Will a Poly Finish Destroy Your Tone?

[@johnnylayton1672]

I would imagine even a tiny change in mic placement on the Fender Deluxe's speaker would have far more impact on the recorded tone comparison than the body paint.

[@thomaslthomas1506]

Bingo!

[@legbah7]

This has to be true.

[@j_freed]

Unless these items were taped in position on the floor.

[@rigorhead01]

This is the way.

[@warmoth]

FYI, the mic sat in front of the amp and neither one was moved for two months.

[@hoboroadie]

Yes we've scientifically demonstrated that the Finish will change the appearance of a guitar body.

[@warmoth]

My work here is done.

[@lyricbread]

@warmoth please pin this comment.

[@hkguitar1984]

That is why a "Burst" finish is superior, the Burst accentuates the guitar's mids!

[@2204JCM]

@@hkguitar1984Upper mids dude

[@hkguitar1984]

@@2204JCM Very True 2204JCM 👍

[@disco4535]

Should have used blue paint. Blue paint adds 15% more tone

[@UTubeHandlesSuck]

But red adds 27% more volume!

[@AtomicMeatballGuitar]

​@UTubeHandlesSuck No you idiot, red adds speed not volume. Smh kids these days don't know their tone paints.

[@robcerasuolo9207]

I'd say it just adds more blues. 🤪

[@ronmorey3475]

Indeed. That's just science my friend.

[@toothace3]

Blue guitars sound better

[@NickNitro]

isn't interesting? there have been legends of tone throughout the decades, fans have wanted to feel as good as their inspirations. so we search for tone, but there are a lot of unknown variables & myths. small things like the voltage, the equipment, the humidity, location, year, model type, whom manufactured & did the finishing work on it, the strings, the type of wood, the paint, the choice of metal, pick ups, tone knobs, the way it was wired. things that I would call "micro" differences stack up to make millions of unique models every year, while we can get incredibly close. some don't realize it's like trying to capture lightning in a cup. it's what makes guitars & life so magical. :D

[@kimwirzenius9955]

Since there was a 2 month gap between the takes, was the microphone positioned in front of the amp that whole time without anybody moving it? The finished body clips sound a bit more chocked and closed-in than with unfinished body. Similar difference would result from miking the speaker just 1 cm closer.

[@telemaster]

Much bigger difference than expected. Love these vids, Aaron

[@klapaucjusz1]

The difference I heard (or thought I'd heard) was subtle, but actually bigger than I'd expected. Unfinished body sounded brighter and more "open", and after applying finish the sound got more muted and softer in the upper frequencies. And the winner is... Warmoth - the guitar sounded great either way. Excellent comparison, this is the golden standard for this type of content.

[@KingCrimson82]

exactly, bigger than i expected too

[@treishtrei]

100%

[@craigridley9618]

The floob is more sprongle and the bingle sounds like there isn’t too much chignar in the flib. Nice colour too! ❤

[@necrojoe]

The floob's sprongle isn't really noticeable in a mix, unless you're using an authentic KragernsternbergLT ampliformer.

[@WillfulThinker]

Well, yeah..... or you could use a Dumbleator. Oooops, that's a real thing.

[@warmoth]

All mimsy were the borogoves, and mome the wraths outgrabe.

[@WTC_2U]

The painted version seemed to be slightly "duller", less high end, I agree. But it was minor, and could easily be "fixed" via EQ anyway.

[@davedobson9801]

Pretty sure I heard more high end sparkle on all of the unpainted clips. But then, I kept wondering whether during the 2 month delay that you might have changed the amp setting or maybe used a different pick for the painted clips. I find that the pick material makes a big difference.

[@clovergrass9439]

I used wood picks for several years and liked what I thought was a noticable improvement. Lignum vitae, hardest wood on earth.

[@mikedamisch]

A tiny change in mic position could easily make that difference.

