Does a $10,000 guitar sound better than a $300 one?

I read this article today in the newspaper.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/does-a-10000-guitar-sound-better-than-a-300-one-20120723-22k7b.html
A guy at Latrobe university has researched different woods on electric guitar and claims that essentially the pickups are the only thing that makes a difference to the sound.
Any thoughts / comments. :?:

Well, there is the player.

I'd still sound like moose poo on a $10,000 guitar, but I'm betting Brad Paisley would sound like a god on a $300 guitar...

"Does a $10,000 guitar sound better than a $300 one?"

Not when I play it.

does a $10,000 guitar play better than a $300 one?

hell ya

does a $10,000 guitar play better than a $300 one?

hell ya

You're making a huge assumption here. Maybe the $300 guitar was a used MIK Strat and the $10K guitar was a MIK Strat used by SRV way back before he was famous. How much difference would there be in those two hypothetical guitars....

Well, there is the player.

I'd still sound like moose poo on a $10,000 guitar, but I'm betting Brad Paisley would sound like a god on a $300 guitar...

Yeah, I know where you're coming from.:lol:

I'll stick to the cheap ax. I don't think the other would make me sound $9300 better.

I'd like to see the researcher do some double-blind tests eg playing an instrument behind a screen, blindfolded player. I bet most of the perception of tonal quality is from the volume.

Yes, the question is- how much better? A 300 guitar could not have great pick ups in.

The "study" is flawed in many ways.

First off, if wood-type/neck/etc. had little to do with the sound, you could slap a PAF in a Strat, and it would sound just like a Les Paul.


He did a "study" with seven guitars and a handful of pickups. I defy you to grab a random sample of 7 PICKUPS off the same assembly line on the same day that will test out as "pretty much identical" to electronic equipment.

Top that off with pots and caps having a +/- tolerance of 10%.... his "research" is ridiculous.


AND.... a more expensive guitar (beyond $800) has a lot more to do with feel/quality of materials, than it has to do with sound.



In an answer to the caption though "Would Bruce Springsteen sound the same on a cheap instrument?".... the answer is "Yes". Because, as e-merlin pointed out, Bruce DOES play on a cheap guitar. I'll bet Bruce's Esquire/Tele-thing cost less than $300 when it was all brand new.




In my "research" (which uses almost as many guitars as this guy has) I have a Seymour Duncan '59 humbucker in the bridge of:
- Gibson Les Paul
- Squier Strat
- Frankenstein Strat from Musikraft parts
- Epiphone Les Paul

Each are set up with 9's of the same brand.

They all sound noticeably different from eachother. The most expensive one doesn't sound best (to me, through my amp).

(If you care, in order of best sounding: Epi, Franky, Gibby, Squier.And the Squier is pretty damn good).

Well, there is the player.

I'd still sound like moose poo on a $10,000 guitar, but I'm betting Brad Paisley would sound like a god on a $300 guitar...

+1

Yeah, the player tends to help things out a bit. If all you had to do to sound and be good was get a $10,000 dollar guitar, people would be lined up for miles. Heck, if I pay "extra" for a baseball cap and glove, will that magically make me better and put me on the SF Giants tomorrow?

As for a solid body guitar, yes, the basic and pure sound is the pickup and it's the reason, for quality and consistency, that Leo and Les were so passionate about basically a solid hunk of wood. There is a certain x-factor in the wood, attraction to the shape and feel for the player, and even scarcity. I know there are many guitars under a few grand way better than the Gretsch White Penguin, but playing one, or even seeing one would be a once in a lifetime experience for most guitar players.

Not every $10,000 guitar or every $300 sounds, feels, or plays the same. When I think of a $10,000 guitar I imagine a vintage instrument but not one that's in pristine condition, a "player." It could be a dream to play and it might sound incredible, or it might be a dog. I've tried out early 1960s Stratocasters priced at about $13,000 that really sucked, just as an example.

