Phillip Ford/Solid body Guitars/Sustain

[Dale Probst]

Phil FWIW,
Les Paul designed a solid body electric guitar that Gibson Guitar later
built by the thousands. The prototype that Les made was basically carved
from a 4x4 and the neck extended all the way through the body. In
interviews I have read Les contends that this was necessary to obtain
the sustain he wanted out of a solid body guitar(this was one of the
first designed and manufactured). The tail piece is very heavy and very
solidly attached to the neck/body. Les Paul was a very intelligent
talented guy who spent a lifetime studying guitars, electronics and
music. All I know is that if you hang a Les Paul over your shoulder for
a four hour gig, you'll believe that they left most of the 4x4 in there
somehow. By the way, pick up a CD of Les Paul playing in the 30s or 40s
to hear how far ahead of his time he was. 

Dale (guitar player in a former life & Les Paul fan)
Dale Probst
PS This is an interview with Les Paul that gives a glimpse of some of
his accomplishments: www.beacham.com/paul/paul_radio.html 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Phillip L Ford
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 3:34 AM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Re: Phillip Ford/Solid body Guitars/Sustain


On Thu, 3 Jan 2002 19:04:04   
 Joseph Garrett wrote:
>Phillip,
>Your comment that the strings of a solid body guitar are not "coupled 
>to the body of the guitar! Obviously you have never really looked into 
>the dynamics of Solid Body Guitars. First, the sustain of a solid body 
>guitar is relevant to the mass of the bridge/tail piece. If it is made 
>out of a material such as brass it has huge sustain. If the bridge/tail

>piece is made out of aluminum is has a different sustain 
>characteristic. If the body is made out of alder, it will have one type

>of sustain, (and tone), characteristic. If it is made out of more dense

>exotic woods, it will have more sustain and a different tone 
>characteristic. Lastly, the strings are DIRECTLY coupled to the body of

>the guitar, no matter if it is solid body or hollow body. Regards, Joe 
>Garrett, RPT, (Oregon)(Go Nebraska)(A Bass Player)
>
>
Joe,
I'm just talking through my hat.  I know nothing about solid body
guitars and practically nothing about acoustic guitars.  I don't play
either one and have never so much as held a solid body guitar in my
hands.  I'm just going by what I imagine to be the case based on 3rd
hand descriptions and photos that I've happened to see.  I can believe
that the way the guitar is built will influence the tone.  But, isn't
what you're calling a bridge essentially just a means of holding the end
of the string which happens to be attached to the body of the guitar.
The body of the guitar isn't meant to move air in the same way the top
of an acoustic guitar is, am I right?  Granted the strings in a solid
body guitar are directly coupled to the body of the guitar, but perhaps
more in the way that piano strings are directly coupled to the body of
the piano through the tuning pins, both of which might better be called
indirectly coupled.  That's quite a different thing to the way strings
are coupled to the body of the piano through the soundboard or to the
top of an acoustic guitar. The point was supposed to be that apples and
oranges were being compared. If I've got this all wrong, then my
apologies, and I'll try to use a different comparison next time.

Phil F



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