Do your guitars really sound different than each other?

[00045]

They sound different, they are very different guitars. Maybe the D-28 and the Gibson AJ are the closest to each other, but still there is the Martin sound and the Gibson sound

[RP]

If we're being honest with ourselves and each other, how many of our guitar purchases are really based on achieving a non-repetitive tonal palette and how many are based on other factors??? At a time when the majority of guitar purchases are made long distance without the opportunity to play or hear, I would suspect that a lot of purchases are being made based on factors other than tone...

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by TBman

I don't mean the Dread vs the Parlor, I mean similar sized guitars. I'm listening to a few online that I am interested in and I realize that I am drawn to the same tone that I already have. That makes sense, but where's the sense in buying yet another guitar then?

Has anyone reported this scurrilous post yet?!!

He'll be suggesting we don't need exactly the same guitar in a range of spectacular tonewoods next!

[mawmow]

I kept a dozen of orchestra guitars from the some forty acoustics I bought obver the years.
I made many trials to find "the good strings" to my taste for each one.
I recently tried to make some "knock out duels" to make my mind on the few ones I could let go.
I then realized that different ochestra models from different builders with different woods and strings
could sound quite alike, yes, my taste !
So, I guess some would also find many of my acoustics sound alike.

[computo99]

I have 00’s 000’s, Dreadnoughts, Super Jumbo’s, 12 frets, 14 frets, Slot Heads, Paddle Heads, and yes, they all sound different. I always try to purchase a guitar that is different from what I already have.

[Godfather]

My Huss & Dalton 000 12 fret has a totally different sound from my Taylor 322e 12 fret which is totally different from my Emerald X7 12 fret. Each has a unique sound in every way...and thats a good thing!

[rdeane]

Even though I have the same strings on my 2 main guitars, and they are roughly the same size (000 and an OM), I hear drastically different tones. As I should, because one is adi/rosewood and one is all hog.

[TiffanyGuitar]

For me, yes they sound different, but to the average listener, probably they would not. But, I love having them all, so I am not judging anyone who has many or wants more of them.

[TheGITM]

I definitely hear more difference when recording/playback versus just sitting and playing. Even two very similar dreads will usually have noticeable different qualities in a recording.

[sayheyjeff]

I believe each of my guitars has a different sound from each of my other guitars. Big part of the reason(s) for buying them. Among the 2 I have that are more similar in size - the Lowden F and the Flammang RS, they sound completely different. Have no doubt the different sounds are by design and I am more than a little happy to have them.

Jeff

[zoopeda]

Originally Posted by TBman

I don't mean the Dread vs the Parlor, I mean similar sized guitars. I'm listening to a few online that I am interested in and I realize that I am drawn to the same tone that I already have. That makes sense, but where's the sense in buying yet another guitar then?

My wife doesn’t hear a difference. I didn’t used to as much. Now I do more and more. Part of it is your ear, how you play, and what you look for and appreciate in a guitar. And part of it is honestly the online thing. I used to spend hours listening to all those spoon Phillips videos determined to hear all those nuanced differences. (I even used the great headphones and the quality stereo speakers). Today, they still all sound the same to me; they all sound like Spoon. But in person, I hear and feel very distinct differences between those same guitars.

[Coler]

Originally Posted by TBman

I don't mean the Dread vs the Parlor, I mean similar sized guitars. I'm listening to a few online that I am interested in and I realize that I am drawn to the same tone that I already have. That makes sense, but where's the sense in buying yet another guitar then?

My 2 6 string OM's certainly do Barry. I'm not good at describing tone but they definitely have different qualities. I think it's more to do with the maker and the bracing etc but the woods used are different.

The martin sounds...like a martin. The McNally has a classic steel string sound but definitely with a Celtic influence (less growl, purer notes).

Strings are also pretty interesting. I had a nice D17M. If I strung it with e.g retro 12s, and strung the 000 28 the same I found it hard to tell them apart.

But I string the McNally and the 000 28 the same and they are totally distinct from each other.

But look, normal people just hear "nice guitar" and that's fine too.

[Bridgepin]

Originally Posted by TBman

I don't mean the Dread vs the Parlor, I mean similar sized guitars. I'm listening to a few online that I am interested in and I realize that I am drawn to the same tone that I already have. That makes sense, but where's the sense in buying yet another guitar then?

Barry
I don't even try to enter sense into the equation, to me it's about passion. We only go around once in life enjoy the ride. I have a very easy answer to this riddle " guitars are like Lay's potato chip's, you just can't have one " so if you found the tone that works for you, by all means indulge your passion.

To prove my point, I love the tone of dreadnoughts and I love Rosewood dreads, there is no sense to my collection but I sure love it.

[stevo58]

I’m very happy to say, after fifty years of playing, that I no longer care. I have ONE steel string (an OM), ONE archtop (vintage Epi), ONE 12-string, ONE resonator, ONE tenor banjo, ONE 5-string, and a second of any type wouldn’t make me play better, nor would it be distinctly different enough to be worth the expense. If I were a full-time pro it might be different, but playing a only few dozen gigs a year it just doesn’t matter. My wife says I play too much tenor and it sounds horrible to her anyway.

It took me a long time to get to this point. I’ve been through a lot of guitars in my life. I still have multiple electrics, and I haven’t played any electric at all for five years now. Gotta sell that stuff. P

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by lowrider

I think that to the player, they all sound and feel different. To the person sitting there listening, they all sound like accoustic guitars.

I think this is about right. I have two of similar (though not identical) size, an 000-28EC and a CEO-7. One rosewood, one mahogany. I can absolutely hear the difference between them when I play them and often pick which to play based on which sound I'm in the mood for. But I record myself a lot and I often can't tell which is which on the recordings. Part of this is because I'm singing (vocalizing?) and often include some lead guitar, so the recording isn't of the guitar in isolation, but part of it is that I think to anyone not playing it (including me after I'm finished), they don't sound all that different. SOME of my recordings are such that it's pretty obvious which guitar I was playing. Others, I can make a guess, but not be sure of. Other, no freaking idea.

-Ray