Most people paying that much or more for an instrument are not under the misconception that there is a 1:1 ratio of dollars spent to quality, whether it's sound or playability.

Maybe. Maybe not. Depends.

It does to the salesman.

I'll stick to the cheap ax. I don't think the other would make me sound $9300 better.

+1

id much rather be interested in making a 300 dollar guitar sound like 10 grand :lol:

Guitars are one of the few things where you can make chicken $#it into chicken salad

Well, there is the player.

I'd still sound like moose poo on a $10,000 guitar, but I'm betting Brad Paisley would sound like a god on a $300 guitar...

"Spoken like a Gentleman." -Sonny, A Bronx Tale

I was playing my 450$ guitar for a few days, for kicks, and that thing seems like something I got from a McDonalds happy meal compared to the super thight 52RI.. Now I just use the cheap axe to keep falling in love with my 52 over and over :D The cheap axe keeps dropping out of tune, and has a very plastic feel.. Only good thing about it is the p90's which are a fun break from the singlecoils once every while..

But mostly it comes down to the player. As long as you can wham on it, without it falling out of tune, its a good guitar in my eyes. (Of course with some exceptions, but that might be a taste thing)

Only good thing about it is the p90's which are a fun break from the singlecoils once every while..


I thought P90s were single coils.
I think I know what you mean though.

I would never know because I will not ever have the opportunity to pick up and play a $10,000 guitar.

I would say a $300 CV Tele would play better then a $10K 1953 Tele because that would probably get you the pickguard and thats about it.

In all honesty who cares if your go-to guitar is $150 or $1500... If it feels good and sounds great that is all that matters. 99% of the time I play on a 1976 Epihone FT-200 that cost $200.00 and I have much nicer guitars. It feels good, sounds good and I dont have to worry about the dog deciding to use it as a pillow.

The OP's question is about the sound.

...essentially the pickups are the only thing that makes a difference to the sound....

Yup. I'll buy that.

Tuners, hardware, etc are more to do with the playability.
The electronics (pups, pots, maybe caps) are the only thing that matter (sound-wise) in an electric guitar.
The rest is all koolaid.

If a $175 clunker can stay in tune, is well intonated and plays nicely (like my hockshop V), you put in a decent set of pups (like the SD Seth Lovers I put in said V) and it will flat out RAWK.

Pricetag, schmicetag.

I spent all this spring wrestling with tonal concerns. I wanted a Paulownia guitar and that ended up being a disaster, so I turned the bus to the right and ended up with a Nashville Tele Build. I had Keystones in the neck and bridge, and then I found a set of Tex-Mex pups and I put those in except I left the Keystone in the neck position.
I love the sound now. Played with it for the first time last week, and my band love the guitar as well.
I have always believed that tone is a very subjective thing, one that each person has to hear in their own way. I have heard very expensive guitars thru crap amps by crap players and I have heard cheap guitars through crap amps but the player knew what he was doing, and they sounded great.
I have come to determine that it's in the head and it's in the heart, and from there it's in the practice.
On a side note, I was talking to a close friend of mine who's father was in the MN Symphony Orchestra, 1st chair, Trombone. Mark told me he practiced 12 hours a day to keep that seat.

The guitar may not sound better but the player may not. You could hand me a $300 student version sax and I'd sound terrible. On a $10,000 sax I'd sound even worse because I can't play a sax and I'd have no excuse for sounding crappy. It's about the same with those guitars. Unless the $10,000 plays itself you're gonna sound crappy.

