" in an electric guitar scenario. That has been proven time and time again.
@@Lovell93it doesn’t matter, even with the lowest gain. Guitaf pickups aren’t microphonic they are magnetic and only pickup the magnetic vibrations of the strings
Love PRS, but Paul is citing non-empirical “shootouts” that support his beliefs rather than the more empirical video that challenges his beliefs. Mark Tremonti ain’t doing null tests he’s playing with gear he has.
Ha! I was at Paul's "lecture" at Chicago Music Exchange that he's talking about in this podcast...he's a unique individual for sure! It was a lot of fun!
Excellent interview! Couple of points. No matter what testing or video examples are out there. What people think about "tonewoods" isn't gonna change. When I have an amp and I plug in 2 diffrent guitars and they both have their own unique sounds? The sounds are always the sum of its parts. Does wood matter as much with electrics? No. I have a cheap, throw together guitar that is very cheaply made and I've gotten compliments on how it sounds. It's all so intrinsic to the sum of the equation. Love him or hate him Paul is always an interesting interview. He even made a comment about a good setup being $180!! I'm like what!? At your factory shop Maybe! Does that setup come with a BJ too! Man! Lol!
I could see a 180$ set up. It depends what you are getting done. Custom shaped bone nut, complete refret/crowning/polishing, action and pickups raised and put to your exact specifications. I personally wouldn't pay for that stuff but I have a lot of guitar playing friends who would rather give it to a tech and pay money than to just do the work themselves
My favorite guitar is a homemade instrument with chinese hardware, the total cost was 80$, after every concert guitarists come to praise the sound and ask what kind of guitar it is.
I wonder how many players out there are holding notes longer than 12 seconds, much less 48. In my mind, I feel the need to challenge the importance of sustain when a lot of people out there aren't playing guitars for the "sustain"
I always wonder this. Does anyone even want to listen to a composition with notes that long? Seems like the only people who are interested in sustain are guitar gear snobs.
Thought that was a good informative fun interview, didn't think I would watch the whole thing when I started but didn't want to stop once it got rolling. Keep up the good work and have fun.
I own 2 PRS's. They are excellently designed and built...but I have swapped pickups many times and that makes them sound completely different. Not saying wood has nothing to do with the sound but in my experience it's not the biggest factor.
Comparing a concert violin and a mic to a solid body guitar and a magnetic pickup is a false equivalency. It's demonstrably different. And saying something is "just not true" isn't evidence. Respond to the Jim Lill video AND present any evidence that he's mistaken. Smith presents NOTHING other than saying he's wrong. I'm fully open to going back to my old belief of tonewood, but NO ONE has presented any evidence to contradict Jim's video. JUST. PRESENT. THE. EVIDENCE.
@@Annunaki_0517He wont address the facts b/c the facts aren't in in his favour, and he's well aware of this. he also knows he doesn't have to address anything real. He just needs to assert 'tonewood better' and ppl will be like omg PRS ends the tonewood debate!!'
@wind016 I've not had that experience with PRS owners. The ones that I've met that can afford Private Stock guitars, do so more for atheistics and artistry, not the tone. They have deep pockets, so more power to them. What PRS guitars do you own, Windo?
Always remember, people, the tone wood fairy will only bless wood that's over a certain price point. She would never waste her time blessing cheap wood.
No recent comments??? I just watched this on my day off, soaking every word and shred* of knowledge for the sheer motivation to continue with excellence and joy in the art of guitar and music. My sincere thanks guys... Paul is just three years younger than me. We thought alike all the way! Y'all rock!
Pickups also aren't microphonic. They don't pick up air vibrations, they pick up the vibrations from the steel strings. If you a string an electric guitar with nylon strings, it won't make any sound.
I agree...maybe PRS is totally right, but he used wrong comparison. In my experience as a guitar player, pick ups are the most important part of the guitar. Did so many upgrades, that's my conclusion.
I'm sorry but you can not compare the way wood effects sound in an acoustic style instrument into a mic to an electric non microphone pickup instrument comparing a violin to an electric guitar is ridiculous electric pickups are not microphones
Gotta love Paul, such a character. I don't agree with everything he says but I love his passion and the fact that he pours that passion into his company. I will buy a PRS over a Gibson every time.
I've never met anyone who I agreed with on everything. Including myself. It's so frustrating how people nowadays eagerly await a single wrong word so they can write off an entire person. Keyboard warriors can say whatever they want about Paul. His guitars say more than they ever could.
Or you could judge each guitar on its own merits & not what name is on the headstock. For the record I own a Les Paul & Custom 24. Both are fantastic guitars but sound & play completely different & I use them in different ways.
The comments are almost as fun as the podcast was! Really enjoyed the conversation. Paul isn't an easy guest to keep on track, and you both did a great job balancing letting him speak as well as reigning him in. As far as the "tonewood" debate goes, I believe the fundamental problem is that the loudest voices don't want to have a nuanced view. Yes, wood can affect sound - but generally it's insignificant compared to other variables. Paul even eluded to that in the video. When a string is plucked, a complex series of notes (fundamental and harmonics) are generated. Anything that interacts with the string can change the output and sustain of each of those notes. This is why a hardtail bridge sounds different from a floating tremolo. Wood can do the same thing by way of affecting the components that are touching the string contact points. The pickup can only sense these string vibrations, and it can't create what isn't there. That's why a dead string sounds different from a new one, the oils and oxidation have impeded certain harmonics from resonating and sustaining. It all goes back to the string and the components that affect it.
The only way the wood affects the sound on an electric guitar is the decay of the note being played. You can show this by inducing a vibration on an open string on a guitar with instruments that have wildly different tones. Turns out, the pickup doesn't care that the string is being vibrated by an acoustic source that's vastly different in tone and the guitar will produce the same tone regardless of the acoustics of the tone that's causing the strings to vibrate, because the strings themselves can only vibrate in a way according to their material construction (they simply don't have the frequency spectrum of a microphone membrane). Further, pickups don't pick up air vibrations, they only pick up the vibrations of metal strings (can't use nylon strings on an electric guitar). What different tone woods do is decay differently and cause the strings to decay at different rates (not actually a huge amount either). They simply can't affect the tone itself, because the tone is a function of how the metal strings vibrate, the proximity and orientation of the pickup to the metal strings, and of course the amp and whatever the electrical current goes through down stream.
@@noonehere0987 for the sake of argument, let's just say your assessment is entirely accurate. When a string decays, it does not decay all frequencies linearly. You can see this easily when using a spectrum analyzer, the higher frequencies decay much faster. So if wood can affect the decay rate, it is still affecting the tone. Again, I'm not even suggesting that this effect is even perceivable to the average person. But if I was to use soft rubber for the body, would you agree that would alter the tone? If there's a difference between rubber and wood, then there can be a difference between different samples of wood - but that difference is generally so small it's not worth worrying about.
I don't think there is a more passionate guitar builder out there. In 20 years, PRS guitars will be the vintage classics like the old Gibsons and Fenders we drool over today. The best part is they keep getting better!
Idiots with mouths agape already drool over PRS guitars, because spending $10k on a premium guitar is an easier dopamine rush than actually learning to play the guitars they already own.
Anyone who thinks that tone wood on electrics is important, check out Brian May and Eddie Van Halen. Ed built his guitar with a body that had a wormhole in it and wasn’t meant to be sold. Brian built his guitar with some oak and particle board plus some wood from a fireplace. Both have IMO the best tones in rock guitar. Of COURSE PRS is gonna say that tone wood is a thing; they make very expensive guitars! I’m not saying there isn’t a difference in how woods sound; if you build a Les Paul and don’t use the mahogany body with maple cap formula it will sound different but it won’t sound worlds apart, which is what guitar companies want you to believe. Their marketing divisions work overtime to make you part ways with your hard earned cash. Why do most guitarists never mention the speaker? No matter what wood we use, no matter the string gauge, how we hard or soft we play, etc. it ALL goes through the speaker, yet we act like changing the pickups will give us the Holy Grail tone. Just nonsense. Changing the pickups on your guitar will give you minuscule changes in tone compared to what you’ll get from changing your amp’s speaker. I’ve done this before on an AC30 and it went from an amp that I would have sold to being the core part of my tone. If you don’t believe me check out Jim Lill’s videos and Spectre Sound Studios videos as well. Both channels have done actual testing of all of these variables and their results are eye opening and will surprise you if you feel tone wood is important.
Let's rename this episode to: Paul Reed Smith blows up Dipped in Tone. Watching Rhett having to deal with a strong voice that disagreed with him so succinctly was oddly satisfying as well. I have learned a ton from Rhett, and hold him in high regard, but PRS's opposing point of view was fascinating
Rhett has that BIG condescending attitude. He can rival Grand Moff Tarkin :D. Of course it is satisfying, when authority strongly disagree with him :D :D :D.
@@stanislavmigra Frankly, Rhett might have a condescending attitude sometimes, but I felt his points were more grounded in logic here than PRS'. PRS' responses were more along the lines of : Yes but Hendrix! But you see Clapton used X! Tonewood!!
@@A_Noid Him bringing up violins and microphones is the worst argument on this I've ever heard. He surely must know how dynamic microphones and strings/pickups work on the level of inducing electrical current, so the argument itself seems purposefully disingenuous. Life pro tip: take anything someone trying to sell you something has to say with a grain of salt.
Everyone is selling something, it's how society works. You sell your personality to get someone to like and trust you. A person will modify their behavior within certain company in order to manipulate the outcome they desire. You are trying to sell your opinion to people with your comment simply based on your skepticism alone with no list of credentials to make what you say any more valid that what PRS is saying. It's one thing to be skeptical of arguments people use, but to infer some kind of nefarious intention and calling an argument "disingenuous" is short sighted. Your opinion isn't anymore valid just by being skeptical of something. Are you an atheist? "Be skeptical of this idea because it's coming from someone trying to make a living." Everyone has a motive. it's human nature. You don't have to be a guitar maker to have a valid opinion about guitars, but I'm sure the guy with the third most successful guitar company knows a thing or two about this topic. Him making a shaky argument ( according to some) isn't a valid reason to dismiss his opinion. Sure, challenge it, argue against it, discuss it, but dismiss it because it's coming from someone that has a product to sell is ignorance. You brought skepticism without an argument and that is what is disingenuous.
