Which of these two sounds better to YOU?

[raysachs]

OK, I've got two guitars here that I've been A-B'ing. They're both mahogany B&S, Adirondack spruce tops. Same scale, same strings on both, similar age of the strings. Each sample is about 1:10 in length. I recorded both using the Spire Studio with it's built in condenser mic. Both at the same position and distance to the mic. I did a separate sound check on both, and the Spire seemed to record the second guitar slightly quieter, so to even things out, raise the volume slightly for the second guitar. And please let me know which sounds better to you, which you'd guess was the significantly more expensive guitar, any other impressions. Let's just call them the first guitar and the second guitar.

Thanks much,

-Ray

[rmp]

hey Ray,

I'm going with the first one, there's a warmer voice in that one I find a bit more pleasing to the ear which the other seems to not have.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by rmp

hey Ray,

I'm going with the first one, there's a warmer voice in that one I find a bit more pleasing to the ear which the other seems to not have.

Thanks man. Register that in the poll if you would. I'll share what the guitars are, and my own impression in a few days or when there's enough feedback to see any trends emerge...

-Ray

[MBee]

I prefer the first one as well. Although the second one has better string to string separation, it sounds more jangly to my ears, with less sustain. The first one provides more of a "wall of sound" impression: warmer, better sustain, more overtones. Maybe #2 would be better for punchy, fingerstyle blues?

[KevinH]

Definitely the first one for me. The second one sounded a little thin.

[upsidedown]

I suspect it's the less expensive guitar, but the second has better note separation than the first which, by comparison sounds a little muddy to my ear. I'd like to hear the same recordings a little less "in the red" to make an informed decision though.

[airborne1]

The first one.

[Bridgepin]

Hi Ray,

I like the tone of the first guitar, a bit warmer with a bit more bottom end.

Not to say that the second guitar wasn't pleasing for it was, and I could see that in certain performance applications I would like to use the the second.

Thanks for posting Ray.

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by upsidedown

I suspect it's the less expensive guitar, but the second has better note separation than the first which, by comparison sounds a little muddy to my ear. I'd like to hear the same recordings a little less "in the red" to make an informed decision though.

Interesting. The Spire Studio has a self-leveling feature which sets the sound level automatically after you play or sing into it. It set both of these using the same process, but it did result in less volume for the second guitar for whatever reason. Interesting that you find them "in the red" - maybe that's a flaw in the automatic level setting. Or maybe I was just too close to the mic, though the same with both guitars... It also seems to record with a bit of reverb added, which is probably a good thing in the carpeted room I record in...

-Ray

[hovishead]

Number 1 sounded better to me. More balanced sound to my ears.

The first one sounded very Gibson J-45ish.

[Sadie-f]

reserving that when I get home and can listen with my better headphones and change my mind (I voted iac), I'm gonna say I like #2 for what felt like pretty rich harmonics through the midrange which is generally what I like .. so it's personal. I agree with other comments that 2 has some thinness going on.

I'll add when I record to really hear tone, I'm using nothing less than an SM-81, and that the problem with recording is while I get recordings that I like a lot, they do not sound the same as the guitar sounds as I'm playing - same when I mic a cabinet playing an electric.

Here's what keeps me from preferring 1, it's a little on the boomy side, and when you reveal, I'm looking forward to which you like better in the room vs on the recording?

[edit]
Also, clearly there's no accounting for taste, about a week ago I played a 1945 OO-18 a/b against a brand new SCGC mahogany OM, liked the newer guitar lots - the Martin had some points in its favor for sure, however if I had the choice, it would be the SCGC .. it was also about 1/3 less expensive.

[Horsehockey]

My preference is number one. Number two sounded a little top-heavy to me assuming top-heavy means heavy on the bass.

The other thing I would note is that I started listening on my iPad and being a clueless boomer didn’t realize that my iPods were linked to my phone. For anyone rendering an opinion on this I would encourage you to use headphones or iPods.

Thanks for doing this Ray. I don’t know why but this sound test was clearer for me to analyze or to opine on than most of these comparisons I’ve listened to.

[bigbang]

I voted for 1 as the better sounding in that particular recording. 2 was far too bright for me in this instance. Using cheap senny hd280 headphones.

[JackC1]

Usually I suck at these compares; but this one was easy for me: I like the first guitar. It sounded more balanced and in-tune (after hearing the first one, I thought the second guitar wasn't tuned right). I look forward to seeing what each guitar is. Thanks!

[jaymarsch]

I definitely preferred the first guitar. It had a more integrated, warm yet still articulate tone. The second was too brash and jangly sounding to my ear and notes were crashing into one another - and not in a good way. :-) Granted, some folks like that sound and that sound can work for certain styles. I’ll vote in the poll when I’m next on my laptop.
Best,
Jayne