Fender had $100 million worth of retail sales canceled in 2022 (The COVID guitar boom has crashed).

Guitar World ^ | 08/29/2023 | Matt Parker

[frogjerk]

We had 16 million people pick up a guitar during the pandemic.

The PPP money was good for business

[Fido969]

That’s not really my collection. :-)

[Fido969]

Surprised there is no mention of the Taylors in this thread. Always found them to play like butter.

[kawhill]

Oh I’ve got my Taylors. They are great accoustic guitars.

[T.B. Yoits]

Not justifying high prices for wood but wood type affects solid-body electric guitars more than one would expect.

Tuning changes with wood density. For example, heavy mahogany body guitars tend to stay in tune much better than lighter weight bodies. It's something with the wood density, temperature, and changes in humidity. As the guitar goes slightly out of tune, the guitarist changes finger pressure on the strings which certainly impacts tone.

The strings also vibrate differently, affecting the field around the pickup. You could put pickups on a pine or balsa wood body and the guitar will definitely sound different than on a denser wood that doesn't lessen the vibration of the strings. A main goal of a solid-body guitar is to remove resonance to lessen feedback and the stiffer and denser the wood, the less the feedback.

Wood density also affect tones by the amount of stray electrical signals the wood can block. Shielding the pickups and wiring lessens the difference between different types of wood but back in the day, shielding guitars was a rarity. Some of the old guitars with their odd woods, coupled with cloth insulated wires and lack of shielding had a distinct tone that some guitarists favor and will pay top dollar for. The paint or varnish also affects how the stray electrical signals are blocked which is why some guitarists want the raw wood exposed.

Wood also affects how users hold the guitar. Neck dives on Gibson / Epiphone SGs are a pain. Not all of them have it and not all dives are as extreme but a heavier body and a lighter neck would allow a guitarist to hold a more relaxed grip on the neck which would affect tone. The alternative of moving the strap from the front button and tying it to the headstock changes the tone. Yes it's the strap location putting tension on the neck affecting tone, but it's the wood that led to the strap being reloated.

Here's a picture of Sister Loretta Tharpe playing her Gibson SG with the strap tied to the headstock instead of buttoned to front of the body:

For an idea of how the tension the neck sounds, here's a video of her playing "Trouble In Mind" on her Gibson SG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3PNc_cWv9M

There's a punchiness to it, a lessened sustain to the notes, even more than Gibsons with their shorter scale have.

[minnesota_bound]

Gibson Guitar was raided by the Justice Department when obama was in office in 2011.

[T.B. Yoits]

That's Sister Rosetta Tharpe (darn auto-correct).

[sauropod]

I play every Wednesday. Acoustic, though. The head pastor thinks it is profane to use electric instruments. And drums. /eyeroll.

[sauropod]

One Strat? That’s it?

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

In the market for a Telecaster?

This isn’t one, it’s two or more levels of absurdity.

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/fender-custom-shop-waylon-jennings-telecaster-phaser-collection

$25 grand. Sure. Hand stitched.

[Preachin']

I just bought myself a carbon fiber McPherson Sable and am crazy about it.

My playing skills are not at all exceptional, but this thing sounds amazing.

It’s the last acoustic guitar I’ll ever buy.

I just personally prefer an acoustic over a solid body electric.

[kawhill]

Yep, temperature and humidity literally turn a guitar into a tuning machine. Especially here in central Kansas where we have very wild swings in both temperature and humidity. If I have a guitar I haven’t played in a few weeks, well guess what, out comes the Snark tuner, ‘cause it isn’t going to be in tune. Especially the Taylor 352CE twelve strings. They are a beast to tune. But I love it.

[Fido969]

I keep humidifiers (winter) and dehumidifiers (summer)bin my music room. It takes time for the guitar to absorb or give off moisture, so if you keep the guitar at the proper moisture level, and transport it in a good case, and keep it away from temperature extremes, you should be able to keep it in good tune when you play.

Also, a good trick someone taught me was when you tune the open strings, tune it very slightly flat. Finger pressure when you fret sharpens the note slightly, and when you are playing in a gig, your finger pressure tends to be more than just practicing at home.

[kawhill]

Thank you Sir for the advice. I very much appreciate it.