[@humblegeorge]

Im with you honestly.Only in a couple clips did I hear the small closed sound of finished with paint. Your products are top of the line ! I have always been over joyed with everything I bought from you guys.Stellar in my book.Cheers and thank you.

[@johnw4659]

I've always wondered about this. Thanks for another great video

[@pablokagioglu2546]

Great video. I hear the high end rolling off a tiny bit with the painted body. The unpainted body has more “air” in the tone. Was it he paint, or….. Did you use new strings for both before and after clips? Was the mic “exactly” in the same position and angle? Either way, in the context of a mix it will be hard to pick out I think the difference can be made up in the mix if needed..

[@nickmizell1141]

Thank you for doing these videos!! Warmoth is my favorite guitar building company.

[@Johnrack]

I agree with your assessment. Very very slight differences in tone b/t them. Perhaps slightly more top end on the unpainted, perhaps a bit more bottom end on the painted. But as you say played in a band setting those slight tonal differences would be lost.

[@benfowler2127]

I think you are right Aaron. The player is the biggest variable. Whether it’s where we strum or how hard we pick or hold the strings, or even the angle of pick attack. There is so much the player contributes to the sound that solely worrying about the finish type isn’t very important.

[@theSmolniy]

and also even what pick do we use

[@benfowler2127]

@@theSmolniy exactly

[@alohamark3025]

Correct. The player is 90% or more of the sound. There is a feedback process that goes one, and these subtle playing adjustments extract the best sound that can come out of that guitar. Even SRV can still sound like SRV with a Fender MIM guitar vs. American Standard. Aaron can probably demonstrate this point by sending his least expensive and highest priced Warmoth guitars to Chris Buck. But this could also be a scary proposition, because all guitar and guitar parts makers want their customers to swallow the myth that more expensive is always better.

[@valendis]

I actually heard the same stuff you pointed out, a bit less high end and a bit more humpf on the finished guitar, not sure if it's my vision that is tricking me but hearing your thoughts made me think I was hearing right

[@guitarchitect66]

Thank you, Aaron. You helped me almost twenty years ago with my hollow swamp ash Tele body purchase. There is absolutely no doubt that it has been my favorite guitar all these years and it sounds and plays great! Regards, Jack

[@barnettg66]

I love poly when someone else does the painting. I even prefer poly to nitro on necks as it seems to add solidness to the neck's feel that nitro doesn't. I just wish Warmoth would offer an "on the menu" option for clear satin poly for necks. It is an off menu, however.

[@spinosaurusrex11]

Everything you post is useful. TYVM!

[@sTVG2]

IDEA: hardtail strat VS tremolo (same body before and after route) :)

[@VintageRadius]

I also heard subtle differences through my studio monitors in line with your explanation. My gut is that those differences can logically be broken down to many contributing factors and not just paint; anything from tiny changes in neck relief, changes in room temp that ever so slightly changes how tube amps sound and that yes maybe the paint is driving a little slice of that gnat eye lash difference.

[@mnemonik61]

Agreed, there were a few clips where the painted tone sounded a *tiny* bit muddier in the low mids and a couple of the clean clips lost a bit of 'sparkle,' but given the time delay that could just be a difference in humidity or a minor change in mic placement.

[@mdu2112]

Atmospheric conditions for sure.

[@gingataff]

I hear a difference in the low end tightness and mid presence (a slight honk) in tests 2, 5 and 6, but not in the other tests.

[@druwk]

I love these little Tone explorations! I honest had the same impression. Wondering if I could make out any difference at all? Pickups, Construction, and Wood are far more impactful than paint! I think/feel like a bad thick coat of Poly would impact the Tone? I’m definitely in the nostalgia camp to a degree, and I have been lucky enough to have had a couple of old Fenders along the way. They were “player” grade instruments and naturally relic’d. I love that look! I also really like the feel of bare necks. If I have a neck that shows the wear, I want a similarly relic’d body. My Warmoth Strat project comes to mind. I have a Warmoth Wenge neck on a Tele Deluxe body, and I’m all good having the body finished in Poly for long lasting fresh good looks.

