8 Guitars in 10 minutes - Page 2

ukejon · #16 10-25-2019, 06:31 AM

Much fun and those Baraniks do indeed like to sing!

Deft Tungsman · #17 10-25-2019, 07:23 AM

jaymarsch · #18 10-25-2019, 07:55 AM

I finally got a chance to listen to the clips. What a treat! A great group of guitars and each of them had something pleasing to offer. So many different kinds of guitars to choose from these days it is no wonder that you can own a half a dozen guitars and still suffer from GAS!

Thanks again for taking the time to post each of the clips.

Best,
Jayne

Deft Tungsman · #19 10-25-2019, 08:24 AM

Again, general thanks on behalf of Arnaud, Alain and myself to all of you for you interest and support.

Judging from the feedback here and over on our French-language forum, the parlors have generated a ton of interest.

I'm not surprised, for not only do I love my Retreux, but all these small guitars record extremely well. With the mics placed so close to the source (maybe 35-40 cm - 12-15 inches away), the full spectrum from lows to highs is captured with great detail.

Don't forget that the Loef is only a few weeks old. I can't wait to watch it grow into itself over the coming months as Arnaud teaches it how to make music! Another important detail is that his Martin was strung up with very light gauge strings, 10-43, I believe. Only a delicate touch would keep it from buzzing. Next time Arnaud says he'll have the right strings on it (11-47), and then it will really bloom!! Seriously, with that one guitar, you can do it all. What a gem!

I like your question, Tim. Who knows where all our other guitars will be 100 years from now? I'm pretty certain that if they're played and cared for between now and then, then they too will achieve a depth of musicality we cannot yet fathom. They are awesome today, they'll be awesomer in the 22nd century!

In terms of quality of response and haptic transparency, the Claxton comes the closest to that old Martin sweet, lively shimmer, in my view. Part of that is due to its unbelievably light weight, lighter than all of the other guitars (except the Martin), including the pipsqueak parlors. But it also has to do with the way the notes project off the soundboard and fill the room, which is impossible to express in words. No recording of a video, however decent, can fully capture the physical sensation of any particular guitar in your lap as you make noise on it.

And yet, it's that all-encompassing nature of our favorite instrument that makes us want to play in the first place, and to play this rather than that. You hit the nail on the head, Steve. Indeed, Arnaud followed no script, he simply started playing whatever came to mind with the instrument currently sitting on his lap.

At first, for the Claxton and the De Jonge, he tried to do more or less the same thing. Interesting, since in real life, those two guitars have a similar response under the fingers. When the Baraniks came along, he veered off into a classical/Spanish direction, perhaps because the Baraniks have a very quick, powerful response and a lot of sustain/reverb. With the Loef Dread, well, he strummed, of course. Then Alain asked him to do some finger picking, and I'm so glad he did. It showed a different side of the guitar, revealing how much note separation and clarity there is in the midrange. For the parlors, we decided at the last minute to have Arnaud play the same little ditty on all three. The audio results are very representative.

There will be another session of tomfoolery between now and the holiday season. We'll try to make our next installment even better!

One final word of thanks to you, Michael Watts. With your video tutorial on recording solo acoustic guitar in mind, I had no problem laying down great tracks with minimal fuss and negligible set-up/break-down time.

Cheers!