The way sound morphs from day to day

Tannin · #1 05-07-2021, 06:05 PM

In this thread, J-Doug wonders if he is strange the way he admires his guitars,l and the consensus answer is clearly "no, not strange". Along the way, Rev Roy says:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Sometimes I just pause in my playing and smile because I’m in awe of the sweet tone my guitars are capable of. Not to mention the superb craftsmanship...

Now there is a thing. Like many of us here, I am blessed to have several very fine guitars, and play them every day. They are all good 'uns, yet on any given day one will usually stand out and I'll find myself thinking "Wow! The others sound nice enough but this guitar is just the sweetest thing of all."

Yesterday it was the Messiah. Not for the first time as I played it, I found myself wondering why I bother having those other guitars around the place when this one is head and shoulders the best of the lot. I can pick then all up in rotation, enjoy each on its own terms, but one just speaks to me in a way the others don't.

But that was Friday. On Thursday I kept coming back to the Angel, the best guitar I own. (At least it was on Friday.)

And on Tuesday and Wednesday, it was the Thunderhawk which made the other four seem a bit pointless.

And so on.

I don't think it's the guitars themselves, or the strings, or the humidity, or anything else you can put your finger on. I think it's just the mood of the day. Yesterday, those rich, rosewood tones of the Messiah were what I wanted to hear. Those tones filled a hole to overflowing that the other guitars were only filling three parts full. Today, who knows? Maybe the Doctor, or possibly even the 12-string, though the 12-string tends not to get so much time in the sunshine as the other four (largely because I'm still not very good at playing it).

Do we all do this? Fall in love with one of our guitars today, a different one the next day?

zmf · #2 05-07-2021, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tannin

Do we all do this? Fall in love with one of our guitars today, a different one the next day?

Maybe that's why I decide to definitely sell off a guitar, but invariably change my mind.

Bob from Brooklyn · #3 05-07-2021, 06:27 PM

Absolutely. When I'm debating a new guitar I like to test-drive it several time. There are a ton of variables involved, mood being one of them.

The Bard Rocks · #4 05-07-2021, 08:30 PM

You sound fickle.

but one's likes are affected by the music selected, which side of the bed you got out of, what happens to you during the day, the acoustics of the room you play in, weather,... - so it's not just the guitar's sound/ that probably changes the least among the various factors.

alnico5 · #5 05-07-2021, 08:53 PM

I have played gigs in the past where the first night my guitar sounds wonderful. The next night I go back and stand in the same place and play the same equipment with the same band and it does not sound quite wonderful.

This can also apply at home by myself. This is proof to me that changing equipment is a crock. Any equipment is going to do this. I am hearing differently. The equipment is not changing.

BluesKing777 · #6 05-07-2021, 09:13 PM

Some guitars like 70 degrees F, 50% humidity.

Others......???

BluesKing777.

Goodallboy · #7 05-07-2021, 09:26 PM

I don't experience this at all with acoustic guitars. If they sound great one day, they consistently sound that way.

But not with electric guitars, go figure. That tone is an elusive changeling.

Robin, Wales · #8 05-08-2021, 03:49 AM

Solved - Just own one guitar (or have very specific jobs for each guitar you own with no overlap, if you have more than one).

Any day to day changes in tone etc are then either going to be down to atmospherics or, more likely, you. And that's a good thing - as it shows just how much of you there is in your guitar's tone.

If you have just one guitar then there are no favourites. It is just a case of "Well, you and me are just going to have to get along buddy!" on the bad days!!!

zeeway · #9 05-08-2021, 04:45 AM

Perhaps on some days, you need a Messiah...and on other days, you need an Angel to guide you....Just sayin’.

Dru Edwards · #10 05-08-2021, 04:55 AM

Once you eliminate the environmental aspects, such as humidity, we realize that our ears can be fickle creatures that hear things differently even within the same day.

ruger9 · #11 05-08-2021, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Solved - Just own one guitar (or have very specific jobs for each guitar you own with no overlap, if you have more than one).

Any day to day changes in tone etc are then either going to be down to atmospherics or, more likely, you. And that's a good thing - as it shows just how much of you there is in your guitar's tone.

If you have just one guitar then there are no favourites. It is just a case of "Well, you and me are just going to have to get along buddy!" on the bad days!!!

haha yes- this is the answer. I sometimes long to have only 1 acoustic and 1 electric, and also just 1 amplifier, so I can stop with all the gear thoughts and tonal musings, and just get on with it LOL.

jp2558 · #12 05-08-2021, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alnico5

I have played gigs in the past where the first night my guitar sounds wonderful. The next night I go back and stand in the same place and play the same equipment with the same band and it does not sound quite wonderful.

This can also apply at home by myself. This is proof to me that changing equipment is a crock. Any equipment is going to do this. I am hearing differently. The equipment is not changing.

I've noticed this too, very often in fact. My conclusion is that the atmospheric elements have changed (temperature, humidity etc), along with my personal 'aura' (for lack of a better way of describing human temperament/emotion/general attitude) on any given day.