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Blind Listening Guitar Shootout: Listen and Vote!


tutu-1

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Posted

Alright, i finally figured out how to post mp3's on the web, so here it goes:

 

www.putfile.com/roccorobb

 

At the site you'll find side-by-side recordings of 2 guitars. To keep away from bias, i'm not telling which is which until the results are in. Listen to the tracks and let me know which you like more and for what reasons.

 

DETAILS:

 

All tracks were recorded in my living room. Signal chain was as follows:

Guitar->Oktava MC012 small diaphragm condenser pointed at the 14th fret from about 12 inches away ->Motu 828 ->Sonar 3. No eq or effects.

 

I also did not normalize the tracks, so that you and i could listen for volume differences. Therefore, levels are a little low (i left plenty of room to avoid clipping).

 

I'm really torn btn these two guitars, folks. The recordings aren't great, and don't do justice to either, but i think they do a good job of showing how two guitars can have good and bad qualities to their respective sounds, making decision nearly impossible!

 

blessings. have fun.

 

rje

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Posted

I don't know much about steel-strings, so I won't try to guess the models/brands.... however, my pick would definitely be Guit.2 (on the right-hand side).
It has a fuller tone: more mid range, more bass (at least on my speakers), while the other one has cristalline trebles... but lacks some meat.

IMHO, of course.
:)

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Posted

just a qualifier:

make sure that you are aware, guitar B is on the left side of the screen, while guitar A is on the right. If we were good muslims this would be standard protocal, but since most of us speak english as our first language it is counter-intuitive.

keep voting!

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Posted
Originally posted by tutu-1

Alright, i finally figured out how to post mp3's on the web, so here it goes:


www.putfile.com/roccorobb


At the site you'll find side-by-side recordings of 2 guitars. To keep away from bias, i'm not telling which is which until the results are in. Listen to the tracks and let me know which you like more and for what reasons.


DETAILS:


All tracks were recorded in my living room. Signal chain was as follows:

Guitar->Oktava MC012 small diaphragm condenser pointed at the 14th fret from about 12 inches away ->Motu 828 ->Sonar 3. No eq or effects.


I also did not normalize the tracks, so that you and i could listen for volume differences. Therefore, levels are a little low (i left plenty of room to avoid clipping).


I'm really torn btn these two guitars, folks. The recordings aren't great, and don't do justice to either, but i think they do a good job of showing how two guitars can have good and bad qualities to their respective sounds, making decision nearly impossible!


blessings. have fun.


rje



I guess I like the A guitar today. I don't know what the word is to describe the tonal quality of B that I don't like today. But A is a clearer tone. The B sound has a gentle roughness that I might like on another day.

I'm completely ignorant of these things but is A more like a Gibson and B more like a Martin?

And I did notice that B is on the left.

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Posted

I'm not hearing these recordings on the best speakers on the planet - just keep that in mind. Having said that, they both seem to suffer from opposite extremes. As a matter of preference, I guess I'd choose A (right side), which sounds a little dull/muddy... over B (left), which overall struck me as kind of hyper-bright to the point of being harsh. I like a little bit of mud on my tone...

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Posted

What I hear with Guitar A is good balance across the spectrum. Trebles that could probably cut through in a multiple instrument setting and a good tone throughout. What I hear with Guitar B is one that has more sustain and a definite mid-range character. Less cutting trebles but a very nice (better to my ears than Guitar A) roundness of tone. The bass end seems less thumpy and more sustaining and sweet than Guitar A but is a little less balanced with the trebles.

If I were playing in a band setting (blue grass? Wildwood flower tells me thats a possibility) I'd want Guitar A. I think it would fit in really well with a mando, bass, banjo etc. If I were playing solo gigs I'd want Guitar B for its more "complex" sound to caress my vocals and fill in on the low end with some sustain. But...

YMMV :D

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Posted

i liked guitar B better in the picking clip, but i'm guessing its cause of the strings.. but guitar A just sounds plasticy, if you know what i mean

but i like A in the strumming one, cause it had a more level deep tone that'll give you the chills when you play it right if ya know what i mean

so i'd say i'm 50/50 on this one

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Posted

a few more words about the recordings:

take into account that the microphone is not top notch. in reality, neither of these guitars is anywhere near harsh in it's top end; both being more on the 'martin' side of the tone spectrum (w/ typical martin and taylor tones on opposite poles of the spectrum). But, compared to one another, i agree that one definitely sounds more 'round'.

Also, both guitars are strung up w/ D'addario Ph. Bronze 12's. They were restrung at the same time, about a week before recording.


catdaddy,

good ears! you're speaking my sentiments, but on the basis of a few crummy recordings instead of hours of sitting in a room alone, passing one off and then the other. . .


this is fun! keep'em coming folks.

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Posted

If they are both the same size body (and I'm guessing that they are both dreads from the strumming), I think A is rosewood and B is mahog. I hear a more complex sound from A, particularly on Wildwood Flower. B does seem woodier, and a little more cutting on the lead. I prefer B for that music.

 

The fingerpicking is fairly complex and I like A better - the harmonics seem to have more overtones. I almost think it is smaller bodied guitar here - maybe a rosewood OM.

 

So, my guess is A - rosewood OM, B mahogany Dread.

 

Different voice and nice comparison.

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Posted

Stating up front that my computer speakers are less than ideal - I like what I heard from 'B' better, but it again depends on what you do with it. Guitar 'A' has stronger fundimental tones and a is less sustainish - a better bluegrass guitar. 'B', on the otherhand, has a much more complex sound - more overtones. It won't work as well for bluegrass or Celtic sessions, but strums better and would make a better coffeehouse solo guitar. My personal preference is towards 'B', but I like complex overtones in my acoustics...

You won't go wrong with either choice - buy both. Or buy 'A' and send me 'B' ;)

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Posted

i've already bought both, and am considering selling one. or both and getting something else. . . i've been running through guitars like toilet paper lately.

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