After reading the plethora of opinions given on this thread i can only surmise by saying that guitars are more than just pickups and wood. thing greater than the sum of its parts in some cases.

I find it a little poignant that you dont play guitar unplugged when testing them prior to purchase. If i plug a guitar in you can bet i wont buy it. I see the externals (IMO) as easily changeable and am more interested in what i consider the base of the instrument (the resonance of the body).

I think it shows the differences in perspective quite well. You may think im crazy for such action. All i can say is i havent picked a bad one yet except for a cheapo ornament lespaul copy that kicks around my lounge. Ok i do target certain favourite bits of hardware. Scn or dimarzio pickups and big tuners. Its because i know the way they work and the way they effect tone.

Nowt as strange as folk eh?

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No no and no

Now i agree those are two of the most arrogant statements i've ever heard. To say in guitar building results can be obtained by following a certain set of parameters is pretty much true. But i'd add that those parameters fall far outside the typical laymans capabilities.

To say their is a perfect sound is completely wrong. Whatever sound that is would instantly alienate 75% of the guitar buying population. If the sounds were divided as S,T,SG and LP types. Never mind the vast number of other guitars that differ in sound.

Also on further consideration of my methods of picking a guitar i see i was a bit stupid. To not try a guitar plugged in is daft. Simply because you can try them amped and everyone expects it. It certainly wouldnt work should i want a Sg or explorer or something.

Lesson learned on that last one.

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No no and no

You may think that but but after a while you learn what a good sounding LP or Strat will sound like unpluged which can be subjective. I will say some guitars will sound better then you think when amped but they will not match what I think is a great sounding unplug guitar when amped.
Dan Armstrong had done a lot of research for Ampeg in the area of acoustics on electric guitars in search of alternative produsts. There combination of the Plexiglas and Maple neck made for great sustain as a guiatr base to have as a platform for there changable pickups. It still had to have a good unpluged acoustic sounding timbre for the different voiced pickups to sound good. The main reason they had to keep the Maple neck That and the cost of a alteranative material engineered neck to have the proper characteristics to match the effect of a natural neck.
Its the sum total of all but it starts with a good platform.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

heh.. yes, you're going to have to plug it in sooner or later... Thinking about all this, I don't really look for any particular qualities in an unplugged guitar -- I just go with whatever "feels right". Very scientific, I know, but I have to like it because probably 75% or more of my playing time is unplugged... there's a bit of a low threshold for noise around chez mondo these days, and even without plugging in (to my monstrous 5 Watt-er, although to be fair that thing can easily get mighty loud) I get asked to "turn that thing down"..! It definitely makes me appreciate it when I do get to plug in, and I don't seem to have to work so hard to produce some sweet sounds. I do tend to overplay a bit when I'm not plugged in, as notes just won't sustain for long no matter how "resonant" the guitar may be. Anyway... carrying on, as usual. I'm all for loving your instrument in its most basic form -- it can only get better when amplified...

/edit.. sorry, there's been a little flurry of posts while I've been mulling over the above... apologies if it makes no sense in its new context. It's late here, all right? heh.

Just plug tap the neck and listen to the strings. Thats what the amp is picking up VIBRATION.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

This has been a fun post for sure. You can carry this on into string harmonics and waveform and the change in the wave the closer you get to the bridge and why pickups sound different there even when there the same as the neck pickups. Placement and size ect.ect. The degradation of the wave over time and what effetcts different material have on it. A fun theory to discuss.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

hey guys,

sorry i stopped reading after the second page. so forgive me if this has been posted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7ZfvpH9xcE

here is another test with just a neck swap. listen at (0:57) and at (2:16)
if you close your eyes, you won't be able to tell which is which.

I won't buy a STRAT unless it sounds good unplugged. Then I try it through a Twin Reissue (no flaws get through that baby!) and finally through my own amp.

But this is not a hard rule- ever heard a PRS Hollowbody? One of the best sounding instruments in the world. Ever tried it unplugged? It's terrible.

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Custom Shop '59 Strat with John Cruz Master Design Pickups
Vibro King
Fulltone Clyde>Deja-Vibe>TS-808>TS-9>Boss Tuner

There you go entering the world of waveforms! A much read topic. As my wife says as much as I read and study theories on so many different topics we shoud be rich.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

I heard the difference and i closed my eyes. Ok thats subjective anyway, what someone hears someone else doesnt. Thats why quality sound engineers are paid so much.
The fact that the sound is processed some phase, drive and reverb or echo on it dismisses it as a valid test to my mind. Though it is a nice sound these things to my mind dampen natural tone. Whilst my test didnt sound nice it was as straight a signal as possible. Heres the innards of the amp i used for proof

It doesnt get more straightforward than that. I purposely didnt push the amp so's to avoid drive.

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No no and no