"Ask Bud!"

Question:

Why are there differences in the sound of lacquered (or painted), wooden bodied guitars and mica (Formica®) covered pedal steel guitars?

Answer:

I hear this question quite often. The differences you hear can be attributed to a variety of things, such as:

1. The wood used in painted guitars may be different than the wood used in mica-covered pedal steel guitars. Curly or birdseye maple is typical of lacquer-finished (or painted) guitars. Mica-covered steels typically use either die- board (plywood) or hard-rock maple. Different types of wood will have different densities, degrees of hardness, and resonant frequencies. In fact, 2 pieces of the same type of wood cut from different boards, or even from the same boards but cut differently, can sound different when made into a guitar;
   
   
2. The 2 bodies may use different assembly techniques and/or parts. This can add to a variation in sound;
   
   
3. The change in density, due to the absorption of glue into the wood when mica is used and the absorption of lacquer (or paint) into the wood when a lacquer (or paint) finish is used, will minimally contribute to a variation in sound; and
   
   
4. The variation in dimensions of the wood will also contribute slightly to the differences you may hear.

There may be several other, more minor, factors; however, the items listed above are the basic differences.

A couple of other things you may want to think about:

1. Mica-covered guitars are far more dent and scratch resistant; and
   
   
2. Mica-covered guitars are easier to care for than lacquer-finished guitars.

As to which sounds better, I believe that is a very personal choice depending on the sound each steel player prefers.

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