The Tone

I'm still very much learning to appreciate more variety of tones; but i can tell you that it is a very, very, preferential thing.

Wood -
The most important aspect in deciding your tone and enjoyment value. It is like fine wine; velvety and beautiful when aged. Only true connoisseurs can truly appreciate how an aged guitar sounds.

The Body - Top on your priority list. Trust me.

Basswood - Used in most of the cheaper guitars found in Singapore. However it does not necessarily compromise tone. Basswood is very light, and hence quite brittle as well, so do take care of it if you plan to get one, or expect lots of dings and dents! Basswood has always been a subject of controversy regarding its tone, some find it utterly unbearable, whereas some swear by it; so! get your coat and go do some testing to decide yourself! The sound of basswood itself is rather warm sounding!

Alder - My personal favourite. It is lightweight, inexpensive, and extremely versatile. Most Fender Strat bodies are made from it. This wood hosts a balance of tones, both warm and bright and not to mention, very durable as well. Slow rock, funk, blues, jazz, this wood can handle it!

Maple - This wood is quite heavy! It is a very hard wood, so expect it to be durable. This wood is synonymous with bright and twangy tones - do consider it if you like the shrill, twangy kind of sound! There are many different kinds of Maple species as well(Spalted Maple, Birdseye Maple, Flamed/Quilted Maple, etc.), but most of them are mainly for aesthetic purposes, tone wise, they are all still bright sounding.
Mahogany - Not just your typical furniture wood. It is the standard wood in most Gibson/Epiphone or expensive guitar bodies. PRS guitars are almost totally made from mahogany, with the exception of their custom models. Contrary to the maple bodies, mahogany at the other end of the spectrum, is warm sounding. This wood sustains notes really well too.

Koa - Rare wood found only in Hawaii. Ever saw one such Koa Fender at Swee Lee before. Koa, i believe its a little similar to mahogany; i'm not too sure because i havent really seen many in Singapore; let alone any chance to try it.

Neck/Fretboard Woods -
The wood used in your fretboard is very important as well, it's where you fingers do the talkin'.
The Complete Maple Combi - Wear your sunglasses on your ears! The ultimate combi for people who love the bright and twangy tone. Complete maple neck and fretboard, combine their powers for the greater good of your tone comfort! People who choose this combi usually pair up with an alder or maple body and equip it with single coil pickups, and wella, it is bright heaven! For people who absolutely love the clean sound. Be warned that too much overdrive might dampen the tone and turn it into a muddy mess!


Maple neck and Rosewood Fingerboard - Commonest combi. I would say it is a 'safe' combi. Almost all genres can relate to this! Rosewood fretboards produces a nice warm tone that is nice for slow rock ballads, lazy jazz songs, bluesy riffs, or sharp rhytmn attacks. Rosewood is a considerably softer wood than maple, so aside from tone preference, people choose them apart in terms of comfort while playing as well. The video below shows how this combi sounds like best.



The Gibson/PRS combi! - Mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard. The Ultimate Opposite of the Complete Maple Combi. This is entire warm/fat sounding. If your dream was to play like Slash or Santana, this is the right combination for you. Crank it up with overdrive it
sounds yoghurty smooth with clear notes. It is the ultimate rock combination - rise, guitar heroes!



Ebony fretboard - This mean little rascal is also very bright sounding, especially beautiful when played clean. Ebony wood actually sounds much brighter than maple wood, so go figure. You might need sunglasses to view the price as well.

Single coil, or humbucker? the bridge, neck and all.

Pickups are what gives you control over tone on your guitar as well. The selector switch is there for you to choose at any point of time, during a jam session or song etc etc, the tone fittng for the occassion. Hence, familiarise yourself with the terms/jargon : Bridge pickup, neck pickup, bridge+neck pickup.

Bridge pickup - basically just means the fella at the bottom. The pickup nearest to the bridge of your guitar. You select this pickup when you flick the switch all the way down.South. The head of the switch should be facing your right hand. This selected pickup is specially used when playing in distortion and overdrive, as it gives more note clarity even through the thick of the noise.
Neck pickup - the pickup closest to the neck of the guitar. The tone here gets fuller and rounder; think of this as giving your tone some clothing. At the bridge pickup - naked. Sound gets less skeletal as the switch progresses, its like adding layers of clothing and the tone gets warmer and fuller.



Single Coil - Mr. Eric Clapton and gang's favourite. I noticed many blues guitarists - John Mayer, Buddy Guy - use it, and Heavy Metal guitarists, almost none! I believe it is also because they sound horrible in excess overdrive, these pickups were never meant for that genre., because they tend to have some humming noise when in the background when used.

Humbucker - Many variations of it has spawned because its use is almost limitless - rock, blues, jazz, pop, this can do it all! It is just a matter of what the pickup is designed for. Usually they are more popular because they are "silent", or hum cancelling, unlike single coils.

The pick(plectrum) -
Another preferential thing. It is said that the thicker the pick, the thicker you tone. Flimsy picks provide easier strumming whereas thick picks (1mm and above) provide sound clarity and resonance. Apparently Queen guitarist Brian May prefers to use the English sixpence coin - unusual but well, that's his preference and he's still better than you!