I have used Paulownia bodies from GFS in at least 2 recent builds. I did find you had to "marry" the pickups ( I use Toneriders), carefully. Vintage p/ups sounds great. What surprised me was that Glendale bodies, in the same wood, were very expensive bodies. Be that as it may, they can charge what they like, the fact that they use that wood raises interesting qustions. I'm happy with Paulownia, Alder and Ash. Which leads me to wonder, pickups and hardware play a great deal in sound- even strings. Amps too are a factor. My P bodies sound mellow through my Randall 40 watt transistor amp,and great through my Fender tube amp.I think that the research a Latrobe Uni. may say something
(it's a very good University BTW). Also, pine is a soft wood, but listen to Arlo West and his guitars, uses both Keystone and Toneriders. Hmmm??? Something to think about.

I read this article today in the newspaper.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/does-a-10000-guitar-sound-better-than-a-300-one-20120723-22k7b.html
A guy at Latrobe university has researched different woods on electric guitar and claims that essentially the pickups are the only thing that makes a difference to the sound.
Any thoughts / comments. :?:

If I play the 300 USD guitar, it will sound better, if I play the 10000 USD, it will sound better :mrgreen:

It does to the salesman.

...So very true!

As a poor- as in bad- guitar player, who nevertheless enjoys having a collection of guitars around him, (a mix of makes ranging from very cheap to one VERY expensive) I have no real problem accepting the basic conclusion in this article.

E.G. Playing the same note on different guitars etc etc gets much the same result... Yes, I agree! ...and this, my unscientific and subjective opinion, is actually based on a sample size more than twice the researchers!

However, I don't conclude that a cheap guitar is therefore just as "good" as an expensive one. The final price must surely include consideration of quality of workmanship and materials, design, and all the more intangible factors which collectively add up to "desireability" ?

I also know that skilled guitar players can pick up any of my guitars and make them sound "better" than I can- due to their greater musical talent and technique. Don't know if that would register on a machine though!

The value of any given guitar, and its "feel," are subjective judgements in which, ultimately, consideration of the sound or tone of the pickups is just one factor. The more "desireable" guitar will tend to cost more.

I read this article today in the newspaper.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/does-a-10000-guitar-sound-better-than-a-300-one-20120723-22k7b.html
A guy at Latrobe university has researched different woods on electric guitar and claims that essentially the pickups are the only thing that makes a difference to the sound.
Any thoughts / comments. :?:


Interesting, but despite the title, "Does a $10,000 guitar sound better than a $300 one?" the article doesn't mention the prices of the guitars - - or of the pickups. :lol:

I recently changed a Tele from an ash body to a walnut body, and even when listening carefully, notice no tonal difference. None. Nada. Not even a little bit. I was actually a bit shocked - had expected that there would be at least some difference.

Maybe tone really is in the fingers.

for arguments sake...are there any $10,000 electric guitars out there...that you could buy brand new today?..

I know there's plenty of $300 examples.....

take the collectability value out of the argument.... the 300-10,000 comparison is pointless if there are no $10,000 production guitars out there to compare a $300 one with...... ;)

The study is pure crapola, poorly conducted, and the writers appear to have tin ears.

I took exception to this statement:

"...I don't think many electric guitar players tend to be academics! A lot more classical musicians are academics, and I think they tend to look at their own instrument."

He said that with an exclamation point, as if he were stating an obvious fact. I'm no academic, but I'm also not much of a guitar player. However, this place is full of highly educated and accomplished individuals. I can name a few that could well be this boy's professor.

...and if I remember correctly, Skunk Baxter was a pretty smart guy.

I'd like to see the researcher do some double-blind tests eg playing an instrument behind a screen, blindfolded player. I bet most of the perception of tonal quality is from the volume.



There was one done with violins a while back.

strads, something modern and expensive and something cheap and Chinese.

IIRC the strads lost out ;)

I don't think this study would surprise many readers of this forum. With pricey guitars you pay a lot for expensive materials because they look and feel good. They don't sound better.

It all comes down to where you hit the point of diminishing marginal returns. A £300 guitar will sound and feel infinitely better than the cheapest guitar on the market. But after a certain point (probably around that price point) the differences are tiny and subjective. Anyone who's ever bought hi-fi gear knows that.