@@stanislavmigra I've never thought of Rhett as being condescending. I've seen Paul speak, many times, and he has a bit of a sarcastic wit about him. You have to tread softly and be unafraid when asking him a question. :)
In a recent op/ed in Premiere Guitar, Paul wrote “Pickups are microphones, amplifying the acoustic tone of the guitar.” How can he not know that is wrong? Yes, a pickup can be microphonic, but that’s an undesirable trait that pickup manufacturers try to avoid, even I wager, the engineers at PRS. He had to know that, right? So, why is he lying? I stopped reading after that, as he lost all credibility with that ridiculous statement.
Another independent electric guitar builder had compellingly, scientifically, and even empirically demonstrated that the contribution of a plank of wood for a great electric guitar sound primarily depended upon its rigidity. This, along with the reliability of bridge and tuner components to allow the string to vibrate freely and unimpeded by those factors are what creates a good foundation. The species of wood that would normally be factored into the design of acoustic instruments have no bearing upon the quality of tone that magnetic pickups would produce, but rather the location of those pickups along the guitar body, as this builder had explained the differences between compression waves that is the principle behind changes in the air that the vibration of strings over a resonant surface of acoustic instruments create to produce sound that are both heard and that a microphone would pick up, and transverse waves that is the principle behind changes in the magnetic field of pickups caused by the vibration of strings over that field that is not dependent upon the resonant quality of the surface over which the string vibrates. Much respect to the work and contributions of all persons in this interview. But Will Gelvin's science had been unassailable and goes unrefuted, which refutations since then tends to never address the differences between compression waves and transverse waves by everyone who has since continued to assert the fallacy of species of wood as a valid consideration for quality of tone for electric guitar.
If someone would be capable to explain to me technically how a device like a pick up (who only works by converting a "disturbed" magnetic field created by the string vibration into an electric signal) can "feel" and translate the wood resonance into an electric signal, I will change my mind about tonewood. Resonance is created by moving air coming to our ears...if playing an electric guitar unplugged there's a difference in tone with different woods, but when plugged in it's only the pickup to define the tone. Another factor affecting the tone is where the pick up is placed.With a different scale length the pick up will pick the sound of the string in a different place, that's why the same pick up sounds in a different way if placed on a Strat or a Les Paul. Of course different woods with different density will make the string sustain more..but that's it.I'll wait for somebody more expert than me to give me a precise, technical and convincing explanation.
The only effect the wood of a guitar has is in which vibrations from the string it dampens. This is miniscule compared to the change in tone of the speaker in your cabinet or the microphone used to record. Anyone who thinks tonewood matters at all in electrics is absolutely an idiot. They're the same morons who spend $200 on unobtainium coated cables
Sustain will be affected depending by the weight and density of the woods...the softer and lighter the wood is it will dampen the duration of the vibrations of the string.
Sustain will be affected depending by the weight and density of the woods...the softer and lighter the wood is it will dampen the duration of the vibrations of the string.
Sustain will be affected depending by the weight and density of the woods...the softer and lighter the wood is it will dampen the duration of the vibrations of the string.
My personal experience is that although the qualities of a given wood and how the instrument is constructed have a major effect on the tone and sustain of an acoustic guitar, their effect on an electric guitar is relatively minor. You can hear tonal differences in woods if you're really trying to emphasize them, but if what you're looking for is a tone you like, then pickups, strings, amps, speakers and volume are much more important factors. To paraphrase the words of Mr. Smith, in the end it's the musician who makes an instrument musical, not the instrument itself.
@@jdl2180 He starts out saying in his personal experience. Why should that change just because of what PRS says? Is he the Pope of guitar? Is what he says just suppose to erase whatever happens in reality? Should we just deny reality in favor of what this guy trying to sell expensive guitars says? Things aren't true just because PRS says them. Tonewood enthusiasts have yet to prove Thier point in anything close to a controlled environment and there are countless debunking videos. The closest thing I've seen to a confirmation of tonewood involved two totally different players. I also have my own experience to go by of playing various guitars made of different wood with the same electronics and I can tell you it doesn't make much difference. And If you understand how pickups work, The science is consistent with the experiments. Tonewood is mostly bunk. It has a mild effect on sustain and that's about it.
On an electric guitar, the only thing the wood affects is the sustain, because the pickups get a current induced by the vibrating metal strings, and the tone those produce are a function of the material and construction, and has nothing to do with anything that might be inducing them to vibrate. A metal string can not pick up and vibrate frequencies that it's material and construction cannot vibrate at. In a microphone, the membrane is designed to have a massive frequency spectrum it can vibrate at, so it's entirely unlike an electric guitar (where the strings are the equivalent of the mic's membrane). In acoustic instruments, the wood is a MASSIVE part of the tone because it's affect the vibrations in the air being produced, but pickups on an electric instrument do not pick up air vibrations. A current is induced from the strings, so that's where the tone comes from: the strings and the pickup distance and orientation (and the amp and all downstream electrical components of course).
@@noonehere0987 I agree. The irony here is that while Paul Reed Smith drastically overstates the benefits of "tonewoods" in his guitars, he understates how great the pickups and other components are. PRS guitars in general have impressive quality control, playability, durability, consistency, tone, and yes, sustain. That's true regardless of what woods they use or how pretty they are. I think it would be more to his advantage to emphasize these proven qualities, but it's his company, not mine.
@@nathanjasper512 every guitar that you've played has most likely been made of one tonewood or another so all you're saying is that there's very little variation in the sound of guitars made of different toneWoods. I don't see how that proves that tone wood isn't a real thing. I have watch videos of guitars that were made out of cement, plexiglass and other materials and I did not think those guitars sounded like guitars that were made out of Wood. I believe that tone wood affects only about 10 to 15% of the sound of the guitar but it's the most important part of the sound so it does in fact make a difference. of course this is only my opinion but I do make guitars as a hobby and this is what I've noticed.
After many years, here’s how I audition a guitar: 1-do I like the neck? 2- do I like the balance and sustain acoustically? 3- does it stay in tune and intonate correctly? 4- can I live with the weight? If it passes the above, then I plug it in 5-are the pickups DYNAMIC (responds to picking articulation, volume swells/roll offs etc) 6-are the pickups quiet (within reason) 7- how is the fret work (you can always fix this assuming it passes step 3) 8- how does the guitar look? 9- how much does it cost? 10- do this instrument fill a void in my musical life/guitar collection? It’s that simple. Every serious player should build at least 1 guitar (preferably from scratch)- this teaches you to avoid the hype/marketing and trust your hands, ears and eyes.
This is a great Dip Rhett! I would love it if you would go through the PRS factory tour, especially if Jack Higginbotham would be your guide. That would be so awesome! I love the banter you shared with Paul! If he didn't like you that wouldn't have happened! Great job you're doing with these podcasts! 🎼🎶🎸
of course wood matters acoustically. the tonewood debate is about whether a metal wire wiggling in a magnetic field can detect those changes. the violin/mic argument is not relevant as that is about the violin pushing air. no-one disagrees that guitars sound different or that the acoustic properties of wood make it ring differently.
Wood matters to how a guitar sounds, plugged in or otherwise. Some people can hear it and some people can't, it's as simple as that. I hear it with my own two ears, wood indeed makes a difference plugged in.
Its hard to get around the fact that a 335 sounds different than a less Les Paul, but the scale length, bridge and pickups are the same. Why is that if the acoustic would not matter. Same goes for string quality, why would a dead string sound dead if it was only magnetics etc. Question is does the owner of the ear differentiate, and what sonic experience does this person have. The more you play different style guitars the more they differentiate. Same with an SG, why does it have less bottom end and more mids than an LP. So many variables interacting. Or we can look at it the other way around, what the strings are attached to affects its frequencies.
Everything makes a difference, but some things make more difference than others. I built a guitar about 2 years ago with a wraparound bridge close to the centre of a Limba body, maple neck and rosewood board; unplugged it is much louder than any other unplugged solid body I've heard. I've built two others each with a tele bridge pickup of the same make and model, one with a pine body and the other with an English sycamore body, the sycamore one is way brighter. Great conversation. Thanks Rhett, Zach & Paul
I've always liked PRS guitars at stores when I was young. Now I am older, and have the oppertynity to buy one. And in a way, it feels like I'm also buying Paul Reed Smith too. And after listening to this intevjuv, it doesn't feel that bad at all. Thanks, guys!
This was an excellent interview! Since you asked... I play bass now. I have multiple Thunderbirds: a Greco and three Epiphones- a Classic Pro, a Vintage Pro, and a basic IV which is my mod platform. I play through a pair of Fender Rumble 100s with a few pedals. For years I played guitar; an old (heavily modified; it was trashed when I bought it for $20) Hagstrom Model 1 was my first and the only electric I still have; I had an Epi Flying V Goth and a G&L Legacy Tribute, which was pretty fantastic (and drop dead gorgeous). The guitars I played through a variety of amps over the years, but in the end through amps I modded or designed and built.
Actually kinda pissed after watching this. The "debate" started 40 minutes in, Paul explains that tonewood matters in violins which means he clearly missed the point. The point is that wood doesnt make a difference in solid body electric guitars, NOT ACOUSTICS!! Why didnt you point out that Paul completely missed the point of the argument? Where is the debate that was promised in the title? You scared of Paul? Or just lazy? Pff..
Everything impacts the sound of the guitar. The question is just of degree. The wood absolutely does play a greater than 0 impact on the sound. But does it make a bigger impact than the speaker? Does spending $100 on wood make a bigger difference than spending $100 on a speaker?
I have the utmost respect for Paul, but the three of yall here put Jim Lill's experiment in a box to make a strawman argument. Jim never claimed wood doesn't matter, the point of the experiment is to question "how much" do things matter? I think if we had scope output from each test Jim did we would "See" the difference. But once piped through an amp the questions "how much do YOU the listener hear?". You can hear a ton and Jim's just confirmed for you that wood matters. If you don't hear anything, maybe you've been buying snake oil. Also, Paul violin analogy is absolutely correct... for acoustic instruments. The challenge is we don't listen/hear electric guitars as acoustic instruments. A guitar pickup doesn't operate at all the same as a microphone used on a violin/guitar/banjo/younameit. Now, I will admit that what a player things about the 'feel' of the guitars sound genuinely matters. Unplugged and plugged in. But now you're getting in the miasma of inspiration, and to the right musician, you can't put a price on the muse. If the sound, acoustically, of an electric guitar speaks to you, and that pushes you to create. Then nobody can tell you it's bad to care about the wood and how it rings. But measurably, I think Jim's kind of shown everyone that the emperor has no clothes. Pickups, and their distance to the string, are probably the largest influences of how you will sound. On the flip side, I also see and agree with Paul that the player's hands matter a ton in the grand scheme and that great players will sound fantastic through anything. Does that mean they wouldn't sound 'different' through other gear? Hell no, they absolutely would. But "good" or "bad" tone is subjective and comes down to what you put INTO the tone to begin with, and that starts with the player.
