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I am wondering if guitars such as chunky Les Paul single cuts (not even chambered, just totally solid) have notably different tones than, say, a Gibson SG or Fender Stratocaster, solely due to body thickness.

Either of these latter guitars have much thinner bodies. I do know from playing each of these that guitars like the single cuts sound warmer. Is this strictly because of the mass of the body, or are there other factors more important?

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  • Why do you assume the difference is 'solely due to body thickness'?
    – Laurence
    Dec 5, 2019 at 15:30
  • I didn't assume. I am wondering if it is solely due to thickness. I am trying to understand how much the thickness plays a part.
    – Jason P Sallinger
    Dec 5, 2019 at 15:46
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    @LaurencePayne: As I read it, the OP doesn't assume it, he's asking whether it's due to the body thickness.
    – Willem van Rumpt
    Dec 5, 2019 at 15:46
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    btw, and fwiw: I don't find Les Paul (my brother has one) really noticable warmer than my SG (a '69 reissue (with tremolo, if that matters), forgot the exact make of the Les Paul). The SG is however very prone to feedback. Even teensyweensy vibrations or thuds by the palm of the hand get picked up.
    – Willem van Rumpt
    Dec 5, 2019 at 16:03
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    My guess is that the density of the wood itself has more effect, and that (imo) is minimal. And the acid test would also require exact same pups, for starters.
    – Tim
    Dec 5, 2019 at 16:55

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to answer your actual question, I do not believe that it is solely down to thickness. The type of wood used, the processes by which it was dried or treated before use, and the idiosyncratic differences of each individual piece of wood (even when two pieces of mahogany are turned into identical Les Pauls) might all make a slight difference to the acoustic sound.

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