PAUL REED SMITH ENDS TONEWOOD DEBATE in 2022 - REALLY????

Are you tired of hearing about the supposed importance of Tonewood in electric guitars? In this video, we put Paul Reed Smith's arguments to the test and reveal the real factors that impact an electric guitar's sound. Don't miss out on this informative and educational video! Keywords: electric guitar, tonewood, Paul Reed Smith, sound quality. Hashtags: #guitar #electricguitar #tonewooddebate

[christiandominguez]

A tonewood seller saying tonewood is important, very legit

[iainjohn]

I wonder what high end violin luthiers have to say about PRS buying up the good tonewoods that they really want for their craft, only to watch him build solid body electric guitars with the lot. I think they would say, "That's nuts!"

[Superman-pnrx]

From the University of Paraná “On string-body coupling in electric guitars and its relationship with the instrument's timbre”
Conclusions were : Summary
9 electric guitar bodies were built in the Telecaster model by the author RMP, these were assembled using the same set of arm and pickup. Once each body was assembled, the mechanical excitation of two electric guitar strings was performed, the sound obtained directly from the musical instrument was recorded for later analysis. A musical excerpt played with each electric guitar was also recorded. For these sounds, a treatment was carried out in order to obtain the harmonics that form them via Fourier transform, these harmonics are responsible for the timbre of the instrument. The harmonic spectra of each guitar are compared to each other and there are no significant differences between them. Thus, the timbre variations of electric guitars, according to the results obtained here, depend on factors other than the body wood itself, a fact that stems from the non-existence of a significant coupling between the string and the body of the instrument. A proposal for modeling the string-body coupling is also made, which shows that only a negligible amount of energy from the vibrating string reaches the body of the instrument and that an even smaller amount returns to the string.

[MartyMcFlyV]

Most guitar / drum companies have been talking how the wood is a huge tone element. They will never say- 'we were wrong'.
You got my subscription!

[johnbach]

Tonewood is bullshit in electric guitars.

Paul I think has debunked himself many times in his own clinics.

Paul reed smith builds a fine guitar…. But this comparison is wild. I love them, but as you state a violin is an acoustic instrument. It makes no sense.

[TedSchoenling]

Paul is trying to sell tonewood.... he lost all credibility there. that people pay 5K for his guitars is nuts. I'll never play anything with PRS on it.. snakeoil salesman. he is just taking your money folks

[rocknreplay]

Paul Reed Smith is the same guy that just released new tuner "buttons" for his most expensive line of guitars and claimed in a Guitar World article that excess weight on the headstock by metal tuning buttons (knobs) "robs the guitar of midrange". I took a lot of heat from PRS lovers for a video I did calling the new tuners a SCAM. I also did a video testing his claim. I played two different electric guitars through a spectrum analyzer plugin, then added a few C clamps to the headstock of each guitar and played them again. There was almost no difference (imperceptible to my ear). I liken Paul to PT Barnum! He's a showman and a salesman. But all your arguments are spot on. I tried to explain this in my video about the PRS tuners and had all kinds of arguments in the comments. I had one commenter say that the guitar is a "circle of vibration" and that the vibrations started at the pickup, ran up the neck, over the headstock, around the back, and back to the pickup (you can't make this stuff up!). Not sure why people get so worked up over "tonewood" anyway. I guess to help justify the cost of their USA made Gibson or Fender.

[SHENDOH]

He has to say that or he would have.to admit he's been ripping people off for decades

[baffiniguitar]

With all my respect, Paul makes great guitars but his argument doesn’t make any sense.

I believe that we can’t be naïf and assume that he is illiterate about it. The guy makes some of the best electric guitars out there and his company has a R&D department. He could easily backup his statement with evidence.

However, why would he do that if he can sell more expensive guitars made from “better tonewood”? PRS even has a private stock of selected pieces of wood that you can personally select for your one of a kind super expensive guitar.

Telling that tonewood matters is simply better for his business.

[SundaySolos]

After they knock on the block of wood they take it home and cut it all up into smaller pieces and coat them in lacquer.

I don't understand how PRS can draw the comparison between a violin and an electric guitar. He knows the difference but continues to use the argument. I love my electric guitars that have a nice acoustic resonance, like my ES-335 and Duo Jet, they are nice to play unplugged. But, once I plug them in and crank the amp I can't hear the acoustics anymore.

[andrewwhite]

To PRS, I would've asked "when have you ever recorded an electric guitar with a microphone?"

[chopperdeath]

Lots of people don't understand basics and electronics. Acoustic instruments: Yes. Electrics plugged in through an amp: No. Microphonic pickups: Yes. Electric guitar unplugged" Yes. Guitar vibration through your hands and body: Yes.

[vparikh]

The wood that both end of the strings are connected to should have some impart on how the string reacts, how long it vibrates and how much intensity it vibrates with. That is what the pickup is listening to.

[ubermonkey]

The principle by which an electric guitar pickup works is somewhat different than what you described. The string does not change the constant magnetic field of a permanent magnet. The string is magnetized because it is ferromagnetic (iron, cobalt, nickel). The magnetized string itself is a magnet; when it oscillates, it induces an alternating current in the copper coil that is in the pickups, at the frequency with which it oscillates.

[greevar]

Acoustic guitars are speakers. Electric guitars are inductors. The acoustic guitar is a vibrating box of air. The electric guitar is a set of vibrating strings modulating a magnetic field.

[MarkArandjus]

Jim Lill's video settled this debate for me. It's DEAD.

[aleksamrkela]

"Tonewood" in a solid-body electric guitar is a myth. End of story. Smith is just fighting for prestige at this point.

[woodsnstrings]

I am STILL waiting for Paul to demonstrate his claim. Let's see the blind back-to-back test.

[TeensierPython]

Preach!

I love fancy wood because it looks nice.

Pickups are where the sound is.

[mikedr]

Paul is a one of a kind! I'll concede it makes a difference but the difference is so small that it doesn't matter. That's the question in my opinion - not does it exist but does it really matter.