The Rosewood Blindfold Challenge

[Sonics]

Gibson vs Martin vs Taylor vs Guild vs Yamaha vs Eastman




My top three:

1. Martin
2. Guild
3. Gibson

YMMV...

[Tony Burns]

To my way of thinking most folks who play these guitars regulary
know the different in these guitars by how they play and feel
so blind folds seems silly -most brands also have a sound thats common to their brand -
if you took two different guitars same wood etc -most people will know X from Y,s sound.

If your a taylor guy or a Martin guy - bingo

[guitar george]

The more bass the better for me. Combine that with strong mids and clear bright highs, that all can be heard together, is my type of guitar. There is no acoustic guitar that could have too much bass for me. So, without mentioning any brand names, the ones that sound like this are my top picks.

[Nyghthawk]

In what I consider the ultimate blindfold test several years ago Concert Masters were invited to take a test. They listened to a classically trained violinist play a Stradivarius and a high end Yamaha. They were asked to pick which one sounded better. While not 100%, most chose the Yamaha.

We fool ourselves into believing we can tell one brand from another. We fool ourselves into believing that vintage means better quality. We have come to believe our own hype.

[bls82261]

I wish they had used the LL26 or at least a $800 LL16 instead of a $500 LL6. With the exception of the Eastman ($1400) the rest of line up is over the $3000 mark.

[k_russell]

Originally Posted by Sonics

Gibson vs Martin vs Taylor vs Guild vs Yamaha vs Eastman




My top three:

1. Martin
2. Guild
3. Gibson

YMMV...

Same top 3 but I give the Guild (1) the edge over the Martin (2).

[thechariot1x]

Really surprised me as I didn't look at the brand names until I after I decided. One was not surprising, but Yamaha being a very very close second was surprising and I was shocked when I googled how cheap that guitar is. Might have to look for a used one next time I am in the market for a new guitar. An extremely pleasant surprise is that I was playing my 000C-16RGTE right before that video and a little during for comparison and preferred it to anything in the video although of course that's not exactly a fair comparison haha. My list though
1. Martin
2. Yamaha
3. Guild

[Ed66]

Originally Posted by Sonics

Gibson vs Martin vs Taylor vs Guild vs Yamaha vs Eastman


My top three:

1. Martin
2. Guild
3. Gibson

YMMV...

Same here and I have no pre-disposition as I've never owned any of the 5 subject guitar makers options. The Martin and Guild were actually markedly better than any of the others in my opinion.

[DownUpDave]

Thanks for that, fun little test and I didn't peek while listening

If I am being perfectly honest and going with what I like in tone, which is warm.

1 Guild
2 Gibson
3 Martin

I love Martin HD28 but in this video with his playing style it was more bright then warm. The way I play it might sound different.

[Monsoon1]

Originally Posted by Nyghthawk

In what I consider the ultimate blindfold test several years ago Concert Masters were invited to take a test. They listened to a classically trained violinist play a Stradivarius and a high end Yamaha. They were asked to pick which one sounded better. While not 100%, most chose the Yamaha.

We fool ourselves into believing we can tell one brand from another. We fool ourselves into believing that vintage means better quality. We have come to believe our own hype.

Yamaha makes wonderful instruments, but I suspect it was just louder.

[musicman1951]

These certainly didn't sound the same, which is good as we don't all want the same sound. To my ear the bright ones were way too bright (but the Guild could have used a little more clarity on the top end).

If I were selecting one of these it definitely would be the Martin, but you could have a totally different perspective. It's good we have so many choices.

I would have been nice to have a little more diversity in the playing/testing, but maybe that would make the video uncomfortably long.