If the study is suggesting that putting fancy pickups in a moderately priced guitar will make is sound like a pricey one - well, it probably will. But it won't feel as good to play - and therefore it won't sound quite as good.

If you put fancy pickups in a dog of a guitar, it might sound good . . . till it warps and falls apart 3 months later.

You get what you pay for - even if that means you're buying a delusion.

I recently compiled a CD of just myself playing instrumental versions of some old-time country gospel songs. 10 songs total, 3 of which are to be played at my mother's funeral services when that sad event happens (she is in the final stages of Alzheimers). I gave a copy to a minister/picker friend and as we were listening to it, he commented over and over on the "sweet" tone and mellowness (His words, not mine). After the CD was finished, he wanted to know what guitar and amp I was using.

I told him it was my totally stock Squier CVC and running thru Behringer comp, behringer delay straight into the recorder, no amp.

His exact words....a SQUIER...impossible...??!. Behringer stuff ??...but, BUT, EVERYone knows that stuff is no good. It's too cheap.

I get a kick out of those that listen with their eyes instead of their ears.

$10,000 guitar...?? I might be tempted, just MIGHT be tempted to spring for a vintage Gretsch at that price, but only if it was documented to have belonged to and been played by Chet Atkins. The prices asked for vintage gear just boggles my mind; they are pieces of wood.

It's the heart and soul of the player IMO that is going to make the guitar sound good, NOT the price of the guitar.

It would be interesting to see some actual data from the study...charts or graphs or whatever it is that he generated.

I've previously gotten caught up in the tonewood/finish debate and for a short time I thought it mattered. It doesn't. Any effects are too minute to be a rational concern. Running through some scales is a much better way to spend your time than obsessing over tree meat.

The study is pure crapola, poorly conducted, and the writers appear to have tin ears.

How can you tell from that? As I read it, the article gives no details at all about how he conducted the study so we really can't know if it was good or not.

IME, most audio "testing" is crap because people don't take measurements, or do blind testing. People hear with their eyes and wallets. That's why I generally ignore posts and threads on forums where someone found "the best" whatever, or "I compared X to Y" because they always seem to hear what they expected as in "the NOS tube I paid $100 made my amp sound amazing!"

A cubic zirconium looks just like a diamond until you try to sell it.

Scarlett wearing either will knock my socks off.

http://www.poshglam.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/scarlettjo.jpg

Lets do an experiment to find out if he is right. Someone buy me a 59 Les Paul and some Lollar pups with new pots and wiring. Should be worth about $ 10k when I'm done with it.

I'll stick to the cheap ax. I don't think the other would make me sound $9300 better.

But would it improve your math skills? :razz:

+1

Nope, still off by $399. :razz:

A cubic zirconium looks just like a diamond until you try to sell it.

Scarlett wearing either will knock my socks off.

http://www.poshglam.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/scarlettjo.jpg

Point taken!!!

I took exception to this statement:

"...I don't think many electric guitar players tend to be academics! A lot more classical musicians are academics, and I think they tend to look at their own instrument."

He said that with an exclamation point, as if he were stating an obvious fact. I'm no academic, but I'm also not much of a guitar player. However, this place is full of highly educated and accomplished individuals. I can name a few that could well be this boy's professor.

...and if I remember correctly, Skunk Baxter was a pretty smart guy.

I have 3 engineering degrees.

Maybe that's why I'm a hack on guitar.

Yes, the question is- how much better? A 300 guitar could not have great pick ups in.

I beg to differ. A $99.00 Squier Bullet with Custom hand-wounds from Aaron at Rumpelstiltskin will definitely sound better!

AND.... a more expensive guitar (beyond $800) has a lot more to do with feel/quality of materials, than it has to do with sound.

I'd be more inclined to believe that a guitar's price has more to do with how much you're paying the help.

