Stupid guitar related questions you have been afraid to ask

[MatrixAndyR]

I don't think tone would be effected just by the "top." Most of the sound comes from the denser wood inside the guitar, i doubt the top is thick enough to make a difference in quilt vs flame alone...

 

[Ripper]

I don't think tone would be effected just by the "top." Most of the sound comes from the denser wood inside the guitar, i doubt the top is thick enough to make a difference in quilt vs flame alone...

Thats what I tot at first. But seeing that the buckers screwed onto the pickguard and the pickguard screwed onto the thick maple top, it sends me into serious thinking dude... Unless you are talking bout the JP dimarzios which are screwed directly onto the body wood.

Maybe quilt has lessser grain as compared to flame, so a brighter tone while flame allows more vibration into the wood, resulting to more sustain and a warmer tone?

Stupid inquiries and analogy here anyway....

 

[Ripper]

That's like asking which is heavier... 1kg of feathers? or 1kg of lead.

Haha. But seriouly - 1 sq foot of flame maple may be lighter than 1 sq foot of quilt maple right? Its the density of the wood that leads to my dumb question.

 

[greenwizard]

Thats what I tot at first. But seeing that the buckers screwed onto the pickguard and the pickguard screwed onto the thick maple top, it sends me into serious thinking dude... Unless you are talking bout the JP dimarzios which are screwed directly onto the body wood.

Maybe quilt has lessser grain as compared to flame, so a brighter tone while flame allows more vibration into the wood, resulting to more sustain and a warmer tone?

Stupid inquiries and analogy here anyway....

I doubt very much that there is a significant tone difference between flame and quilt tops. Every guitar sounds slightly different, but I don't think you can identify sounds created by particular grain patterns. There's a lot of difference in the grain even within the scope of "quilt". Basically what I'm saying is, I don't think anyone is going to be able to wear a blindfold and say "I'm hearing flamed maple."

 

[Feynman]

OK - I've got one...

Which switch position is position 1? The one at the bridge or neck?

 

[robelinda2]

my rosewood ASS sounds different to my sunburst ASS, same specs just the rosewood has the sold rosewood neck and rosewood top, its much darker in tone, i like it!

 

[beej]

Which switch position is position 1? The one at the bridge or neck?

According to the EBMM wiring diagrams that have the switch positions labeled (not many), position 1 is the bridge p'up.

 

[GuitarHack]

1)Does the Rosewood Axis guitar sound appreciably different than the regular one or is it just looks?

Way different! Many say it's darker, I call it "richer". To me, it's very piano-like. On the non-tonal side of things, the neck is to die for.

I'm actually ambivalent on the looks. My RW ASS has a beautiful reddish-orange-tinted light rosewood top, but my Axis looks like 1970's basement panelling.

 

[candid_x]

Way different! Many say it's darker, I call it "richer". To me, it's very piano-like. On the non-tonal side of things, the neck is to die for.

I'm actually ambivalent on the looks. My RW ASS has a beautiful reddish-orange-tinted light rosewood top, but my Axis looks like 1970's basement panelling.

New finish: "70's basement panel chic"

I don't understand players who say there's no appreciable difference in tone from rosewood/maple boards.

I've lost my preference for either, cuz they each do something different. Since changing to the SSS on my maple Silo, I haven't been able to put it down. It also works beautifully with my new brown-modded Maxon OD9/TS808. The single bridge pickup really sounds excellent by itself, and that's a shocker! Prior to these changes and addition, I played the rosewood 90% of the time.

 

[RocketRalf]

I asked because I've never played or heard a guitar featuring rosewood on anything different than the fretboard. I haven't even had the chance to compare two guitars of the same model, one with maple board and one with RW.

What's better about the all rosewood neck? Are these guitars regular production or a LE?

 

[robelinda2]

the all rosewood neck is a regular option on the Axis Super Sport only.

 

[GuitarHack]

The rosewood neck is smoother and feels kind of softer and warmer than the maple necks. On the minus side, I find that smoothness is less pronounced when you're playing live and start to sweat. Then the rosewood feels a little stickier than maple. Your mileage may vary, maybe it's just me.

That said, my all rosewood Axis SS will get buried with me. If it isn't my favorite guitar at any given moment, it's in the Top Three.