[@carsgunsandguitars]

I can't thank you enough for these vids. I had the exact same thoughts as you.

[@fleetfingers]

Great video, Aaron. I personally heard just the tiniest differences, very much in line with what you described. And as with your experience, it was not consistent, and could be chalked up to the strings aging two more months, or your attack varying in the slightest way. And now I want a pink blackguard tele! Peace - Bagman67

[@ivanrodriguez8644]

Maybe what it changes is the resonance, in that case it could has been helpful looking for the frequency of the wood before and after the painting. Either way if it changes the tone or not, the paint is needed to protect the wood and make a guitar looks more interesting, so at the end maybe it doesn't matter

[@WillfulThinker]

How do we know that the two rings on the right hand only in the "before" clips didn't influence the tone and throw off the comparison?

[@warmoth]

Haha.....good point!

[@robertiboy7315]

Good video 👍🏻. I agree with Aaron’s findings in that the non painted body had a bit more highs, and the painted a bit more in the low/mids. So I wonder … should we order a painted top and non painted back of a body to have both worlds…? And relic’ing might be a good idea, it’s less paint on the body 😝

[@warmoth]

Hahaha, yes! The genius of reliced bodies is finally apparent!

[@OgamiItto70]

Get stainless frets. That'll brighten it back up again.

[@strumminronin]

​@@OgamiItto70Hard to go back to nickel silver once that stainless steel smoothness is experienced!

[@legbah7]

It did seem to loose punch, upper-mids and that sort of brassy/steel guitar sound. Crazy. I never would have thought.

[@浜岡芳雄]

In tests #4, #5, and #6, the poly sounded slightly cloudier. However, considering the negative effects of moisture on the body, you should choose poly coating.

[@jamesonpace726]

Well, that's it! I am sanding down my Prs 10 Top to bare wood right now! The added tone should make up the $$$ for the finish loss, right? Right...

[@DDP73]

when I had my Warmoth tele body painted I cant say I noticed much of a change in sound. But the difference in vibration was surprising.

[@JoshuaC923]

Was it less vibration?

[@DDP73]

yes, much less@@JoshuaC923

[@giuliocarmassi]

From all the amazing tests you have done through the years, and from all my personal tests, it seems to me, the body of the guitar has very little impact on the sound of a solid body electric guitar. It's really mostly, pickups>speakers>mics>the player>the strings>the amp, and only then maybe the neck and the bridge, and finally the body. The paint clearly chokes the highs, which is interesting. But it is pretty pretty subtle. I find it on par with differences in wood type or weight. So ash is slightly more scooped than alder, and paint is slightly less open than no paint and mahogany is slightly mellower than alder. But all basically the same, in my opinion. While changing a pickup or a speaker are like day/night contrasts. I do think fretboards and neck make a more drastic difference than bodies. No real technical idea why, but i guess the string is directly in contact with it, maybe. Thanks as always for the tests! I say if you want paint, and really don't' want to lose highs, just choose a brighter speaker, or a brighter pickup and you're good to go!

[@geraldponce8336]

Second listen with a nice set of headphones. Your right, the poly is just a little tighter in mid high range, muffled. The sound waves and vibrations are going through a hard shell. I've listened to another blind test shoot out between nitro and poly guitars. The nitro is just a little softer and a little bit warmer. Poly is just a little brighter. Poly guitars just need a little more weight (low end) to em. To balanced the frequency range and they sound beautiful. Probably goes for any guitar. It's is just ideal to have a good balance between the highs and the lows.... A good example would be Jeff Buckley's 83 telecaster. That poly guitar sounds awesome. Think it comes more down to the guitar itself more than the finish. Switching between different fretboard woods, puckups, nut and bridge material are going to have more of an effect on your overall tone than poly nitro. Especially fretboard material and pickups. Like go from a ebony to a rosewood fretboard or humbuckers to a single coils. Gonna be a big difference. Anyways, that is how I build guitars. An open minded approach to selecting neck materials and pickups. Ill switch around till it sounds good. End up with a few extra necks and pickuos. But they will find a body eventually

[@COVERSKILLS]

Very subtle. I think painted one has more focused low & faster transients.

