How many of you compare your guitars, back to back?

[Brooklyn Bob]

I have about 4-5 guitars in heavy rotation. I pretty much play a couple of hours every night and I will randomly pull out 2 of them and go back and forth running through my repertoire. Over time I know which songs sound better on a particular guitar. It's fun and I'm blessed to be able to do it.

[Skip Ellis]

Nope - I have two acoustic guitars - both Sitka/mahogany and they each have their own unique sound so no need to compare. The Martin 000-18 is used for certain things and the Brook Torridge is used for certain things. No need to compare - apples and oranges.

[The Bard Rocks]

It's a fun thing to do once in a while. Mostly I do it when something new arrives and I want to learn all about it and how it compares to my others, to see where it fits in and where it shines brightest.

[rokdog49]

All three of mine do different things musically and I’m happy they don’t sound similar in any respect.

[Mr. Paul]

I'll do it when learning a song to see which of my handful of guitars suits that particular tune the best. Usually I have a good idea going in but I'm often surprised. To me that is the big fun of having choices.

Recently I picked up a second 00 size guitar (Collings 001-T) with the intention of comparing it to the one I have (Martin 00-17 A) and keeping the favorite. Never done this before ... just yesterday I changed my mind 4 times. Fun but I thought for sure there would be a clear favorite by now!

[bobster7]

I love comparing the tone of my guitars, they are all strung with the same strings so it affords a respectable comparison. I love comparing the Gibson with the H&D as people often liken then to one another based on looks. They are arguably the two guitars with the most prominent differences in tone and feel amongst all of my guitars!

[Mandobart]

This is one reason I've never wanted two "same" guitars. All of mine are very different from each other. There's no point in comparing between an HD-28, a 12 string Ovation, an Altamira Sel-Mac copy, a spider bridge wood bodied resonator, an archtop and a 6-string banjo. I play and enjoy each one.

[PajamasMusic]

I used to more than I do now, but now days perhaps occasionally, e.g. if I bring home a new guitar or I'm trying to pair a given song with a given guitar to see which one sounds best.

[EZYPIKINS]

So I still didn't hear which one you decided to use on your gig.

[Pura Vida]

I don't A/B my guitars much any more. But each night, I try to pick two different guitars, so I have a variety of sound. In COVID times, I've been playing a little more, so occasionally, I've been getting to a third or even fourth guitar, which is good to make sure they're all getting played. I thought about mixing it up for a few weeks and picking only one guitar per day, so I can dig in a little more (and in the case of my Adi tops, give them more of a chance to warm up!).

[Tnfiddler]

Originally Posted by EZYPIKINS

So I still didn't hear which one you decided to use on your gig.

Gonna be the Bourgeois! Put a new set of DR Strings Veritas mediums on it and it’s time to let it shine.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Tnfiddler

While practicing for an upcoming gig, last night. I decided to play my Bourgeois AT Vintage D Banjo Killer and my Reimagined D41 back to back to see how they compare. I was playing along to the same song, using the same pick, they have the same strings, I was sitting in the exact same position, well trying to do everything the same....

I'll usually do the same thing before a gig if I'm going outside my standard repertoire, or if I'll be playing unplugged or unmiked...

[wguitar]

I agree with "comparing" guitars relative to which one works best for a certain song, style, or whatever. But I see this as more of a "situational" comparison vs. a "competitive" comparison.

In my eyes, a competitive comparison is when you're determining (in your opinion and for your musical aims) if one guitar is better than another one. An example of this might be when you're reducing the herd -- selling one and keeping one.

But in general I know what I like in and expect of a guitar, and I judge each one individually as much as possible.

Cheers!

[TBman]

I've posted a few "which guitar is which" recordings here and its difficult, if not impossible, to choose correctly in a blind test without knowing each guitar personally. Its really a matter of recognizing the sound of an individual guitar, not select it based on what it should sound like.

[paulzoom]

Originally Posted by sayheyjeff

I don’t really think of it as a competition to see which is best. The guitars are pretty different and I like to see how they sound on everything I play. It’s just part of the fun.

Jeff

What he said.