How much do you factor in acoustic resonance?

ryanverbena

I played a lovely CS Broadcaster yesterday, one that has been offered up in a trade. It ticked all the boxes, but one thing that really stood out was how amazing it sounded when not plugged in. It was so open and full sounding, had this really lovely woody character. I was able to compare it to another 4 high end Tele's (1 Masterbuilt, one a Fano), and there was clearly something else going on with this one. Incredible. 

Anyways, not sure if it was because I was so blown away by the sound unplugged, but it sounded less impressive when I plugged it in! I know pickup heights matter a lot etc, but I wasn't in a position to be taking off the pick guard and making adjustments 

I guess my question is - how much would you factor in the acoustic resonance of an electric guitar when making a purchase? I've never had this dilemma before, but if a simple height adjustment or even electronics swap could bring out the natural voice of this instrument, I'd be all over it. 

Given I'd have to make the transaction beforehand, how much would you trust in basing a sale on the sound of the guitar unplugged?

tomajoha

In short yes, the best guitars I’ve had have always sounded great unplugged, everything else can be improved with changing pickups or parts.

Revolutions

Playing an electric unplugged is a good test that bridge, nut, neck alignment, setup etc are all in order.

If it feels good in the hand & sounds good acoustically, as above I know I can change electrics if it doesn’t blow me away when amped.

BillDL

In probably 7 out of 10 cases of guitars I have owned, the ones that are acoustically resonant unplugged have been the ones that sounded the best, however there have been some notable examples of the remaining 3 out of 10 that have caught me off guard.  I have a few guitars that sound and feel very dead unplugged, but they spring to life and sound very open and wide when plugged in.  A couple of them, surprisingly, are 335-style semi acoustics.  Conversely I have had quite a few guitars that really sound vibrant and resonant unplugged, but were lacklustre and dull when plugged in.

In general if I pick up a guitar and like how it feels as it vibrates, I am most likely to have a guitar that sounds very good when plugged in.  I said "feels" rather than "sounds", because there is a difference and they aren't always mutually inclusive.

strtdv

I'm with @BillDL , usually great sounding guitars will be resonant unplugged, but there are exceptions in both directions

OilCityPickups

To me that's everything ... if a guitar is loud and refined acoustically then there will be some pickup, either the one/ones fitted, or by some maker or the other that will turn that guitar into a great one amplified. 

For years I've been saying that pickups do the most magic bit of their work in the area you don't expect - the part of being microphones. Even potted you can turn up an amp's gain and get pretty much any pickup to act as a primitive microphone, and it's that part of a pickups function (probably an accidental part of pickup history) that makes different electric guitars sound different. 
This is why I'm always at pains to point out that the best and most expensive pickup in the world can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear ... a dead plank is a dead plank. 

As an illustration, put non magnetic steel slugs in a bobbin and turn up the gain ... you will get sound ... it won't be very loud, but it will be there.  

stickyfiddle

You can definitely get guitars that feel a bit dead but still sound good amplified. But I don't think I've ever played an exceptional one that didn't also have something about it when played unplugged. 

OilCityPickups

stickyfiddle said:

You can definitely get guitars that feel a bit dead but still sound good amplified. But I don't think I've ever played an exceptional one that didn't also have something about it when played unplugged. 

What you have in a dead sounding guitar that sounds quite good ... is an exceptionally 'good' or characterful pickup/pickups. It's almost exclusively the pickup's colouration you are hearing.   

slacker

I'm going go the other way. If a custom shop guitar doesn't sound great with stock pickups a) you are going to go down a rabbit hole and b) find one that sounds great plugged in. 

My last purchase was a CS tele that ticked all the boxes except being red and a relic. I passed on better colours because they didn't sound or feel right. 

At custom shop level it's got to sound good.

OilCityPickups

slacker said:

I'm going go the other way. If a custom shop guitar doesn't sound great with stock pickups a) you are going to go down a rabbit hole and b) find one that sounds great plugged in. 

My last purchase was a CS tele that ticked all the boxes except being red and a relic. I passed on better colours because they didn't sound or feel right. 

At custom shop level it's got to sound good.