The way a guitar is constructed matters for sound. Hollow body, Neck thru and bolt on have variance in tone especially acoustically and even electrically. The material your saddles are made of can matter. Whether it has a fixed bridge string thru or not string thru can matter. Scale length and string tension matter. Pickups matter a lot. Single coils, P90s, humbuckers and active pickups all sound very different. Wood type has very little if any effect on the sound of an electric guitar plugged in to an amp. Your pickups amplifier and mainly speaker type matter more than anything. Of course PRS is gonna sell you on tone wood. He is a guitar seller and maker. Guitars have been made from several materials that aren't wood and they still have good tone.
Since 1982, I have only played headless guitars with aluminum or carbon fiber composite necks when I'm on stage. I have played classic rock, country, faux jazz, disco, pop, even show tunes, and those mostly-non-wood guitars have covered all genres. They always sound great as long as I play good enough. lol I agree. Pickups, pedals, amps and cables have the majority of effects on guitar "tone". ( I could have said that better if I had a little more weed/rum tincture.)
Every interview w PRS is an adventure in passion and knowledge of nearly any topic music related that's so rare to find. I love my PRS SE custom 24 and it def won't be my last PRS
Knowing how seriously Paul takes every single detail of guitar tone and the fact that he's played and owned all the 'real' vintage gear, I really loved his appreciation for purpose and practicality when dipping that rig! Really refreshing.
"A concert violinist", it's an ACOUSTIC instrument, where the sound comes from resonating, including in the wood. The tonewood debate is about ELECTRIC guitars. Honestly, I completely lost all my respect for Paul Reed Smith with that comment.
A friend of mine works in a well known guitar shop , he told me that they were given a list of questions they couldn't ask for a recent "ask me anything" video with Paul Reed Smith
Just adding my thoughts to the many others expressed here. FIRST THE GOOD. I like Rhett's podcasts and videos. I also think Paul is a quick-witted and likable personality, so I enjoyed this one episode even if I was totally turned off on the following: 1) the title is very click-baity and I suspect you know it. You can do better, guys! and 2) asking PRS to end the tonewood debate is like asking the head of a tobacco company "once and for all, do cigarettes cause cancer?" If you want to pander to an industry leader, I get it, maybe you will score a free guitar or something - but then I may look elsewhere for honest advise and reviews. A guitar pickup IS NOT a microphone. Placing a mic in front of a violin is NOT the same as putting a pickup under steel strings. A mic picks up sound waves, ie vibrations in the air. Different woods on acoustic instruments definitely change the sound waves in the air. A guitar pickup only "hears" changes in the magnetic field. PERIOD. The only thing they detect is the vibration of the strings and cannot detect sound waves from the vibrations of bodies etc. I have a friend who was one of two people testing a group of original bursts for Premier Guitar several years ago. The report on their findings was that the one that sounded the poorest unplugged sounded the best when amplified. That was what turned him off to the tonewoods debate. This podcast/video is part of why we have so much hoodoo perpetuated in the guitar world. We listen to people that truly don't know or are otherwise inclined to perpetuate the myths, I spoke with a Fender master builder at NAMM a couple of years ago who did not dispute what I said. He agreed, in this particular case, that a rosewood board is no darker or brighter sounding than a maple board. He stood firmly though that whatever changes in woods and construction you make might make one guitar sound DIFFERENT from another. So yes, maybe a heavier or more dense body or neck can sustain longer (which is not a goal of mine anyway). And the carnival-barkers show of tapping woods and nuts and saying for instance "see how beautifully this rings a "C" note?" has to stop. Does it mean that guitar will sound lousy when playing in the key of B?
Great angle on this interview. Can't say I've listened to a lot of Paul's interviews, since most are product-focused. It was refreshing - and highly informative - to listen to him riff on so much more.
Go ahead n get you a guitar built out of some shitty soft wood n get back at me after several years and let me know what you think lol.. if you want your guitar to last basically a life time, it needs to be made of good material, that's including the wood.
@@deathmetalchili6902 i got thebi impression from the clip that he was referring to all guitars, he probably meant when specifically playing with high gain/distortion. I wasn't sure. The wood affects the tone of electric guitars too, but when you're saturated in distortion it probably doesn't matter as much. I'm more of a blues player, I like playing with low gain usually, on the edge of breakup so I can roll down my volume for cleans and turn it up all the way and kick the boost pedal for some nice overdrive. It's a lot easier to notice the difference in tonewood when playing cleaner or with low gain. I'd even argue the fretboard material affects it too, at least on a strat I can hear a slight difference.
I just want to say out loud; there is a part of me that feels lile knocking on a piece of wood and playing electric guitar are totally different ideas. Once the nut , bridge andtuners springs are on the guitar, much of what PRS tests from wood-knocking goes away? Just spitballing out of ignorance.
I just love this guy. I never tire of hearing him speak about his passionate topics. It absolutely shines through in the guitars. Great interview guys.
Paul is very entertaining to listen to. He does tend to stretch the truth though. As an electronics engineer who has designed many circuits I can confirm reverse engineering your own work is a silly claim to make. You have your original design and if you want to remake it you do just that, make it again. Only if a part was no longer available or too expensive would you change something (this assumes you were happy with it to start with). Also suggesting there is more to copying a pickup than measuring the one you want to copy is also a silly claim. You measure the wire gauge, measure the resistance and inductance, unwind it and measure the length of wire, you can also count the number of turns and you have it. You know the bobbin size and you know what sort of magnets you have. You can measure the gauss of the magnets and then you can duplicate the pickup. As soon as someone starts the "secret sauce" claim they reduce their credibility in my view. Tone wood. The weight of the guitar will effect sustain as will bolt on vs set necks but unless your pickup is microphonic it is not going to make much difference. I think a lot of people forget the whole idea of a solid body electric guitar was to get rid of the guitar body influencing the sound and reduce feedback. Remember Les Paul was looking for a pure guitar sound, just the sound of the strings. Fun video anyway.
Cracks me up how guitar players admit speaker cabinet woods makes a difference in tone, but refuse to understand how the guitar itself (the source of the sound) is unaffected by its wood density.
Actually Jim Lill proved that material type doesn’t matter in a speaker Cab. And the guitar pickups are magnetic, not microphonic so they physically cannot pick up any BS “tonewood”
@@BOATIE141 Jim is wrong. I'm an engineer. While I think his videos are well done and the effort and process are appreciated think of it this way: what does the pickup do? Does it create a signal on its own? No, it only transforms whatever the string is doing. Now imagine the string is like a microphone. That's why if you don't pluck the strings at all, but instead knock on the guitar body, you will hear noise through the guitar amp. The string kinda acts like a microphone. I like the way Paul Reed Smith put it "Barbara Streisand is always gonna sound like her and she will never sound like Michael Jackson no matter what microphone she uses" (not verbatim but you get the point) a guitar has a voice like a singer. The pickup does s similar thing as a mic.
@@BOATIE141 there is another video on UA-cam where a guy makes interchangeable guitar bodes that slide off of the nick/pickup part and he has many different body woods and he proves that you can hear the difference. Although it isn't a drastic difference it's clearly audible. The point if the video was to see if you hear a difference.
Typical Paul talking crap while offering no evidence. A guitar ain’t a violin or a drum, Paul. Shame on these dudes for not really challenging this crap.
If guitar pickups where microphones, then tonewood would be much more of a thing, but pickups only detect metal strings vibrating across a magnetic field... unless you have an unpotted pickups, the body means little. Not zero, but very little
I think the context that is missing from the expensive guitar/cheap amp vs. cheap guitar/expensive amp debate is Skill Level. A professional like Tim Pierce or Joe B could make incredible music with either combo. But when a mere mortal with a limited budget walks into a store with no more than $1,500 or less to invest in a guitar rig and they are a garage or basement strummer and still learning the instrument and putting skills together, what combo allows them to get the best overall tone and performance? That to me is a more important question to answer for the masses.
Hey, I'm one of those HIPPIES that Paul mentioned. First time I've caught this. I did enjoy it very much so you have earned my sub, well done keep it up.
Well, his explanations of why it matters either 1. make no sense scientifically or 2. are appeal to authority fallacies. He also goes into a billion directions which have nothing to do with 'how does wood change the tone of an electric guitar'.
So are you saying that wood makes no difference to tone? So a Martin D18 sounds the same as a D28? Or an Ash ans Mahogany Telecaster would sound the same if all other specs were unchanged?
@@adrianhjordan1981 Nobody is saying that wood doesn't matter in an acoustic guitar. Of course it matters a lot. As for a mahogany Tele, yeah, any change it makes would be small to the point of irrelevance while plugged in.
My opinion as a luthier is - yes wood impacts the tone a little. However what's most important is the quality of the build. A really well made guitar from plywood would sound better than a badly made guitar from master grade tonewoods. All things being equal, higher quality woods start to impart their thing.
I respect your point of view because it's very measured. That said, all the people who go on and on about how "alder sounds like this" and "ash sounds like this" using very flowery language are talking nonsense. At most, under clinical conditions, if you compared two completely identical guitars, one made of ash and one made of alder, you might hear a barely noticeable difference, a difference not really worth spending all that much time, money, or even thought to.
I made a guitar out of plywood, put a 59 Duncan in the neck and a SH4-JB in the bridge loaned it to the a guy and he won't give it back the tone is awesome, it was a home run and it is plywood.
![Paul Reed Smith Storms TPS! [New PRS Pedals, SE Silver Sky, HDRX 20 & more]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eBPYBaCuBlc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Chris Langan - The Interview THEY Didn't Want You To See - CTMU [Full Version; Timestamps]](/img/n.gif)
Instrument builders that are woodworkers/carpenters/musicians all their lives usually can hear the tonal differences in woods just from handling them for years and years. When you are lifting wood onto tablesaws, surface planers, shop tables, then you'd hear how they sound and feel how they vibrate when being knocked around while machining them. Those moments are unavoidable. And then when you have played hundreds of guitars, owned over a hundred guitars, built a few... what the ears hear is UNDENIABLE.
