Whats wrong with Agathis wood?>

[Faizalhacker]

There were some cheap guitars made from agathis body such as esp ltd, and squier..

whats wrong with that??

as for me, i cant afford for expensive and better guitarss as i own an ltd m-50 with agathis...

i dont realise any sound diff though..

 

[Cavett]

There is nothing wrong Agathis or any other kind of solid wood in an electric guitar as long as its not plywood IMO...

My first cheapskate Epi strat copy(waaay backk) was made from plywood and the tone was not a joy to hear...

 

[Godspeed64]

Agathis is too light, and thus produces a tone that is too thin (lacking mids and bass) to me.. Thick paintjobs cant add enough to the tone.. And the sustain is pretty much lacking..
I can't go into detail, only what I feel.. Maybe bro whitestrat can share? He knows his wood! (Pun intended? :mrgreen: )

 

[EugeneSmasher]

When it comes to budget guitars, I've always felt basswood is the best to use. Although higher-grade basswood can even be found on some high-end and boutique superstrats... I've heard agathis as used by LTD and it sounds good actually, but of course you need the right E.Q. settings.

I'd agree with what Godspeed64 says, and would add that lower-grade basswood wouldn't be much better than agathis, except for improved sustain since basswood typically has very good sustain.

So yeah, thankfully its agathis and not plywood! :mrgreen:

 

[spinofdoom]

Eh agathis always seems to strike skepticalness in me... I dunno why basswood seems to be a more 'safe' choice

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Eh agathis always seems to strike skepticalness in me... I dunno why basswood seems to be a more 'safe' choice

Same sentiments here. LTD's agathis guitars sound good, but I never liked Squier's agathis guitars. Besides, I could do with the extra sustain basswood has :mrgreen:. Can't go wrong with basswood or mahogany.

 

[Whitestrat]

Eh agathis always seems to strike skepticalness in me... I dunno why basswood seems to be a more 'safe' choice

Heh... people said the same thing about basswood when Ibanez started using them... Most people back then swore by Alder, Ash and Mahogany... Oh how times have changed...:mrgreen:

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Must have started hitting when well-known players like John Petrucci insisted on basswood.

I don't think any pro players are using agathis, though. Never heard of any...

 

[steel]

compare to my ltd ex 50 which is agthis it weight more heavier than an epi explorer..

 

[edder]

agathis is typically an asian wood and not a TRADITIONAL guitar wood.

so this question can be rephrased into... what's wrong being ASIAN? or what's wrong being an ASIAN guitarist?

you know I jest but I'm half serious as well. Its not a bad wood.

And I maintain that most people when blindfolded without looking at paper specs can't even tell what wood is on the guitar without half guessing.

 

[THOA]

And I maintain that most people when blindfolded without looking at paper specs can't even tell what wood is on the guitar without half guessing.

^ Bingo.....

+1

 

[Aki S. Ian]

^ Bingo.....

+1

amen to that!

haha.most players out there talk of their guitar but when i asked whats the specs, they just go dumb.

as for me i prefer mahogany.
mines a mahogany body, mahagony set neck, rosewood fret.
its a Washburn Idol Series WI64.

I will never buy a guitar thats not of mahogany body and neck. rosewood fret.
and it must at least be a set neck construction. maybe a through neck, or a neck through body.

i will never buy other guitars without these specs.

well its just my taste.

 

[edder]

amen to that!

haha.most players out there talk of their guitar but when i asked whats the specs, they just go dumb.

as for me i prefer mahogany.
mines a mahogany body, mahagony set neck, rosewood fret.
its a Washburn Idol Series WI64.

I will never buy a guitar thats not of mahogany body and neck. rosewood fret.
and it must at least be a set neck construction. maybe a through neck, or a neck through body.

i will never buy other guitars without these specs.

well its just my taste.

but the gist of my point is "would you be able to tell what are the specs the guitar if you're playing it blindfolded?"

 

[Aki S. Ian]

well yeah, most probably. for fret specs you can actually see the colour and feel it.
as for body you can actually feel the weight.
and neck. well no need to describe that right?

 

[Ized]

bro edder has a point there. however it all boils down to personal preference. I've owned guitars made of alder(fender strat), plywood, basswood(ibanez jem) and mahogany(s-series) before. Tonally wise, my preferences lean towards alder and mahogany more than basswood. Alder has that nice sizzling highs and attack for me, while mahogany has a thick low end "wall of sound" and a warm tone. Basswood i feel is more neutral in terms of sound, but it is lightweight and your back will thank you for it.

I've also tried agathis and earlier fender strats made out of poplar. tonally wise i dint really like them, but then again, it also boils down to your amps and your rig. Guitars only make up one part of the entire equation.

 

[Aki S. Ian]

oh well, i guess so...
nice car dude..

 

[AvonRellets]

Tonewise, no comments because I think body woods just give slightly different sounds. Generally, the heavier the wood, the longer the sustain. I would think that fretboard wood would have a bigger impact on the type of tone you get.

Structurally, I have found that soft woods like agathis don't do very well in humid tropical weather and ding very easily. I had a Ibanez SDGR bass before and the neck started to warp after only a year because of the humidity.

 

[Whitestrat]

Must have started hitting when well-known players like John Petrucci insisted on basswood.

I don't think any pro players are using agathis, though. Never heard of any...

Well, way before JP, Satriani and Gilbert already began using basswood. Vai stuck to Alder... Then the whole RG wave hit...:mrgreen:

 

[Aki S. Ian]

Tonewise, no comments because I think body woods just give slightly different sounds. Generally, the heavier the wood, the longer the sustain. I would think that fretboard wood would have a bigger impact on the type of tone you get.

Structurally, I have found that soft woods like agathis don't do very well in humid tropical weather and ding very easily. I had a Ibanez SDGR bass before and the neck started to warp after only a year because of the humidity.

ever wondered why i chose the wood i choose and why the neck contruction?

BINGO!

 

[Whitestrat]

but the gist of my point is "would you be able to tell what are the specs the guitar if you're playing it blindfolded?"

Actually, I THINK I could... But probably would be wrong... whahahaha... Honestly, there's no good wood or bad wood lah... except healthy wood and rotten wood. (did you know that flame maple and quilted maple are actually diseased wood?) As long as the guitar delivers the tone I want, I couldn't care less what wood it uses... It could be plywood for all I care...:mrgreen: