3 Dread shootout Who won? Maple, Rosewood or Mahogany

[BillyH]

Congrats on the Dove.

Billy

[nbs2005]

Great video, thanks so much for sharing. I loved all three, but the The Dove was really something to my ears. Congrats on picking up a great guitar.

Curious about volume on all three guitars. Recording's can be deceptive as auto level can make everything sound the same volume wise. In the room how would compare the volume? I often play outdoors in song circles with friends and it's always nice to have a little extra volume in the tank when needed.

Thanks,

Jeff

[llew]

Thanks Gary...enjoyed the new video with the two Martin's, Collings, and the Gibson. Like Brendan I preferred the Martin D-18 overall but that Dove has a special something. Great sustain but also a kind of "built in" sounding reverb to me. Never played a Dove but the Hummingbirds I've played never wowed me enough to pursue one. Your Dove is way better...a cut above IMO. Thanks again for sharing!

[jschmitz54]

Originally Posted by Groberts

I've been evaluating a 2023 Gibson Dove Original Antique Natural, Maple/Sitka Spruce. I thought it might be helpful to compare and contrast The Gibson Dove (long scale) to my other acoustic guitars: Martin HDC-28 (East Indian RW/Sitka), Collings D1 Traditional (Honduran Mahogany).

This Gibson Dove is surprises me and surpasses expectations. It is compelling and welcome your thoughts.

Which of these three guitars is the winner in this brief shooout?

For me I loved the Dove, Collins was a very close second, the HD 28 has never been the one for me.
Aesthetically the Collings is so beautiful in its simplicity and finish, The Dove is bit over the top for me.
If I was buying one I’d have to play them side by side.
A fantastic demo with great playing and narrative.
Thank you!

[Groberts]

Originally Posted by nbs2005

Great video, thanks so much for sharing. I loved all three, but the The Dove was really something to my ears. Congrats on picking up a great guitar.

Curious about volume on all three guitars. Recording's can be deceptive as auto level can make everything sound the same volume wise. In the room how would compare the volume? I often play outdoors in song circles with friends and it's always nice to have a little extra volume in the tank when needed.

Thanks,

Jeff

Hey Jeff, Thx for the question about volume. Good point about auto leveling happening with some recorders and YouTube. The Collings is actually the loudest and the Gibson Dove is equally impressive in terms of volume. But to your point, the Collings D1T has more midrange and that will cut more in a mix even if the Maple Gibson Dove is the same volume.

[Deliberate1]

That was a fine effort and study in the different voices that guitars, of relativly the same size, can have.

When I heard that among the three was a maple, I kind of puckered. I am knee-deep in a maple OM build with Max Spohn. If I was not enamored of the Dove, I might end up chewing my toenails tonight. Fortunately, no chewing will be necessary. The sound of your Dove is the sound I had in mind when I chose that tonewood for my build.

I think it is notoriously difficult to use words to describe the voice of a guitar. Gary, you used the word "bright." It is the one most often invoked when a maple guitar is involved. I would say the Dove was, to my ear, the most articulate, with the most space between the notes. Airy and even effervescent. Like champagne. I thought the note decay was perfect for the tonality. An impressive balance among the strings, with none dominating. The Dove would be my first choice. The Martin and Collings were very capable guitars, but not, to my ears, notable among other very capable guitars of that ilk.

That said, of course, you are comparing not just three tonewoods, but three different manufacturers. And, so, the differences that we may ascribe to the tone woods might more appropriately be attributed to the houses from which they came.

In any event, I enjoyed the comparison and thank you for making the effort.

David

[Groberts]

Originally Posted by Deliberate1

That was a fine effort and study in the different voices that guitars, of relativly the same size, can have.

When I heard that among the three was a maple, I kind of puckered. I am knee-deep in a maple OM build with Max Spohn. If I was not enamored of the Dove, I might end up chewing my toenails tonight. Fortunately, no chewing will be necessary. The sound of your Dove is the sound I had in mind when I chose that tonewood for my build.

I think it is notoriously difficult to use words to describe the voice of a guitar. Gary, you used the word "bright." It is the one most often invoked when a maple guitar is involved. I would say the Dove was, to my ear, the most articulate, with the most space between the notes. Airy and even effervescent. Like champagne. I thought the note decay was perfect for the tonality. An impressive balance among the strings, with none dominating. The Dove would be my first choice. The Martin and Collings were very capable guitars, but not, to my ears, notable among other very capable guitars of that ilk.

That said, of course, you are comparing not just three tonewoods, but three different manufacturers. And, so, the differences that we may ascribe to the tone woods might more appropriately be attributed to the houses from which they came.

In any event, I enjoyed the comparison and thank you for making the effort.

David

Hi David, Thanks for such an eloquent synopsis and case study of this comparison and contrast. I agree using the word "bright" is too limiting and unfair. There is more complexity to the nuances of sound. Articulate is an excellent word. I also agree there is a wonderful sense of space string-to-string and note-to-note. My wife listened and took issue with that space but as a musician, I found it refreshing and sweet. I still hear a nice balance and blend of all things. The notes congeal to form a musical symphony especially with harmonically complex chords. The sustain and resonance is excellent without exhibiting overbearing overtones that are overly reverberant like some rosewood guitars. I'm enjoying this Maple dread!

[SalFromChatham]

Great exercise! Thanks for the video. I like the Martin and Gibson best, and was shocked how thin the Collings sounded…

Playing those different styles was a great value to a guitar shopping listener. The Dove sequence at 14:00 is fantastic. Deliberate1 said so well what I wish I could have written. Well maybe except the toenail part.

[mondoslug]

Beauties...congrats! The Gibson's got Lights on it correct?

[Groberts]

Originally Posted by mondoslug

Beauties...congrats! The Gibson's got Lights on it correct?

Yes the strings are Gibson light gauge.

[Deliberate1]

Originally Posted by Groberts

Hi David, Thanks for such an eloquent synopsis and case study of this comparison and contrast.

Gary, thanks for your kind words and again for sharing the project. As I was thinking about your response, and agreement that the word "articulate" is an apt one for the Dove, which provides some breathing room among the notes, I had a bit of an epiphany.

I have played guitar for only four years. But I have been a classical/jazz winds player all my life (mostly). Playing single note, melodic instruments all these years has tuned my ear to hearing one note at a time, no matter how fast they are played in sequence. I remember, after striking my first chord on a guitar, how amazed I was with the sound, and was even giddy over the notion that multiple notes can be sounded simultaneously as a single musical unit. But, even when I am listening or playing chordal music, I think I am tending to hear individual notes. Perhaps that is why I have gravitated to fingerstyle, Americana music. And your lovely Dove. I confess that I would struggle to strum through a song. I have never had the urge to play in that fashion, though need to learn to do that. My ears clearly prefer the "melodic" qualites of fingerstyle music. Thanks for helping me shine a light on that. Go Dove!

David