Your ears don't hear any differences? I am sorry for you and your ears. I cannot lend you my ears.
But because you don't hear the differences, does in NO WAY mean that I cannot. Tonal differences exist in acoustic and electric instruments. Pickups are microphones, they hear some of the wood. There is no argument.
Only a debate: who can hear it, vs who cannot.
Nailed it!
Pickups are magnetic. Not microphonic. No one needs to be lent ears. First, tonewood proponents need to do better than anecdotes and appeals to authority. The placebo effect is real and accepting that tonewood is BS means you have ti admit you were suckered into buying a really expensive piece of furniture to bolt the much cheaper, actual tonemaking components to. But maybe there are tonewoodentologists out there that just believe in the power of the tonewood thetans no matter what because their $4000 piece of furniture has granted them high operating tonewood thetan status. Let's analyze the Esquire electronics: tone & vol- just vol -direct. One pickup. Explain how wood is going to effect tone as much as the pots after doing that. Alot of creators are going to nuke their credibility to make a quick buck from the manufacturers protecting the profitable tonewood myth. Is the tonewood debate the transgender debate yet. Appeals to "special knowledge" and feelings. Dude, a man ain't a woman and a magnetic pickup ain't a microphone. I don't care what the dude that bolted those awesome jugs on ya said. No amount of makep and plastic surgery will make that tonewood affect the magnetic pickups. Spare me your auditory gnosticism.
@@gnarlantlers70 play a guitar with your ear on the neck and you’ll hear just how much is going on throughout the instrument. Being a blowhard doesn’t make you correct.
About pickups not being microphonic? Lol. Some are, some aren’t. Your point implying they’re all the same is wrong to begin with. The unpotted PAFs in my guitar are quite microphonic.
And about trans people… it’s a spectrum. There are masculine and feminine versions of both basic categories. There’s definitely a more manly man out there than you. And me for that matter. There’s almost certainly several woman out there that would beat both our asses.
And I’d implore you to reconsider your categoric binary beliefs by heading over to your favorite porn site and researching women with large “parts” and/or men with small “parts”. There are greyscale shades of both binaries, quite naturally (no surgery) blurring the lines you’re saying don’t exist. Aka hermaphrodites. If these genetic variations exist in tangible form why wouldn’t they in other ways (mental/emotional complexity)?
I respect PRS but the guy’s delivery/ego is only slightly less toxic than Kanye’s.
So Paul uses violins as his example to back up tone woods. Last I checked Violins were acoustic instruments. Then he talks about "hollow bodies" which has a definite acoustic dynamic. 🙄 Most people won't argue tone wood greatly affects acoustic instruments. Please tell me how ash, poplar, basswood maple, sassafras, Alder, bazillion vs African mahogany tones cause a significant difference, especially in the mix. These variables have much more to do with the tone: hands, the pickups/hardware, amp, and effects.
@@orbitaljellyfish808 it doesn't matter how much sound is going through the neck. All that matters is what the pickups detect and the pot values. You're using a resonance argument here and resonance translates to feedback susceptibility. More resonance = more prone to feedback, has nothing to do with electric tone but will affect false feedback sustain.
I don’t believe the experience argument holds up with the Jim Lill example. Dude is a well regarded professional touring & studio musician. He also doesn’t suggest the wood (or whatever mass the vibration passes through, including a workbench) has zero impact. He just proved it’s objectively less important than things like the pickup, wiring, & pickup placement/height.
I own several PRS guitars & they’re great… but to pretend like the guy who makes wood library guitars, with massive margins, for 30K, isn’t biased, is absurd.
I’d also love someone to take a blindfold test between a lower tier core model PRS & any of the new car priced options. I’d wager neither of you guys or Paul can tell the difference. At a minimum you’re looking at significant diminishing returns from a cost/benefit analysis.
It's amazing how much hate Jim Lill received from doing nothing more than well-thought out tests. He put in the work that no one else has ever done and people bash him for it. It boils down to anecdotal evidence versus scientific evidence and I'll believe scientific evidence every single time.
He makes core guitars that sell for a few thousand. Not "30k". They are priced similar to Gibson Les Pauls or custom shops and are made a lot better.
@@scatto365 If you’ll take time to reread my comment there is a specific & clear delineation between the entry core model guitars & the more expensive wood library/private reserve options being discussed. I’ve played both. The pretty wood doesn’t make the higher end models play or sound better, regardless of the tone wood claims.
@@tacdoc8736
Wood Library isn't necessary just before private stock. Usually Artist is just before private stock. I have just about all levels of core models. From a 90's CE to a private stock. They sound different. My maple artist HB2 artist sounds very different from my spruce HB2. My Tremonti sounds different from my SC245 and original singlecut. Oh...and every SE I've ever played sounds like a joke compared to almost all of the others
@@tacdoc8736 The fact that PRS offers several ranges other than the wood library/private reserve options, under the same branding unlike some companies, seems to indicate a lack of bias rather than a bias. The tone wood claims don't have anything to do with how a piece of wood looks. That's a separate factor that also affects the price. I have never seen a claim of correlation between how pretty a guitar is and how it sounds. No one is saying that a guitar sounds great because it looks great. It's not like every piece of the same type of wood has the exact same grain pattern, or the exact same sound, and it's not like anyone is claiming they do. A strictly high end luthier will have discarded beautiful pieces of wood that sound dead as well as plain pieces that sound wonderful.
I guess it’s my own fault for expecting a person whose literal job is to upsell “tonewood” to engage in this “debate” from an intellectually honest point of view.
There are differences in the tones of all musical instruments it makes no difference if it's wood brass or bamboo most people that don't play can't hear it they can only tell between some one that can play and someone that cant
Dynamic microphones transform the movement of the air caused by the sound into an electrical signal, guitar pickups are unaffected by the movemet of the air around them, they only pickup the variations in the electromagnetic field caused by the vibration of the strings. So tonewood might affect the final sound because of the way that the strings vibrate, but it's not comparable to a violin played into a mic.
Why not? They're basically all the same parts just in a different arrangement.
@@TOBORtheMighty He just explained why not. Pickups are not microphones. Microphones detect air pressure changes. Pickups detect changes in a magnetic field.
@@cominginsecond Like I said, those are all basically the same parts. When you actually look at how those things you keep repeating work, all youre doing is adding the medium of air between the string and the inductor+magnet. All other parts are functionally the same.
Average Joe reductive takes like "pickups aren't mics" doesn't mean what you think it means. Ever yell in to one?
Obviously that makes a big difference, but it's silly to think it erases everything else from the equation.
Theres a magnet that moves from the air pressure. Magnetism is involved to turn the signal into an electrical impulse. The string moves based on pressure from striking it and vibrates based on what its attached to and the air around it. The pickup turns it into an electrical impulse. It all comes down to magnetism anyway.
I agree, we're talking apples and oranges here, i.e. microphones v. pickups. Clearly PRS must know the difference, so his argument seems disingenuous. Naturally he has an interest in his position otherwise he can't justify using all that 'tone wood' other than for their looks and charging those prices.
Literally nobody is saying that wood doesn’t affect acoustic instruments.
are you being sarcastic? some of the biggest YT guitar chans are by guys making wood doesn't matter vids with thousands of comments in agreement, very sad paranoiid con-spir-acy types with tin ears who think wood is a marketing con, lol. You comment there you get banned. Yet those chans thrive in their bubble of nonsense
@@email3575 please read my original comment. I said ‘acoustic instruments’, as per Paul’s example. The internet debate is focused on electric instruments. Nobody claims wood has no affect on tone for acoustic guitars, or violins for that matter.
With an acoustic guitar, what moves the air you hear (sound) is the wooden soundboard and the chamber of the body.
With an electric solid body guitar the thing that makes the sound is the movement of the paper cone of the speaker and the chamber of the speaker's cabinet. Arguably the choice of wood species of the speaker cabinet will have a more profound effect on what is heard than the species of wood that supports the bridge, pickup and nut
@@williardbillmore5713
So an electric produces no acoustic sound?
What does an acoustic with a pickup, pick up?
Yeah, I don't think that's the discussion they're having. I think Paul is just talking about acoustic instruments like violins as an extreme example.
WOW, I actually watched this more than once - really.
Great, yet somehow odd interview and discussion. I'm thinking there are some anger management issues lurking about.
The importance of "tone" wood was promoted and diminished during this chat. At one point "of course it's important, stupid to think it's not". Then I heard something about "the nut and bridge are the most important things...", then comments about how reverse engineering 10K pickups resulted in "finding the tone", or was it "finding the note", or something ( I should watch/listen again), but it was the sound being sought. That seems to diminish the level of "tone" wood importance.
Not sure what my final takeaway is, but at least the price of admission was right.
Fun times.
PRS is first and foremost, a salesman.
Whenever the tone-wood debate begins, everyone immediately ignores the fact that Steve Vai and Joe Satriani have been playing 'plastic' guitars forever and have MONSTER tone and sustain.
Yes. See through body guitars. Clear plastic.
@@MarioReyes-se8vj Steve Vai uses acrylic see-through guitars. Acryl is plastic.
Yes, but clear plastic still sounds different than alder or mahogany.
high gain does not do a resonant guitar any justice, a saturated amp can sound big and all but low gain dynamic stuff stands out with a resonant guitar. plus these guys get better tones with wood guitars, hence why no one plays plastic in the studio
@@ltcuaa this comment only underlines your own biases. Assuming that tone woods DO make a difference to electric guitar tone (to be clear, don't believe they do), why wouldn't it make a difference to high gain "saturated" tones? Wouldn't the amp also "saturate" or boost the resonant tones or do you imagine that the resonance somehow gets lost in the signal somewhere? That's sounds awfully like you don't think the pickups actually "hear" the resonance, which sounds awfully like the point I'm making.
If we blind test PAUL, I would bet my entire savings he himself will ruin his reputation and prove JIM LILL is his #1 enemy right now lol
Precisely. It's THEIR argument that tone wood matters. It's on THEM to prove it's true. It's not on anyone else to prove them wrong. Just demonstrate it with a blind test.
Just a suggestion for a beast in the business that you need to interview is Dan Erlewine of Stew Mac! I almost guarantee he's forgot more about guitar than most will ever know. Does also overlay pretty nicely with your sponsor!