[@MoreMeRecording]

It doesn't.

[@kevinmorris7722]

What I saw was a really pretty paint job. What I heard was rock and roll.

[@ibalrog]

Good video. The only way paint changes how a player sounds is if they're inhaling the fumes.

[@jrrarglblarg9241]

I know that guy.

[@benfowler2127]

😂

[@Grili561]

😂 Amazing

[@matt-fn9gr]

Maybe warmoth should send some paint fumes with every guitar

[@stephenhookings1985]

Man you beat me to the comment - I was thinking a guitar coated in cannabis resin ... when it's lit up at the gig end your audience will go all Chech and Chong :-). Try to avoid motorcycle sidecars at all costs

[@stephenboone3521]

Really no change. Where I sat by the speakers made more difference. Thanks, I love these videos

[@Diax1324]

To me it made a huge difference. Fascinating.

[@geraldponce8336]

Warmoth doesn't cake it on like fender (CBS) used to do back in the 70s early 80s. The poly is a good 1/16" where the chips are on my 83 telecaster. I'm not really hearing a difference. Poly doesn't bother me, anyways. Like the difference between a few ounces of guitar weight. The tests that would interest me is a flat sawn guitar vs a quarter sawn guitar of the same weight or a 7lb guitar vs a 8lb and a 9lb guitar of the same species of wood? Have the Fralin blues special and gotah brass bridge on my warmoth tele as well. Am pretty happy with it.

[@TommySG1]

Agreed man, differences in paint on a guitar are so miniscule it's certainly not going to be heard an especially not in a live setting lol. I do like the way Nitro ages but that's really the only difference worth mentioning imo. You guys are awesome and I love indulging in necks and bodies from here, it's a tinkerers / guitar players Toys R Us no doubt ahah!

[@MrAZed209]

Thanks Aaron. Very informative... How many songs of your favorite artists have you listened to and went "hmmm, he's playing that on a nitro finished Strat".? The only time I hear difference between videos of my favorite artists is when in the first clip of 1984 they're playing on a Telecaster and in 2010 they're playing the same song on a PRS.

[@WalterStoermer]

Oh man, I can tell you are suffering through a Florida Summer. I love my poly finishes because they hold up, and I can avoid relicing. I want my Alpine White guitar to look nice in 20 years, even if it sometimes seems to dent itself.

[@VincentVader]

I bet it would have sounded different if it were painted black.

[@PeterWasted]

Black paint is notoriously darker.

[@hoboroadie]

A fellow at the guitar store told me that Gibson had done research and the gold was bright and the black was warm that was the Gibson Factory word in the seventies.

[@pooshNchums]

Thanks, Aaron! Amazing and honest test. The tone definitely changed in the final two tests. From my perspective it’s not about nitro or poly but rather about finish thickness. Poly is for looks and nitro is for feel.

[@RezaKhan2024]

I definitely hear a duller tone on the painted version. I always thought the thicker the paint the duller the tone

[@guitartim2128]

At times with the unpainted body the guitar does seem to have more of a 'woody' tone--other times I didn't hear that much of a different tone ( then again I have a crappy phone--- is the ANDROID the culprit?.... Possibly. 2 out of my 4 Warmoth guitars I finished in tung oil ( I applied the translucent color directly to the body then the tung oil. It provides a hard finish while allowing for the wood to "breathe" yet sustains greatly and compared to nitro finishes I prefer the tung oil. Great video🎸👍

[@jt3483]

I heard the exact same thing that you described. Unfinished sounded more sparkly in some of the clips. Finished sounded a bit thicker and more thuddy on some.

[@davidfreiboth1360]

Totally agree with your assessment. If I really concentrated I could just detect that the unfinished (might) be a touch brighter. Practically speaking there is no really no difference.

