This smart dude wanted to know for absolutely certain whether or not the fretboard wood of a guitar actually makes any difference to the tone of the guitar. So he set up a blind comparison between two necks – on the same guitar. Because he was using a bolt-on tele, he just swapped the necks out, which meant that every single other factor was identical – including the body and electronics. Pretty good idea if you ask me.
Can you tell which is which? If so, which do you like better?
Austin Chandler Howe / June 17, 2016 12:40 am
Tonewood isn’t real.
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PG de Jonge / June 17, 2016 2:49 am
Yeah. Just look at that strat they built out of cardboard. Everybody was amazed because it sounded exactly like a normal strat. If that doesn’t make a difference, then different wood won’t either. Especially different wood on the fretboard.
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The Good Doctor / June 17, 2016 10:25 am
I would say construction is more tone-related than the wood choice. For my money a set or through-neck guitar just sounds better than a bolt-on neck. As a Paul guy I’m pretty partial to a slab of mahogany though……
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Austin Chandler Howe / June 20, 2016 12:47 pm
Specifically, there is no such thing as TONEwood, however in terms of clean, neutral sound (since distortion/compression obviously add sustain as well) the wood does affect sustain.
Mahogany is heavy because it’s dense, and that density makes it sound vibrate through it easier. So while I don’t consider sustain a part of “tone” (I play metal: sustain is both rarely relevant and can be achieved in any number of ways) yes, wood matters there, as does the difference between a bolted neck and a through-neck or glued neck (the latter two being more expensive, but also far more sustaining.)
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