The Guitar Geekery: It Burns!!!

[WordMan]

I offer this quote from a guitar message board. The topic is purfling: have you seen a fancy guitar with abalone around the edge? That edge stuff is purfling.

A Martin model D-45 is traditionally their highest-end guitar. Tons of purfling. Some folks say they sound different vs non-bling models. Because of the purfling.

Check this out:

Quote: The following is from the SC Forum, by Dan Roberts when he was with Santa Cruz:

The Effect of Purfling on Tone

The deeper the purfling cut, the more top isolation is achieved. This is because you are cutting out the stiff joint of the spruce top to the back and side assembly, and replacing it with a material that allows more movement to take place. Also it allows that movement to be more consistent around the bout. If you flex a piece of spruce you find that as you would expect, it is much stiffer longitudinally than it is when flexed the other way… where the soft summer wood flexes more readily. If you glue a spruce top to the side assembly without purfling or binding at all, that longitudinal stiffness translates into a top that can’t move as easily along the bottom of the lower bout. Cutting most of that joint away and replacing it with plastic, or a soft wood and cellulose fibers as in violin purflings, allows the top to be more consistent in its flex around the perimeter of the top. These translates to better string to string separation as well as better responsiveness. It affects other dynamic aspects as well.

It has been accepted as fact for years that the purfling in a violin is essential to its proper tonal response. The materials used as purflings and bindings can also affect the overall tone and dynamic range of a guitar.
When a deep purfling cut is made and then the material used to fill it is Abalone, there is a resulting brightness to accompany the responsiveness. When SCGC does abalone we do a narrower abalone strip. We do this partially for visual aesthetic, we feel it is a more elegant look, and it also leaves room to border the abalone on both sides with BWB Purfling strips to maintain the purfling advantage and not overdo the brightness result of the abalone. Herringbone is a similar material to violin purflings and so results in a nicely isolated top, great responsiveness etc. Conversely, when we designed the D/PW, all of the design decisions leaned in the direction of a dark, open, tonally complex guitar. The choice to use a single BWB (black white black) violin purfling was appropriate both for its aesthetic simple elegance, but also tonally, it serves to lend some focus to an otherwise dark, open complex timbre and prevents any chance of a “muddy” tone.

I have heard through a third-party that Eric Schoenberg thinks the pearl borders on the pre-War Martin 45 guitars make a difference to tone as compared to their Herringbone cousins.

Whether any of this is true is subjective, IMHO, but if there is any truth to it, then bling can sometimes not only be a visual treat, but an aural one, as well.

Any questions? Or are you busy achieving isolation?

[Crotalus]

I’m going to head downstairs and start carving the front of my Taylor right now. I want to hear the difference. I wonder if I have any abalone? I know I have a herringbone jacket.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

@Crotalus

I’m going to head downstairs and start carving the front of my Taylor right now. I want to hear the difference. I wonder if I have any abalone? I know I have a herringbone jacket.

Scallop your frets while you’re at it.

[Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew]

@FoieGrasIsEvil

Scallop your frets while you’re at it.

I find that this interferes with my fingering and I play more clams.

[D18]

I feel so inadequate now!

[WordMan]

@D18

I feel so inadequate now!

A D-18?!?!* - where’s your purfling, bitch!!

*for those uninitiated, D-18’s are Martin’s dreadnaughts with mahogany bodies…and no bling. I have a great old one.

[Beware_of_Doug]

There are worse than guitar geeks. Saxophone geeks make guitar geeks look like the cool kids.

But at least there is no purfling on a saxophone.

[WordMan]

@Beware_of_Doug

There are worse than guitar geeks. Saxophone geeks make guitar geeks look like the cool kids.

But at least there is no purfling on a saxophone.

Talk is cheap, bucko. Beat purfling.

[Jaledin]

Awesome. That kind of makes sense, actually.

[WordMan]

@Jaledin

Awesome. That kind of makes sense, actually.

I know! Drives me batshit!

[zombywoof]

Some good geekery in these vids with Richard Hoover of SCGC.

[WordMan]

@zombywoof

Some good geekery in these vids with Richard Hoover of SCGC.

Oh, I know those vids. Toured his factory a few years ago. His guitars are great. But jeez, there’s a lot of woo.

[River_Hippie]

I have a low end Martin, a DCM, the lowest grade that has a solid top. It sounds fantastic (I think). The design around the soundhole is a decal. No fancy anything. I love it.

Also, off topic, I have come to believe the theory (myth?) that the more an acoustic is played, the better it sounds. I have neglected my poor Martin in favor of my more recent 6 string playthings and when I do get it out it sounds kind of drab until it gets played a while and starts to come back to life.

[Shakester]

That’s not geekery, it’s woo. That’s the reason I rarely look at, let alone participate in, guitar forums any more.

Magical thinking? Check. Complete ignorance of scientific method and the laws of physics? Check.

You’d have to go to conspiracy theory websites to find more stupidity presented as established fact.

[Snowboarder_Bo]

@WordMan

Oh, I know those vids. Toured his factory a few years ago. His guitars are great. But jeez, there’s a lot of woo.

I had a girlfriend in Santa Cruz back in the '90s & her office was right down the block from SCGC. Great place and excellent guitars. More expensive than I can & want to afford, mostly, but terrific instruments.

But if you want real sweet looking guitars, you have to see the fine folks who continue to run Ed Roman Guitars here in Las Vegas. Their shop is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out towards Pahrump (yes, that’s a real city here in Nevada) and they only let you in if you’ve called ahead and made an appointment. I have been a customer since shortly after Mr. Roman relocated to Las Vegas back in 2000 or 2001 and recently got myself a BC Rich Warbeast Trace from them (I needed a death metal guitar, eh).

Anyway, Mr. Roman was quite a character, and a fairly polarizing fellow, but he did make some cool guitars. He passed away last December, but the business is now run by his daughter, and they still make and have a bunch of the coolest looking guitars I’ve ever seen.

If you want to be entertained and possibly infuriated, check out some of his rants.

[WordMan]

@River_Hippie

Also, off topic, I have come to believe the theory (myth?) that the more an acoustic is played, the better it sounds. I have neglected my poor Martin in favor of my more recent 6 string playthings and when I do get it out it sounds kind of drab until it gets played a while and starts to come back to life.

It is generally accepted that well made acoustics open up with playing. There’s an element of getting comfortable with the guitar again and readjusting your approach to bring out its best, but guitar do open up, too.

ETA: Bo - heard of Ed Roman and all the hate and controversy out there, but haven’t read his stuff.