Evaluating a guitar: Listening vs. playing

[Rosewood99]

I've found that if I listen someone playing, I often feel the guitar sounds better in tone than when I'm actually playing the same guitar. To put it another way, I might hear someone play a cheaper guitar and it will sound good but when I play it, it sounds like doo doo.

Of course a great guitar sounds good whether I'm listening or playing. I wonder if anyone else feels this way. I try to not get to seduced by a guitar when I hear it played by someone else and reserve judgment until I'm actually playing it.

[WordMan]

To me, oh, about 80% of what I care about is how responsive the guitar is - do I feel it vibrate against my body, does it offer other feedback that I can use while playing? That, to me, is the hardest thing to find, so I start there.

If I find one of those, THEN I check out whether I think it sounds good to me.

THEN I decide if it sounds good to others, or perhaps records well, or serves any other application I am considering...

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by WordMan

To me, oh, about 80% of what I care about is how responsive the guitar is - do I feel it vibrate against my body, does it offer other feedback that I can use while playing? That, to me, is the hardest thing to find, so I start there.

If I find one of those, THEN I check out whether I think it sounds good to me.

THEN I decide if it sounds good to others, or perhaps records well, or serves any other application I am considering...

Right, so actually playing the guitar sways you more than hearing it being played.

[Kerbie]

Most important is what the guitar sounds and feels like to me, but I love to hear someone else play it while I listen. It always sounds a little different from out in front of the sound hole.

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by kerbie

Most important is what the guitar sounds and feels like to me, but I love to hear someone else play it while I listen. It always sounds a little different from out in front of the sound hole.

Ditto. What it sounds, and feels, like TO ME is all that matters. I already know what the listener hears... and I don't really care. Most people purchase instruments based on how they look, how they sound and how they feel. If the wife (or other) likes the sound as well, it's just a bonus - but not necessary.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by kerbie

Most important is what the guitar sounds and feels like to me, but I love to hear someone else play it while I listen. It always sounds a little different from out in front of the sound hole.

Absolutely. I guess my point is don't get to far ahead of yourself if you hear someone playing a guitar and it sounds fantastic. You need to play it yourself to really tell if it's a keeper.

All these A/B tests that I hear don't really tell the whole story unless you are the one doing them.

[Rosewood99]

Of course if you are gigging it might be more important how the listeners hear it rather than how you do.

[Pitar]

Guitars don't have ability. I do enjoy reading how people ascribe it to them, though.

[harmonics101]

I totally do not have this problem. I only listen to myself, so I only hear the guitar from my side. Don't let anything but how the guitar sounds affect your purchase ,

H

[B Chas]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I try to not get to seduced by a guitar when I hear it played by someone else and reserve judgment until I'm actually playing it.

I'm with you. Most important to me is my playing experience, how it plays, feels and sounds to me. Most listeners don't care like we do, about all the nuances or even the tone. How a guitar sits in my lap, the way the neck fits in my hand, the playbility, as said..the response I feel against my body, all matter a lot to me. It may be selfish but I care lots more about how it sounds to me than how it sounds out front. Since most listeners don't get the difference anyway, what's the harm.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I've found that if I listen someone playing, I often feel the guitar sounds better in tone than when I'm actually playing the same guitar. To put it another way, I might hear someone play a cheaper guitar and it will sound good but when I play it, it sounds like doo doo.

Of course a great guitar sounds good whether I'm listening or playing. I wonder if anyone else feels this way. I try to not get to seduced by a guitar when I hear it played by someone else and reserve judgment until I'm actually playing it.

Might be because the conscious part of our brains can't multi-task as great as our sub-conscious brain does. So your hearing of the guitar when you are playing is not as efficient as when you are just sitting and listening.

[CoolerKing]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I've found that if I listen someone playing, I often feel the guitar sounds better in tone than when I'm actually playing the same guitar. To put it another way, I might hear someone play a cheaper guitar and it will sound good but when I play it, it sounds like doo doo.

Of course a great guitar sounds good whether I'm listening or playing. I wonder if anyone else feels this way. I try to not get to seduced by a guitar when I hear it played by someone else and reserve judgment until I'm actually playing it.

I auditioned violins blinded. That said, I think the best guitar I've ever played was blinded as well, but was PERFECTLY set up action wise, so when I heard and played it I was sold. They could have covered over the peg head and I would have known who made it, when, etc. so my short answer is "both."

[billgennaro]

Originally Posted by WordMan

To me, oh, about 80% of what I care about is how responsive the guitar is - do I feel it vibrate against my body, does it offer other feedback that I can use while playing? That, to me, is the hardest thing to find, so I start there.

If I find one of those, THEN I check out whether I think it sounds good to me.

THEN I decide if it sounds good to others, or perhaps records well, or serves any other application I am considering...

"Word" to the WordMan.

[Guitarfish]

It's all about me.

But really I want a good playing guitar first, then hope it pleases my ear. Which usually turns out positively because it's easier to make a good playing guitar sound good.

Make sense?

[amyFB]

Once I think I've found the guitar I want to own because it responds and acts to my liking, THEN, I hand it to another player and listen for a little bit.

I've found it to be interesting.

When the sound I hear doesn't seem to compare favorably to what I heard while it was in my hands, I want to try something else.

I expect it to sound different because I'm hearing direct instead of rebounding back at me, but, I also desire equal love in my ears.