Stupid guitar related questions you have been afraid to ask

[paranoid70]

Inspired by another thread. It seems that I often find myself asking some dumbass questions like "Where is the piezo switch on the Silhouette Special?" Answer: "There is no switch, just use the piezo knob."

As a guy who has been playing guitar for over 20 years, I feel like a nooby sometimes when it comes to particular things about the EBMM guitars and even guitars in general. So, don't be afraid anymore, ask your dumbass questions here.


Here we go:

What is meant by mahagony "tone block"?

I have a 20th Silo that has a mahagony "tone block". Sounds interesting, but what does that mean? Why do you want to block tone?





Told you these were dumbass questions.

 

[fogman]

Deep inside the body of your guitar is a patent pending Absolut Vodka shaped piece of Mahoganny that is the tone block.
It doesn't block any tone, but does the opposite.
Being a harder wood increases the reasonance of tone.
Did I leave anything out?

 

[azzy_wazzy]

The tone block is a bit of mahognany that I believe extends through the body of an instrument from the bridge, under the pickups and towards the neck (I may have gotten the placement a bit wrong). The idea is that it enhances the tone and sustain of the instrument by being in such a position - different woods all sound different.

The 30th Anni Stingray is another instrument that has a tone block - sounds even meatier and growlier than usual!

Definitely a good thing

 

[mbgreene]

The mahogany tone block is a roughly absolute vodka bottle shaped piece of mahgany that runs from the neck pocket toward the butt end of the guitar where the pickups would be set. Its used in conbination with alder, for the balance of the guitar body wood and the maple cap for the combined tone wood bliss you get from the 20th and the BFR's. Actual sizes and configurations are proprietary

Use of the word block is for brevity only as it would take to long to keep referring to it as the mahogany hunk-of-absolute-bottle-shaped-wood-running- down-the-middle-of-the-guitar. Plus you'd have the whole absolute copyright thing to deal with

 

[paranoid70]

Absolute vodka bottle shaped?????????? Guess that wasn't such a dumb question after all... How the heck would I have got that info on my own? (I actually did a search a while back but still didn't quite get the gist of the idea of a "tone block", and I certainly didn't find anything about vodka bottles.) Thanks guys.

So far we have 3x more answers than questions.... Anyone else have a question they were afraid to ask? Don't make me think of something else stupid thus rendering me the village idiot of the EB forum.

 

[Sub1 Zero]

Why is the EBMM tremelo so stable?

 

[A.J.]

Short answer: Dudley
Long answer: Dudley, Sterling, the other engineers & the guys who set up the guitars so sweet before they go out

 

[greenwizard]

What's the average battery life of a 9V battery for the JP piezo. Mine seems to die real fast...

 

[chriseb]

question: why... after 15 years of playing guitar, do I still suck?

(that's rhetorical of course)

 

[Spudmurphy]

Why is the AL neck the bestest guitar neck in the whole world??

... ... yeah I know - Dudley G (and Stirling of course!!)

 

[brasco68]

How can I convince my wife that getting another Ball is a good idea?

 

[Spudmurphy]

^
do as I did and don't tell her.
Just get it !!!
Hey you a man or a mouse.
Spud "Squeak Squeak" Murphy

 

[Multiversal]

What's the average battery life of a 9V battery for the JP piezo. Mine seems to die real fast...

Are you leaving the cable plugged into the guitar?

 

[azzy_wazzy]

^
do as I did and don't tell her.
Just get it !!!
Hey you a man or a mouse.
Spud "Squeak Squeak" Murphy

As a wife (albeit one who supports guitar buying) I agree with the tactic of asking for forgiveness rather than permission

Hint - keep it in the case and pretend it's always been there until you've had it long enough for her to be acclimatised to it's presence

OR, given the time of year we are at, buy her something lovely (jewels work well) and then she will be more than keen for you to buy yourself something nice I believe there are plenty of peeps on the forum who work on the "one gift for you, one Ball for me" principle!

 

[Spudmurphy]

Why have a mahogany tone block when you have a mahogany body (well I used to, but I gave it to my son !!)

 

[NorM]

Why have a mahogany tone block when you have a mahogany body (well I used to, but I gave it to my son !!)

Did you give it to your son because it was just to heavy? <--A Clue

Having the different density woods resonates different frequencies differently (I guess)
Along with its' own sonic properties, Quilted Maple is just pretty. Can't do without that.

I think I recall hearing Scott Ball saying something to the effect of Mahogany will start to become very scarce as time goes on. I think that it's cool that it is buried in the guitar where the visual properties become a "don't care" situation. Just gimme the tone baby.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Ah-ha but there's where you're wrong- not all mahog is heavy.

The tele I gave him is not heavy at all.
But my Les Paul is, man is that heavy - nice though!!

 

[DaveB]

OK folks time for a bit of sense and science regarding the tone block.....

The idea of the tone block is that all of the contributing parts of the guitar are connected - the neck screws into the tone block, the pickups are attached to it and the bridge too. The net result of this is a more resonant and therefore more toneful instrument.

If I have missed anything then holler!

Dave

P.S. I forgot - how cool is it that it is shaped like a bottle of my favourite Vodka!

 

[greenwizard]

Are you leaving the cable plugged into the guitar?

Nope!!!

 

[NorM]

I don't think you missed anything but I just wanted to use the word "holler" in a post