davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Sept 19, 2014 22:38:59 GMT
Jonny (jonnymosco) visited today and we had a little recording fun for a guitar game. We used three guitars of similar family/dimensions that Jonny recorded the same piece of playing on into a Zoomh4n in the same position and settings. Each guitar had a set of D'Addario EJ24's on, two put on fresh that morning and one guitar with a set that had been gigged a couple of times. The first part of the game is for you to listen to the three recordings and rank them as they appealed to you giving reasons why. The second part of the game when enough rankings have been done is to show pictures of Jonny with the three guitars and you can then try matching the guitar to the recordings. Simples Even Jonny doesn't know which recording is which as I have moved them around from the order he recorded them in - or maybe I haven't - so he can play the game too. Here we go: "Track1""Track2""Track3"
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alig
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Post by alig on Sept 19, 2014 22:54:38 GMT
Great stuff.
At work and cannot access the recordings (!?).
I'll have a listen tomorrow and see what's what.
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Post by jonnymosco on Sept 20, 2014 8:43:35 GMT
May be a good idea not to listen through laptop speakers as you'll miss out on all the lower frequencies, perhaps headphones or half-decent speakers.
Good luck.
Jonny
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on Sept 20, 2014 9:10:13 GMT
Ok, so here goes (getting ready to upset someone I suspect!)
In order of preference:
Track 2 Track 3 Track 1
To my ears, Track 2 had the sweetest sounding notes, with separation and clarity. But it was close pressed by Track 3 which had nothing wrong with it at all, I just preferred Track 2. Track 1 seemed a bit jangly - as though the strings were slightly loose and slapping against the fretboard.
I'm even more amazed at the consistency of the playing on three instruments!
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Akquarius
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Post by Akquarius on Sept 20, 2014 9:12:53 GMT
#1: track 1. best ballance of bass, mid and trebble. I especially like the warm sound. I thing I've played that one. #2: track 3. same ballance, but not as "3-dimensional" as 1 #3: track 2. not as ballanced. bass and mids are stronger than the trebbles. You 2 must have had a lot of fun doing this
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Sept 20, 2014 9:36:13 GMT
Very difficult to rank them - an awful lot to like about all three! Definitely need some earphones too.
I'd say my favourite was track #3, somehow seemed a bit clearer and more powerful than the other two.
Second favourite track #2, preferred the bass on this one and maybe had a little more separation than track #1.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Sept 20, 2014 9:42:39 GMT
Sorry, only laptop listening so far - #2 was my preference on its piddly speakers though. Pretty much agree with all Mr Roberts said earlier, but looking forward to listening on something better which may well change things for me! Fun idea Dave and Jonny!
Keith
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Post by jonnymosco on Sept 20, 2014 10:07:01 GMT
I know (easy for me!)... not saying though.
Jonny
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Sept 20, 2014 10:09:23 GMT
I know (easy for me!)... not saying though. Jonny Please do
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brianr2
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Post by brianr2 on Sept 20, 2014 10:27:53 GMT
Great idea. Thanks to you both for getting the earholes working on a dismal autumnal weekend.
My order of preference is #2, #1, then #3. I much prefer the mellow, more rounded (to my ears) sound of #2. I find #3 a bit sparkly, if you know what I mean. There seems to be a quirk at the beginning of #1 but I still prefer the overall result to #3.
The replies so far confirm, I think, that aural choice is very subjective and we all have our own ideas and prejudices about what is good. We also have our own terminology to describe these things, which cannot make translation of a customer's aspirations into a finished instrument any easier for custom guitar makers!
Brian
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Sept 20, 2014 11:43:05 GMT
Listened on PC, though not with phones. Preference still 2, 3, 1. Though all sound pleasant, 2 was a marked fave for me, with 1 and 3 slightly less so for different reasons. 2. began restrained sounding, but very sweet and the whole passage seemd well articulated and different lines easy to follow. Overall favourite as less treblier/cutting than the other two. 3. seemed to have less of everything but overall middlier sounding. It had the nicest strummy middle bit to my ears. 1. had quite "steely" sounding trebles in the first section, though somewhat sweeter in the final section. Found the bass slightly less easy to follow clearly esp in first section. But for Dave's mention of three different guitars it would not have surprised me to find they were all the same guitar with tonal variety supplied by the hugely capable Mr Moss! Maybe try headphones later if I get a chance. Keith
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Post by fatfingerjohn on Sept 20, 2014 11:59:54 GMT
I do find this difficult! I have the same trouble when I have been to a roadshow and they play the same thing on 3 or 4 guitars and try to tell me that they're a lot different, particularly when they have them through an Amp. I'm sure on the roadshow the artist plays them a bit differently to create a different effect as well.
Obviously this is a 'fair' trial and if pushed I would say 3,2,1 in that order. 3 being mellower, 1 being more jangly and 2 in the middle ... just. But only listened on a laptop and if someone said they were all the same guitar just played with more or less attack or variation I would believe it as well.
It's obvious my ears are not discerning enough! :' (Interesting thread and others can clearly differentiate much better than me).
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davewhite
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Post by davewhite on Sept 20, 2014 12:21:00 GMT
The replies so far confirm, I think, that aural choice is very subjective and we all have our own ideas and prejudices about what is good. I think that is spot on Brian, and on that basis . . . It's obvious my ears are not discerning enough! :' (Interesting thread and others can clearly differentiate much better than me). . . . your ears and assessment John are as valid as anyone elses, no better or no worse. To make it a bit more interesting before introducing the guitars, for those of you that have done the ranking how much more would you pay for an instrument with the preferred tone of your first choice versus your second choice?
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Sept 20, 2014 12:37:54 GMT
Good question Dave, but I wouldn't buy on tone alone, especially from someone elses playing. It'd be on what it sounded like to me when I played it, plus what it felt like to get that sound. Keith
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alig
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Post by alig on Sept 20, 2014 12:52:35 GMT
Okay...
2 - preferred the balance across the strings and up the fingerboard. 3 - a little less than *2 1 - a little less, again, than the other two.
For what it's worth of course... Looking forward to finding out what's what.
Good stuff chaps.
Alasdair.
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