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  #1  
Old 10-13-2013, 07:01 AM
wa3jpg wa3jpg is offline
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Default What do you mean by "warm"

I've heard the term numerous times and tried to divine the sound or quality it describes for most musicians and can't seem to get it. Time to ask and see if the language can do it for me. Can one or two of you describe the quality you call "warmth" ?

Clark
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Old 10-13-2013, 07:08 AM
bozz_2006 bozz_2006 is offline
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It's the other end of the spectrum in regards to "bright". Too bright sounds brittle. Too warm sounds over-saturated - like an electric guitar player who doesn't know how to use a muff pedal. Bright is piercing with strong fundamental/minimal overtone. Warm is full and mellow with strong overtone/minimal fundamental. I think most of Norman Blake's older material includes a guitar with a very warm tone; if you'd like to have a listen.
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Old 10-13-2013, 07:11 AM
MICHAEL MYERS MICHAEL MYERS is offline
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To me it's mellowness. Try playing close to the bridge with a pick. That's the opposite of mellow/warm. Then try playing over near the edge of the fretboard/soundhole - that should sound warm/mellow in comparison.

Some guitars just have a naturally warm sound. I usually play my J-45 closer to the bridge to bring out the definition in the strings when flatpicking. It's a very warm/mellow guitar by nature.
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Old 10-13-2013, 07:11 AM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Each person seems to have their own definition of warm since it's not something you can measure. To me, it means more bass overtones and an absence of harsh trebles.

- Glenn
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Old 10-13-2013, 07:16 AM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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It's pretty much a useless term. Most folks just mean "I like it." I've seen archtops, jumbos, metal bodied resonators, ukuleles, les pauls, telecasters, amplifiers, mahogany, rosewood, birch, etc. All called "warm" by guitar players.

I hope to play a "cool" sounding guitar someday
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Old 10-13-2013, 07:21 AM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont View Post
... I hope to play a "cool" sounding guitar someday
Yes, I really like playing cool guitars, too! I think all my guitars are cool!

- Glenn
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Old 10-13-2013, 07:28 AM
The Old Gaffer The Old Gaffer is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont View Post
It's pretty much a useless term. Most folks just mean "I like it." I've seen archtops, jumbos, metal bodied resonators, ukuleles, les pauls, telecasters, amplifiers, mahogany, rosewood, birch, etc. All called "warm" by guitar players.
This is pretty much on the money.

I think of warm sound as strong but balanced bass, rich mid-range, and shimmering but not strident trebles. To me the benchmark in warm is James Taylor's original studio release of "Fire and Rain." I think he used a Gibson J-50 for that, and the "good" Gibson guitars are often described as warm. That's my story and I am sticking to it, although many will disagree.
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Old 10-13-2013, 07:28 AM
jersey jersey is offline
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Quote:
Try playing close to the bridge with a pick. That's the opposite of mellow/warm. Then try playing over near the edge of the fretboard/soundhole - that should sound warm/mellow in comparison.
+1

All mahogany gits are generally warmer.
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Old 10-13-2013, 07:34 AM
kirkham13 kirkham13 is offline
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Warm tones are why vintage instruments are so popular! I think it is the response of bracing and wood molecules that have grown up and learned to relax under tension... The development of acoustic character if you will... Well rounded, full register, while being responsive and not muddy ideally.
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Old 10-13-2013, 07:45 AM
picassov7 picassov7 is offline
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I disagree with some of the other posters that this is a 'useless' term. All descriptors can be subjective. I think it is like any vocabulary; only useful when all parties understand the intended meaning.

As others have stated, for me this term relates to a sound that has strong, but not over powering bass. It also has a good mid-range with some harmonic content. Lastly, the trebles are evident, but are not shrill and have a quicker decay. YMMV.
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Old 10-13-2013, 07:53 AM
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I don't think it's a useless term, but I do think it's relative to each player. I like MICHAEL MYERS' response. For many of us, we use the terms "bright" and "warm" as opposing terms. OP Use your own instrument to demonstrate -- if you play your guitar closer to the saddle, the sound brightens up (or thins out). The further you play away from the saddle the "warmer" the sound gets. Different guitars sound warm or bright, also different strings.

But, like I say, it's relative to each player - it's a word that can mean anything or nothing. What I've described is the way I use the term, but that doesn't mean it should be standardized. It's simply a description that each player is welcome to use or ignore.
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Old 10-13-2013, 08:11 AM
wa3jpg wa3jpg is offline
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Thanks, guys. This is really helpful. Subjective, yeah... I still hope to at least get the direction straight, though. Subjective terms can carry "some" meaning (in my experience.) I think I understand the gist of it now.

Clark
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Old 10-13-2013, 08:13 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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I'm like a few others here - my concept of "warm" is a tone that has the trebles muted a bit, kind of opposite of bright.
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Old 10-13-2013, 08:31 AM
delaorden9 delaorden9 is offline
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"Warm" means neither hot nor cold, as English beer, more or less.

I heard for the first time this adjective (applied to sound) here in AGF. I like it. For me is applied when you play a "rounded" song, with bright, mellow and also bass altogether and equally distributed.
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Old 10-13-2013, 08:34 AM
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Trying to explain one tone descriptor with some other tone descriptor is pretty tough. To me, "warm" means mellow. Play a guitar right in front of the bridge then right at the end of the fingerboard. The former is more bright and the latter is more warm. That's not a perfect description but that captures a good deal of what I mean when I say "warm" in reference to guitar tone.
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