Does colour affect tone?

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 11:16 am

'Part of you'....
Spencer, I did a gig not long ago, when a guy who turned out to be a long distance lorry driver talked to me in the break & commented that my Gtr (360) seemed to be 'part of me'. I have always felt this, but it was unusual for a 'punter' to recognise it.

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 1:17 pm

I mean, haven't you ever felt a guitar is a 'part of you' or an 'extension of yourself' ?

Yes, definitely -- figuratively speaking. Not in any religious or spiritual sense.

dale_fortune · Post by **dale_fortune** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 5:29 pm

I'm a Luthier who builds hand made Electric Guitars. And in doing so I have always put my heart and soul into the construction of the instrument. The necks I shape by hand with Sureform tools and various grades of Files. As I do this I hold it between my legs as I carve the shape of the neck. Since the wood I use came from a living tree and has cellular make up, I believe that it to has a heart and soul , however you may define that. I've always had an affair with my guitars and believe that they are an extension of myself, heart and soul. Rock On.

dave4004 · Post by **dave4004** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 7:51 pm

Dale, if you mean that literally and not figuratively, then that's a religious belief. Don't pretend it's anything else. I've worked with wood since I was a kid and I know what it means to create something and put yourself into it. But I'm not about to insult anyone's intelligence by claiming something supernatural is involved.

aristeas · Post by **aristeas** » Thu Nov 18, 2004 9:43 pm

"I have always put my heart and soul into the construction of the instrument." - if Dale meant that literally it would amount to auto-vivisection and could only be done once.

spencer · Post by **spencer** » Fri Nov 19, 2004 4:54 am

All of this is very hard to define, or even find words for at all. Of course it's all figurative and metaphoric, what else could it be?

I've been an artist since I was a kid, went to college to take Industrial Design and I like to draw, paint, sculpt, build, etc. I'm a professional designer now, for the past seven years. You can't even get into telling people how you find inspiration or ideas for design, just like you can't really explain to anyone exactly how you came to write a song. They just come to you and there's no proper explaination.

I think we're delving into all of this with this topic, an artist has a relationship with his instruments, whatever they may be. And they help you create what you will - you're in tune with them, they give you a 'vibe'. You either get it or you don't. Even beyond guitars - I have an 'x-acto' knife that has help me build many, many things, I'll always keep it, I like it. It's only a little knife, y'know? But I don't want a new one, it's got something from me in it. Now dissect that sentiment however you want.

If you don't believe in it, let it go. For some people, telling them that their guitar has no soul - is like arguing whether there's a God. It's like telling me that my 'muse' is a figment of my imagination, that's not for anyone else to even analyze.

I'm more into Physics than Religion.

Now - FIREGLO guitars are brighter sounding than JETGLO guitars? How can that be?

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Fri Nov 19, 2004 5:23 am

My fireglo 360 is brighter than my jetglo 360, as I have posted elsewhere. I don't care if it's the colour, the wood or whatever...I love them both!

scoobster28 · Post by **scoobster28** » Fri Nov 19, 2004 5:31 am

While it is true that John, Paul, and George might have stripped the finish on the guitars to make them sound better, I feel that isn't really sufficient evidence of anything. If I was taking all the drugs they were taking I might strip finishes. And, if I had guitars with grey-spray (casino) or weird drippings (Rick 4001S) I might strip the finishes. Of course, I would never paint over Rick finish anyways, but that is beside the point.

My telecaster copy is black, but I wanted to buy the same model in Seafoam green. The special color cost me $40 more, so I chose black. I tested both, and they sounds pretty similar. I can say for a fact, though, that I would have felt different PLAYING a seafoam green guitar instead of a black one. IT just seems a louder color. That isn't really the issue though.

Maybe if I purchase a 350v63 in every finish available (including Greenglo...please be the 2004 color) then I can give a more definite answer. Hum....purchasing more Ricks doesn't sound so bad!

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Fri Nov 19, 2004 5:59 am

'I can say for a fact, though, that I would have felt different PLAYING a seafoam green guitar instead of a black one. IT just seems a louder color. That isn't really the issue though.'

I think it's a great issue Benjamin & a really valid one. I said earlier in this thread about my feeling that playing Rics makes me a better player than I am. I don't care about the colour (except blueboy), but I can totaly appreciate that colour CAN make you play differantly. I am led to believe that colour is a powerful mood enhancer.

scoobster28 · Post by **scoobster28** » Fri Nov 19, 2004 4:47 pm

Anthony,
I think you are right. I know when I was playing the Seafoam in the store I tried to play quieter as I didn't want to attract attention to myself, holding as I was a bright colored guitar. I didn't want people to see that I was the one playing. After A/Bing the two guitars, I was more comfortable playing the Black one louder as I seemed to blend in with the row of dark amps.

And, I beat and thrash on my black guitar as I am not afraid of hurting a black tele. I mean, it is a workhorse. My Fireglo Wilson 360/12 can show anything due to the finish, so I baby it. And, the color is so nice that I am in a good mood always when I play it.

dale_fortune · Post by **dale_fortune** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 12:30 pm

Well said Spencer

admin · Post by **admin** » Sat Nov 20, 2004 3:04 pm

There are many tangibles and a good many intangibles too when it comes to musical expression, all of which it may be argued have an impact on guitar playing.

Regardless of everything scientific, it is still not clear how music is perceived and interpreted by the brain.

How many of you have experienced a shivering sensation when listening to a musical passage whether it be vocal or intrumental? What causes this shivering. Is the whole equal to or greater than the sum of its parts? What are the merits of the reductionistic and the holistic approaches when trying to understand the meaning of all things musical?

My point is that many things are possible when it comes to performing and interpreting music. We often end up with more questions than answers when venturing in the realm of the aesthetic. I have visited this position on many previous occasions and, once again, in this thread through all of these great posts.

10 out of 10 for the contributors.