As much as I love my PRS guitars, the violin example is absurd, can't believe the hosts of the show didn't questioned Paul about it. The click bait title of this video is so wrong. I will keep loving my exotic wood PRS guitars and keep buying them but the main reason is because those "tonewoods" look gorgeous. I have 3 594s in 3 different body woods, black limba, mahogany and swamp ash, they sound amazing but they sound the same which is a great thing.
What a fun interview to listen to...also i feel honored that Paul answered my question! thanks for choosing it Rhett and Zach!
Wood is everything to me not pickups though I prefer single coil s PRS doesn't sell any 59 lespauls because that wood doesn't exist anymore the custom shops can try to copy certain things but my cbs strat neck can't be copied ...again it's a peice of figured maple that is tougher to find very lightweight and flamed that was easy to come by 40 years ago it absolutely is the the key to the tone of my strat and of course the ash body
This is actually one of the best interviews with Paul I’ve seen.
You both did such a great job moving the conversation, and adding to the overall flow. Wonderful job, and great content
Half way through. Paused to comment. You cannot compare a violin to a solid body electric just as you cannot compare an acoustic guitar to a solid body electric when talking about tone wood. A violin and an acoustic guitar are instruments that absolutely depend on the type of wood used in its construction. Tone wood absolutely matters with those types of instruments. With a solid body electric guitar however not so much. Apples and oranges. One relies upon its acoustic properties and one does not.
I feel like Paul is the kind of guest most shows only want to have on once.
I enjoy hearing from him, but I care more about his perspectives, insights and instruments than how well he strokes the egos of youtubers or says what the comment section approves of. Paul has raised the bar of the entire guitar industry and forced the big players to up their game while also opening the doors for small boutique builders to thrive. Even if you don't own a PRS, you've benefitted from them.
Seemed like he had them cowed. They would have agreed with him if he had said the moon was made of cheddar cheese.
I could talk to Paul every day of the week.
This is not True, but the thing is people are letting Paul hear what they think hè wants to hear. But Paul doesnt like that, hè likes people with a mind of their own. And sticking with your opinion. He likes authentic. I discussed with him on 3 occasions (meetings in a guitar store). And the first time he said: you are a strange one of a kind guy. My wife agreed haha, since then its allways fun to see each other (when we do, because i live in the Netherlands)
I guess that's why Paul makes the finest guitars on the planet and you are just a clown running your mouth on UA-cam lmao
I’m 63…have been playing for 50+ years and building custom guitars since I was 19…. And I know EXACTLY what you’re talking about! Just to illustrate: I have just completed a custom build with a selection of pieces of Honduras Mahogany for neck and body that had been in my shop for just around 20 years. The blank pieces rang like something that I know would be difficult for anyone to explain especially if they had nothing similar to compare it to. The Final Product just sounds incredible! Using a modern bridge (500 series Gotoh wraparound) and the most “classic” of DiMarzio pickups (which don’t really matter as much as the guitar 😊😉..right?)
And everything one can learn over nearly 50 years of building….. PRS knows!
Great interview!
So, Paul bought some old pickups at a stupid price and discovered that they were different than other pick-ups? GENIUS!
Still waiting for ANYONE to do a double blind test showing any noticeable difference between identical guitars that are made with different wood. I'll keep waiting because no one will ever do it
I agree 100%. Paul - put up or shut up
Some of the best, most influential, most historic music ever has been created using "cheap" guitars and amps. No amount of money spent on either can turn someone into a captivating musician. A lack of musical craftsmanship or artistry cannot be blamed on the tools.
not the point here, watch the video again
Literally no one is saying that. This is a UA-cam channel for people interested in chasing specific tones and crafting their sound. And you’re right, some great music was played on very inexpensive poverty level equipment. On the flip side, some of the most influential music was/is produced on very large and very technical scale. So that’s not a great argument against people chasing certain sounds and instrumental ability.
@@thatguy7850 Whatever you're chasing in terms of tone, you aren't going to get it with "wood" in an electric guitar scenario. That has been proven time and time again.
Best way to start a Monday.
best way to start your week is by absorbing an hour and a half of misleading, biased, and inaccurate information?
weird comment..
@@PewterBirdit's really not that weird when you look who left the bias comment
How did I not know about this podcast? I’ve been subscribed to the main channel for years. The algorithm is working
It’s my birthday and I had my fingers crossed that there would be an episode today. Made my day yall!!!
Without even watching I'm gonna guess that the guy trying to upcharge you for "tonewoods" is gonna tell you it does matter...
Spot on. Lots of rambling, no good arguments.
@@_wayneman_ if all you have is anecdotal bullshit instead of scientific method then your argument isn't worth hearing...
It does matter, though… Unless you only play with heavy distortion. If that’s the case, get a Squier.
We don't see the world as it is, we see the world as we are.
What makes you think Paul would want to 'upcharge' based on bullshit?
@@Lovell93it doesn’t matter, even with the lowest gain. Guitaf pickups aren’t microphonic they are magnetic and only pickup the magnetic vibrations of the strings
Love PRS, but Paul is citing non-empirical “shootouts” that support his beliefs rather than the more empirical video that challenges his beliefs. Mark Tremonti ain’t doing null tests he’s playing with gear he has.
I loved the huge sneak peek hint when he gave an example of solving a daily problem. He went straight to Tele saddles....
Ha! I was at Paul's "lecture" at Chicago Music Exchange that he's talking about in this podcast...he's a unique individual for sure! It was a lot of fun!
I just ticked the episode to listen on Spotify and now I found this, my Monday got better? Yessss ❤️
Excellent interview! Couple of points. No matter what testing or video examples are out there. What people think about "tonewoods" isn't gonna change. When I have an amp and I plug in 2 diffrent guitars and they both have their own unique sounds? The sounds are always the sum of its parts. Does wood matter as much with electrics? No. I have a cheap, throw together guitar that is very cheaply made and I've gotten compliments on how it sounds. It's all so intrinsic to the sum of the equation. Love him or hate him Paul is always an interesting interview. He even made a comment about a good setup being $180!! I'm like what!? At your factory shop Maybe! Does that setup come with a BJ too! Man! Lol!
It’s just a setup Michael, how much can it cost?
I could see a 180$ set up. It depends what you are getting done. Custom shaped bone nut, complete refret/crowning/polishing, action and pickups raised and put to your exact specifications. I personally wouldn't pay for that stuff but I have a lot of guitar playing friends who would rather give it to a tech and pay money than to just do the work themselves
My favorite guitar is a homemade instrument with chinese hardware, the total cost was 80$, after every concert guitarists come to praise the sound and ask what kind of guitar it is.
I wonder how many players out there are holding notes longer than 12 seconds, much less 48. In my mind, I feel the need to challenge the importance of sustain when a lot of people out there aren't playing guitars for the "sustain"
I always wonder this. Does anyone even want to listen to a composition with notes that long? Seems like the only people who are interested in sustain are guitar gear snobs.
I love to see Paul in an interview. I wish he would actually answer some of the questions. LOL
When he's going on about violins, why doesn't anyone ever challenge him on the spot that he is comparing apples to oranges?
Thought that was a good informative fun interview, didn't think I would watch the whole thing when I started but didn't want to stop once it got rolling. Keep up the good work and have fun.
I own 2 PRS's. They are excellently designed and built...but I have swapped pickups many times and that makes them sound completely different. Not saying wood has nothing to do with the sound but in my experience it's not the biggest factor.
It's okay, go ahead and say it @yourguitarist wood has absolutely nothing to do with the tone of your amplified electric guitar
Comparing a concert violin and a mic to a solid body guitar and a magnetic pickup is a false equivalency. It's demonstrably different. And saying something is "just not true" isn't evidence. Respond to the Jim Lill video AND present any evidence that he's mistaken. Smith presents NOTHING other than saying he's wrong. I'm fully open to going back to my old belief of tonewood, but NO ONE has presented any evidence to contradict Jim's video. JUST. PRESENT. THE. EVIDENCE.
Yeah it's a bullshit analogy, but he's in the business of convincing people that expensive wood in a solidbody makes the instrument sound better.
@@Annunaki_0517He wont address the facts b/c the facts aren't in in his favour, and he's well aware of this. he also knows he doesn't have to address anything real. He just needs to assert 'tonewood better' and ppl will be like omg PRS ends the tonewood debate!!'
@@laciep837 I'll have to re-watch the video, Fsng. What I heard Paul say, is that many, many elements make up the tone of a guitar.
@wind016 I've not had that experience with PRS owners. The ones that I've met that can afford Private Stock guitars, do so more for atheistics and artistry, not the tone. They have deep pockets, so more power to them. What PRS guitars do you own, Windo?
His evidence is he makes guitars and Jim makes youtube videos, if you disagree, simple, go build a guitar out of OSB and Cab from clay and sticks
Always remember, people, the tone wood fairy will only bless wood that's over a certain price point. She would never waste her time blessing cheap wood.
With a small argument you just debunked all. Lmao
No recent comments??? I just watched this on my day off, soaking every word and shred* of knowledge for the sheer motivation to continue with excellence and joy in the art of guitar and music. My sincere thanks guys... Paul is just three years younger than me. We thought alike all the way!
Y'all rock!
My rare 2011 PURPLE PRS Torero plays like butter and stays in tune FOREVER. Love it.
Violins and solid body electric guitars are very different. Totally proven that the pick up makes the most difference
Pickups also aren't microphonic. They don't pick up air vibrations, they pick up the vibrations from the steel strings. If you a string an electric guitar with nylon strings, it won't make any sound.
A sonic comparison between violins and solidbody electric guitars barely even makes sense. Much respect to PRS, but...
Actually (according to research) ot's the amp.
I agree...maybe PRS is totally right, but he used wrong comparison. In my experience as a guitar player, pick ups are the most important part of the guitar. Did so many upgrades, that's my conclusion.
@@richardbuchanan5497 It's the strings, the pickups and the amp that affect the tone produced.
I'm sorry but you can not compare the way wood effects sound in an acoustic style instrument into a mic to an electric non microphone pickup instrument comparing a violin to an electric guitar is ridiculous electric pickups are not microphones
Gotta love Paul, such a character. I don't agree with everything he says but I love his passion and the fact that he pours that passion into his company. I will buy a PRS over a Gibson every time.
