Does the shape of a guitar's body really matter all that much?

[Jupiter Tarts]

Say you have a strat and a telecaster: same pickups, same tonewood, same scales length, same strings, and played through the same amp. When played side by side, are the differences in two different body types noticeable at all in the sound?

I'm coming from primarily an acoustic player's perspective wanting to go electric so forgive me if this has been talked about before. The size and shape of an acoustic is different in that certain sizes project more or less air due to the size. But on an electric, I believe the the pickup and the amp have the greatest effect on the final sound.

I don't mean hollow body vs. solid but I mean two solid body guitars with virtually the same specs. Is the shape really a matter of preference for the player's comfort?

[terrapin]

In your example of the otherwise identical strat/tele my answer would be that they would sound practically indistinguishable. But, that would imply that the Tele had three single coil pickups and did NOT have the typical Tele bridge plate or the metal cover on the neck pickup. But, that Tele rarely exists. Thus the main reason to own both!

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by terrapin

In your example of the otherwise identical strat/tele my answer would be that they would sound practically indistinguishable. But, that would imply that the Tele had three single coil pickups and did NOT have the typical Tele bridge plate or the metal cover on the neck pickup. But, that Tele rarely exists. Thus the main reason to own both!

I'm with Russ. The steel (or brass or whatever metal) bridge plate makes a big difference on the overall tone of the Tele. Remove that and put in a Strat single coil then the tone should be somewhat similar to that of a Strat.

[Psalad]

I don't believe it makes an iota of difference if both bodies are solid and they have the same pickups.

I might be in the minority but I don't think scale length changes the sound of a solid body electric.

I also don't believe wood type significantly changes the sound of a solid body electric, except when it comes to sustain.. but not timbre.

If it made a difference, shouldn't you be able to pick out an electric guitar on a recording every time? Sure a tele pickup sounds like a tele on a recording. Sure a hum bucker sounds like a Les Paul.

I will always remember the recording I heard where the medium/high gain distortion tone blew me away... I thought it must have been a high end electric through a boutique amp.

It was a crappy acoustic with a sound hole magnetic pickup through a cheap tube Peavey.

Whew!

Then there is the preference even golden ears have for newer violins.

[Rodger Knox]

The type of wood may make an audible difference in a solidbody electric.
The shape does not.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Psalad

...I might be in the minority but I don't think scale length changes the sound of a solid body electric...

Actually, it does - the same physical principles of string length vs. tension apply whether or not the guitar is acoustic or electric; although it's not quite as strong a bone of contention among electric guitarists (many of whom freely gravitate between both types if instruments), it's very much the hot-button issue among hard-core bass players - show up with anything less than a 34" scale at a pro-level gig and you probably won't get called back. Interestingly enough though, bass players are rediscovering the advantages of shorter scale lengths for certain types of music; the decreased string tension imparts a smoother, less percussive attack as well as additional low end warmth - something I find particularly effective when working with acoustic musicians, where I don't want to get in the way of the guitar's lower register. I own both long- and short-scale guitars and basses, and while I could easily do a whole set successfully with any of them, sometimes you just need "that" tone only a particular instrument can lend to a given song - YMMV...

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Actually, it does - the same physical principles of string length vs. tension apply whether or not the guitar is acoustic or electric; although it's not quite as strong a bone of contention among electric guitarists (many of whom freely gravitate between both types if instruments), it's very much the hot-button issue among hard-core bass players - show up with anything less than a 34" scale at a pro-level gig and you probably won't get called back. Interestingly enough though, bass players are rediscovering the advantages of shorter scale lengths for certain types of music; the decreased string tension imparts a smoother, less percussive attack as well as additional low end warmth - something I find particularly effective when working with acoustic musicians, where I don't want to get in the way of the guitar's lower register. I own both long- and short-scale guitars and basses, and while I could easily do a whole set successfully with any of them, sometimes you just need "that" tone only a particular instrument can lend to a given song - YMMV...

Yep, that is how I see it.

[zabdart]

To reaffirm what terrapin was saying, the design of Telecaster and Stratocaster pickups, although very similar, is quite different in subtle yet significant ways. Telecaster bridge pickups have a copper plate soldered to the base of the pickup, this enhances the magnetic field of the pickup and produces that famous Telecaster twang. It also provides a little more shielding, as does the "lipstick tube" covering the neck pickup on Teles. Strat pickups don't have that. The middle pickup on a Stratocaster is wound in the opposite direction of the other two pickups, producing all kinds of tonal possibilities if you use two pickups in combination. So the pickups on the two guitars are NOT alike, just similar.

[Psalad]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Actually, it does - the same physical principles of string length vs. tension apply whether or not the guitar is acoustic or electric;

Yea I know many people believe it. I've tried to pick out a variety of things like scale length and wood type blindly and I failed.

I play upright bass as well and I know the stigma against short scale but it comes down to personal preference IMHO when you listen blindly.

[Jupiter Tarts]

So aside from tonewoods and scales lengths which may affect the tone, I take it that the body styles is most important in the way they handle pickup configuration. (3 pickups on strats for 5 position switch, 2 pickups on teles for 3 positions).

[clintj]

Body construction can have a little effect on tone. A Gibson SG sounds slightly different than a Les Paul, despite both being short scale, dual humbucker, mahogany slab bodied guitars. The SG is missing the maple cap of course, but the body is smaller and lighter as well. The question is, which has the greater effect?

The only serious consideration is how sexy you look playing it. Looking at pictures of myself as a young man playing both Les Pauls and Strats leads me to conclude that I should have played the Strat more.

[s2y]

I think body shape has very modest impact on a solid body guitar. The "trick" is keeping as many variables as possible the same, which isn't always possible. For example, the headless Steinberger sounds very different from anything else. "See? I told you headless sounds different!" Steinbergers have a high mass bridge, a graphite neck, and EMG pickups. Even guitars with EMG pickups barely sound similar to a Steinberger. Side note: I'm ordering a Chris Forshage headless with conventional pickups and a wood neck. I hope to "prove" that headless doesn't sound all that different.

Originally Posted by clintj

Body construction can have a little effect on tone. A Gibson SG sounds slightly different than a Les Paul, despite both being short scale, dual humbucker, mahogany slab bodied guitars. The SG is missing the maple cap of course, but the body is smaller and lighter as well. The question is, which has the greater effect?

The neck pickup of an SG is also moved about 2 frets. I'd say moving the neck pickup and lack of maple cap are where most of the differences come from.

[zabdart]

When you're dealing with solid-body guitars, the type of tonewood you're using for the body will have a greater impact on the guitar's sound than the shape of the body, which will have very little impact at all. It's the pickups and their design and location which have the greatest impact on the sound your guitar will produce. Still, mahogany bodied or rosewood bodied Telecasters do have a different sound to them than the standard ash bodied models.
Body shape is strictly a matter of comfort... and maybe image.

[RockerDuck]

I've played about 40 yrs. using electric guitars. I have a fellow guitarist friend who I've known for 25 yrs. I was telling him the other day I was getting another guitar to explore a different sound. He said out of all the recordings I've made over the years, I sounded the same on all of them. He was right.

Its not the guitar, its the player.

I've used both Gibson and Fenders and managed to sound the same.