Body Shape

Irrelevant.And infact it is a notion the smaller body makes up for better electric (solid body) guitars.I think this is a question perfect for nils.(nils... where are you 8) )

Irrelevant.And infact it is a notion the smaller body makes up for better electric (solid body) guitars.I think this is a question perfect for nils.(nils... where are you 8) )

I'm gonna have to disagree with you on this one.

So, could the question be re-phrased to - 'Does body shape have a noticeable effect on how the strings vibrate, thereby adding a distinct "coloring" to the signal produced by the pickups? Other than the possible effect on sustain, if all other factors such as wood density, production quality, intonation, etc. were reasonably equal?'

The shape of the body does have some impact on tone but more because the shape somewhat controls how much wood is in the body. The shape can also impact the disbursement of the vibrations. Typically the more wood there is the more mellow the tone would be. Take for example a Tele (twangy) vs. an LP (muddy). The LP is thicker and generally has a deeper tone partially due to the wood. Ofcourse it is difficult to measure since there are so many other factors like type of wood, type of pickups, neck material, gage of strings etc..

In other words shape is just one factor in tone but is in fact a factor.

By the way, the shape has some impact on electrics but makes a significant difference in acoustics. Listen to a dreadnought vs. a shallow cutaway.

From a purely physical aspect I can't see how body shape would have any noticable effect on the sound of a solid body electric.
Strings vibrate and this vibration is picked up by the coils of the pickups directly. The sound doesn't really resonate within the body like an acoustic.
If there are any differences in sound I think the difference would be very minor as compared to other factors, ie.. pickups, strings, type of bridge, body material ect... and we haven't even started talking about amps and pedals.

I heard - or read somewhere, pre-internet - that the Flying V was thought - by either Albert King or (hey, maybe it was a Guitar Player article) Lonnie Mack - to offer more sustain because of its shape. Something about it being like a 'tuning fork' and the ends somehow creating a sympathetic vibration more than regular shapes.

Probably an urban legend, but I like the tuning fork concept.

Makes sense to me. I think the Flying V's are kind of cool. The only thing bad about them is its hard to play while sitting down unless you buy a leg rest.

Those cutaway accoustics, those are the western style guitars aren't they?

Those cutaway accoustics, those are the western style guitars aren't they?
Not necessarily. They are used in a variety of genre just because they are easier to get to the higher numbered frets.

Missileman's assessment of how important the shape is, relative to other factors, sounds about right to me. :)

Electric guitars have also been made from all sorts of materials, including aluminium (aluminum in the US). A number of people made such guitars, including Fender.

One of many links to sites about aluminum guitars

Over the years, most manufacturers seem pretty conservative about getting too far away from shapes that are proven sellers, but there have always been a few innovators, like Bo Diddley, who were prepared to commission exotic shapes.

Hey, speaking of aluminum guitars - am I imagining things, or was there a solid brass guitar made by Ibanez back in the 80s? It was a one-off, just to prove a point I guess (about 'sustain' most likely). I 'think' I remember reading about it and it went to some museum of modern music or modern something or other, but I could never find a reference to it on the Net.

Did I imagine that?

The thing weighed 60 pounds or something. Anybody remember?

A simple example of the difference: A single cut ("normal") Les Paul has a slightly different sound than a double cut version. One explanation is the extra supporting material around the neck joint of the single cut provides a less flexible structure leading to better sustain. However, sustain is not everything -- some prefer more edge (faster attack/decay, less sustain) to the sound, and for those, the double cut wins out ... as does an SG.

The engineer in me says the Flying V tuning fork theory is probably nonsense -- the unusual body wood (was it korina?) probably had more effect than the actual shape.

Hey, speaking of aluminum guitars - am I imagining things, or was there a solid brass guitar made by Ibanez back in the 80s? It was a one-off, just to prove a point I guess (about 'sustain' most likely). I 'think' I remember reading about it and it went to some museum of modern music or modern something or other, but I could never find a reference to it on the Net.

Did I imagine that?

The thing weighed 60 pounds or something. Anybody remember?

My fuzzy memory recalls something about a concrete guitar body -- don't think that was Ibanez.

My body's pretty pear-shaped. I'm not sure how it affects my tone...

I think it's a matter of simple physics that you have to go with a pear shape to get a "nicely-rounded tone". :D