Yes! The guy cares about the product.
Why a prs, I’m learning 🤷🏻
I've never met anyone who I agreed with on everything. Including myself.
It's so frustrating how people nowadays eagerly await a single wrong word so they can write off an entire person.
Keyboard warriors can say whatever they want about Paul. His guitars say more than they ever could.
Or you could judge each guitar on its own merits & not what name is on the headstock. For the record I own a Les Paul & Custom 24. Both are fantastic guitars but sound & play completely different & I use them in different ways.
@@panthersoul Might want to work on your diet. (Unless it's just your quiet place. We all need a little break sometimes.)
Great interview! I've watched Brett many times, but this is my first time watching you two together. I just subscribed!
Really enjoyed this episode /w PRS. Very enlightening. Thank you.
Damn good interview. You guys are crushing it lately - keep it up and thank you!!
The comments are almost as fun as the podcast was! Really enjoyed the conversation. Paul isn't an easy guest to keep on track, and you both did a great job balancing letting him speak as well as reigning him in. As far as the "tonewood" debate goes, I believe the fundamental problem is that the loudest voices don't want to have a nuanced view. Yes, wood can affect sound - but generally it's insignificant compared to other variables. Paul even eluded to that in the video. When a string is plucked, a complex series of notes (fundamental and harmonics) are generated. Anything that interacts with the string can change the output and sustain of each of those notes. This is why a hardtail bridge sounds different from a floating tremolo. Wood can do the same thing by way of affecting the components that are touching the string contact points. The pickup can only sense these string vibrations, and it can't create what isn't there. That's why a dead string sounds different from a new one, the oils and oxidation have impeded certain harmonics from resonating and sustaining. It all goes back to the string and the components that affect it.
The only way the wood affects the sound on an electric guitar is the decay of the note being played. You can show this by inducing a vibration on an open string on a guitar with instruments that have wildly different tones. Turns out, the pickup doesn't care that the string is being vibrated by an acoustic source that's vastly different in tone and the guitar will produce the same tone regardless of the acoustics of the tone that's causing the strings to vibrate, because the strings themselves can only vibrate in a way according to their material construction (they simply don't have the frequency spectrum of a microphone membrane). Further, pickups don't pick up air vibrations, they only pick up the vibrations of metal strings (can't use nylon strings on an electric guitar).
What different tone woods do is decay differently and cause the strings to decay at different rates (not actually a huge amount either). They simply can't affect the tone itself, because the tone is a function of how the metal strings vibrate, the proximity and orientation of the pickup to the metal strings, and of course the amp and whatever the electrical current goes through down stream.
@@noonehere0987 for the sake of argument, let's just say your assessment is entirely accurate. When a string decays, it does not decay all frequencies linearly. You can see this easily when using a spectrum analyzer, the higher frequencies decay much faster. So if wood can affect the decay rate, it is still affecting the tone. Again, I'm not even suggesting that this effect is even perceivable to the average person. But if I was to use soft rubber for the body, would you agree that would alter the tone? If there's a difference between rubber and wood, then there can be a difference between different samples of wood - but that difference is generally so small it's not worth worrying about.
A guy who charges a premium for ‘tone wood’ argues that wood plays a part in tone. Color me shocked. 🙄
FYi if you saw Jim Lill’s guitar tone video, you’d also be interested in his follow-up video on guitar sustain.
This one of the best videos I’ve seen on UA-cam, really good video
I don't think there is a more passionate guitar builder out there. In 20 years, PRS guitars will be the vintage classics like the old Gibsons and Fenders we drool over today. The best part is they keep getting better!
Idiots with mouths agape already drool over PRS guitars, because spending $10k on a premium guitar is an easier dopamine rush than actually learning to play the guitars they already own.
Thank you PRS marketing for the PRS interview tour. I've hit a ton of stops and Paul is such a wealth of joy to hear talk about the industry.
Nobody argues that wood doesn’t change the acoustic properties of a guitar. It’s just that electric guitars aren’t acoustic instruments.
Another great comment 🙂
Anyone who thinks that tone wood on electrics is important, check out Brian May and Eddie Van Halen. Ed built his guitar with a body that had a wormhole in it and wasn’t meant to be sold. Brian built his guitar with some oak and particle board plus some wood from a fireplace. Both have IMO the best tones in rock guitar.
Of COURSE PRS is gonna say that tone wood is a thing; they make very expensive guitars!
I’m not saying there isn’t a difference in how woods sound; if you build a Les Paul and don’t use the mahogany body with maple cap formula it will sound different but it won’t sound worlds apart, which is what guitar companies want you to believe. Their marketing divisions work overtime to make you part ways with your hard earned cash.
Why do most guitarists never mention the speaker? No matter what wood we use, no matter the string gauge, how we hard or soft we play, etc. it ALL goes through the speaker, yet we act like changing the pickups will give us the Holy Grail tone. Just nonsense. Changing the pickups on your guitar will give you minuscule changes in tone compared to what you’ll get from changing your amp’s speaker. I’ve done this before on an AC30 and it went from an amp that I would have sold to being the core part of my tone.
If you don’t believe me check out Jim Lill’s videos and Spectre Sound Studios videos as well. Both channels have done actual testing of all of these variables and their results are eye opening and will surprise you if you feel tone wood is important.
That was one of the best interviews/discussions I've heard in a long time. Great stuff.
Jim Lill did the work and has the best answer to this so far.
Let's rename this episode to: Paul Reed Smith blows up Dipped in Tone. Watching Rhett having to deal with a strong voice that disagreed with him so succinctly was oddly satisfying as well. I have learned a ton from Rhett, and hold him in high regard, but PRS's opposing point of view was fascinating
Rhett has that BIG condescending attitude. He can rival Grand Moff Tarkin :D. Of course it is satisfying, when authority strongly disagree with him :D :D :D.
@@stanislavmigra Frankly, Rhett might have a condescending attitude sometimes, but I felt his points were more grounded in logic here than PRS'. PRS' responses were more along the lines of : Yes but Hendrix! But you see Clapton used X! Tonewood!!
@@A_Noid Him bringing up violins and microphones is the worst argument on this I've ever heard. He surely must know how dynamic microphones and strings/pickups work on the level of inducing electrical current, so the argument itself seems purposefully disingenuous.
Life pro tip: take anything someone trying to sell you something has to say with a grain of salt.
Everyone is selling something, it's how society works. You sell your personality to get someone to like and trust you. A person will modify their behavior within certain company in order to manipulate the outcome they desire.
You are trying to sell your opinion to people with your comment simply based on your skepticism alone with no list of credentials to make what you say any more valid that what PRS is saying.
It's one thing to be skeptical of arguments people use, but to infer some kind of nefarious intention and calling an argument "disingenuous" is short sighted. Your opinion isn't anymore valid just by being skeptical of something. Are you an atheist?
"Be skeptical of this idea because it's coming from someone trying to make a living." Everyone has a motive. it's human nature.
You don't have to be a guitar maker to have a valid opinion about guitars, but I'm sure the guy with the third most successful guitar company knows a thing or two about this topic. Him making a shaky argument ( according to some) isn't a valid reason to dismiss his opinion. Sure, challenge it, argue against it, discuss it, but dismiss it because it's coming from someone that has a product to sell is ignorance. You brought skepticism without an argument and that is what is disingenuous.
@@stanislavmigra I've never thought of Rhett as being condescending. I've seen Paul speak, many times, and he has a bit of a sarcastic wit about him. You have to tread softly and be unafraid when asking him a question. :)
This episode was pretty quite. Has it turned up to 90% on my car stereo just to hear! 😂
In a recent op/ed in Premiere Guitar, Paul wrote “Pickups are microphones, amplifying the acoustic tone of the guitar.”
How can he not know that is wrong? Yes, a pickup can be microphonic, but that’s an undesirable trait that pickup manufacturers try to avoid, even I wager, the engineers at PRS. He had to know that, right? So, why is he lying?
I stopped reading after that, as he lost all credibility with that ridiculous statement.
Another independent electric guitar builder had compellingly, scientifically, and even empirically demonstrated that the contribution of a plank of wood for a great electric guitar sound primarily depended upon its rigidity. This, along with the reliability of bridge and tuner components to allow the string to vibrate freely and unimpeded by those factors are what creates a good foundation. The species of wood that would normally be factored into the design of acoustic instruments have no bearing upon the quality of tone that magnetic pickups would produce, but rather the location of those pickups along the guitar body, as this builder had explained the differences between compression waves that is the principle behind changes in the air that the vibration of strings over a resonant surface of acoustic instruments create to produce sound that are both heard and that a microphone would pick up, and transverse waves that is the principle behind changes in the magnetic field of pickups caused by the vibration of strings over that field that is not dependent upon the resonant quality of the surface over which the string vibrates. Much respect to the work and contributions of all persons in this interview. But Will Gelvin's science had been unassailable and goes unrefuted, which refutations since then tends to never address the differences between compression waves and transverse waves by everyone who has since continued to assert the fallacy of species of wood as a valid consideration for quality of tone for electric guitar.
If someone would be capable to explain to me technically how a device like a pick up (who only works by converting a "disturbed" magnetic field created by the string vibration into an electric signal) can "feel" and translate the wood resonance into an electric signal, I will change my mind about tonewood. Resonance is created by moving air coming to our ears...if playing an electric guitar unplugged there's a difference in tone with different woods, but when plugged in it's only the pickup to define the tone. Another factor affecting the tone is where the pick up is placed.With a different scale length the pick up will pick the sound of the string in a different place, that's why the same pick up sounds in a different way if placed on a Strat or a Les Paul. Of course different woods with different density will make the string sustain more..but that's it.I'll wait for somebody more expert than me to give me a precise, technical and convincing explanation.
The only effect the wood of a guitar has is in which vibrations from the string it dampens. This is miniscule compared to the change in tone of the speaker in your cabinet or the microphone used to record. Anyone who thinks tonewood matters at all in electrics is absolutely an idiot. They're the same morons who spend $200 on unobtainium coated cables
I even doubt the sustain will be different.
Sustain will be affected depending by the weight and density of the woods...the softer and lighter the wood is it will dampen the duration of the vibrations of the string.
Sustain will be affected depending by the weight and density of the woods...the softer and lighter the wood is it will dampen the duration of the vibrations of the string.
Sustain will be affected depending by the weight and density of the woods...the softer and lighter the wood is it will dampen the duration of the vibrations of the string.
