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What do you mean with «sounds great»?

Let's take my 4-string CBG from a Camacho box as an example: acoustically it doesn't sound at all, but with two Power Rails from GuitarFetish even with a simple amp with volume and gain only it sounds great. With the idea to learn from each other, let us know, how your CBG sounds without an amp and with which pics it sounds great. What do you think about this idea?

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Permalink Reply by Diglydog on April 24, 2016 at 2:43am

I think that there's 3 situations. Acoustic instruments, where the woods, strings and the construction make a big difference. Then there's piezo and mag pickups.

Disc piezos aren't really designed for guitars so give a different type of signal to a mag pickup. Piezo signals seem to sound more like mags if a pre-amp is used.

With mag pickups, I agree with Cause the Blue Rat, that they sound similar. I think that the sound is mainly down to the amp settings and the acoustics of the room.

A lot of the claims made about sound are driven by the music press and marketing. You look at bands in the 1970s who had a fantastic sound (in my opinion). How was that possible ? They didn't have any of the magic digital processors or effects that are now deemed essential to get a good sound. Keith Richards, for example, with just a tape delay. Answer: for certain types of sound, you don't need loads of effects - it's marketing.

Are you getting a great sound ? If you like the sound that you're getting then, yes, you are.

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Permalink Reply by Moritz Voegeli on April 24, 2016 at 2:58am

To Wayfinder: The reason for a sound post is simple, yes true, but that it functions on a CBG as it does on a violin, that's theory, it doesn't function neither on a classic guitar with a lot more volume.

To make a point, you say a CBG sounds great because it's a CBG and that this has nothing to do with the real sound but expresses satisfaction with your own build. Ok, I have learnt this now, maybe we have different ideas about communication.

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Permalink Reply by Moritz Voegeli on April 24, 2016 at 3:50am

Thanks for advice but tried and seen with two otherwise identical cbgs.

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on April 24, 2016 at 5:08am

I'm beginning to understand this thread now. You want to compare apples to oranges. Like me saying,

"I like Chinese food. But I like the Americanized Chinese food. Real Chinese food has got some weird flavors to it."So tell me what i mean by weird.........

"Like" is subjective and based on personal biases. You don't like the sound of the guitar you made. You do like the sound of an electric guitar. You knew putting piezos in would only amplify the sound you already don't like. So you chose modern pickups. Because you like the sound of an electric guitar. Personal bias. Every CGB ever made will sound different with any magnetic pickup ever made. Better or worst is personal taste. 'bias'

Wayfinder, how did theoretical physics get tossed in with proven? Einstein's theory of relativity is based on the speed of light being a constant. The speed of light has never been proven or proven to be a constant. In this theory he states 'the faster an object travels the heavier it becomes". Making solid objects impossible to travel at or near the speed of light. Yet we have pictures of mass the size of Jupiter or better traveling at almost the speed of light. Being ejected out of the north or south poles of a black hole. These objects should not be able to travel that fast. Not to mention the theoretical belief that nothing escapes the gravitational pull of a black hole. Now let's talk about the law of thermo dynamics. Energy can not be created. Energy can not be destroyed. 'Radio Conductivity'. What's that? Ever step in sand on a sunny day? It's hot. Why? We don't know. But we have a name for it. The same goes for glass and tomatoes. These three things output more energy than they receive. Without change in their molecular structure. Therefor according to the laws of thermo dynamics should not exist. So anytime you think about theoretical physics, gab a pizza and eat it on a sandy beach.

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Permalink Reply by Moritz Voegeli on April 24, 2016 at 7:51am

Seems impossible to discuss a simple topic without ending up in a tsunami of bullshit, best make a point here. Thanks for the serious posts to the point!

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Permalink Reply by RTZGUITARS on April 24, 2016 at 8:24am

Sound What? is Sound? It's just nicer to tell someone sounds great then sounds like shit, if you can make different notes on it it's a instrument. My favorite builds don't sound the best sound but they are usually made out of stuff that shouldn't be on a instrument.

Wood boxes sound better then Paper.

Mags better then piezo.

if it has frets intonation nonfret string size tuning.

Your ears tell you SOUNDS GREAT MAN!

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on April 24, 2016 at 9:00am

Wayfinder, The reason one guitar sounds different with different players is no mystery. First it's the obvious. Where between the neck and bridge the guitar player favors. Secondly is less obvious but very easy for any guitar player to hear. How the pick is held. Try this. Play your guitar. Now, without moving your right arm, angle the pick in your hand. Differently from what you normally play. I hold the pick at an almost 45 angle. This produces a soft attack and mellow tone. The pick parallel to the string. Or what's known as 'flat picking'. Will gives a sharp attack and 'twang' sound. Same guitar, same strings, same pick and same player. Different sound. Try it. The angle of the pick attack can be thought of as a tone control.

Bull shit? I answered any question. "Every cigar box guitar ever made would sound different with any magnetic pickup ever created." I'll see your bull shit and rase you with horse shit.

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Permalink Reply by Blues Frog on April 24, 2016 at 1:42pm

Seems the discussion of this thread has gone way off track. So, in order to get back on track, I will answer the thread as it was intended by Moritz.

While each of my builds has a different sound, both acoustically and electrified, I will use my four string resonator as an example.

The acoustic sound has very much of the banjo sound. It has a very tinny twangy sound, much like a banjo, only the tuning is slghtly different, but for an acoustic play, that's what you hear.(or at least I do)

When I plugged it in and played it, the sound was much more that of a steel guitar. Very dobroish, steel slide guitar sound.

I use this one as the example because it was the most diverse sound between the two.

On most of my builds, the difference is that of playing a strat when not plugged in and when plugged in. If you didn't design it to be an acoustic guitar then you will get very little sound or resonance from it playing acoustically. Obviously the sound when plugged in, you will get the sound of the pickup you have installed.

I did build one with plenty of sound holes so I can get a bit of acoustic sound, but the piezo pickup adds so much more when plugged in as the amp picks up more of the vibration.

I hope this is more of the answer you were looking for and Cause, and Wayfinder can add on to it, without speculating on the quantum physics of acoustical reproduction of a spatial anomoly during the vernal equinox.

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on April 24, 2016 at 2:04pm

Good answer froggy,except for the last bit,lol,Ithink it's down to what sounds you actually prefer,one of my 1st builds was a biscuit tin guitar,it had a distinct plunka,plunka banjoish sound that i really didn't like,now,a few years down the track,i pick it up now and then FOR the different tone it gives,it's not a favourite,but it's a nice change now and then and encourages playing in a different manner/style

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Permalink Reply by Blues Frog on April 24, 2016 at 2:26pm

Darryl, I couldn't agree with you more. Each git I build sounds different from the next, but I take turns playin different ones depending on what sound I want at the time. The difference being that I haven't tried yet to make a strictly acoustic git, so I always look to what the sound is when amplified.

I need to build one that's meant to be acoustic, and then I can really compare the acoustic sound to the amplified sound.

As far as the quantum physics of acoustical reproduction of a spatial anomoly during the vernal equinox, well I was just making a point about getting off track. LOL