[@DreamTravelerZenddrex]

What I heard was a bit more of a wide open sound with the unpainted body and a slightly thinner sound with the painted body, but the difference is so negligible to me that this will not be a factor in me choosing an instrument.

[@johntompson174]

This is a pretty neat video. It illustrates that paint is the least of everyone's tone "problems". Modern amps are destroying everyone's tone. They're made for the benefit of accounting departments and shareholders unless you're buying Victorias and Germinos or well-maintained (e.g. serviced and *rebuilt*) vintage Fenders and Marshalls. Most modern tube amps are built cheaply with cheap parts (filter caps, resistors, x-formers, speakers) and some are more difficult to service than others. And they're not cheap from a money standpoint! Some are designed to eat power tubes out of the box -- lookin' at you, Fender Blues Jr. Back to finishes...not all poly is created equal, either. In 1971 Fender trademarked the phrase "Thick Skin" for its new polyester body finishes. They had poly color coats, nitro sealer coats, and poly top coats to create a finish that was nearly as thick as that of a plywood-bodied early '90s Squier Strat. The nitro sealer coats had spectacular aging characteristics on the Lake Placid Blue and Candy Apple Red instruments from '71-'73 -- they would turn metallic green and metallic copper! What Warmoth does is the best compromise. The nitro satin neck finishes are not going to wear off like nitro finishes of yore because people don't smoke like they used to. That's what created the incredibly corrosive sweat that wore paint off the classic guitars and basses of yesterday. Thin poly body finishes are a perfectly fine compromise, and a lot of high end manufacturers of Fender clones use this combination. Or they'll do the feels-great-but-has-its-compromises oil/wax neck finish with a poly body finish. Oh, and every SM57 sounds different, because they're not tested against a reference before they go out the door.

[@DavidHBurkart]

Maybe, and it is a very minute maybe, a bit warmer? But that could have been pick attack, muting or some other subtle change

[@sarguitars6603]

NEXT challenge! Which. sounds better, a Strat or a Warhead headstock ?

[@thisperfectworld]

@warmoth Have you done a sustain, tone, and/or strength test of neck plate wood screws into wood vs. studs into machined metal inlay thingies?

[@pristinepools]

Thanks for this video i deeply appreciate this non biased opinion and test. Made me feel more confidence in a repaint on my favorite guitar.

[@thedaver8]

The core tone is mostly the same. There is a very subtle difference. To me, there is more presence in the upper high end of the unfinished guitar, and the finished guitar seems to subtly accentuate more of the pickups' midrange. I found myself liking both guitars for different sound clips, so both sound great for different music choices. Definitely not a big change.

[@Tarek-Zaher]

I was thinking the same thing before you said it Aaron; a very subtle roll off in the highs of the painted guitar.

[@BillFranco]

Hey Aaron, really nice vid. I have to agree with your tonal assessment regarding the clips and the difference between nitro and poly. I think to really hear the difference you have to wait years for the nitro to start breaking down. But given how thin Warmoth is able to spray poly super thin, I don't think the difference matters. I'd built a Warmoth Strat to go overseas for a tour, and didn't have time to do a "proper" finish. A luthier in town told me to just lightly use tung oil to protect the body and I discovered that because the body wasn't sealed up with a hard finish, it just resonated more. It may be in my head, but I haven't added a solid (nitro or poly) finish to a guitar I've built (Warmoth of course) since. I have used shellac and dye, but nothing more. I've found that the guitars are incredibly resonant and don't see going back to solid finishes any time soon.

[@roryyerama5496]

FWIW, I think the painted body had a tiny bit more chime, but the tiniest diff in the mic placement could account for that, despite best efforts not to move the mic for 2 months.

[@rigorhead01]

I have Lindy Fralin Blues Specials in my #1 strat. Amazing pickups! They did a great job painting that body!

[@helixworld]

I could hear some minor differences which is what Aaron described. Thanks for the comparison and your comments.

