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  #1  
Old 07-04-2017, 04:54 PM
Mkel12 Mkel12 is offline
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Default Guitar Materials Sound Comparison

https://soundcloud.com/mike-kelly-4/...one-comparison

I thought I would post a quick comparison of guitar materials' impact on tone, as demonstrated by playing three short clips on three different guitars made of different materials. The materials and guitars:

ekoa - 2017 Blackbird Savoy O size guitar
carbon fiber - 2015 Blackbird Lucky 13 OO size guitar
wood - 2005 taylor 814ce grand auditorium size guitar

All guitars recorded using a Rode NT4 stereo microphone into Logic Pro. All were mic'd at the same distance and position, using the same volume settings. The recordings were made within 60 minutes of each other, minimizing ambient condition variables, but also resulting in some fat fingers in spots!

If you are interested, I suggest using headphones to hear the differences! ~ Mike

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Old 07-04-2017, 05:01 PM
kramster kramster is offline
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Cool beans... thanks kind sir... very nice playing indeed... anyone you know?
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Last edited by kramster; 07-04-2017 at 05:06 PM.
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Old 07-04-2017, 05:18 PM
Mkel12 Mkel12 is offline
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Originally Posted by kramster View Post
Cool beans... thanks kind sir... very nice playing indeed... anyone you know?
Thank you Mr. Kramster! Know him well.. a guitar playin' old retiree that has time to do silly stuff like this!
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Old 07-04-2017, 06:10 PM
Frettingflyer Frettingflyer is offline
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Mike,
Thanks for the comparison. Realizing the limitations of listening to recordings I still found the Savoy very impressive, and it is nice to compare it to the Lucky, which I have played if a couple years ago. I have owned many Taylors and actually probably liked that better over all, but I own 2 CF guitars as I travel weekly and am considering a Blackbird next, and of course there really isn't anywhere to play a Savoy right now, so thanks again,
Dave
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Old 07-04-2017, 06:20 PM
Mkel12 Mkel12 is offline
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Originally Posted by Frettingflyer View Post
Mike,
Thanks for the comparison. Realizing the limitations of listening to recordings I still found the Savoy very impressive, and it is nice to compare it to the Lucky, which I have played if a couple years ago. I have owned many Taylors and actually probably liked that better over all, but I own 2 CF guitars as I travel weekly and am considering a Blackbird next, and of course there really isn't anywhere to play a Savoy right now, so thanks again,
Dave
My pleasure Dave! Thanks for the feedback. Now that I have both, I would have a hard time choosing between the Savoy and the Lucky 13. Playability and tone is very different on each. ~ Mike
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Old 07-04-2017, 06:21 PM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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Nice playing, Mike! I put on my Bose headphones and listened to it a couple times.

My ranking:
1st - Taylor 814
Very close 2nd - the e-koa Savoy
3rd - the L13

A fine job with the recording. Size matters, with the 814 being larger than the other two, but the Savoy competes well; and both composite guitars show that they stand up well vs wood.

Thank you for taking the time to record and post this.
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Old 07-04-2017, 06:23 PM
Mkel12 Mkel12 is offline
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Originally Posted by Captain Jim View Post
Nice playing, Mike! I put on my Bose headphones and listened to it a couple times.

My ranking:
1st - Taylor 814
Very close 2nd - the e-koa Savoy
3rd - the L13

A fine job with the recording. Size matters, with the 814 being larger than the other two, but the Savoy competes well; and both composite guitars show that they stand up well vs wood.

Thank you for taking the time to record and post this.
Thanks Captain Jim! Yes, the 814 is a bigger beast, and you can really hear it in the recording.
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Old 07-04-2017, 07:12 PM
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Acousticado Acousticado is offline
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Good of you to do this, Mike. I listened a few times with just Apple ear buds. Of course, there's much more to a fair comparison than the build materials, but that said, I preferred the Savoy, followed by the Taylor (I own an 814c), then the Lucky. The Savoy sounds impressive. This now causes me to wonder how the El Capitan sounds compared to it.
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Old 07-04-2017, 07:14 PM
Doubleneck Doubleneck is offline
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Very nice playing and interesting comparisons. Wood is most pleasing to me and I would choose carbon next, but I'm used to the clean carbon sound.
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Old 07-04-2017, 07:18 PM
Mkel12 Mkel12 is offline
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Thanks Tom and Doubleneck! Tom - I have played several El Capitans and, for some reason, they didn't move me like the L13 and the Savoy. But each one is different, so I am not ruling out snagging an El Capitan at some point.
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Old 07-05-2017, 12:36 AM
steelvibe steelvibe is offline
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Love them all! Each has its own charm- thanks for taking the time to do this. Your playing is very nice as well.
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Old 07-05-2017, 04:27 AM
Doubleneck Doubleneck is offline
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I think this also demonstrates that certain styles are best with certain types of guitars. The "Heart of Gold" at the beginning I think really benefits from the larger Taylor soundboard. Being a Neil Young fan I've noticed that my Slope Shouldered Dred is really the best at that booming palm mute. Fingerstyle the guitars are much closer, but wood still the most pleasing to me, the X20 would be fascinating here because of its larger size and the skill and different styles that are played here.

Another thought is it seems to me Carbon can have its own sound which I like, EKoa seems to bend closer to wood?
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Last edited by Doubleneck; 07-05-2017 at 06:54 AM.
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Old 07-05-2017, 07:18 AM
Mkel12 Mkel12 is offline
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Originally Posted by steelvibe View Post
Love them all! Each has its own charm- thanks for taking the time to do this. Your playing is very nice as well.
Thanks for the kind words Sean. I enjoyed the process.
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Old 07-05-2017, 07:25 AM
Mkel12 Mkel12 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doubleneck View Post
I think this also demonstrates that certain styles are best with certain types of guitars. The "Heart of Gold" at the beginning I think really benefits from the larger Taylor soundboard. Being a Neil Young fan I've noticed that my Slope Shouldered Dred is really the best at that booming palm mute. Fingerstyle the guitars are much closer, but wood still the most pleasing to me, the X20 would be fascinating here because of its larger size and the skill and different styles that are played here.

Another thought is it seems to me Carbon can have its own sound which I like, EKoa seems to bend closer to wood?
Great observations Steve. I agree. That's why I choose three passages reflecting three different playing styles... (1) Strumming/chunking/muting, (2) single note runs/arpeggios, and (3) syncopated finger style. Each of these guitars excels in its own way. My newest addition, the Savoy, is a like a Swiss Army Knife. Amazing playability for fingerstyle, yet woody enough to chunk out some old Neil Young stuff. It is the quintessential couch guitar... small enough to keep close by and grab when inspiration hits, and pretty much impervious to the elements.

Last edited by Mkel12; 07-06-2017 at 11:16 PM. Reason: Added text
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  #15  
Old 07-05-2017, 09:39 AM
mercy mercy is offline
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Taylor 1st then Savoy with CF last
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