Ron Kirn has to pay the bills, so it's either build 100 guitars a month of lesser quality at a lower price, and accept the compromises, or build a handful of high quality pieces and charge for his expertise.

but does a $10,000 dollar guitar sound better than 33 $300 guitars?

I took exception to this statement:

"...I don't think many electric guitar players tend to be academics! A lot more classical musicians are academics, and I think they tend to look at their own instrument."

So do I; it's a poorly constructed and clunky sentence, typical of the lack of thought lazy academics put into their writing. Not only that, it contains two opinions based on the same assumption, devoid of any substantiation via references. I though that was obligatory for academic papers.


On a side note, I was talking to a close friend of mine who's father was in the MN Symphony Orchestra, 1st chair, Trombone. Mark told me he practiced 12 hours a day to keep that seat.

That seat was probably chamfered mahogany. If it's true that tone comes through the underpants, that needs some serious butt time. Even if it doesn't, It's always good to feel woody when playing...

The answer is no .it may well play better though .There is only so much money you can pour into a guitar to make it sound better through any amp than a cheap one through the same amp .The answer is purely in the pickups .After that its desirabilty ,scarcity of wood,care of finish ,amount of money you are dumb enough to part with ,expensive fittings ,the right logo on the top and care of set up .The people moaning about cheaper guitars going out of tune just need to set it up properly .Most cheaper guitars are set up badly ,many expensive ones are too,and a proper set up ,nut job ,fret level at all will vastly improve it .A good set of pickups will transform a guitar .Note I said a good set .I didnt say an expensive set .its all down to personal choice and your own ears and peer hype.So a good 10.000 dollar guitar may well be the bees knees but it still wont get you up on the stage with...............insert your own band choice.For that you will need talent ....and luck .

I like the concept that the researcher is going for, but his article is far from any kind of academic study. I hope that is only a sneak peak of the study to come.

A guy at Latrobe university has researched different woods on electric guitar and claims that essentially the pickups are the only thing that makes a difference to the sound.

He is wrong.

Not when I play it.

Really the only legit answer :lol:

It depends. A good guitar is a good guitar. 250k, 10k, 99 bucks.:lol:

Chet Atkins on a Teisco,or Ace Frehley on a D'Angelico..........hmmmmmmm.

Depends on the variables the researcher applied in his attempt to discern a difference in the "sound" and how he decided to measure the "sound.". Makes it difficult to support or refute the findings of the study.

From my perspective, there are plenty of ways to blow gaping holes in the study. I've picked up and put down too many guitars to suggest otherwise.

That said, for my personal samples, quality of sound vs price of instrument would look like a scatter chart, and I would bet a proportional increase would correlate pretty well.

Blah blah blah

A cubic zirconium looks just like a diamond until you try to sell it.

Scarlett wearing either will knock my socks off.



True. Scarlet should play the guitars for the test.

depends on the two individual guitars... and the player of course.

there are no truths here.

I recently changed a Tele from an ash body to a walnut body, and even when listening carefully, notice no tonal difference. None. Nada. Not even a little bit. I was actually a bit shocked - had expected that there would be at least some difference.

Maybe tone really is in the fingers.

I once did an experiment where I took a pickup, soldered it into a guitar, then recorded a bit playing it thru my amp. Un-soldered it, put the pickup in a different guitar, recorded a bit playing that thru my amp, then repeated the process for about 5 different guitars.

I then put all the recordings into one file, one after the other. You could hear SLIGHT "tonal" differences between the guitars... but not all that much, not enough to really say WOW THAT SOUNDS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

What was more striking, is that no matter which guitar I used, it always "sounded the same". It sounded like me.

Depends who's playing the $300 guitar

wFj9ylA043A

It's a poorly written article, but the study might be ok.

