Akquarius
Cheerfully Optimistic
Posts: 2,510
My main instrument is: Towet Fingerpicker, Dreizehnter SJ15 "Akquarius"
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Post by Akquarius on Feb 27, 2015 20:17:14 GMT
Finally I find the time to tell you about this: 2 Weeks ago I had the opportunity to do some blind-testing at my favourite guitar store. I know one of the guys there and he asked me if I would mind testing a few guitars blindfolded. I didn't mind (how could I ) so he placed me in one corner of the store, sat me down, and I had to cover my eyes (lots of scarves around at this time of year). Then I got the chance to play several guitars without actually knowing what exactly I was playing. Now this was a fabulous experience. It's incredible how fast your other senses sharpen when your sight is "off". It took a few minutes getting used to playing without seeing anything, but it worked better than I would have thought as I had tried playing with eyes closed while practicing. I knew that the room was full of Martins, Gibsons, Taylors, Larrivees, Lakewoods and all sorts of other high class brands, but, of course, I had no idea what he would actually give me for testing. It was remarkable. When you don't see what you play you don't expect anything. You only concentrate on the feel and the sound. Unfortunately nearly all of the guitars, as I learned afterwards, were way beyond what I would be able to take home, at least at the moment. The main experience, however, was the fact that what we mention in this forum all the time is actually true. The brand of the guitar should never be something to focus on when you're out looking for a new guitar. a decal is probably the most misleading thing of all.
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missclarktree
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My main instrument is: It varies
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Post by missclarktree on Feb 27, 2015 21:17:00 GMT
That's a brilliant idea Bernd. It's very hard not to be influenced by brand, appearance and cost, no matter how hard we try not to be.
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Feb 27, 2015 21:58:27 GMT
That's a great opportunity, Bernd and I'm glad it's proved to you what you suspected. Still, part of the overall fun of guitar ownership is liking what you see, so I guess these tests only go so far
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davewhite
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Luthier
Aemulor et ambitiosior
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Post by davewhite on Feb 27, 2015 22:16:51 GMT
I'm just a bit worried that you secretly enjoyed letting a strange man blindfold you
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leoroberts
C.O.G.
Posts: 24,657
My main instrument is: probably needing new strings
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Post by leoroberts on Feb 27, 2015 23:16:05 GMT
Sounds like a fantastic opportunity - and you certainly seem to have enjoyed the experience, Akquarius! There's nor doubt that sound is the major part of what I have looked for in a guitar (although Naomi was bought blind as she had to be imported from the States and was chosen purely on the fact that Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver and Chris De Burgh played Guilds!). I guess we're all aware though, although until reading people's posts on here I'd never thought about it, that you can have a fantastic sounding guitar but, if it makes your arm ache after 10 minutes of playing it's not for you. I have a recurring nightmare of finding a guitar that I love the sound of, is incredibly comfortable to play, perfectly balanced ... but is white and covered in bling. No matter how good it sounded, and how lightly it sat on my knee - it wouldn't be coming home with me!
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Feb 27, 2015 23:19:52 GMT
Great experience Bernd - did you have a stand-out favourite among those you tried?
Keith
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Post by vikingblues on Feb 28, 2015 10:15:42 GMT
Sounds like a lot of fun Bernd, and an interesting experience too! The closest I've been to that playing blind was trying a brand of octave mandolin in Scayles where I'd never heard of the maker and they had removed the price tag label before bringing the instrument to me. It was very immediately apparent how classy it was - the feel was great and sound was incredible. Turned out to be £750 worth. Ouch! A Morgan Lewis it was - but if I had that amount to spare and I was after an OM I'd be very tempted. While I do try and ignore labels, decals, and appearance it's difficult not to be influenced in some way by it all. I would agree that I would have the same end result of your recurring nightmare Leo - I'll always accept bland looking if the comfort and sound is there but gaudy and bling covered would be just too much! It's a shame there weren't a few cheapo guitars included in the experiment though. Glad to hear someone else sometimes plays with the eyes closed. It does allow you to savour the sound that bit better. Mark
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Akquarius
Cheerfully Optimistic
Posts: 2,510
My main instrument is: Towet Fingerpicker, Dreizehnter SJ15 "Akquarius"
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Post by Akquarius on Feb 28, 2015 13:57:02 GMT
I'm just a bit worried that you secretly enjoyed letting a strange man blindfold you Dave, as the room was brightly lit and packed with guitars, I didn't even think of anything else but trying some guitars. However, if the room had been poorly lit and the guy had worn latex or leather I don't think I would have been so eager to get that blindfold Great experience Bernd - did you have a stand-out favourite among those you tried? Keith Unfortuntely, there was one, Keith. We even did try to do some ranking. No. 3 was a Larrivée, but I forgot which model it was. No. 2 was a Taylor 514e together with a Lakewood A32. Generally, I'm not a big fan of Taylor guitars, which shows how influenced I am. No. 1 was a PRS Angelus. 6 Grand. Of course. However, if I had the money, I would buy exactly this guitar. It came very close to the Kevin Ryan I played some time before when visiting Peter Finger's Shop. The bodyshape was even a bit better. The thing that interest me most is: what would the result be, if I did the same test in a couple of weeks? Would I have the same favourites? As playing the guitar is unfortunately not a option atm, at least not while this arm fails to do its job properly, I'll try to find out if a second test would be possible. Until then I will be mainly a "whistleblower"
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Post by marcus on Mar 1, 2015 7:57:37 GMT
This certainly sounds like a wonderful experiment. It's funny how much "external" factors influence my feelings about a guitar. I once bought a very nice luthier-made guitar from Canada at a really good price. Unfortunately shipping ended up being a nightmare... costs were misrepresented, wrangling with the shipping company ensued which was mostly futile, and it took a lot of time and energy to get the guitar released from customs. By the time I got hold of it I was ready to send it back... so I never really gave it a chance and sold it at a hefty loss. Perhaps I should have stuck on a blindfold when I first opened the box and given it a go.... then again, I do find that rationality and objectivity go out the window when guitars are involved.
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brianr2
C.O.G.
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My main instrument is: Brook Lyn guitar
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Post by brianr2 on Mar 1, 2015 9:14:47 GMT
The Birmingham University "blind tasting" of 6 different Fylde guitars is still progressing and some results are expected soon - see the report towards the bottom of the newsletter here. The findings sound fascinating. I have no doubt that we are influenced at least as much by what we see, and the prior expectations this reinforces, than what we hear and feel. Certainly marketing companies rely very heavily on brand image in trying sell us more stuff that, unlike additional guitars, we really don't need. Brian
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Post by slasher on Mar 1, 2015 15:25:01 GMT
A blind test is a really good idea. We are biased in our views and will follow our pre-conceived ideas. Some years ago I studied, and obtained qualifications regarding wine. Now there is a trade where more bull and pre-conceptions exist. I remember reading of a tasting of red wine some in bottles of famous makers, some in vin ordinaire bottles. The "posh" wine was judged best. It was however all the same wine just in different bottles. I know someone who has a guitar made by one of the big name American makers. He is very proud of it. It sounds like one of those £39.99 guitars Aldi sometimes sell. We can be blinded by labels and pre-conceptions.
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Post by Cams on Mar 6, 2015 20:08:00 GMT
Interesting experiment. I would enjoy just such a text I'm quite sure.
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