 

[Sub1 Zero]

Here's one for Beej. The trem on my silo isn't nearly as stable on my sub, and I'm sure it's some sort of maintenance issue, not a flaw in the instrument itself. The guitar is a 2001, and wasn't exactly pampered.

The a few of the tuners feel a bit loose, but that's about all I can think of. Could there be something inside the bridge that needs replacing? New tuners? Could it be something with the nut?

Any help is appreciated. I don't have a dealer to go to, or a warranty, and I'd rather not bother customer service about it as it's probably something small.

 

[whitestrat]

Maybe quilt has lessser grain as compared to flame, so a brighter tone while flame allows more vibration into the wood, resulting to more sustain and a warmer tone?

You're confusing grain and figure. Quilt and flame maples have the same grains, but are figured differently. So, what matters is not the figuring, but rather, how much air is trapped within those grain cavities in the wood. This is normally miniscule when comparing the same type of wood, I think.

Furthermore, quilt, birdseye and flame, are actually symptoms of some sort of wood disease I think. But the base wood is the same. They are not of different breeds, or species, just different illness.

Tone, I think (if I remember my acoustic physics properly) is a matter of EQ, and rather the type of vibration (resonance) that occurs in the wood rather than the amount of it. The reason why different materials sound differently, is that their molecules are packed differently, and vibrate differently. Not more or less. Volume, is a matter of the amount of vibration.

 

[whitestrat]

OK - I've got one...

Which switch position is position 1? The one at the bridge or neck?

1 is usually the bridge pickup ya? Even Fender lists it like that...

 

[Larry]

I had a question but I forgot it I'll be back...

 

[beej]

Here's one for Beej. The trem on my silo isn't nearly as stable on my sub, and I'm sure it's some sort of maintenance issue, not a flaw in the instrument itself. The guitar is a 2001, and wasn't exactly pampered.

The a few of the tuners feel a bit loose, but that's about all I can think of. Could there be something inside the bridge that needs replacing? New tuners? Could it be something with the nut?

I'd check everything along the way- you got the tuners tightened so that's good. Make sure the nut is smooth and the strings aren't binding in it (could always try the graphite in the nut slots trick).

At the bridge side, check that the saddles aren't worn and the strings aren't binding on them or coming back to rest outside the groove. Could be that the springs are worn, sometimes replacing them does wonders if they loose their elasticity. Lubing the trem posts can help too- make sure they're not worn and the trem is moving smoothly on them.

Some trems are a little more stable than others, all of these factors seem to contribute. But with a little patience I'd think you could find the problem. FWIW, the times that I've had problems, lubing the nut seemed to make the biggest difference in stability. Good luck!

 

[whitestrat]

Beej, I got 2 for you...

1. I mentioned this before... My bridge pup on my RW 20th is thinner, and brighter than the Maple 20th bridge pup. The RW one has piezo, and the Maple one is standard trem. What's the reason? I can't get any bass response out of the bridge pup on the RW one. Is it the Piezo saddles? Or wiring? or a faulty pup? what? I'm stumped. I've managed to even the tones out of both, but the disparity is still great. The maple one I have is just perfect.

2. The piezo on the RW20th on the A string is softer than the low E and the D. What's the problem? Can this be repaired? It's not like adjustable pole pieces which I can fix, I'm clueless when it comes to these piezo saddles. The piezo saddles on my JP6 are working perfectly, and no problems, so I thought this one shoudl be the same.

 

[Sub1 Zero]

I'd check everything along the way- you got the tuners tightened so that's good. Make sure the nut is smooth and the strings aren't binding in it (could always try the graphite in the nut slots trick).

At the bridge side, check that the saddles aren't worn and the strings aren't binding on them or coming back to rest outside the groove. Could be that the springs are worn, sometimes replacing them does wonders if they loose their elasticity. Lubing the trem posts can help too- make sure they're not worn and the trem is moving smoothly on them.

Some trems are a little more stable than others, all of these factors seem to contribute. But with a little patience I'd think you could find the problem. FWIW, the times that I've had problems, lubing the nut seemed to make the biggest difference in stability. Good luck!

Thanks dude, I owe ya

 

[Slingy]

How do I take off the trem bar on the Luke? Sorry its my first trem. I saw the guy at the shop do it and informed him the case was recessed, he thought that was cool and put it back on.