[@antonsyd7077]

Agree on subtle difference with high frequencies (and sustain is definitely slightly better on unfinished body)

[@SocktheMighty]

I heard a slight difference in some clips, but not others. This leads me to believe the differences were due to other factors, like picking force etc.

[@Awkward.Thomas]

I can hear the wood overtones more in the non-painted clips. The paint seems to mute them a little. Sounds tighter with the paint. Both sound nice in their own way. Super interesting video!

[@robertstan2349]

definite difference, a bit like changing your cord length

[@hurtbot7]

Hey Aaron, what about testing solid vs chambered bodies with the context of feedback? Ie, crank the amp and see which one feeds back more. Also, maybe different woods might have an effect? For science!

[@howardskinner4916]

Agreed. The only finish I've ever heard of that changed the tone was Fender's late 60's Thick Skin. A thick polyester, it seemed to limit or snuff the body's ability to vibrate.

[@woodygranger2126]

Honestly, I can't tell the difference in sound. At least, from what I am hearing on KZbin. If there is any difference at all, possibly a small tweak with the eq would make them indistinguishable. A good video idea? Eq to match sound?

[@MichaelSheaAudio]

I'm listening on reference monitors and I looked away during the comparison so I didn't have any visual queues. And we need to remember that we're listening closely to soloed guitar clips in a controlled environment, which does not represent where regular listeners would hear your music. I couldn't tell where the unpainted ended and the painted started for most of the clips since I wasn't looking and didn't know how long you'd play each one. This means that even in a scientific comparison, listening on monitors, the difference is still unnoticeable. So when it comes to a recorded song where your guitar is going through an amp with it's own EQ, a speaker with it's own EQ, a microphone with it's own EQ, the recording software where your guitar tracks get EQ'd, mixed with other instruments, and then the whole mix gets EQ'd, and then it might get EQ'd again in the master, and then played back by the listener on whatever consumer speakers they're using with their own EQ, does your 1% difference really matter? 😂 Playing live and playing at home have their own signal paths, but if it's all coming down to how the guitar feels or sounds acoustically, then you're the only one who cares or will even notice. I've stopped caring. My guitars sound and feel completely different acoustically, but sound pretty much the same when recorded, so I'm not gonna waste my time on things that could only potentially, but are unlikely to make any difference.

[@deplinenoise]

Great playing Aaron. I would have like to hear some long sustained simple notes. Very small differences in the rhythm parts.

[@ronwhitfield8356]

I think a big reason the Squier CV '50s Telle is so good is the thick poly candy coating finish covering the entire neck and body, along with their dense pine slabs.

[@TheGhostGuitars]

I'm writing this while video is paused at 00:16. My gut feeling is yes paint affects tone of electric guitar. HOWEVER, the level of effect paint has on the tone is the last few percents AFTER pickups, pickup position, electronic components used, setting of said electronics, choice and setting of such hardwares like bridge, saddles, blocks, springs and nut and other parts has been accounted for. I think even the choice of woods used in the body and neck will have a greater effect than the paint...and even THAT is still within the realm of that last 5% range, probably sonething like 2-3% vs paint's 1%. EDIT: After listening to the series of before and afters. I can just BARELY hear the differences in the clean sets, however, it's not enough to be of any concern. I think 99.99% of people wont notice. Under gain (like everything else) it gets swallowed up and becomes irrelevant. EDIT2: You have brought up a good point. The differences will disappear in a mix, even the cleans.

[@minhpham4198]

Great video, definitely prefer the unpainted body! Can you make a video about the difference between plain and figured wood?

[@bloozedaddy]

I couldn't hear any difference on the rhythm clips but on the solo note stuff around 3:30 I hear the same extra top-end clarity on the unfinished body on my studio monitors. Subtle but definitely there. That being said....a teency weencie turn on the treble knob on the amp and you're right back to identical.

