Brighter sound

lapua65 · September 2019

Hi all. Very new to the guitar but have a good background in sound engineering and the techy side of things. I have a Tanglewood guitar (I believe it is solid top and laminate sides) and find that the top end seems to lack any real presence. It's their but quite soft. I am not sure if it is an age thing, but I now prefer a sound that is brighter. I have changed to some non phosphor bronze strings, but I still find it muted. There seems to be a fair amount on warmer sounding guitars but I was wondering is their a known manufacturer who produces brighter sounding guitars without sounding clinical or cold.

Lewy · September 2019

Before changing guitars you might consider a bone nut and saddle (assuming yours doesn't already have them) to add a bit of presence to the sound. Do you play with a pick? Pick shape and material can have a night and day effect too.

Jimbro66 · September 2019

Which Tanglewood model is it? Do you play with fingers or a pick? In my experience Tanglewood can tend to be bright so this is slightly unusual.

In addition to Lewy's advice try 80/20 strings which are a little brighter. Also, do you rest your arm across the guitar top when playing? That can mute the response, particularly if you are wearing a jumper or jacket. Bear in mind also that the sound in front of the guitar is different to what you hear in the playing position so get a friend to play it while you listen from the front to see if the sound is better to your ears.

ICBM · September 2019

Try 80/20 bronze strings as Jimbro said - they're brighter than phosphor bronze.

Also - are the frets tarnished or corroded? That can make a surprisingly large difference - if they are, polish them with some mildly abrasive metal polish, with the fingerboard protected with masking tape.

lapua65 · September 2019

Thanks for that guys. Some really interesting points I hadn't considered. I have ordered some John Pearse 80/20s as I read they were quite bright. I also do play with my arm on the front of the guitar. I should have also considered I would be hearing the guitar from a different position so it would sound different than being in front of the guitar.
The Tanglewood model is an STK but only know it has a solid top.

camf · September 2019

If you're using a pick, the choice of material can make a huge difference. Check out youtube for some examples. This is demonstrating the reverse but gives an idea of the tonal range. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=TUwq-8jxx0s

Winny_Pooh · September 2019

Second the bone nut and saddle recommendation .

camf · September 2019

Lewy said:

Before changing guitars you might consider a bone nut and saddle (assuming yours doesn't already have them) to add a bit of presence to the sound. Do you play with a pick? Pick shape and material can have a night and day effect too.

Sorry @Lewy, I didn't see you'd said pretty much the same thing.

Lewy · September 2019

camf said:

Lewy said:

Before changing guitars you might consider a bone nut and saddle (assuming yours doesn't already have them) to add a bit of presence to the sound. Do you play with a pick? Pick shape and material can have a night and day effect too.

Sorry @Lewy, I didn't see you'd said pretty much the same thing.

All good!

Revolting1 · September 2019

STK Bridge saddle,pins and nut are abs plastic as standard

As metioned above bone will improve the tone a fair bit.

If you want a vegetarian option Tusq works well too- but has less longevity.

The saddle will make the most difference.

Its worth replacing the bridge pins as well-

Ebony bone and Tusq are all suitable.

Finger and thumb picks will help if playing fingerstyle with short fingernails.

lapua65 · September 2019

Thanks again all. The video clip is incredible; I am amazed the pick can have such a huge influence on the sound. I was considering changing the bridge and pins but wasn't sure what they were currently so thanks for confirming.

ICBM · September 2019

Bridge pins make no difference. If you think they do, try swapping just half of them and compare the strings with one type to the strings with the other.

(Discounting ones like the brass type with a different string path, those do make a difference.)

Of course, some of them look nice which is a good reason to change them

.

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