Classical Music On Deck!! A Marshall Stack, A Gibson Les Paul (stage left), and a Fender Stratocaster (stage right)

Boulder has been a center for rock and roll music just about forever! Ranging from Classical Music to Rock & Roll, our sound environment has been wealthy!

A Marshall Stack, A Gibson Les Paul, and a Stratocaster! Why Do We Care? THE SOUND!!! First, the guitar itself. Second, the amplifiers which boost the volume and “create” this critical part of the sound. Third, the speaker “cabs, Fourth: the rest. Classical Music! A Marshall Stack, A Gibson Les Paul, and a Stratocaster! Oh My!!!

Does the room matter? Do we care about the walls,  with the room-studio itself? The importance of the room itself is often overlooked. ALL of the sound bounces off the walls and windows. That means that the material of the walls, the shape of the surfaces and of the room, and all of the rest that the sound bounces off is critical to forming the sound. Does a speaker cab with four x 12” speakers sound the same as a cab with the same amount of speaker surface area but with a greater number of smaller speakers? YES!!! Does a change in pickups change the sound? YES!!!

What about choice of strings? Choice of pickups? Materials that the strings pass over like the bridge, tuning machines, “nut,” and the rest of the strings’ path? Again YES it all matters. Imagine a string passing over a “nut” made of bone or of very hard plastic compared to ebony or other very hard wood. Compare that to a nut made of another material. Imagine the difference between a guitar string of nylon like a classical acoustic guitar with that of a metal string on an electric guitar. The resulting sounds are entirely different.

And that difference is shocking so to speak! There are several magic ingredients hidden in plain view.

The acoustics of the studio are key to getting the magical sounds from the equipment. Let’s check out the electronics.

Two Strats and a Gibson. Plus Marshall Speaker STACKS!

During the transition from single coil to double coil pickups (just what it sounds like) the tone changed radically. Each of the large speaker cabinets holds four x 12″ speakers. That means roughly 16 speakers at 12″ each. Recall our basic geometry. Each 12″ speaker has (pi)(r)squared in speaker surface area. That works out to about 144 square inches of surface area per speaker. The total is about 2300 square inches of speaker surface area. A LOT of air is being moved! The sound is rich, fat, and warm. This is a stark contrast in tone compared to the tone of the same combination with a greater number of smaller speakers. To add to the complexity and to the possibilities consider that more than one type of amplifier might be used. A small vintage amp with a single 10″ speaker, played through a microphone and through a larger amp sounds quite different than a guitar plugged directly into a theater sound board and speaker system.

It became no longer necessary to have a huge row/stack of amps. A huge row of speaker stacks was replaced by a guitar plugged into the electronics. The guitars were (and are) plugged directly into a mixing board and into a board with five or tenor more pedals, all of which modify the sound. A pilot’s license with instrument rating is mandatory. No longer is a mere amp, cable, guitar and board all that is needed.

While the Fender Stratocaster can produce a singing sustained sound, it creates a sound which is far cleaner than that of the  growling crunch of a Les Paul Gibson. Mere words do not do justice to the quality of the tone. The “tone path,” the path from the pickups to the speakers, adds a whole additional dimension to the sound. This paradigm impacts the sound from the pick to the speaker cone. Even the type of cables matter. Add one obsessive player and the recipes for insanity and tone simply explode with possibilities.

A Black Stratocaster With Three Single-Coil Pickups. The Guitar Body Is Solid, Not Hollow

A Classic Les Paul With Its Classic Growl!

Each double-coil pickup is controlled by a volume control and a tone control. The upper-left toggle switch permits selection of the “bridge pickup,” the “neck position” pickup, and a center position which permits the player to select both pickups at the same time. To NOT quote Shakespeare, “A rose by any other name is not a Marshall Stack!” Better or worse? NEITHER! Different? Yes!

Lenny Lensworth Frieling

Shared Knowledge Is Power!

Leonard Frieling Pen Of Justice

• Multi-published and syndicated blogger and author.
• University lectures at University. of Colorado, Boulder, Denver University Law School, Univ. of New Mexico, Las Vegas NM, and many other schools at all levels. Numerous lectures for the NORML Legal Committee
• Former Judge
• Media work, including episodes of Fox’s Power of Attorney, well in excess of many hundreds media interviews, appearances, articles, and podcasts, including co-hosting Time For Hemp for two years.
• Life Member, NORML Legal Committee, Distinguished Counsel Circle.
• Photographer of the Year, AboutBoulder 2023
• First Chair and Originator of the Colorado Bar Association’s Cannabis Law Committee, a National first.
• Previous Chair, Boulder Criminal Defense Bar (8 years)
• Twice chair Executive Counsel, Colorado Bar Association Criminal Law Section
• Life Member, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
• Board Member Emeritus, Colorado NORML, and prior chair during legalization, as well as pre and post legalization
• Chair, Colorado NORML, 7 years including during the successful effort to legalize recreational pot in Colorado
• Senior Counsel Emeritus to the Boulder Law firm Dolan + Zimmerman LLP : (720)-610-0951
• Board member, Author, and Editor for Criminal Law Articles for the Colorado Lawyer, primary publication of the Colorado Bar Assoc. 7 Years, in addition to having 2 Colorado Lawyer cover photos, and numerous articles for the Colorado Lawyer monthly publication.
• http://www.Lfrieling.com