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  #46  
Old 08-18-2014, 11:02 AM
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Doug Young Doug Young is offline
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Like most discussions here, the word's not well defined, so people may well be meaning different things. To me, a signature is something you sort of recognize even in the presence of wide variations. For example, the Beatles had a signature sound, even tho I Am the Walrus was miles from I Want to Hold Your Hand. Most artists who achieve a certain level of proficiency tend to have a signature (look, feel, sound) that they can't change no matter what they do. It doesn't mean that they don't continue to improve and evolve, or that that can't do something radically different. But if you have certain sensibilities, it's likely that those will influence your work in some way. Even people who don't want a signature, probably have one.

How one detects the signature is a different issue. Maybe one can't tell the difference between a vintage Martin and a new Somogyi blind (or blond :-) from across the room. Maybe the tonal difference is too subtle for that, but I'd think most people would acknowledge a difference in style and personality in those guitars that would transcend the specific instruments and it seems reasonable to call those elements the personality or "signature" of those guitars and their builders.
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  #47  
Old 08-18-2014, 11:18 AM
dberkowitz dberkowitz is offline
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One thing that hasn't been discussed is that there is a sonic experience of playing a guitar, the way the sound projects, the way it wraps (or doesn't) around the player, that doesn't translate into a recording. Al Pettaway's new album features any number of instruments from John Slobod, Bill Tippin, and others as well as his Rainsong. Good luck picking the Rainsong out of the bunch.
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  #48  
Old 08-18-2014, 12:21 PM
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El Conquistador El Conquistador is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dberkowitz View Post
One thing that hasn't been discussed is that there is a sonic experience of playing a guitar, the way the sound projects, the way it wraps (or doesn't) around the player, that doesn't translate into a recording. .
Yes, this is where I am.

I have been lucky enough to attend 5 Healdsburg Guitar Festivals. At every festval I have played as many guitars as possible, yet, I found myself being consistently drawn back to 1 builder's guitars at every festival. There is just something that resonates with me about his guitars, no matter what the wood combinations.

I cannot quantify it (though I have been asked to many times), there is just something about his guitars that I crave. I suppose this is as close to a signature as it comes.

There is a great story about Picasso in his early days selling his works along the boulevard. He walked up to a rich dowager staring at one of his picutres entitled, "The Fish". The dowager said,"It doesn't look like a fish." to which Picasso answered, "Madame, it is not a fish, it is a painting."

So, I will echo what has been said on this thread; find a builder who's guitars make you ache for them, then, don't try to tell her/him how to make you a guitar. Make the choices he/she allows you, then, stay out of the way and let an artist work.
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  #49  
Old 08-18-2014, 03:48 PM
LouieAtienza LouieAtienza is offline
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Even if our eyes may bias us toward one guitar or another, I do not necessarily think that`s a bad thing; it`s part of what makes builders and players individual, and we use most all our senses when holding a guitar - how it feels in the hand and lap and the contours of the neck and body, the look of the woods and the inlays and decorations, the sound they produce, and even the way they smell. I don`t recommend taste testing however. But we do this whrn we eat, find a mate, pock a sofa....

I wonder if there are any blind guitar experts who can try a similar `pick the guitar` challenge. It might be different than most blindfold tests, due to their increased acuity of the other sensea.
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