They trying to do comparisons

I listened to every sound clip and I couldn't believe that the Martin D Jr-10 (what does the "10" stand for?) stood out to me the most.  Wonderful warm but clear sound/tone and the sustain was crazy.  Can't believe it was one of the cheapest guitars of the bunch.

Some of the really expensive guitars even sounded kinda cheap to me in comparison.  The one Seagull sounded a bit flat.  The Taylor GS Mini Koa sounded kind of mind blowing as well when I remember how small that thing is.  LOL.

Thanks for sharing, that was kinda fun. 

The Taylor GS Mini Koa almost joined my flock, I spent a few hours with it at the store but I choose the Martin HPL instead.

This may sound weird, but I actually like when I can feel them from the back.  I don't know if it's just me or what, but when I can feel them from the back, it does seem to add something to the sound and tone of the guitar.  I actually get "into" the playing more as well.

I've only experienced this with my old Cold Clark, the Martin I had and my present Alvarez guitars.  Probably one of the reasons why I liked all them the most.

I get a lot more accurate sense of a guitar by PLAYING it than by watching some youtube video or listening to a recorded set of comparisons. So I can say that maybe one guitar RECORDS better than another, but not that the guitar necessarily sounds better in real life. I think that is one of the fatal flaws of the internet. People confuse virtual life with real life.

There is a book by Richard Saslow called "The Art of Ragtime Guitar" that was produced in the 1970s. I remember him saying in that book that he recorded the accompanying record with an old Martin D18, and that he had to put dead strings on it to get it to sound good in the recording. In real life, such a guitar would sing with good strings on it, but would not sound good in the recording.

This is also why I am not willing to buy a guitar from some online catalog rather than PLAYING it first.

Tony

TonyKgull ,

I agree that recordings and videos can be helpful - to a point. One aspect of recording, whether digital or analog is that there are acoustic properties that converting acoustic sound waves to electric impulses just can't convey. If I am buying an acoustic guitar, then these aspects will be important to me.  I much prefer to go to a house concert where the performer doesn't feel that s/he must amplify. Believe it or not, there are such performers who understand the intimate aspect of pure acoustic sound.

If, in a recording, a cheap guitar can sound better the a mid-range instrument or higher, then I would suspect something about the recording myself. Some in this thread have talked about the FEEL of the guitar vibrating. That will happen with most any reasonable guitar, and is certainly missed in a recording. But there is something about the sound of a live acoustic guitar compared to a recording that one has to hear because it isn't just one thing. It is a sort of presence.

I realize that on this site, the emphasis is on low end guitars, and that is fine. I tend to prefer higher quality guitars, but that is just me. If I am going to put in the hours to really play the instrument, I want an instrument that can give that back to me. I don't understand why guitars should be different from any other instrument in this regard.  People who are serious about their instrument of choice will usually and eventually, want something better quality.  Just because a guitar is expensive, doesn't mean it will do that for me, since there are many variables and guitars are a personal thing we each must choose for ourselves.

For me, I have to play a guitar to know it is right for me. I have never relied on videos to do that. If others do rely on videos, that is fine. We are all entitled to our opinions.

I am baffled as to what this statement is addressing (if anything) in what I said...

"I've never encountered recording equipment so bad that you couldn't hear the difference between a guitar with dead or fresh strings on it.".

When I mentioned what Richard Saslow said (since that is the only reference to dead strings I made), I said that he purposely chose to use dead strings because the guitar was difficult to record otherwise. I would assume that had something to do with EQ'ing it or otherwise controlling the sound he wanted on the recording that was intended to clearly demonstrate the pieces. That had nothing to do with whether, on a recording, one can tell the difference between dead and new strings. So, I am confused as to why the statement in response (assuming, perhaps wrongly) that was the intention). It doesn't fit the conversation at all, so if it is a new direction, then I would want to understand the point if I am to respond.

Tony

TonyKgull,

Thanks for the explanation. You had me confused there for a while.

I think that, for people who live where good guitar stores aren't, videos and audio recordings would have to suffice. I also agree that recording capabilities, especially for the average person such as myself, are much more affordable and accessible these days. There are those who insist that the recording technology (i.e. analog tape) of the 1970s is much better than digital of today. Each to his or her own on that.

Of course, I personally think that in my area, the selection of guitars is not as good as it once was. Since The Podium closed and Guitar Center seems to be carrying less of the "good stuff" (in everything, not just guitars), we have lost access to many fine lines of guitars. We still have a couple of good shops such as Willie's, who deals mostly in vintage instruments and Fret Central, who focuses primarily on Eastman. I would like to go over to Willie's and play one of the Civil War era Martins they currently have in stock.

My most recent purchase was not from where I lived, but instead from a wonderful guitar shop (Sunrise Guitars) in Fayetteville, Arkansas - a city much smaller than the metropolitan area I live in. If I had to order the guitar from an online site (even from Sunrise Guitars), I would simply have not done it. I knew when I picked it up and played it, that it was my next guitar. That is the only way I will buy a guitar.

But it was THAT one that I wanted, not something somebody grabbed from a pile of these things in some warehouse. How would I know if one of those would be as good as the one I actually played? At those prices, it is (to me) not worth the risk. No two guitars are exactly alike, in my personal experience. It would have been just as possible that the guitar I picked up and played was not that good. I would have set it back down and walked away. If I found one in another shop and tried it and it worked for me, I would have bought that instead. Ordering online, I don't have that immediate choice, and I certainly wouldn't want to continue shipping examples of that model back and forth between me and some online shop to get the good one. I have read in some forums that some people tried one Taylor K14ce and were not impressed, but picked up another one in another shop and were blown away. I believe that.

So I can certainly see the value in recordings of prospective guitars - just not for me. Also, when you buy a guitar, are you getting the one that you liked that was recorded? Not likely unless the shop made a video of a particular guitar for you as the customer and you liked that one in that video.

If the array of choices for guitars in my area continues to dwindle and we don't travel much anymore, I will be perfectly happy to stick with what I have.

Tony