The pickup, the strings, where the pickup sits in relation to the strings <- sound

The bridge, the nut, the tuners, the radius, the size of the frets, the break angles at both ends, the weight and balance of the guitar <- playability

The look of the guitar, the finish, the level of wear <- of course obviously the most crucial point :mrgreen:

I once did an experiment where I took a pickup, soldered it into a guitar, then recorded a bit playing it thru my amp. Un-soldered it, put the pickup in a different guitar, recorded a bit playing that thru my amp, then repeated the process for about 5 different guitars.

I then put all the recordings into one file, one after the other. You could hear SLIGHT "tonal" differences between the guitars... but not all that much, not enough to really say WOW THAT SOUNDS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

What was more striking, is that no matter which guitar I used, it always "sounded the same". It sounded like me.

What guitars were they?

Lets do an experiment to find out if he is right. Someone buy me a 59 Les Paul and some Lollar pups with new pots and wiring. Should be worth about $ 10k when I'm done with it.

I think someone could paint it metallic pink like that guy in Twisted Sister and then the guitar will be worth $2,000 dollars, tops!

Only to the eyes.

I have 3 engineering degrees.

Maybe that's why I'm a hack on guitar.

I have a Theatre degree.

Maybe that's why I'm a hack on guitar, but I look like I'm a guitar god. :lol:

Combination of fingers, guitar and amp.......

Depends on the player and the amp.

The author is an idiot!
"I thought I was looking at my mother's old douchebag, but that's back in Ohio "
I've had many students. I'd let them play my '57 custom-colored Strat. Most of them I could rip apart on my '91 MIJ Tele. But not all. Some were sent by guitar master Neil Zaza, who he thought could learn something from my rather unique technique, and approach.

Tone woods make a difference. I've been playing Teles since the 60s. The very best sounding ones are MIJs from the 80s and early 90s. Basswood? I don't know. All the Nashville Cats want them though.

The resonance, and vibration of the body, feed back to the strings, and have nothing to do with the pickups. Body vibrations can have so much to do with tone, resonance, and sustain, and harmonics! These characteristics are picked up by the pickups. Less so in solid bodies than in hollow bodies, I suppose.

I have four resos. The cheapest is a '37 Regal built roundneck. It has a thin birch body, and light bracing, It has the voice of an Angel. This guy is clueless!

for arguments sake...are there any $10,000 electric guitars out there...that you could buy brand new today?..

I know there's plenty of $300 examples.....

take the collectability value out of the argument.... the 300-10,000 comparison is pointless if there are no $10,000 production guitars out there to compare a $300 one with...... ;)

Oh there are $10,000 guitars out there , Check out Teye guitars and both Fender and Gibson custom shops. Any of them would happily supply a nice axe at that price. I have played a custom shop Strat that had a price tag that said $10,000, very nice it was indeed, but not that much better than an American Standard IMHO.

$10,000 guitars are sold on cachet and mojo. Oddly, high dollar mojo is the only ineffable quantity most lawyers will buy into.

Chet Atkins on a Teisco,or Ace Frehley on a D'Angelico..........hmmmmmmm.


What is that suppose to mean, that Ace is not good?

I've owned expensive,vintage guitars that sounded just OK, played just OK and that was about it except for increasing in value when I sold them.

I've got a couple of nice Teles (99 American Deluxe Power and a Squier Custom II) that I love and play often. My favorite guitar at the moment that will do anything I ask it to, is an 2002 aluminum neck Vacarro Generator X V2.

I've got about $200 in the Vacarro (a steal), $650 in the American Deluxe and $180 in the Squier. One plays and sounds as good as the other depending upon the situation and most importantly, what it's plugged into.

Dave Hunter wrote in UNDERSTANDING TUBE AMPLIFIERS about plugging a Gibson 59 LP and an EPI LP Special into a 4000 watt solid state, turbo, 4 channel, DSP, 6X12 amp and they both sound like crap. Then plug both into a 5E3 Tweed Deluxe and the EPI LP sounds as good as the 59.