My personal experience is that although the qualities of a given wood and how the instrument is constructed have a major effect on the tone and sustain of an acoustic guitar, their effect on an electric guitar is relatively minor. You can hear tonal differences in woods if you're really trying to emphasize them, but if what you're looking for is a tone you like, then pickups, strings, amps, speakers and volume are much more important factors. To paraphrase the words of Mr. Smith, in the end it's the musician who makes an instrument musical, not the instrument itself.
So basically you're saying that nothing will change your mind no matter what Paul Reed Smith says?
@@jdl2180 He starts out saying in his personal experience. Why should that change just because of what PRS says? Is he the Pope of guitar? Is what he says just suppose to erase whatever happens in reality? Should we just deny reality in favor of what this guy trying to sell expensive guitars says? Things aren't true just because PRS says them. Tonewood enthusiasts have yet to prove Thier point in anything close to a controlled environment and there are countless debunking videos. The closest thing I've seen to a confirmation of tonewood involved two totally different players. I also have my own experience to go by of playing various guitars made of different wood with the same electronics and I can tell you it doesn't make much difference. And If you understand how pickups work, The science is consistent with the experiments. Tonewood is mostly bunk. It has a mild effect on sustain and that's about it.
On an electric guitar, the only thing the wood affects is the sustain, because the pickups get a current induced by the vibrating metal strings, and the tone those produce are a function of the material and construction, and has nothing to do with anything that might be inducing them to vibrate. A metal string can not pick up and vibrate frequencies that it's material and construction cannot vibrate at. In a microphone, the membrane is designed to have a massive frequency spectrum it can vibrate at, so it's entirely unlike an electric guitar (where the strings are the equivalent of the mic's membrane).
In acoustic instruments, the wood is a MASSIVE part of the tone because it's affect the vibrations in the air being produced, but pickups on an electric instrument do not pick up air vibrations. A current is induced from the strings, so that's where the tone comes from: the strings and the pickup distance and orientation (and the amp and all downstream electrical components of course).
@@noonehere0987 I agree. The irony here is that while Paul Reed Smith drastically overstates the benefits of "tonewoods" in his guitars, he understates how great the pickups and other components are. PRS guitars in general have impressive quality control, playability, durability, consistency, tone, and yes, sustain. That's true regardless of what woods they use or how pretty they are. I think it would be more to his advantage to emphasize these proven qualities, but it's his company, not mine.
@@nathanjasper512 every guitar that you've played has most likely been made of one tonewood or another so all you're saying is that there's very little variation in the sound of guitars made of different toneWoods. I don't see how that proves that tone wood isn't a real thing. I have watch videos of guitars that were made out of cement, plexiglass and other materials and I did not think those guitars sounded like guitars that were made out of Wood.
I believe that tone wood affects only about 10 to 15% of the sound of the guitar but it's the most important part of the sound so it does in fact make a difference. of course this is only my opinion but I do make guitars as a hobby and this is what I've noticed.
I think the sound of a guitar comes mainly from the scale length and pick ups but obviously the wood contributes to the sustain.
The scale length, string guage and tension affect sustain, my dude. Not wood.
@@gnarlantlers70 That's wrong...the heaviest and higher density woods will not damp the vibrations of the strings as softer and lighter woods
@@fulviosanna as long as the wood can hold the strings at tension it will be indistinguishable from acrylic and concrete.
@@fulviosannadude just no
@@BOATIE141 No what?Explain...
After many years, here’s how I audition a guitar:
1-do I like the neck?
2- do I like the balance and sustain acoustically?
3- does it stay in tune and intonate correctly?
4- can I live with the weight?
If it passes the above, then I plug it in
5-are the pickups DYNAMIC (responds to picking articulation, volume swells/roll offs etc)
6-are the pickups quiet (within reason)
7- how is the fret work (you can always fix this assuming it passes step 3)
8- how does the guitar look?
9- how much does it cost?
10- do this instrument fill a void in my musical life/guitar collection?
It’s that simple.
Every serious player should build at least 1 guitar (preferably from scratch)- this teaches you to avoid the hype/marketing and trust your hands, ears and eyes.
2 months later and 7am, great cast, nice to be entertained and informed at the same time, good job
This is a great Dip Rhett! I would love it if you would go through the PRS factory tour, especially if Jack Higginbotham would be your guide. That would be so awesome!
I love the banter you shared with Paul! If he didn't like you that wouldn't have happened! Great job you're doing with these podcasts! 🎼🎶🎸
of course wood matters acoustically. the tonewood debate is about whether a metal wire wiggling in a magnetic field can detect those changes. the violin/mic argument is not relevant as that is about the violin pushing air. no-one disagrees that guitars sound different or that the acoustic properties of wood make it ring differently.
Wood matters to how a guitar sounds, plugged in or otherwise. Some people can hear it and some people can't, it's as simple as that. I hear it with my own two ears, wood indeed makes a difference plugged in.
Agree 💯 with you Dave. Acoustically sure, through a pickup, no difference. How a microphone pickups sound and a pickup does are ≠.
@@osuspirit There's absolutely a difference in woods plugged in. I don't understand how people don't hear this.
@@ATX0705 how do you prove it is the wood making the difference and not something else in the chain?
Its hard to get around the fact that a 335 sounds different than a less Les Paul, but the scale length, bridge and pickups are the same. Why is that if the acoustic would not matter. Same goes for string quality, why would a dead string sound dead if it was only magnetics etc. Question is does the owner of the ear differentiate, and what sonic experience does this person have. The more you play different style guitars the more they differentiate. Same with an SG, why does it have less bottom end and more mids than an LP. So many variables interacting. Or we can look at it the other way around, what the strings are attached to affects its frequencies.
Everything makes a difference, but some things make more difference than others.
I built a guitar about 2 years ago with a wraparound bridge close to the centre of a Limba body, maple neck and rosewood board; unplugged it is much louder than any other unplugged solid body I've heard.
I've built two others each with a tele bridge pickup of the same make and model, one with a pine body and the other with an English sycamore body, the sycamore one is way brighter.
Great conversation. Thanks Rhett, Zach & Paul
I've always liked PRS guitars at stores when I was young. Now I am older, and have the oppertynity to buy one. And in a way, it feels like I'm also buying Paul Reed Smith too. And after listening to this intevjuv, it doesn't feel that bad at all. Thanks, guys!
This was an excellent interview!
Since you asked... I play bass now. I have multiple Thunderbirds: a Greco and three Epiphones- a Classic Pro, a Vintage Pro, and a basic IV which is my mod platform. I play through a pair of Fender Rumble 100s with a few pedals. For years I played guitar; an old (heavily modified; it was trashed when I bought it for $20) Hagstrom Model 1 was my first and the only electric I still have; I had an Epi Flying V Goth and a G&L Legacy Tribute, which was pretty fantastic (and drop dead gorgeous). The guitars I played through a variety of amps over the years, but in the end through amps I modded or designed and built.
Actually kinda pissed after watching this. The "debate" started 40 minutes in, Paul explains that tonewood matters in violins which means he clearly missed the point.
The point is that wood doesnt make a difference in solid body electric guitars, NOT ACOUSTICS!! Why didnt you point out that Paul completely missed the point of the argument? Where is the debate that was promised in the title? You scared of Paul? Or just lazy? Pff..
Everything impacts the sound of the guitar. The question is just of degree. The wood absolutely does play a greater than 0 impact on the sound. But does it make a bigger impact than the speaker? Does spending $100 on wood make a bigger difference than spending $100 on a speaker?
A fellow man of culture and knowledge posts a refreshing riposte in this tedious and overwrought thread I see. Well done and good day to you sir.
I think I smiled through this entire episode. So fun!
I have the utmost respect for Paul, but the three of yall here put Jim Lill's experiment in a box to make a strawman argument. Jim never claimed wood doesn't matter, the point of the experiment is to question "how much" do things matter? I think if we had scope output from each test Jim did we would "See" the difference. But once piped through an amp the questions "how much do YOU the listener hear?". You can hear a ton and Jim's just confirmed for you that wood matters. If you don't hear anything, maybe you've been buying snake oil.
Also, Paul violin analogy is absolutely correct... for acoustic instruments. The challenge is we don't listen/hear electric guitars as acoustic instruments. A guitar pickup doesn't operate at all the same as a microphone used on a violin/guitar/banjo/younameit.
Now, I will admit that what a player things about the 'feel' of the guitars sound genuinely matters. Unplugged and plugged in. But now you're getting in the miasma of inspiration, and to the right musician, you can't put a price on the muse. If the sound, acoustically, of an electric guitar speaks to you, and that pushes you to create. Then nobody can tell you it's bad to care about the wood and how it rings.
But measurably, I think Jim's kind of shown everyone that the emperor has no clothes. Pickups, and their distance to the string, are probably the largest influences of how you will sound.
On the flip side, I also see and agree with Paul that the player's hands matter a ton in the grand scheme and that great players will sound fantastic through anything. Does that mean they wouldn't sound 'different' through other gear? Hell no, they absolutely would. But "good" or "bad" tone is subjective and comes down to what you put INTO the tone to begin with, and that starts with the player.
One of the best podcasts I've ever listened to. Very revealing. Thank you.
The way a guitar is constructed matters for sound. Hollow body, Neck thru and bolt on have variance in tone especially acoustically and even electrically. The material your saddles are made of can matter. Whether it has a fixed bridge string thru or not string thru can matter. Scale length and string tension matter. Pickups matter a lot. Single coils, P90s, humbuckers and active pickups all sound very different. Wood type has very little if any effect on the sound of an electric guitar plugged in to an amp. Your pickups amplifier and mainly speaker type matter more than anything. Of course PRS is gonna sell you on tone wood. He is a guitar seller and maker. Guitars have been made from several materials that aren't wood and they still have good tone.
Since 1982, I have only played headless guitars with aluminum or carbon fiber composite necks when I'm on stage. I have played classic rock, country, faux jazz, disco, pop, even show tunes, and those mostly-non-wood guitars have covered all genres. They always sound great as long as I play good enough. lol
I agree. Pickups, pedals, amps and cables have the majority of effects on guitar "tone".
( I could have said that better if I had a little more weed/rum tincture.)
if i was selling guitars, i would swear TONEWOOD is Real also. it's MYTH
Wood does make a difference. But most of it is lost by the time it gets out of the amp and you hear it.
