Spruce or Cedar, can you tell which is which

[Eucatastrophe]

Originally Posted by TBman

No, the cedar has new Elixirs on it and the spruce has Pierre Bensusan DADGAD mediums which are 3 months old, but not 3 months of playing time, more like half that.



The first guitar is the Furch cedar and the second my Avalon which is spruce topped.



Your question highlights the reality that any guitar comparison is heavily dependent on the string type and age.



A real guitar comparison would have to have the same strings put on the guitars within the same hour and have the same amount of playing time on them and the same type of playing.



When I was doing the recordings it was the first time I had played the Furch and and the Avalon together and I was surprised how mellow the Avalon sounded in comparison to the Furch. Its all in the strings.



The recordings were made with a Zoom H5 with its built in mics.



I guess I really should change the Avalon's strings

Ok ok. Tricked again haha! I was trying to guess based on the comparison. However based on other Cedar topped Furch recordings I have heard, I can totally hear that in Guitar 1.

Guess we need another blind test with new strings on that Avalon

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by TBman

No, the cedar has new Elixirs on it and the spruce has Pierre Bensusan DADGAD mediums which are 3 months old, but not 3 months of playing time, more like half that.

The first guitar is the Furch cedar and the second my Avalon which is spruce topped.

Your question highlights the reality that any guitar comparison is heavily dependent on the string type and age.

A real guitar comparison would have to have the same strings put on the guitars within the same hour and have the same amount of playing time on them and the same type of playing.

When I was doing the recordings it was the first time I had played the Furch and and the Avalon together and I was surprised how mellow the Avalon sounded in comparison to the Furch. Its all in the strings.

The recordings were made with a Zoom H5 with its built in mics.

I guess I really should change the Avalon's strings

Yep, that’s pretty much what I thought when I voted (1) cedar and (2) spruce. The strings on (2) sound ‘old’ in comparison with (1), I’m astonished no-one else heard that (or, if they did, they didn’t comment on it).

[LakewoodM32Fan]

Just caught up to this thread.

Cedar in general tends to be warmer and has less headroom than spruce. However if the cedar is strung with Elixirs...well let me just say that most of my guitars strung with Elixirs sound like...Elixirs. Not familiar with the other brand you strung the others with, and being 3 months old will definitely dull the sound (which is why I was surprised going back and forth they both sounded fairly close).

Also cedar headroom is revealed with strumming, especially when one really digs in.

If you want to really put us through the "can you tell tonewood tops to the test" I'd say string with the same non-coated string of the same age (i.e. D'addario EJ16s which are pretty ubiquitous and inexpensive) and give us some strumming passages. I find EJ16s don't need to settle in very much, so you could record fairly quickly after restringing and stretching them out.

[raysd]

I won, I won, I won!!! Wait. What did I win?

Might have to try out those P. B. DADGAD strings.

[M19]

IMO, I can't think of more different sounding sets of strings (in the trebles) than Elixirs and Wyres PB DADGADs.

Originally Posted by TBman

No, the cedar has new Elixirs on it and the spruce has Pierre Bensusan DADGAD mediums which are 3 months old, but not 3 months of playing time, more like half that.

The first guitar is the Furch cedar and the second my Avalon which is spruce topped.

Your question highlights the reality that any guitar comparison is heavily dependent on the string type and age.

A real guitar comparison would have to have the same strings put on the guitars within the same hour and have the same amount of playing time on them and the same type of playing.

When I was doing the recordings it was the first time I had played the Furch and and the Avalon together and I was surprised how mellow the Avalon sounded in comparison to the Furch. Its all in the strings.

The recordings were made with a Zoom H5 with its built in mics.

I guess I really should change the Avalon's strings

[TBman]

Originally Posted by M19

IMO, I can't think of more different sounding sets of strings (in the trebles) than Elixirs and Wyres PB DADGADs.

The Elixirs are 12, 16 and 24 the Wyres are 13, 17 and 23.

[Scotso]

How about a "fair" comparison??? Otherwise...why play?

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Scotso

How about a "fair" comparison??? Otherwise...why play?

I was asking myself that too before I posted the thread and I thought some might find it informative/interesting that the sound of tone woods can get totally thrown off by the age of the strings. Its totally useless what I did in one way and in another way its reality.

I bought a cedar topped guitar because all the research I did indicated it would be on the mellow side. Well, compared to what?

[LakewoodM32Fan]

IME Elixirs make every guitar sound like 75% elixirs and 25% the guitar.

[Cri75!]

Originally Posted by LakewoodM32Fan

IME Elixirs make every guitar sound like 75% elixirs and 25% the guitar.

....mmm, this make me think... Probably I will never buy Elixirs strings [emoji16].
Re-thinking, there was something non convincing in the guitar 1 as a spruce ones, but the guitar 2 sounded too “not spruce” at my ears.
Peculiar and interesting comparison, thanks.

[Bain]

I have the same Furch guitar and I really thought No2 was the Furch cedar , it sounded just like mine , I have ej16 on it about a month old .....

[kizz]

I voted 1.Cedar 2. Spruce, because nr 2 has a more tight sound, 1 less tight to my ears..

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by TBman

I was asking myself that too before I posted the thread and I thought some might find it informative/interesting that the sound of tone woods can get totally thrown off by the age of the strings. Its totally useless what I did in one way and in another way its reality.

I bought a cedar topped guitar because all the research I did indicated it would be on the mellow side. Well, compared to what?

I completely agree with you Barry. It is reality! When we pick up a guitar to play it is what it is. And so much of the tone you get is in your hands. I bet that if I played my repertoire in my normal playing style on either of those guitars that folks would swear that I was playing a different instrument.

Well done on bringing some reality to the tone debate.

[Andyrondack]

Originally Posted by TBman

I was asking myself that too before I posted the thread and I thought some might find it informative/interesting that the sound of tone woods can get totally thrown off by the age of the strings. Its totally useless what I did in one way and in another way its reality.

I bought a cedar topped guitar because all the research I did indicated it would be on the mellow side. Well, compared to what?

Compared to all other things being equal, that's how comparisons are usually made otherwise it becomes a meaningless exercise.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Bain

I have the same Furch guitar and I really thought No2 was the Furch cedar , it sounded just like mine , I have ej16 on it about a month old .....

I have some EJ17's that I might put on it. I also have a set of Laurence Juber Martin Retros (nickle) 13-56 in inventory. I'll have the guitar in DADGAD and lower tunings.