What Is The Best Tone You’ve Heard?

[j.blay]

I've played two that, in a different way, I like as well as the one I own pictured below. They were both hand built, on consignment at a locally owned guitar store. One was another Jake Robinson and the other some other local builder.

Mine is a Jake Robinson SJ with a lightly braced Bearclaw Sitka top and Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. Sometimes I just sit in a quiet room, lean back with my eyes closed, and bare finger pick slowly to soak in the tones, overtones and sustain of each note. Pure joy. There is no recording that can duplicate that experience.

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[H165]

What is the best sounding guitar you’ve ever heard?

This is both opinion and subjective. For me it's an X-braced, scalloped, 14-fret neck on a 12-fret D body. Adirodak over Indian Rosewood.

Was it a guitar you’ve owned?

Yes, briefly.

[Honkycat]

Originally Posted by H165

This is both opinion and subjective. For me it's an X-braced, scalloped, 14-fret neck on a 12-fret D body. Adirodak over Indian Rosewood.



Yes, briefly.

Dolphin bracing?

[TDavis]

Sounds weird…but I still think about a particular Collings OM1 With a baked Sitka top played years ago at a local shop. Absolutely amazing…but way too expensive for my budget then. If I’d had the money…or could’ve figured out a way to get it without committing a crime, it would have come home with me.

[OPJ77]

Originally Posted by j.blay

I've played two that, in a different way, I like as well as the one I own pictured below. They were both hand built, on consignment at a locally owned guitar store. One was another Jake Robinson and the other some other local builder.

Mine is a Jake Robinson SJ with a lightly braced Bearclaw Sitka top and Old Growth Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. Sometimes I just sit in a quiet room, lean back with my eyes closed, and bare finger pick slowly to soak in the tones, overtones and sustain of each note. Pure joy. There is no recording that can duplicate that experience.

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That is some of the prettiest tone wood I have ever seen.

[OPJ77]

Originally Posted by FLRon

During a very difficult time in my life and I was guitar-less for a while, someone loaned me an older J-45 for about a year. Hands down the best all around sounding guitar I can remember hearing. One day I came home from work to find he had come by to get it. To say I was heartbroken would be a huge understatement.

I can’t tell if he is a good friend for loaning it or a bad friend for taking it unannounced. What was the first guitar you acquired after?

[VoidBringer]

My 2021 Martin D18, of course!

Light as a feather. It vibrates your ribcage as you play. Close your eyes and the guitar disappears, leaving only a beautiful tone. I can’t stop thinking about it. Ugh

[Nymuso]

Originally Posted by 4-string

My Martin OM-28V still does it for me, every single time I play it.

Tommy Emmanuel live had a really great sound as well, augmented going through that PA of course, but definitely the best amplified acoustic guitar I have ever heard.

Agreed. When I saw him live I was amazed at the fullness and clarity of the sound. He is extremely open about everything related to his playing, and I saw the Rig Rundown video in which he explains his signal chain. What? That’s it?! Yup. That’s it. Well, except for Tommy’s hands of course.

[Methos1979]

I can't really say a particular recorded guitar since most (when done well) sound incredible. Even most well done YouTube demo videos sound incredible. Now, played in person (or owned, if lucky) is a different story. The first time I wandered into The Music Emporium several years ago I spent the better part of an afternoon playing dozens of high-end boutique guitars as I was in the market. I played just about everything they had in there including Bourgeois, Collings, Huss & Dalton, Santa Cruz, Goodall, and Lowden as well as high-end Martin and Taylors and vintage Martins. Lots of really great sounding guitars. Of everything played, the Santa Cruz guitars by far sounded the best to me.

Right at the end I spied this little used 14-fret burst model with no name but just a logo on the headstock that I didn't recognise. It was sitting all alone on a stand in the corner like it was forgotten about. I picked it up a played it. The tone was otherworldly. I checked the tag and it was a Froggy Bottom H14 with Brazilian back and sides. It also had a $15k price tag! Needless to say, I very carefully and gently placed it back on the stand and slowly backed away with my hand 'guarding' my back pants pocket so as to keep my wallet from spontaneously leaping out and throwing itself at the counter. But I always remembered that guitar and it became my 'someday' retirement guitar.

[lowrider]

Best tone I've heard, right here;



I've only had it for a week, but this is true love!

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Acoustic: A Triggs 19" Master 400 cutaway archtop (a true "Swiss Army" guitar if there ever was one, and well worth the $7100 asking price in the early-2K's) and a first-batch '37 D-18 Authentic that my normally-jaded, guitar-playing wife aptly described as "mind-blowing" - both at MandoBros, and the latter of which found its way into the late Stan Jay's personal stash...

When I lived in Kansas Jim's shop was about 20 minutes down the road from me. The only thing I could even hope to afford at the time though was a Custom A mandolin.

[H165]

Dolphin bracing?

Yep; bottlenose to be exact.

[DBW]

I think the tone of my 000-18 is really outstanding. My girlfriend likes the tone of my 000-15SM the best. I haven't heard any that sound any better to me but I have heard some that sound worse.

[L20A]

I have a slightly different perspective on this topic.
I have heard a few amazing sounding guitars that I was fortunate enough to be able to play myself.

What I found was that in the hands of the owner, the guitar was fantastic.
In my hands the guitar was very good.

[CASD57]

It's always my current guitar