[@jeffcampanale3540]

Nice job Aaron, very subtle drop off in the highs with the poly. But not enough to say it was bad.

[@yunyun508]

Wow big difference for me Great compare

[@j_freed]

Good job Aaron...hey I wonder if the paint under the bridge raised the string action by the thickness of the finish... and will that change the sound over years of time as it compresses and becomes less elastic.

[@7171jay]

What was the age of the strings on the guitar in the unpainted vs painted? Listening on headphones I think there is a difference in sound... a really really small difference though. The unpainted seems to be a tiny bit more open sounding with a touch more high frequencies but if I had to do a blind test I'm not sure if I could even reliability call it properly. It would be cool to know how the guitar was prepped (from the look I'm assuming grain filled) and just how thick the finish is? Is this a pretty thin coat (I understand that poly can only be so thin) or one of those really super thick finishes???

[@Frenchmelodymaker]

I wonder if warmoth could add nitro finish as an option

[@robertclarkguitar]

He answered this ....nope. Sadly no.

[@clemguitar63]

Nitro is available as an neck finish option only!

[@jpsilverplaylists]

Yeah I agree, from the clips, I also thought the unfinished was a bit brighter, and the painted a little fuller bottom end

[@hollandguitars7086]

EQ the amp to taste!

[@allanflippin2453]

Aaron, I put my headphones on and have to admit there is not much difference. Probably most of it could be chalked up to small variations in the playing. The ONLY sound difference I found consistent is the painted body sounded a little muffled in comparison. Of course, the BIG difference between painted and unpainted is that you can't see the glorious woodgrain! :) Thanks so much for the video.

[@ОлегЛесков-у8о]

I'm not sure I understand the meaning of "a little muffled", but I hear that the sound of a painted guitar has a little less high frequencies

[@GCKelloch]

FTW? It sounded like it has slightly more upper-mids/highs to me. That would make sense because the bridge is laying on the finish rather than the wood. The wood fibers absorb more highs than the hard finish.

[@allanflippin2453]

@@GCKelloch Since we're all hearing it differently, perhaps that proves the differences are very minor.

[@mike70s]

Cool video. I heard a slight difference but can a colour effect the way you approach your playing

[@conrad98gtp]

It seems to me that with the paint, there was a little bit of loss in the bottom-end frequencies, which in turn made the mid-range frequencies more prominent. It seemed to me that the unfinished body had more balance in frequencies. Does anyone else hear it that way? All things being said, it's not really a deal breaker either way. If there is a particular finish or look that you're going for, and this is what's going to make you happy, then by all means, that is the correct decision... for you.

[@PulledPurk]

"Massive difference!" - Somebody probably

[@Nightjar726]

Sounds much better with paint. A great luthier told me when discussing this that the paint acts kinda like a drum skin. Tightens things up Without paint it sounds a bit too ‘ open’. If you painted the neck as well with clear it would make a bigger diff 👍

[@MathiasAndersson-c7i]

Great clip! On the "clean-both-pickups" I actually think I can hear a very little difference in the mids - just like you discribed. On the other clips no difference - at all. Btw, Warmoth, don't bother going into nitro - nitro and relicing will soon be as out as a Hello-Kitty-painted 90's Nissan Sunny..!

[@GerryBlue]

Imagine the vibration of a string being captured by a magnetic field created by a combination of wire and magnets that have an effect on said signal, then transmitted to a signal processor (pedals, Kemper, what have you) to an amp (or emulator) to some sort of speaker, then miked, then to a console and power amps, to a house PA and then blasted in a Mix with drums, bass, keys and vocals, yeah, paint affects my tone 🤪

[@hugowasalreadytaken]

well the point is that it all adds up. No one guitar is better than the other because of these things, just different. One slight difference might not matter much, but the same small differences can be found in pedals (powersource, sometimes temperature) or amps (how old the tubes are). Its not this difference that should matter the most, but it is valuable piece of knowledge within the puzzle

[@Lomoholga2]

@@hugowasalreadytakenthe electro magnetic factors add up. Everything else is utter nonsense

[@hugowasalreadytaken]

​@@Lomoholga2 So the way the string vibrates differently depending on eg. the fret material is just a myth then?