I watched a new load of Squier Classic Vibes arrive at the local music store yesterday and played a 50's Tele and a Thinline through a Vox AC15CC2 . They are PHENOMENAL guitars for the money. Aside from label envy and the cool factor, it should just boil down to how does it sound to your ears and feel in your hands? JMO

a CS with with gold taps and jacuzzi, eh?.. Jimmyspaz...;)

thanks for that...I figured there must be some out there... I hear about CS/Gibbos around the 5-6 grand numbers..

not much talk of 10 grand ones though (new)...

...through a Vox AC15CC2.

I wish people picked up up the amp and the guitar sat in the corner. Then, people would pay lots for the thing that actually makes the noise.

Read threads about the tonal difference between fretboard woods. FFS, get a nice amp and fagedaboudit. :twisted: Guitars are musical jewelery.

I'll stick to the cheap ax. I don't think the other would make me sound $9300 better.

No, it would make you sound $9,700 better! :wink:

I read this article today in the newspaper.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/education/does-a-10000-guitar-sound-better-than-a-300-one-20120723-22k7b.html
A guy at Latrobe university has researched different woods on electric guitar and claims that essentially the pickups are the only thing that makes a difference to the sound.
Any thoughts / comments. :?:

I need to know if the researcher used sound scientific methodology.

I need to know what criteria were measured. For instance, if the $ 10,000 guitar would motivate an inconsistent player to consistent brilliance while the $ 300 did not, was this measured and by what means?

Do we know into what amplifer and speakers the guitars were played? Did the researcher inadvertently choose an amp cord that washed out (by its capacitance) some characteristics that made the $ 10,000 guitar sound remarkable? Did the research use a $ 400 amp that was seriously overpriced at $ 400?

Under what sort of conditions were the guitars stored prior to testing? Did they basically leave both guitars in a hot car all morning, or some such? Was the testing done in a wide variety of acoustic settings? Was the testing done with the amp cranked and the guitar turned down, and also vice versa?

Finally, whose ears were used to judge this sound? Someone with ears like George Szell or Pierre Boulez? Or maybe Snuffy the Riveter's damaged ears?

If the science is garbage, the "result" means nothing.

A guy at Latrobe university has researched different woods on electric guitar and claims that essentially the pickups are the only thing that makes a difference to the sound.
Any thoughts / comments.

The only time such findings are worthy of consideration, is when true scientific methodology is incorporated. In such situations the research is detailed from opening the door to the lab, to the final period on the page of results AND… those results can be duplicated in any, and every other lab in which a similar "test" is conducted.

Other than that… it's nothing more than a supposition. . . .a theory…

A guy??? completely insultingly useless…. the Janitor at Latrobe is a guy…. "at Latrobe University" … a technique of intellectual intimidation used as a reenforcing credential to convince those "weak of mind". You guys are smarter 'n that.

When someone says something like that.. say, "where's the proof? I want to see the data…".

rk

I read the "honor's student's" two week summary. Sounds a bit like the early AID's researchers. Rush to conclusions by reviewing preliminary results without establishing the "conditions" around the tests. BS.

Not even the same guitar design with 7 different woods, but rather differing designs with the same pickups??? and differing wood types and finishes. I would first want to know how the interface was constructed between the components and the guitar, not to mention the environment, the cables, even the recording instruments.

Be interesting if and when the tests are published and others can generate peer comment and review.

a CS with with gold taps and jacuzzi, eh?.. Jimmyspaz...;)

thanks for that...I figured there must be some out there... I hear about CS/Gibbos around the 5-6 grand numbers..

not much talk of 10 grand ones though (new)...
It was chrome plated aluminium body and pickguard (engraved with custom shop logo) , nice curly maple neck, ebony fingerboard with chrome dots, black headstock with a chrome inlayed Fender logo. Nice handwound flattop pickups in chrome covers and telecaster style knobs. It was very nice to play and had nice tone, but I didn't see what was worth the money. I saw a video here somewhere about the custom shop where they showed the body being made.