I COMPLETELY disagree with myself about how my guitars sound

[Jim in TC]

It is always a bit disconcerting to argue with yourself, and lose the argument.

As for me, any guitar I try sounds better after the second bourbon.

[Methos1979]

Lol - I've never really noticed this issue on my guitars played unplugged. I did notice very minor changes based on humidity though in that the wood guitars always seemed most alive when the air was drier, say down around 35 RH and a little more dead up over 65 RH. Of course the carbon fiber guitars always sounded the same regardless!

Plugged in is where I would notice phantom changes. I'd get the sound dialed in JUST RIGHT practicing in my living room and the next day it would sound awful. Then I'd start playing with the mixer/EQ/effects and tweak away to get back that perfect tone and end up with all new settings and even then there always seemed to be something missing even when I thought it was sounding pretty good.

Not since going over to the Cole Clarks though. They always sound good plugged in and the only time I mess with the mixer is when I'm dialing in a new room and even very little is needed. Congrats on that Redwood Angel. I remember seeing that one. I love the look of those wide grained Redwood tops but I wanted the stiffness of the Blackwood or I would have likely gone that route myself.

[Mr. Jelly]

I like the term "mercurial". I had to look it up and I agree with it. After many guitar experiences and many musical style excursions it comes down to finding the most acceptable tool for your musical expression. That's a long road. In the end they're just guitars.

[mcduffnw]

Originally Posted by justonwo

...The problem with us AGFers is that we probably spend too much time analyzing tone. Before the internet, I spent very little time stressing over how my (one) guitar sounded.

The absolute truth^^^ for oh so many folks. This is the danger of "The Internet Guitar Forum" and becoming a "Guitar Nerd Tech Weenie" as a very good friend, and guitar player, and self ascribed "guitar nerd tech weenie" likes to say. Most of us have at one time or another wandered to far into these weeds and gotten lost.

The lucky ones find a way back out...the others...

Danger Will Robinson...Danger!!!


duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher/Guitar Nerd Tech Weenie {;-)

[Deliberate1]

I am new to the guitar world - just five months. It sounds just too complicated to own more than one guitar - says the man who just bought his second - Bourgeois Slope D 12 fret. Apparently, I need more complication in my life.

[dwasifar]

I have the same problem. Playing my Taylor for a while makes my Larrivée sound honky and tubby. Playing the Larrivée for a while makes the Taylor sound bass-shy and tinny.

I'm learning to ignore it until I adjust to whatever guitar I'm holding.

[rpguitar]

I enjoy nearly all red wines: Merlot, Cab Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, you get the idea. If I stick to one variety over a couple of weeks, I'll get a bit tired of it and desire a change. So I switch to another variety - easy to do.

Eventually I'll come back to the original variety again and enjoy its unique flavor. I don't permanently stop drinking it!

It's all good. Same for guitars.

And yes, people on forums spend way, way too much time obsessing over pointless minutiae. Most of your tone comes from your technique, which comes from practice and playing, which unfortunately cannot be bought. And in a gigging or recording situation, it's the quality of the musical performance first, always and forever - the minutiae are always irrelevant.

[Joe Beamish]

OP is very insightful indeed.

I am also sometimes gobsmacked by how different a guitar can sound with a new set of strings. Some guitars seem to love it. Others really, really hate it.

I'm like, how is this the same guitar???

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by stringjunky

Better to say: "This is not the right guitar for me today".

Or maybe, "This is not the right guitar for this particular room."

[Spawndn72]

While this isn't really true, I have decided that a guitar sounds like a guitar and I am just going to go with the one that feels the best.

[Shades of Blue]

I love this thread idea, because it is EXACTLY how I feel at times. When I first got my 717, it was the best guitar I'd ever owned. Loved the sound, and couldn't get enough of it in fact. Then, I bought a 517 and it sounded great until I picked up the 717. After a few months, I've flipped and preferred the 517.

Well this past weekend, I am now back to thinking that my 717 is my "end all" guitar and I just don't really need anything else. The 517 goes from sounding punchy and airy to thin and bright. I am crazy...Yes, yes I am...

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by byudzai

.....Tomorrow I bet I could do it all over again and come to all new, completely different conclusions. Guitar sound is a mercurial critter.

Great post and a perfect illustration of how capricious our hearing can be. It is nearly impossible to judge tone well on just one listen. If a guitar strikes my fancy, it takes two or three trips back to decide if it really is a candidate, both in terms of playing feel and sound. When I get down to a final decision, I take one of my best guitars with me to A-B test, so the room doesn't fool my ear. And I have pretty good ears after 35 years in the acoustics business, listening to and diagnosing the sound in rooms.

The times I've regretted a guitar purchase was an impulse buy. Fortunately those have been few and far between.

[1Charlie]

This thread would be funny if it weren't so true.

[RalphH]

Is this a very long-winded justification for owning lots of (as the wife would see it, near-identical) guitars?

[zmf]

Great summary of what we all go through every now and then.

Whenever a guitar doesn't sound great, I just wait until tomorrow.