Removing the back plate really does improve tone!!

budglo · **Joined:** Fri Jan 02, 2009 3:17 pm **Posts:** 1986

I use white knobs for my Jimi tone and black knobs for my SRV tone.Works every time. :wink:

SlapChop · **Joined:** Tue Jan 27, 2009 3:41 pm **Posts:** 1257

budglo wrote:

I use white knobs for my Jimi tone and black knobs for my SRV tone.Works every time. :wink:

Way to go. Now everybody knows.

budglo · **Joined:** Fri Jan 02, 2009 3:17 pm **Posts:** 1986

SlapChop wrote:

budglo wrote:

I use white knobs for my Jimi tone and black knobs for my SRV tone.Works every time. :wink:

Way to go. Now everybody knows.

SHHH!

Twelvebar · **Posted:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 1:27 pm

Everyone knows the most important factors in your tone and sustain is the age-old Boxers/briefs/Commando debate!! :wink:

VerySlowHand · **Joined:** Sun Sep 20, 2009 2:46 pm **Posts:** 298

Tube Screamer wrote:

BMW-KTM wrote:

Plugged in, which is the only thing that counts.

I have to dissagree with you there. I, as I am sure do many others, enjoy playing electric guitars unplugged from time to time, even if just for practice reasons.

If this improves the guitars sound just for that purpose alone, for me, it is worth leaving off!

Thanks

Russ

What... and to get the full acoustic effect, hold the guitar away from your body (like he said) while you're playing it? I don't think so!

VerySlowHand · **Joined:** Sun Sep 20, 2009 2:46 pm **Posts:** 298

Tube Screamer wrote:

Not a fan of the tricky-to-negotiate Strat back-plate with its fiddly string-loading holes, Johnson decided it would be omitted from his signature guitar.

But there's more to it than that. "Actually the backplates are removed from all my guitars because I think they sound better with them off," he says.

At least I'm not on my own anyway!

There are two words to explain Johnson's quote... 'marketing' and 'bullshit'

BMW-KTM · **Posted:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:14 pm

My father has a favorite saying, "When you're right, you can afford to be narrow minded."

:wink:

Martian · **Posted:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:53 pm

Quote:

Here's a PROVEN FACT which is INDISPUTABLE: If you close up a dinosaur bone in your brand new guitar's brand new case, you will IN FACT, have a RELIC inside when you reopen it. What does this have to do with anything? Relevance, of course.

Tube Screamer wrote:

What on earth does that mean?

The first part is a face-value, logical, factual, verifiable experiment. The second part negates the criterion of comparing it with your's as does your criterion in and of itself.

Tube Screamer wrote:

Anyway, I do seem to have put myself in the line of fire here with this topic.

Quote:

You've totally missed the true deciding factors in your experiment: The muting effect the front of the player's body has against the back of the guitar's body and, most of the player's right arm being in contact with the front of the guitar's body. Both these conditions are completely eliminated by merely seating the guitar forward on your knee which I may add, has less surface contact than seating it on your leg nearest your lap.

Don't you think said muting magazine vs. the absence of that thin, little sliver of perforated plastic is a bit ridiculous now?

Tube Screamer wrote:

When I play the guitar unplugged and seated, I do not have the body of the guitar clamped against my body, blocking the rear cavity, and so having the cover removed still leaves the cavity pretty open.

And from this, you claim you can discern a clear cut difference?

Tube Screamer wrote:

I only said to use a magazine or something similar for the test instead of keep replacing the cover for ease. There is a difference either way and also a difference with the guitar in a normal playing position...
It is quite obvious that my playing the guitar unplugged is for personal practice and that I am not stupid enough to wish to play to an audience that way!

I admire your conviction.

As to the way you physically hold your guitar to play it in whatever setting, I'd never criticize it one way or the other; whatever works for the individual.

