Multiple parts - different guitars?

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by ThirdTime

I’m about to embark on my first acoustic recording project (home) and have a n00b question. I’ve got 2 acoustic guitar parts, I am assuming I’m going to get significantly better results if I play them on two different instruments to help distinguish them in the mix, but would really appreciate your thoughts.

Not necessarily. It's more about the arrangement and how the parts work together than it is about the actual guitars (I know, bummer).

That said, there are times when different guitars need to be used to stack sounds for a larger than life effect (best acoustic example I can think of is "Dust In The Wind", that fingerpicked guitar part is really something like 5 guitars all stacked together).

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

A capo can make the same guitar sound different. Even if you don't want to be bothered with re-learning one of the parts, you can, say, tune down a whole step, capo back up that same whole step, and play the part the way you learned it, but on a guitar whose scale length is now a couple inches shorter.

This!

I learned this trick from a Nashville studio guy. He showed me a lot fo great tricks. Those guys know what they're doing.

[b1j]

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

Not necessarily. It's more about the arrangement and how the parts work together than it is about the actual guitars (I know, bummer).

That said, there are times when different guitars need to be used to stack sounds for a larger than life effect (best acoustic example I can think of is "Dust In The Wind", that fingerpicked guitar part is really something like 5 guitars all stacked together).

For a strumming Wall of Sound, see George Harrison on My Sweet Lord or Handle with Care with the Wilburys. Layered.

I tried this a couple years ago on one of my own songs with four parts: one open in G, and one each with capos at 3 (in E), 5 (D), and 7 (C). Same guitar. Unfortunate room; kind of boomy and inarticulate outcome. I’m looking forward to trying it again with my new gobos and multiple guitars.

[kellyb]

Originally Posted by Teja Gerken

..but it usually comes down to using whatever guitar we're currently into playing...we've never sat down before recording and tried matching a bunch of different options, though maybe we should!
www.tejagerken.com

First, thank you so much for your guitar demos! They've been useful for years.

Re: different guitars, it's almost always gone the same for me as you related...the guitar that "I'm into." And that's after experimenting "matching different options." That you've got Doug is a gift...his skills are so very apparent even in the few recordings he's shared that I've caught on this forum!

[kellyb]

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

Not necessarily. It's more about the arrangement and how the parts work together than it is about the actual guitars (I know, bummer).

Truth. The more I try, the more that rule proves true for EVERY instrument in a mix.

It's also why I like changing tunings to add a second part...the new chord overtones and string-to-string intervals can inspire and make writing something new fun.

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

That said, there are times when different guitars need to be used to stack sounds for a larger than life effect (best acoustic example I can think of is "Dust In The Wind", that fingerpicked guitar part is really something like 5 guitars all stacked together).

I didn't know that about Dust in the Wind..:-)....when I think doubled guitars, I always think Jeff Lynn, but for all I know I'm just misidentifying a 12-string. :-)!

[ghostnote]

I’m a fan of recording one guitar part with 2 completely different mics, each on its own track. I don’t always do it, but it does provide some interesting options. For one, the two tracks sound different already because you used different mics. They are perfectly synced because you only played one part. You can move them around to your liking to make one stand out more or less, or delete one track without losing the take. If you now record a different guitar the same way, you’ll have four acoustic tracks recorded, but you will have only had to sync them once. It’s something I do if I want to have a big acoustic sheen on a song without doing all the work.

[Glennwillow]

I'm a fan of keeping things simple. The goal is to record music so that you are satisfied with what it sounds like in the end. That goal usually changes as we get more experience and become better educated about what we are hearing in a recording.

I often record with more than one guitar track. You don't need different guitars unless you just want an excuse to buy another guitar. The one exception for justifying a 2nd guitar is having a (Nashville) high-strung guitar.

1) As others have said, two busy guitar tracks just makes for a cacophony of sound. Usually it's not very satisfying. One busy guitar and one additional guitar playing simpler, single note lines can work. It does take work, though, to come up with a 2nd guitar part that sounds interesting and really adds something to the song.

2) Two tracks, one played in one location with or without a capo and a 2nd track (could very well be the same guitar) played with the capo in a different location can sound quite good. Peter, Paul & Mary did this routinely using two guitars. So many people have used this technique, Joni Mitchell, for example.

3) A high strung guitar, as I mentioned earlier, can do magical things as a 2nd guitar.

4) A different instrument, say a mandolin, an electric guitar, a dobro, or even a 12-string, can add a lot and if you're careful, not sound like a big mess of sound.

5) The Jim Croce - Maury Muehleisen approach can sound really good, where the 2nd guitar does not use a capo but plays intricate parts on up the fretboard against a simpler main part. Trouble with this approach is that not many people can play the way Maury Muehleisen could play. But with a lot of work, a decent player can approximate his approach.

- Glenn

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

5) The Jim Croce - Maury Muehleisen approach can sound really good, where the 2nd guitar does not use a capo but plays intricate parts on up the fretboard against a simpler main part. Trouble with this approach is that not many people can play the way Maury Muehleisen could play. But with a lot of work, a decent player can approximate his approach.

- Glenn

One big difference was that Maury was on tape, on the clock, in a pressure situation, and had to hit the road afterward and deliver the same thing onstage. Presumably, we're not and we don't. So we can take take our time and do it in little bits and pieces, and we only have to get it right once. And maybe we'll even enjoy the process! I certainly do.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

One big difference was that Maury was on tape, on the clock, in a pressure situation, and had to hit the road afterward and deliver the same thing onstage. Presumably, we're not and we don't. So we can take take our time and do it in little bits and pieces, and we only have to get it right once. And maybe we'll even enjoy the process! I certainly do.

Yes, I enjoy the process, too.

- Glenn