I struggle to see where Custom Shop comes into this. If you are saying it's a waste of money to put a great pickup set in a CS Tele if it doesn't sound good stock unplugged ... I'd agree with you. A good acoustic sounding Squier with great pickups will beat it hands down on sound ... but of course not on bragging rights. :-)

CountryDave

All my guitars have a nice resonance when played unplugged.
In fact the last few have sold themselves to me before I’d plugged them in.
A strum of an open E and G chord can tell me whether I’m going to keep going.
Yes, dodgy strings can have an impact, but a resonant guitar is a damn good starting point.
As @OilCityPickups says above, pickups can be changed to suit.
Fuller sounding tele pickups are my favourites, and a nice Broadcaster/Twisted combo saved a harsher sounding Japanese tele from the classifieds a while back. It was a lovely guitar, but didn’t get the use it deserved due to my taste in pickups.
Even at Custom Shop level, the sound coming from the guitar may not be exactly what you want, but there are enough flavours of pickup to move in the direction you choose and turn a great guitar into a stunning one.

Kurtis

I don't really care what it sounds like unplugged.
I've just strummed my two, very different, guitars hanging on the wall and they sound pretty much identical.

Blindfolded I don't think I could tell the difference tbh. 

A semi should sound much better? 

Or you could put a pickup, and some electric guitar strings, on an acoustic? 

Kurtis

I suppose if it's too resonant it will feedback. 

Dominic

I think it's very much what you 'want' to think .
A 'dead' sounding guitar can zing with life after a new set of strings.......it can be that simple
I've had a shitty lump of a strat weighing 11 lbs ( SQUIER ) that sounded great and fat with massive sustain but sounded awful unplugged and light resonant guitars that were hugely underwhelming.
When it comes to electric guitars the exceptions totally disprove 'the rule '
.....ultimately their sound comes from a box with a speaker in it which in turn sounds all kinds of different according to the room /hall/studio it's sitting in and varies according to the volume,power, 1x12/ 4x12....angle of projection ....height etc etc etc 
once you add in the guitar's wiring,caps,pickups,players technique,plectrum etc I don't think the acoustic sound of the guitar actually has that much ultimate significance once it's been passed through so many variable windows.

guitars4you

Agree with a lot Ash has said at @OilCityPickups ;
I’ve purchased more than one guitar for myself without ever plugging it in - I’ve made up my mind on feel and tone by that unplugged test alone - end off

Fishboy7

I'd agree, guitars that feel acoustically 'alive' are more satisfying to play.  Not sure if any of that translates to the listener though.  

Kurtis

What about a weight reliefed lp compared to normal? A thinline compared to a solid? 

Kurtis

guitars4you said:

Agree with a lot Ash has said at @OilCityPickups ;;
I’ve purchased more than one guitar for myself without ever plugging it in - I’ve made up my mind on feel and tone by that unplugged test alone - end off

Would you say they were the most resonant ones in the shop, or is it just a preferable sound? 

timmypix

A guitar's acoustic tone is what defines it for me.

From the guitars I've owned and played, the ones I've not clicked with are the ones that are a bit lifeless unplugged. I'm sure the right set of pickups might make them enjoyable, but even great pickups can sound crap in a crap guitar.

I've even had guitars which are lively, but there's something about the acoustic voice I've not clicked with, and that has come through in any set of pickups, so they've been moved on.

My most resonant guitar is a chambered Les Paul and any set of pickups that goes in it sounds 10% more lively. 

Pickups can be changed. Bridges can be changed, and can breathe a bit more life into a guitar. But a guitar that's lifeless acoustically will never inspire me or make me want to play it.

stickyfiddle

OilCityPickups said:

stickyfiddle said:

You can definitely get guitars that feel a bit dead but still sound good amplified. But I don't think I've ever played an exceptional one that didn't also have something about it when played unplugged. 

What you have in a dead sounding guitar that sounds quite good ... is an exceptionally 'good' or characterful pickup/pickups. It's almost exclusively the pickup's colouration you are hearing.   

Yep exactly. And of course those same exceptional pickups would make a more resonant guitar sound even better still, 99.9% of the time

slacker

OilCityPickups said:

slacker said:

I'm going go the other way. If a custom shop guitar doesn't sound great with stock pickups a) you are going to go down a rabbit hole and b) find one that sounds great plugged in. 

My last purchase was a CS tele that ticked all the boxes except being red and a relic. I passed on better colours because they didn't sound or feel right. 

At custom shop level it's got to sound good.

I struggle to see where Custom Shop comes into this. If you are saying it's a waste of money to put a great pickup set in a CS Tele if it doesn't sound good stock unplugged ... I'd agree with you. A good acoustic sounding Squier with great pickups will beat it hands down on sound ... but of course not on bragging rights. :-)

I'm say that if a guitar with custom shop pickups doesn't sound great buy on that does.