Do different guitars make different sounds?

Answer 1

Yes, most definitely!

Every guitar is constructed out of material that affects sound, tone, and playability. Acoustics are generally affected the most by the materials used to build the guitar.

Cheaper acoustic Guitars are made out of laminate materials which is essentially a bunch of "wood" compressed together to form a solid layer that the body of the guitar is made out of. These can produce different tones, however unlike their more expensive counterparts, the solid-body guitars - their sound stays constant for the life of the guitar (the tone does not improve.)

Solid body guitars on the other hand, have their tone improve over the course of years. This is why many pre-war and historic Gibsons and Martins - for instance cost a LOT more money as they age.

There are generally two types of solid body guitars, the cheaper ones include a solid top (the top is what resonates and produces 90% of the guitar's sound) with laminate back and sides and then their are all solid-body guitars. Generally speaking, most solid-top guitars will sound better than laminate guitars as they get "older"- even the ones with laminate back and sides.

Looking beyond that, the material used in the guitars construction plays a huge role in the sound and tonal abilities of any guitar, from acoustic to electric to even bass guitars. Different woods produce different sounds.

Heres some information about the woods: (Credit goes tosarge1875 over at RockHouseMethod.com for the detailed wood information.)

Ash

There are two very different types of Ash, Northern Hard Ash and Southern Soft, or Swamp Ash. With its density, the tone is very bright with a long sustain. Swamp Ash is a prized wood for many reasons. This is the wood many 50's Fenders were made of. It is easily distinguishable from Northern Ash by weight. A Strat body will be under 5 lbs. This is a very musical wood offering a very nice balance of brightness and warmth.

Alder

Alder is used extensively for bodies because of its lighter weight (about four pounds for a Strat body) and its full sound. Its closed grain makes this wood easy to finish. Alder's natural color is a light tan, with little or no distinct grain lines. Alder has been the mainstay for Fender bodies for many years. It looks good with a sunburst and in solid colors

Basswood

The color is white, This is a closed-grain wood, but can absorb a lot of finish. This is not a wood for clear finishes, and it is quite soft, not good for much abuse. Sound wise, Basswood has a nice, warm tone.

Rosewood

The traditional and most revered wood for guitar back and sides is Brazilian rosewood. This wood has a beautiful rich variety of brown and purple colors in it, and makes a warm rich sounding guitar with great resonance and volume. However, Brazilian rosewood is no longer available in commercial quality or quantity.

Flame Maple

Maple comes in a variety of grain patterns. Two of the most popular are quilted and flame. Quilted catches the rays of light in a more circular pattern whereas flame reflects light in long streaks. Maple gives a bright sound with great punch in the lower (5th and 6th) strings. Maple is very strong and a bit heavier than mahogany. It is also a good choice for necks.

Koa

This very beautiful wood comes exclusively from Hawaii and has been in short supply. Weight varies somewhat from medium to heavy, a good wood for basses. Koa has a warm sound similar to mahogany, but with a little more brightness. Like walnut, this wood may be oiled, but generally will look its best sprayed clear. Koa is sometimes available in flame figure.

Korina

True name is White Limba, from Africa. Used in Gibson's Explorer and V's. A medium weight wood similar to mahogany.

Ebony

Ebony, when not used in pianos, is a great material to use in fretboards. The wood is extremely strong, bright, and durable. .

Quilted Mahogany

This is a fine wood with good musical properties, the tone is warm and full with good sustain. Weight-wise, mahogany is mid to heavy with a Strat body averaging 5 lbs. or more. The grain is easy to fill although not particularly good looking for clear finishes.

Sitka Spruce

The most common spruce these days is Sitka, which comes from the west coast of the United states and Canada. Because it is still plentiful and the trees are huge, it is still possible to get wonderful Sitka spruce. It makes a very strong, loud guitar which has a balanced resonant sound with good sustain. Sitka shows a very strong tendency to improve with age.

Red Cedar

It makes a very rich warm guitar with good definition, and a very immediate sound. It is generally not well suited for vigorous attack and wide dynamic range.

Guitar Pickups

For electric guitars, different pickups produce different sounds. There are two popular types of pickups used today. Single coil and dual coil or "humbucker" pickups. I won't go into detail here, but generally humbuckers produce a more smooth, mellow sound as opposed to single coils which are a little more bright.

And finally, regardless of what guitar style you play strings play an important role in producing the sound you want on your guitar. Different strings and different brands of strings produce different tones. Some of the more popular strings include Martins, D'Addarios and Elixers (The latter being pretty expensive.)

I personally use the Clapton's choice (By Martin) medium weight strings on my acoustics and like them alot.

Answer 2

No, woods are much warmer and have more personality, plastic sounds thin and lifeless in most cases, although run them through enough distortion and your local metalhead will tell you they both sound the same

Answer 3

yes it does, but not in a bad way. my guitar is a greg bennet OM6 CE. it's made out of an African wood called Ovangkohl. the main woods used for guitars are mahogany, rosewood and maple. these woods give the guitar a different sound, not hugely different though. the ovagkohl made guitar is stated that "Its tone is balanced, with a bit more low-end response than that of mahogany". most guitarist try many guitars to see which sound and feel suits them. you have to love the guitar your playing to actually love playing it. the guitars shape and size, string material and type also determine what the sound will be like.