[@JEEJ_MUSIC]

this is exactly my sentiment. After *ALL OF THAT*, any perceived difference is essentially zero. Sure, in a complete vacuum with super hi fidelity speakers listening to an isolated guitar chord, MAYBE you could hear the tiniest effect of the string vibration, but I think psychological bias plays a huge part in it and people hear with their eyes. I'm sure I'll have plenty of people respond to this comment telling me I'm a deaf fool for not clearly hearing a difference between these clips, but in a blind test, I'm confident 99% of them would get it wrong. In conclusion: play a guitar that feels good and looks cool. If you want it to sound different, swap the pickups/electronics. Don't worry about the little things. Focus on becoming a better player.

[@jomamma1750]

Imagine another tone-deaf guitarist babbling a pile of nonsense on the internet being applauded by a bunch of other tone-deaf guitarists for said nonsense.

[@keithdarwin5786]

I heard a slight difference with the unfinished body being just a bit more clear in the top end. Maybe. If I even heard a difference at all.

[@mattparise4463]

I changed tabs after clicking play and tried to pick out when the guitar was painted vs unpainted and couldn't with any accuracy. Listening on a set of high end headphones.

[@autiebleSam]

6:30 Okay, but does Warmoth have any plans to do satin _without_ nitro on finished necks?

[@jacqueslapidieux3182]

Super shootout. You're absolutely right, more transparency and high-end in the unfinished, whereas the painted sounds like an extra blanket of mids thrown onto the unfinished eq with some of the high-end taken off.

[@Bobby_twoshitz]

I didn’t hear much of a difference, I go for thin nitro finishes, because I feel like the guitar vibrates more in my hands maybe like it’s alive almost, after working at Prs for 16 years the poly finishes always felt like a hard candy shell and the guitar couldn’t breathe so to speak. I don’t feel like you can tell the difference through amplification it just feels different in my hands and I think that’s what I like about it and if you can do a poly thin finish that will let my guitar vibrate and I can feel it alive in my hands, then I’m all for it

[@MG-vo7is]

I heard a difference (tiny laptop speakers) with tests #1, #2 and #4. The painted body sounded a little richer/fuller. I liked both versions.

[@justaddguitar]

I’ve had different experience thru headphones. Finished body sounded thiner.

[@thebirdwatchingbloke3991]

I am loving these videos. Please do some videos using a P Bass. Please also do a video of string through body vs string through bridge.

[@somebodyelseuk]

Do a video about whether the knobs on the amp affect tone.

[@danielmiller2886]

Interesting, but i'll worry about how this impacts tone once ive mastered the myriad of other minute details of my playing that will make a far bigger difference. I'm curious what you heard there in the room while playing it.

[@luislanga]

Test #4 sounds so cool, is it from somewhere? Reminds me a bit of Stone Fury.

[@hearpalhere]

Congratulations on another fantastic comparison video Aaron! I think you do the best, scientific tests of this nature that I've come across. For what it's worth, I couldn't hear any difference between the clips. That is reassuring honestly 🙂 I had suspected that would be the case.

[@mikedamisch]

Jim Lill

[@hearpalhere]

@@mikedamisch Cool, I've watched one of his videos (The One Thing Every Influential Guitar Tone Has In Common) and it was quite interesting. Thanks!

[@georgeperillo6421]

Aaron, I have a Warmoth question that doesn't pertain to this video per se. I have for some time now contemplating ordering a 21 fret compound radius rosewood fretboard asymmetrical neck with stainless steel frets for my 57 American Strat reissue. Since all orders on on line and I don't have a way to find out in person. I was wondering if Warmoth levels and crowns the frets before shipping. I know that stainless steel is difficult to work with and for someone like myself who doesn't have the fret working tools. Thanks in advance.