#46
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When it comes to guitars, change is change. Better to you, worse to me. Like single malt that tastes like burnt dirt? Me too.
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2007 Martin D 35 Custom 1970 Guild D 35 1965 Epiphone Texan 2011 Santa Cruz D P/W Pono OP 30 D parlor Pono OP12-30 Pono MT uke Goldtone Paul Beard squareneck resophonic Fluke tenor ukulele Boatload of home rolled telecasters "Shut up and play ur guitar" Frank Zappa |
#47
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Quote:
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#48
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I invest in quality guitars that sound and play they way I want them to.
I mostly use Elixir strings because I like the way they sound over a long period of time. I use Dunlop .68 Tortex picks. I'll experiment a "little" bit with strings and picks, but not much. I purchased my electric guitars and amps for the sound they already have. Done. |
#49
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I had a young friend years ago who was into the audiofile thing. It was at a time when I was doing live shows and learning recording engineering and mixing etc. We had allot of time to waste together at our job and I ended up talking him out of the audiofile obsession. A recording is a fantasy like a movie. Bands don't sound that way on stage and no matter what an audiofiles wire connections are made of it won't change the mics and connection materials of the wires used to record the band. I could go on. It's a fine hobby and I'm an eternal skeptic.
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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 |
#50
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I agree. Unless you get conclusive results from a double-blind ABX test, it can be wishful thinking and confirmation bias. Most folks don't even do a single blind AB but convince themselves they can hear the difference anyway.
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#51
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Patrick 2012 Martin HD-28V 1984 Martin Shenandoah D-2832 2018 Gretsch G5420TG Oscar Schmidt Autoharp, unknown vintage ToneDexter Bugera V22 Infinium |
#52
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But folks who don't then start claiming "there are things you can hear but can't measure... this test doesn't tell the whole story." Personally, I think they are fooling only themselves. |
#53
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"I spent $150 for this cable, so it must sound better!"
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Patrick 2012 Martin HD-28V 1984 Martin Shenandoah D-2832 2018 Gretsch G5420TG Oscar Schmidt Autoharp, unknown vintage ToneDexter Bugera V22 Infinium |
#54
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If someone believes that "improvements" have helped in their guitar, guitar playing, or in their audio equipment, or whatever, then it might be worth the money if that "improvement" leads to more enjoyment and more playing time! I have had plenty of nice guitars over the years and some of them have been great and others just not my style, but for the ones I believed to be improvements, I think they started to inspire me and make me better. Is it the placebo effect? Maybe.. You could say that. But, the effect is still there and is tangible. Perhaps the cause is made up, but the effect maintains an aura of reality that we can't dismiss. The cause - the "improved" guitar and the effect - getting better. Maybe the guitar was NOT better. But the effect of making me a better player could still be very real.
In this way, "improvements" might just be what we need to do something that we might not have done otherwise. Is that bad? It could be... On the other hand... Do whatever it takes to make you enjoy whatever you do in life (as long as it doesn't bankrupt you in the process)!! There are likely tons of psychological studies on this in the marketing literature. I could play the same songs on any of my guitars, but I still buy new guitars and they always get me thinking things like "hey, I could try that different style as this guitar would be perfect for it"! My opinion.. Martin
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***************************** Gibson L-00 Standard 2018 Yamaha FS5 2020 Gibson J-45 Standard 2020 |
#55
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Thanks for this. Ethan always amazes me.
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#56
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I like tube gear of all kinds. Especially like 50s jazz recordings. I think records made with tube gear, and mixed for tube gear, sound better on tube gear. The ear likes the pleasing harmonic distortion natural to tubes. Some don't, hence the endless debate.
My uncle worked for the National Institute of Health. He told me in proven studies, the human ear can not hear distortion of 2% or less. Any hi fi amplifier since 1955 or more probably 1948, can meet those specs. It is the nature of business to need to create demand, so everyone needs to have new fresh products. Fender needed to make the Blackface amp to replace the tweed. Then they needed to replace that with silverface. How many would say that was an improvement today. In the acoustic guitar world, we see Gibson feeling the need to call a rosewood slope a J 45. Absurd. You may like these or not. Sometimes change is necessary to survive, like the mid 60s into the 70s era of the robust build. They had to stop the warranty nightmare from customers not knowing how to properly care for their guitars. Some change can be said to be better, like clean air, but most products are subject to subjective opinion. Any guitar company needs to create desire. They would go broke selling you a lifetime guitar.
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2007 Martin D 35 Custom 1970 Guild D 35 1965 Epiphone Texan 2011 Santa Cruz D P/W Pono OP 30 D parlor Pono OP12-30 Pono MT uke Goldtone Paul Beard squareneck resophonic Fluke tenor ukulele Boatload of home rolled telecasters "Shut up and play ur guitar" Frank Zappa |
#57
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My takeaway is this:
1. If a cable meets specs it should work. 2. A more expensive cable won't make things sound better, but a defective cable, or one that doesn't meet specs, can make things sound worse. 3. Better cables may include higher-quality connectors, better shielding, better outer insulation to resist cuts, scrapes, etc., but they won't make things sound better. 4. Over-priced miracle cables are likely a scam.
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Patrick 2012 Martin HD-28V 1984 Martin Shenandoah D-2832 2018 Gretsch G5420TG Oscar Schmidt Autoharp, unknown vintage ToneDexter Bugera V22 Infinium |
#58
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Quote:
But once you call them 'interconnects', all bets are off
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Martin 0-16NY Emerald Amicus Emerald X20 Cordoba Stage Some of my tunes: https://youtube.com/user/eatswodo |