Members Guitin Better Posted April 25, 2008 Members Share Posted April 25, 2008 I bought a new guitar the other day (here's a link, I know someone will ask :-) ) http://www.ibanez.com/acoustic/guitar.aspx?m=AEF37ETCS When I played it at GC it sounded really great. When I got it home it and put some new strings on it sounded kinda dead. Here's what I think is happening. When I played at the store I had one foot on a stool and the guitar on my leg so the back of the guitar was not touching me. At home I strapped it on such that it rests against my rather large tummy. Is there a technique for playing that will help with this or am I just going to have to live with the fact that I'll deaden all my acoustic guitars with my belly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted April 25, 2008 Members Share Posted April 25, 2008 Not sure about that. Probably has more to do with the room than your belly. Try playing it (the guitar) in another room of your house. btw ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted April 25, 2008 Members Share Posted April 25, 2008 What strings did you put on? EXP's are pretty long life, they should not have been dead in the store. Did you change gauge, composition, coating? Are you sure they are tight againt the bridgeplate? I usually think that gits sound pretty bad in acoustically live "room" at a place like GC, it seems like in a little more damped enviroment like my living room they come a live, but room acoustic could have a lot to do with it. Last thought, it is not uncommon for stores to tune down one semi tone - it really fills out a git with weak bass. Is it possible that you've retuned to concert and they were at Eb? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members melandy Posted April 25, 2008 Members Share Posted April 25, 2008 Do you know if the strings you replaced were the same gauge as the new ones? Are the new ones coated? These things can make a big difference in the sound. Not sure about that. Probably has more to do with the room than your belly. Try playing it (the guitar) in another room of your house. Definitely try this. Also try vastly different rooms in terms of acoustics... If you have a walk in closet, compare the sound in there (with lots of soft surfaces to soak up sound) to a bathroom (lots of hard surfaces to reflect it). Compare the sound in a bedroom to the sound in the kitchen. If you find that the guitar sounds more like you expect in the rooms with lots of hard surfaces (the GCs I've been in were more like this than not), then that may be the problem. If not, try a different kind of string. Try to stick with the gauge the guitar came with, but experiment with different brands, coated vs. uncoated, 80/20 vs. phosphor bronze, etc. -A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted April 25, 2008 Members Share Posted April 25, 2008 Last thought, it is not uncommon for stores to tune down one semi tone - it really fills out a git with weak bass. Is it possible that you've retuned to concert and they were at Eb? I'd always thought they just got that way through neglect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitin Better Posted April 25, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 25, 2008 Thanks for the replies! I don't think it's the room, though, because I can emulate the sound change by moving the guitar away from my body. It sounds totally different. The low end is especially affected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted April 25, 2008 Members Share Posted April 25, 2008 I guess a good question would be ... how much does the back of a guitar influence the sound. I know the top is very important, but I don't know about the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamesp Posted April 25, 2008 Members Share Posted April 25, 2008 They do make "Tone Gards" for guitars. Tone-Gards are a big deal in the mando-verse. I know Grisman uses 'em. Here's the guy to talk to if you want one. I prefer to think of the belly effect as a "dampening" rather than deadening. Another colour on the palette, as it were. With that particular guitar (that's a looker, btw!) I'd just turn up the volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members outdoorgb Posted April 25, 2008 Members Share Posted April 25, 2008 Jour de guitare nouvel heureux! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted April 25, 2008 Members Share Posted April 25, 2008 Jour de guitare nouvel heureux! Pouvez vous de phase la vie d'une ch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitin Better Posted April 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 26, 2008 Merci beaucoup. Pourquoi parlons-nous des ch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted April 26, 2008 Members Share Posted April 26, 2008 Merci beaucoup. Pourquoi parlons-nous des ch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitin Better Posted April 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted April 26, 2008 Yes, I am multilingual too thanks to Babel Fish. LOL!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted April 26, 2008 Members Share Posted April 26, 2008 Yes, I am multilingual too thanks to Babel Fish. LOL!! Mon ami! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nature Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 When I play sitting down, the guitar usually ends up pointing slightly upward, as opposed to pointing straight out when slung. This changes the direction the sound is projected. When sitting, the sound is pointed more toward my ears. I don't know if it changes the actual sound of the guitar, but this definately changes the way I perceive the sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members timmay8612 Posted April 28, 2008 Members Share Posted April 28, 2008 Also be conscious of where you arm is on the guitar's top. If using a footstool changed how much of your arm was in contact with the top, that could dramatically change the tone. Also, +1 to the notion of stores downtuning. I would tune it down a half step and see what it sounds like. If that fixed the problem you have two options. 1) play it a half step down constantly 2) if option 1 isn't an option, return it and look for something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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