OK, I know I'd get ripped to shreds if I asked this question elsewhere, but here goes.
I'm new-ish and I really don't understand where the actual wood comes into play on electric guitars and basses (other than weight and aesthetics).
Doesn't the vibration of the strings get picked-up by the magnets/windings of the pickups and transferred through the electronics (volume pots, tone pots, eq, etc.) and then out to the output jack to whatever you're using to amplify/enhance that signal?
I apologize for such a rudimentary question, but I keep reading about the virtues of say, "western mongolian beaverwood vs inner-city newark basswood" and why one sounds better ("has better tonal qualities", as I've read) than the other...i still don't see where in the signal chain the wood has the chance to impact the tone. I mean the electronic response to string vibration is almost instantaneous at the output jack.
I do fully understand that a number of people who frequent certain forums are completely full of crap, but I read about it often.
I am not trying to stir up any crap, I really want to understand what I'm not understanding about tonewoods.
Thanks,
Steve