Tube Screamer wrote:

Here is a quote I just came across made by Eric Johnson about his signature Stratocaster:

Not a fan of the tricky-to-negotiate Strat back-plate with its fiddly string-loading holes, Johnson decided it would be omitted from his signature guitar.

But there's more to it than that. "Actually the backplates are removed from all my guitars because I think they sound better with them off," he says.

At least I'm not on my own anyway!

Using EJ as collateral verification/justification for your argument really doesn't help it any. For instance, a Strat backplate is, "tricky to negotiate"? My favorite of his many ridiculous proclamations is how he claims he can instantly discern frequency differentials in branded name battery voltage. This guy's "observations" have zero credibility with many, many people other than myself. Yea, yea, I know, the guy can play. Many shall we say, 'eccentrics' can.

And now, my illogical statement: I believe that oftentimes a person who is, "out there" mentally is where a lot of his or her unusually superior talent comes from. Just like the original topic, I have no, agreeing "if / then" criterion to validate my statement.

As to this entire mini-discourse of mine: As always, this is merely IMO, YMMV.

01GT eibach · **Posted:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:24 pm

If you want real tone, just plug your amp into a power strip instead of the wall. That is what those old delta blues men did back in the 1920s. Works like a charm...

And, oh yeah, the walrus was Paul.

:wink:

BMW-KTM · **Posted:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:53 pm

LOL!!!

OK, OK, OK, OK...... enough already ....

Let's give the guy a little break now, shall we? I think he's learned not to say dumb stuff anymore. Let's give him another chance, OK? I'm sure we've all spoken before thinking it through once or twice in our day.

twosbrs · **Joined:** Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:02 pm **Posts:** 70

BMW-KTM wrote:

LOL!!!

OK, OK, OK, OK...... enough already ....

Let's give the guy a little break now, shall we? I think he's learned not to say dumb stuff anymore. Let's give him another chance, OK? I'm sure we've all spoken before thinking it through once or twice in our day.

Yep.....I've read some (dumb) stuff from some of you folks on this forum that makes me wonder sometimes. You guys can become like kids in a schoolyard: picking on the ones that are different - ones that you don't agree with....must be you get bored being on this forum all the time and have to lash out to cure your itch for controversy.

TS, let's get together and jam....you can play without your trem cover, and I promise it'll be OK at my house.

CAFeathers · **Posted:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:01 pm

All I have to do is look in the mirror to find a relic.

If you like the back plate off then by all means leave it off.

BTW: I leave mine off too.

Strat0Blues · **Joined:** Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:04 am **Posts:** 292

Tube Screamer wrote:

Maybe you are right Strat0Blues, as I have said, I've not had chance to try it plugged in as yet and so can't really comment on that!

I often play my strat unplugged though for practice etc, and so even if it only enhances the guitars acoustic tone, that is still good enough reason in its self for me to leave the cover off!

Russ

Well I have done this before to try and hear for a tone difference only to realise that once the guitar is amplified there is basically no difference at all :wink:

I too played for a couple of months without an amplifier, it is a bad habit to get into and you should always amplify that electric guitar! You need to be able to hear what you are playing and making sure all strings are ringing out through chords, you bends are spot on and to work on your vibrato you need to hear the note etc

May I interest you in one of these:

My advice would be to get yourself a nice little practice amp and make sure that you amplify that electric guitar everytime you play :wink:

Strat0Blues · **Joined:** Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:04 am **Posts:** 292

Eric Johnson Tone: Strings, Pickups, Amplifier, tubes and Speaker, the rest is the notes he plays and how he plays them :wink:

No screws, plates, batteries or what not is going to make enough difference in his sounds to be credible.

Squier?!? · **Posted:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 11:01 pm

I just put mine back on.

I actually prefer the more industrial aesthetic of having them off,
but i just got sick of lookin' at 'em... w/ thier little piles of screws.

It's just easier (& tidier) leaving them on.

I do think the "more tone w/ them off" thing is a load of bollocks though.

And that's my story.

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Removing the back plate really does improve tone!!

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