They have pretty much lost touch with the music now.
Paul has believed this since he build his first guitar, many years before he started PRS. There is a bit more to Paul than being a guitar salesman. :)
Have you ever built guitar pickups?
Every interview w PRS is an adventure in passion and knowledge of nearly any topic music related that's so rare to find. I love my PRS SE custom 24 and it def won't be my last PRS
Great interview! Thanks guys!
Enjoyed the interview, good work, very educational and fun to watch!
Knowing how seriously Paul takes every single detail of guitar tone and the fact that he's played and owned all the 'real' vintage gear, I really loved his appreciation for purpose and practicality when dipping that rig! Really refreshing.
When you've been there, done that, and have the shirt so you don't need to prove it to anyone anymore.
We need more people like that making content.
He seemed almost offended by "de-strattified" haha, I don't think it was meant as an insult! 😅
I finally found a store that really stocks prs and got to play maybe 20. I think I get it now. Every one was great. Well done Paul
JIM LILL already ended this debate.
"A concert violinist", it's an ACOUSTIC instrument, where the sound comes from resonating, including in the wood. The tonewood debate is about ELECTRIC guitars. Honestly, I completely lost all my respect for Paul Reed Smith with that comment.
Awesome interview gents. I always love Paul's take on things. It was great to hear both of your thoughts as well.
Love the episode. Can't wait for the next one. It's gonna be hard to top JB and PRS. Can't wait to see what you guys got coming down the line.
No one show this guy what a solid body electric violin looks like
A friend of mine works in a well known guitar shop , he told me that they were given a list of questions they couldn't ask for a recent "ask me anything" video with Paul Reed Smith
it is a bummer how "Ask me Anything" has slowly morphed into just a hip synonym for "interview" lol.
I don't believe you at all. In fact, I'm 100% sure you're lying
@@Yamallama585 You have a lot to learn about Mr Reed Smith fanboy
Just adding my thoughts to the many others expressed here. FIRST THE GOOD. I like Rhett's podcasts and videos. I also think Paul is a quick-witted and likable personality, so I enjoyed this one episode even if I was totally turned off on the following: 1) the title is very click-baity and I suspect you know it. You can do better, guys! and 2) asking PRS to end the tonewood debate is like asking the head of a tobacco company "once and for all, do cigarettes cause cancer?" If you want to pander to an industry leader, I get it, maybe you will score a free guitar or something - but then I may look elsewhere for honest advise and reviews.
A guitar pickup IS NOT a microphone. Placing a mic in front of a violin is NOT the same as putting a pickup under steel strings. A mic picks up sound waves, ie vibrations in the air. Different woods on acoustic instruments definitely change the sound waves in the air. A guitar pickup only "hears" changes in the magnetic field. PERIOD. The only thing they detect is the vibration of the strings and cannot detect sound waves from the vibrations of bodies etc. I have a friend who was one of two people testing a group of original bursts for Premier Guitar several years ago. The report on their findings was that the one that sounded the poorest unplugged sounded the best when amplified. That was what turned him off to the tonewoods debate.
This podcast/video is part of why we have so much hoodoo perpetuated in the guitar world. We listen to people that truly don't know or are otherwise inclined to perpetuate the myths,
I spoke with a Fender master builder at NAMM a couple of years ago who did not dispute what I said. He agreed, in this particular case, that a rosewood board is no darker or brighter sounding than a maple board. He stood firmly though that whatever changes in woods and construction you make might make one guitar sound DIFFERENT from another. So yes, maybe a heavier or more dense body or neck can sustain longer (which is not a goal of mine anyway).
And the carnival-barkers show of tapping woods and nuts and saying for instance "see how beautifully this rings a "C" note?" has to stop. Does it mean that guitar will sound lousy when playing in the key of B?
Great angle on this interview. Can't say I've listened to a lot of Paul's interviews, since most are product-focused. It was refreshing - and highly informative - to listen to him riff on so much more.
Oh wow! A dude who owns a guitar company that uses expensive wood is going to say tonewood is a thing! Who would’ve thought?!?! /s
BUT, he also said the wood doesn't matter AS MUCH as the bridge, nut, and pick-ups.
Go ahead n get you a guitar built out of some shitty soft wood n get back at me after several years and let me know what you think lol.. if you want your guitar to last basically a life time, it needs to be made of good material, that's including the wood.
Play a all-mahogany guild acoustic and I bet you'll change your mind on that. It has a very unique warm tone.
@mr.giggles4995 of COURSE it matters in an acoustic build.
Literally NOBODY debates that.
Hahaha
@@deathmetalchili6902 i got thebi impression from the clip that he was referring to all guitars, he probably meant when specifically playing with high gain/distortion. I wasn't sure. The wood affects the tone of electric guitars too, but when you're saturated in distortion it probably doesn't matter as much. I'm more of a blues player, I like playing with low gain usually, on the edge of breakup so I can roll down my volume for cleans and turn it up all the way and kick the boost pedal for some nice overdrive. It's a lot easier to notice the difference in tonewood when playing cleaner or with low gain. I'd even argue the fretboard material affects it too, at least on a strat I can hear a slight difference.
I just want to say out loud; there is a part of me that feels lile knocking on a piece of wood and playing electric guitar are totally different ideas. Once the nut , bridge andtuners springs are on the guitar, much of what PRS tests from wood-knocking goes away? Just spitballing out of ignorance.
I just love this guy. I never tire of hearing him speak about his passionate topics. It absolutely shines through in the guitars. Great interview guys.
What a great education! Subscribed. Thank you!
Paul is very entertaining to listen to. He does tend to stretch the truth though. As an electronics engineer who has designed many circuits I can confirm reverse engineering your own work is a silly claim to make. You have your original design and if you want to remake it you do just that, make it again. Only if a part was no longer available or too expensive would you change something (this assumes you were happy with it to start with). Also suggesting there is more to copying a pickup than measuring the one you want to copy is also a silly claim. You measure the wire gauge, measure the resistance and inductance, unwind it and measure the length of wire, you can also count the number of turns and you have it. You know the bobbin size and you know what sort of magnets you have. You can measure the gauss of the magnets and then you can duplicate the pickup. As soon as someone starts the "secret sauce" claim they reduce their credibility in my view. Tone wood. The weight of the guitar will effect sustain as will bolt on vs set necks but unless your pickup is microphonic it is not going to make much difference. I think a lot of people forget the whole idea of a solid body electric guitar was to get rid of the guitar body influencing the sound and reduce feedback. Remember Les Paul was looking for a pure guitar sound, just the sound of the strings.
Fun video anyway.
Cracks me up how guitar players admit speaker cabinet woods makes a difference in tone, but refuse to understand how the guitar itself (the source of the sound) is unaffected by its wood density.
Actually Jim Lill proved that material type doesn’t matter in a speaker Cab. And the guitar pickups are magnetic, not microphonic so they physically cannot pick up any BS “tonewood”
@@BOATIE141 Jim is wrong. I'm an engineer. While I think his videos are well done and the effort and process are appreciated think of it this way: what does the pickup do? Does it create a signal on its own? No, it only transforms whatever the string is doing. Now imagine the string is like a microphone. That's why if you don't pluck the strings at all, but instead knock on the guitar body, you will hear noise through the guitar amp. The string kinda acts like a microphone. I like the way Paul Reed Smith put it "Barbara Streisand is always gonna sound like her and she will never sound like Michael Jackson no matter what microphone she uses" (not verbatim but you get the point) a guitar has a voice like a singer. The pickup does s similar thing as a mic.
@@BOATIE141 as far as speaker cabinet. He is probably mostly right, although I think it depends on how it's designed and what it's intended for.
@@BOATIE141 there is another video on UA-cam where a guy makes interchangeable guitar bodes that slide off of the nick/pickup part and he has many different body woods and he proves that you can hear the difference. Although it isn't a drastic difference it's clearly audible. The point if the video was to see if you hear a difference.
Typical Paul talking crap while offering no evidence. A guitar ain’t a violin or a drum, Paul. Shame on these dudes for not really challenging this crap.
If guitar pickups where microphones, then tonewood would be much more of a thing, but pickups only detect metal strings vibrating across a magnetic field... unless you have an unpotted pickups, the body means little. Not zero, but very little
I think the context that is missing from the expensive guitar/cheap amp vs. cheap guitar/expensive amp debate is Skill Level. A professional like Tim Pierce or Joe B could make incredible music with either combo. But when a mere mortal with a limited budget walks into a store with no more than $1,500 or less to invest in a guitar rig and they are a garage or basement strummer and still learning the instrument and putting skills together, what combo allows them to get the best overall tone and performance? That to me is a more important question to answer for the masses.
Hey, I'm one of those HIPPIES that Paul mentioned. First time I've caught this. I did enjoy it very much so you have earned my sub, well done keep it up.
I love listening to Paul, his passion is infectious
Indeed it is ... however i feel sometimes he is talking over people a little too much.
Well, his explanations of why it matters either 1. make no sense scientifically or 2. are appeal to authority fallacies. He also goes into a billion directions which have nothing to do with 'how does wood change the tone of an electric guitar'.
Totally agree. The tonewood salesman igoring scientific method
Was basically going to comment this exact sentiment. So, I'll just say, "I concur!"
So are you saying that wood makes no difference to tone? So a Martin D18 sounds the same as a D28? Or an Ash ans Mahogany Telecaster would sound the same if all other specs were unchanged?
Agreed.
@@adrianhjordan1981 Nobody is saying that wood doesn't matter in an acoustic guitar. Of course it matters a lot. As for a mahogany Tele, yeah, any change it makes would be small to the point of irrelevance while plugged in.
My opinion as a luthier is - yes wood impacts the tone a little. However what's most important is the quality of the build. A really well made guitar from plywood would sound better than a badly made guitar from master grade tonewoods. All things being equal, higher quality woods start to impart their thing.
I respect your point of view because it's very measured. That said, all the people who go on and on about how "alder sounds like this" and "ash sounds like this" using very flowery language are talking nonsense. At most, under clinical conditions, if you compared two completely identical guitars, one made of ash and one made of alder, you might hear a barely noticeable difference, a difference not really worth spending all that much time, money, or even thought to.
I made a guitar out of plywood, put a 59 Duncan in the neck and a SH4-JB in the bridge loaned it to the a guy and he won't give it back the tone is awesome, it was a home run and it is plywood.