1 pc. bodies vs. 2 pc. bodies

[Myst and rain]

Hi,

Are there any differences between one and two piece bodies in any way? In terms of sustain, for instance?

Also, am I right when I say that two piece bodies are stronger?

Thanks,
Myst

[djohns74]

Don't have any solid information for you I'm afraid, but I have also heard several times that the bond provided by a good wood glue is indeed stronger than the wood itself. However, it stands to reason that the more glue is in a body, the more it will affect the tone as obviously no glue is going to have the tonal properties of a piece of wood. That being said, I wouldn't expect that a 2 piece body would sound substantially different than a 1 piece to most people's ears.

I suppose one obvious advantange would be for a nicer appearance with translucent finishes, assuming a top of some type isn't also used. Beyond that, I'm not sure what noticable differences there would be.

[LonePhantom]

I built a 2 piece body custom guitar, but managed to get the two pieces were all of the important stuff (bridge, pickups, and strings) ran all through the one piece rather than having a join in the middle. I believe that if you at least have the one piece carrying everything down the centre you will have something almost or just as good as a one piece body. 2 or more piece bodies are cheaper though.

[smooth55]

That's just because it's easier to come by a decent peice of wood in smaller sizes

[Ayrton]

I don't see how you would have a sound difference between a single piece of wood, vs a two piece body made from the same black. However, I do think there is a difference between a "book matched" body, or single piece body compared to a multi piece of various boards.

A two piece body in fact be stronger, and less prone to warping than a single. However, I don't think warpage is really an issue with a solid body.

[jemsite]

It might matter for vintage collectors but I'd guarantee you noone could tell a 1 piece body from 2 piece (from 6-piece) body in double-blind tests with statically proper testing.

throw in a floating or any trem and forget it.

Lets get real, the way most people set their amps & distortion pedals the guitar wood itself is largely be a placebo effect.

The only negativity that should be associated with 3+ piece bodies (not counting top) is that it would be considered cheaper build quality and it might effect the finish if the wood shrinks at a different rate. They'll veneer the top ... glen

[indeedido]

A one pieced body will resonate the string vibrations better. The vibrations will flow through it unobstructed. A two piece or more will dampen the vibrations. No where for it to go when it gets to the edge. Some will transfer across the glue, but not all. I agree you probably won't tell the difference plugged in or with a lot of gain, but you would playing it unplugged or on a clean setting.

[Crazy_Guitar]

I don't notice any difference between 1pc. and 2pc. bodies.
And from what I know, a 2pc. body might be stronger than a 1pc. body.

[Myst and rain]

I see that opinions slightly differ in some respects. Interesting...

Hey does anyone know if JEMs have one or two piece bodies?

[jb4674]

I suppose at that point, you really have to consider the different wood options in order to achieve the results you want in terms of sustain and resonance. For example, if you've ever held a JS and played it or strum it while unplugged, you can literally hear it resonate. Try the same experiment with a different guitar and the results will be different.

Jimmy

[Jaden]

like Glen as already intimated, there are so many other factors to take into account.

once a guitar wbody, whatever its composition is removed from its natural individual state and becomes part of a system (a whole guitar) everything in that system contributes in a positive or negative way (this is subjective) the overall performance and tone of the instrument... and there is the thing - its not a body any longer, its part of a system that is an instrument..

right, now take that system and plug it in, its now part of a huge system that invlolves a player, a lead, an amp, a speaker cabinet and a playing area.
all these things are huge influences on the end product (your tone).

what percentage of influence does that body construction have after the body has been painted, had a neck, had a bridge and a set of high output pickups, a set of ??? strings... plugged into an amp, has the cabinet been tuned to a certain frequency etc etc etc etc..

I think some people have "golden ears" and hear more then other people, the timbre (psychoacoustics or your perception of tone colour) of one piece of wood as opposed to another will be obvious to some people and they will take it for granted that everyone can hear the same thing as them..
for instance, I was assesing some maple to use as necks this week and I tapped the wood with a hammer, a guy working with me coudnt hear any difference but to me the difference was plain as day and I dont consider myself as having "golden ears" so I guess what im saying is..

yes, the sound is heavily coloured and influenced by other factors but, while I personally cant hear a difference between a 2 piece and a 1 piece body, I can believe that some perhaps can... but while using channel 2 with a boost pedal at 120dB ? I dunno about that

having said all that I make all my stuff from 2 or 1 piece - disregarding tops or multi laminate stuff

[Clonetool]

It's true the sustain will fall between the two slabs of wood and go dead when it hits the glue. My guitar sometimes will play every other note.

[GuitarBizarre]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...33008253691341

This guy has the same problem with an amp in the store, maybe its a common problem?

[eviltwin]

Originally Posted by Myst and rain

I see that opinions slightly differ in some respects. Interesting...

Hey does anyone know if JEMs have one or two piece bodies?

The glue is indeed stiffer and stronger than the wood resin, and the wood fibres that give it stiffness are distributed along the grains.

Based upon the properties of the wood and the geometry I would estimate that if it affects the transmission of any frequencies across the joint it will only start to become noticeable at frequencies above 4kHz, so no biggie.

Jems have three to five piece bodies, you can see the joints through the paint on older Jems, and they are easily visible on Rootbeers and HAMs (can't think of any other Jems where the grain is visible...)

Note that the VWH uses a basswood veneer over an alder body, so it is very difficult to say how many pieces of alder are used, I'm guessing (at least) three as well. But if you count the veneers, then the VWHs are 7-9 piece bodies.

If you consider the neck on a neck through part of the body, an RGT320 has at least a 9-piece body: two maple caps, two mahog body wings + 5 piece laminate neck. Other neck-thorughs sometimes add another layer between the neck and body wings! Nobody ever complained about those...

In most cases however you will find that the body is either split in blocks, parallel to the neck, or layered back to front (maple capped) but never top to bottom.

[jemaholic]

Let me try and explain from a different viewpoint without grandstanding....

Glen is correct - electric guitars' wood really doesn't make much difference unless you're going for a clean tone.

With acoustic instruments it makes a huge difference. I'm no guru here, but I do have a degree in piano restoration and I've studied the physics of sound energy transfer and how different woods respond and react to energy released from strings. Guitars and pianos are identical in that sense.

A single piece of 'tonewood' will transfer the energy better- making the tone more pure and sustain better. If that energy has to travel though a glue joint it loses some energy- it's like talking to someone face to face and then trying it through a closed door between you- you can still do it, but you lose some clarity and volume from the door between you. Think of the closed door as a glue-joint. The more doors between you-the worse the sound quality gets. Mahogany loses low-end and maple loses high-end.
The more pieces of wood with glue-joints, the harder it is to transfer that sound energy through it. As an example Fender Squire guitars from Korea and China commonly use 5-6 pieces of body wood glued together with fat, cheap glue-joints.(no fancy hide-glues).
This means they can use smaller, cheaper wood pieces to keep the cost down - they really are not focusing on tone at this price-point and most players who buy a Squire are not searching for ultimate tone either.
Sorry for the rambling..........I could write a book on this stuff.
~j