Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Consider this:

Imagine putting a piece of 1/8" soft foam between the bridge of a flattop acoustic guitar and compare that sound to the sound of one with a firmly-affixed (glued-in-place) bridge.

The sound of an acoustic is a blend of air movement from strings alone and mechanical energy transmitted to the guitar's body via the bridge and neck. The entire body is a resonant member. Were you to build a flat-top guitar without a sound hole, it still would have a surprisingly loud tone, although a fraction of that coming from one with a soundhole. It's the diaphragm of the guitar's body, transmitting the sound waves to the air, that give an acoustic guitar its sound and projection. How does the body vibrate? Why, mechanical energy conducted through the bridge.

On a solid body electric, the sound transmitted when it's not plugged in is also a combination of strings in air and mechanical energy.

Theoretically, you are correct re: decay time. But overtones and standing waves also interact with the note struck, making this a "splitting hairs" type of discussion, as these two factors also are present with an open string.

Paul, before I read your answer,
I have just edited my post a bit .

Paul, thanks for your answer,
the foam will lead to a significant lower level, for sure. And I can imagine that the theoretically shorter decay has virtually no effect.
And, yes a guitar is a vibrating system (kind of bow).
O.K. the bridge does deliver energy to the body, but why? Some impulse sentences ? I have to read my text books.
Thank you very much so far, Paul

well, this is what I found with regard to the bridge-body joint excursion:

because the string is forced not to move at the bridge, there are pressure variations when the string is played. These pressure variations are then transfered to the body by the bridge and again converted to vibrations by the body.
(these pressure variations on the saddles make a pressure sensitive piezo pickup work!)
The body vibrations , even on a hollow body or solid body guitar, interact with the vibrating string. That's why we can tell a Gretsch from a Rick or a Jazzmaster, even if they are played with untypical strings, untypical pickups and untypical amps.

Last note: the mechanical laws we are talking about are trivial, and of course making a good violin or guitar (even solid body electrics) is a typical craftmanship trial-and-error process.

Wolfgang

Thanks, Wolfgang.

Pardon me for being pedantic, but making a good violin or guitar is not trial and error, once a certain design and all of its features have been fully developed using trial and error.

And, strictly speaking, only developing a completely new design using completely new techniques or technology, uses even a majority of trial and error.

Building a guitar requires a good system, the proper equipment and trained manpower, and good quality control. It's the variations in these, or "flavors", that become the working methods of the luthier, or corporate culture of the manufacturer.

agreed, Paul.
All of its features had been fully developed
when Stradivari made his violins,
and today we're in this state for manufacturing electric guitars, no doubt.
To me, today a guitar is an industrial product, even if the market and the factories are relatively small.

I think "industrial product" may be a term that could be improved upon, with your indulgence, Wolfgang, to "manufactured, not crafted". Few people would attempt to create a guitar without any power tools, as Stradivari made his violins; doing it for a living virtually requires machines.

I know, however, that there are luthiers who prefer to do things the 17th century way, and admire their pluck greatly.

Of all the luthiery books on my shelf, I would highly recommend "Stradivari's Genius" by Toby Faber (Random House) as a good primer on the Veronese school of luthiery and its history.

You are right, Paul

Does anybody know a good place to check out a jazzmaster? I went around to GC and they didn't have any....craigslist doesn't have any....I'm interested to hear how they sound and ever since I held that one in London they are growing on me....

Alisha...duck, here comes a plug...check my ebay auction under proton....

It's a cool one, Alisha. George used it on our album:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Jazzmaster-Relic-w-Strat-Trem-Custom-Built-One-Off_W0QQitemZ230168592828QQihZ013QQcategoryZ2384QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

George's is cool, but it's missing the distinctive Jazzmaster vibrato/tremolo and switching, which IMO is what helps to make a Jazzmaster a Jazzmaster!

I would totally go for that except that I have small girl hands and I need a smaller neck But that is a super guitar!

The neck for sure is fat..much like the U shape of a classic nocaster. The pups are killer and the overall feel is more of a blues/rock machine then that surfy feel of a JM or Jag..digress..in the 70's and 80's many blues players went for Jags as they could be had for just a few hundred dollars for a 60's model...

Any other leads?