LP louder acoustically than a strat?

[alainguitars]

Not sure what the implications are but I've been surprised that my fairly light R7 is twice as loud acoustically as my strat. Comparison came about due to my dissatisfaction with my strats tone on the lower strings. I have decent CS69 pups but the guitar sounds muffled?

 

[el supermanny]

Les Pauls will always be acoustically louder than Strats and Teles. You make your Strat a little more acoustically louder by switching to 11 gauge strings. Of course, if you put 11s to both the Strat and Les Paul, the Les Paul would still be acoustically louder.

Also, "fairly light," makes me think it's chambered. It will definitely be louder acoustically if it's chambered/weight relieved. At that point, it's kinda of a like a semi-hollow.

Those are just the characteristics of the guitar. Don't let it bother you. Plus, what really matters, is the tone that comes out of the speaker.

 

[alainguitars]

No way I can play 11's on a strat. FYI, LP is not chambered. Strat sounds muffled on lower strings?

 

[el supermanny]

Chambered or not, Les Pauls are acoustically louder. They are just more resonant guitars. As to why your Strat sounds dead? I don't know. How older are your strings? Maybe throw a new set on there. Electronics? I honestly don't know why

 

[guitarnut_1]

Les Pauls will always be acoustically louder than Strats and Teles.

I would have to disagree with this big time. Most of the high end CS LPs I've had were nowhere as loud as some of my average Strats. I am hard pressed to generalize on this, but I would think that the average LP would be less loud and resonant than your typical strat or tele.... just based on wood, body thickness, construction, bridge etc.

 

[sws1]

Yeah - I also disagree with the absolutism of the statement above.

 

[Tone_Terrific]

LP's are louder?
This is ongoing proof that this whole forum discussion biz is a YMMV phenomenon.

 

[budglo58]

Acoustically speaking , the sound or volume of an electric guitar has no real value. I have had guitars that didnt have much acoustic tone , but were tone beasts. As far as your lower strings sounding muffled I would check the pickup heights.

 

[nl128]

Acoustically speaking , the sound or volume of an electric guitar has no real value. I have had guitars that didnt have much acoustic tone , but were tone beasts. As far as your lower strings sounding muffled I would check the pickup heights.

This has also been my experience. I had a strat that was dead on the low strings while playing higher on the neck and after a pick up height adjustment the problem went away.

 

[JJ Fux]

Acoustically speaking , the sound or volume of an electric guitar has no real value. I have had guitars that didnt have much acoustic tone , but were tone beasts. As far as your lower strings sounding muffled I would check the pickup heights.

Same here, except for when I had obvious problems like the muffled sound. I'd like to believe that, unplugged, acoustic tone of an electric guitar has a significant tonal "value" to its plugged in, electric tone, but I don't think that's the case.

 

[buddastrat]

On average, I find strats/teles to be louder. Longer scale, I guess. But they are bigger sounding, more highs and more lows. Les Pauls live mostly in the midrange in comparison.

In 25 years + of giving lessons/gigging, I find the acoustic tone very telling of what a guitar will sound like regardless of pickups. It's percussiveness, and immediacy or lack of, cannot be made up with pickups. The low end girth and openness is revealed acoustically. Take it to the gig and notice the same stuff, swap pickups and still have that personality. It's cool and pickups are like the microphones to the instrument. IF you know how and what to listen for.

 

[StealthHunter]

Both of my strats are louder acoustically than my R8.

 

[sws1]

In my case...


Tele > 2000 R9 > 2014 R9 > JM Strat > 57 LP (Those last 2 are close.)

The Tele is by far the loudest, after all, it has a steel bridge. The R9 still has the vintage-incorrect tailpiece studs.

 

[guitars]

Not sure what the implications are but I've been surprised that my fairly light R7 is twice as loud acoustically as my strat. Comparison came about due to my dissatisfaction with my strats tone on the lower strings. I have decent CS69 pups but the guitar sounds muffled?

I notice a lot of strats I've played are like that. I played a used EC strat at GC yesterday and the lower strings sounded dead. I didn't have a chance to plug her in but feel wise it played great. It had a nice neck and looked very well made.

FWIW my G&L legacy has to be the loudest strat style guitar I've played, even next to my LP.

 

[K-Line]

Sample size is too small to say that. I have generally found that most F style guitars are louder than most TOM bridged guitars. What does that mean? Not a damn thing.

 

[lostpoet2]

Comparing unplugged volumes can be revealing when comparing similar guitars, like if you're "running the racks" and looking for a good strat, but I don't understand the point of comparing instruments with different designs, materials, scale lengths, and bridge designs.

 

[alainguitars]

The LP was the only other guitar around to compare. I'm not saying there is something to be learned comparing different models but it did highlight and confirm the dull lower strings on the strat.

 

[megaweapon]

My 65 AVRI rings much louder then my 09 R9. My axis super sport is even louder than the strat. Thought it might be a mahogany thing since this is my first guitar with that wood.

 

[critter74]

Sample size is too small to say that. I have generally found that most F style guitars are louder than most TOM bridged guitars. What does that mean? Not a damn thing.

Funny, for me it's the opposite. All my fixed bridge/top loading/ etc guitars are louder acoustically than my Trem guitars.

But since they're, ya know, electric guitars, I have given nothing more than a passing "Huh" thought to it. I care howntheybsound plugged in, not unplugged.

And I agree... It means all of jack squat.

 

[Surfreak]

I would argue that acoustic volume is a direct consequence of wood density: the more dense a guitar is, the less air within its wood structure to act like a sound chamber, therefore less resonance and volume.

A Strat, which is made of a generally lighter wood than a LP and has extensive routing under the pickguard and in the tremolo cavity, should sound louder unplugged than a solid mahogany and maple LP.

My loudest guitar is my swamp ash Tele, which happens to be the lightest guitar I have, at 6.5 lbs.