#31
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THEY ARE TOOLS
I keep hearing that guitars are just tools. Well, maybe so for some folks. No sense in disputing that. But consider: I enjoy looking at my guitars. But I don't look at my drill or saws, even when they are new. I enjoy hearing the sounds guitars can produce and I spend time experimenting with sound (as opposed to playing - I'm not talking songs or tunes now). But I never listen to my wrenches or hammers.
To at least some of us, guitars are not just tools; they are more than that.
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The Bard Rocks Fay OM Sinker Redwood/Tiger Myrtle Sexauer L00 Adk/Magnolia For Sale Hatcher Jumbo Bearclaw/"Bacon" Padauk Goodall Jumbo POC/flamed Mahogany Appollonio 12 POC/Myrtle MJ Franks Resonator, all Australian Blackwood Blackbird "Lucky 13" - carbon fiber '31 National Duolian + many other stringed instruments. |
#32
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I take it a step further. Base it on the player, not the instrument, not the manufacturer. Hendrix with a Hagstrom would still be Hendrix.
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Pura Vida 2011 Martin M-36 2016 Martin GPC-35E 2016 Martin D12X1 Custom Centennial 1992 Takamine EF-341C, great for campfires 85 Gibson Les Paul Custom 82 Gibson SG 96 Fender Clapton Stratocaster 91 Fender Deluxe Telecaster Plus 86 Fender MIJ E-series Stratocaster |
#33
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Generally speaking, if you like the sound of Martins, there's a fair chance you'll also enjoy Bourgeois, Santa Cruz and Huss and Dalton guitars - all of which favor the Pre-War Martin voicing style. Generous bass response, bright sparkly highs and some attempt at a dry transparent mid-range.
Collings is a little more of an outlier. Those guitars (even the Traditional series) can come off a little more on the bright and tight side of things. They're kinda like a high-end performance car with sport suspension. Quick responding, precise, nimble, articulate across the board. The fact that they can have such a big sound while still very much maintaining that great note separation is a defining characteristic, to my ear. Many people say that Goodalls sound like Taylors, and I used to believe this, too. Now I'm not so sure. They're certainly on the modern side of the fence - lots of overtones, not much of a fundamental, especially for those most comfortable with traditional styled voicings. I actually feel that Taylors are a little more versatile than Goodalls, which don't exhibit so much lushness. Martin vs. Gibson. Martins generally have more overtones and a bias towards the metallic. They generally have a wide "sound stage" (to borrow an audiophile term) and they almost always have great sustain. Gibson is one of the few makers to have figured out how to make a new steel string guitar sound "woody", regardless of wood combination. They almost always have exceptional clarity and a very prominent mid-range. The Gibsons that have a large bass presence almost never have to such a degree that it overwhelms the other frequencies. The handbuilt world is a little more complicated, since they're afforded much more flexibility over the voicing of each individual instrument. The big manufacturers can do this too (i.e. the Martin Authentics sound V E R Y ! different from standard production models they offer) but there's much less serial number-specific considerations made. I dunno, just my rambling. |
#34
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Quote:
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Wayne J-45 song of the day archive https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis..._Zmxz51NAwG1UJ My music https://soundcloud.com/waynedeats76 https://www.facebook.com/waynedeatsmusic My guitars Gibson, Martin, Blueridge, Alvarez, Takamine |
#35
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ok
Nice post USB
Thanks RNF |
#36
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To me it's simple. People will pay into the millions for Ferrari beauty, even when a far cheaper car might be faster.
Same with guitars. You might find the rare cheap gem that sounds great, but it will never be a McKnight guitar, a Manzer or even a prewar Martin.
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Something something, beer is good, and people are crazy. |
#37
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#38
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One thing that jumps out at me from threads like this is that most people don't have a clue of what they are listening to when it comes to evaluating an acoustic guitar. Often they make it into some type of philosophical, psychological rant.
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Waterloo WL-S, K & K mini Waterloo WL-S Deluxe, K & K mini Iris OG, 12 fret, slot head, K & K mini Follow The Yellow Brick Road |
#39
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This second post nails it. No more posts are required.
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#40
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Truth is, we should just play what we like and can afford. People's tastes, budgets, hearing, playing styles, concern for visual aesthetics, hand sizes, tone discernment, and histories of exposure to various guitars all differ. The net result of all of those factors translates into preferences. For some people, their preferences are razor thin while for others they're much broader.
To assume that one's own preferences are universal is myopic at best. People who like different guitars than I do aren't stupid, tone-deaf, fool-hardy, wasteful, cheap, or any other class of distasteful individual. They're just not me and they have their own tastes and values. Fortunately, we live at a time when the choices before us are numerous. I could certainly tell you what I think about the matter at hand and I've given my opinions before. But really, it all comes down to what each of us prefers. I've played inexpensive guitars that I found delightful and really expensive ones that I thought were pretty much useless. I've also played inexpensive guitars that were useless and expensive ones that were delightful. And I'm not sure that another player would necessarily agree with my judgments in any of those cases. They don't have to. If we can find the instruments that work for us and bring us joy, then nothing else really matters.
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Bob DeVellis |
#41
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#42
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#43
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I am the OP and am not in the market to buy a guitar. This wasn't about research for a purchase, just discussion to ease my curiosity about some of the well known high end boutique builder that I have not had the joy of playing.
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collings, martin, taylor |
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