Will an electric guitar produce sound if played in a vaccuum?

Question

My son was watching Mythbusters today and they claim that due to lack of atmosphere an ELECTRIC guitar(not a mic'd acoustic) played in a vacuum will not produce sound. I disagree. My reasoning is that an electric guitar is amplifying the resonance of the string as received through the pickups and not the sound of the body resonating. Assuming the guitar is played in a vacuum and the amplifier/speaker is in standard atmosphere who is right? My son is siding with Mythbusters but I am claiming they are spouting their usual junk science.

Update:

I know how to spell vacuum just didn't catch it.

Update 2:

My position is that the pickups are close enough to the strings that they can inductively couple to the resonance of the strings assuming the materials of both are similar metals.

? · Accepted Answer

I'm gonna back ThinMan on this one. Let's consider a single string and the corresponding pickup magnet.

When the string is at rest the magnetic field produced by the pickup magnet is also at rest and has no effect on the pickup winding. Remember, in order to produce a current, a wire must MOVE through a magnetic field, or the magnetic field must MOVE through the wire. An electric guitar produces a signal by moving the magnetic field through the winding wire.

When the string is plucked it's vibrations alter the magnetic field causing it to 'vibrate' as well. This  vibrating magnetic field generates a current as it moves through the pickup winding which is then increased by the amplifier.

Although the plucked string creates an audible sound wave, that sound wave has no effect on the pickup. This is why the sound made by running your finger up a round wound string isn't amplified.

ThinMan · Answer

You are right. The pick-ups on an electric guitar work by magnetic induction. There is a small electromagnet under each string and the vibration of the string causes a variation in the magnetic field produced by the electromagnet. Since this doesn't depend on sound for propagation, the vacuum has no effect, as long as the amplifier is in air as you stated.

Let's hear it for old folks!

Astral Walker · Answer

How can the pickups in the guitar detect the vibrations in the guitar strings in a vacuum?  The strings are not attached to the pickups in a typical electric guitar.

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Edit: Now that I think about it you're right.  I guess I read your question about picking up resonances the wrong way.  The pickups are "picking up" the changing magnetic field between it and a vibrating string and this will travel through a vacuum.

? · Answer

Your son is right. Sound waves creates air pressure and a vacuum sucks all the air out there is no pressure so sound can't travel

Vincent R · Answer

If it's in a vacuum, then it won't be able to resonate and carry sound.

Anonymous · Answer

its a called a wah wah petal or maybe a whammy bar

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Will an electric guitar produce sound if played in a vaccuum?

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