Which guitar sounds the best? Martin, Taylor, Seagull, etc

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

I have to say that I did find it a very difficult listen. Your playing timing and accuracy was all over the shop (possibly red light syndrome) and that threw me as a listener. So my initial reaction was that all the guitars sounded bloody awful. And that's more to do with the choice and execution of your chosen demonstration piece of music than the guitars themselves.

I have to agree with Robin on the bolded above and for the same reasons. Ultimately, I couldn't get past the second one before I had to stop. Blind guitar comparisons are difficult at best even when recorded with excellent recording gear and played well. The ice-pick-like trebels on that first one had me hitting the mute button pretty quick.

[EZYPIKINS]

Originally Posted by Winkyplayer

*Listens to youtube-compressed guitar demos on phone using crappy external speaker. Definitively claims that guitar A is much better sounding than B.

*Views compressed digitized photograph/scan of analogue photograph on computer screen. Definitively claims the warmth and quality of film-based photography over digital.

*Listens to MP3 version of digital recording of vinyl record (made from digital master). Definitely claims than analogue vinyl sounds better than digital recordings.

Nah, I'm just kidding. Good luck with your quest. I'll only really comment on the sound of guitars I hear in-person, with known-to-be newish strings.

Right? I have a friend who tells me how good the guitars sound on his laptop.

I've never heard a good sound on my laptop/

[67goat]

All three makers have differing voice characteristics that will be better for different needs. Is it just a guitar, a singer songwriter, an acoustic band, or a full band with drummer that happens to use an acoustic. How many other instruments are there? Is it just acoustic volume, or is there a mic involved? What mic, because they have different frequency responses?

And that's just some of the objective criteria that will affect the result. Then you have the subjective criteria. Do you like more highs, more lows, or more mids? Maybe you like a balanced tone. Has your hearing lost certain frequencies?

Too many variables to say definitively what is the best one.

That being said, of the three listed, 100% Martin. Anybody that says otherwise is just wrong.

[Sadie-f]

Originally Posted by thestubbyone

I was going to re record these clips of the different guitars to more make them exactly the same but, then I thought about it. If a slight change in style timing makes it impossible to determine which is which, then how different are these guitars really? Are some worth paying $5K for? And I think you are right, no body wants to stick their neck out and make a guess, lis their on line reputation they risk. Very subtle differences in sound occur, although after recording I could tell some difference in sound. I shared my recording via email to find out what just listeners, not players, thought about the sound and hardly anybody was certain which one they liked the best. So the morale of the story is, its the guitar player not the guitar that makes the show. And the real difference in deciding which guitar to purchase, once a decent sound has been accepted, is the playability, cost, and reliability of the guitar. And if it costs $500, dont be ashamed. Here's a video of an incredible guitar player playing an electric guitar worth $250. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHqX...9A9mHG&index=2

All due respect, kfir ochaion is shilling for a low end builder and his own guitar lessons business, and if you want t to hear how an electric sounds, it's not going to be only with full on fuzz/overdrive and a backing tracks. Also,.a quick search says at least one of his personal guitars is a Framus custom, which look to run $8-10k new.

I did listen through your uneven recording, however, really, if you can't be bothered to make reasonably consistent recordings of your straw man poll, why should people bother to offer guesses?.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

I have to say that I did find it a very difficult listen. Your playing timing and accuracy was all over the shop (possibly red light syndrome) and that threw me as a listener. So my initial reaction was that all the guitars sounded bloody awful. And that's more to do with the choice and execution of your chosen demonstration piece of music than the guitars themselves.

All of that. Neither the playing nor the recording give the listener any chance at identifying which is which. You managed to make a Martin, Taylor, and a Seagull sound like something one might pick up at GC for $50-100. On top of that, there's no indication of the models used, the top and b/s woods, whether they all have the same strings, what you used to record, etc... there are so many variables that it makes the request impossible due to a lack of information. So even if the playing was done well, this would still be an impossible task.

In some cases, players familiar with one or more of the models would be able to identify one or all three, but not in this example. For players unfamiliar with the specific models, at least some guesswork is going to be part of any answer.

This would be like recording the noise made by a Ford, a Chevy, and a Jeep and asking some gearhead to identify the maker without telling them the models being recorded. Not every model of those car makers will sound the same, just as not every Martin will sound the same, not every Taylor will sound the same, and not every Seagull will sound the same.

[Sadie-f]

Originally Posted by jim1960

This would be like recording the noise made by a Ford, a Chevy, and a Jeep and asking some gearhead to identify the maker without telling them the models being recorded.

Ford vs Chevy, probably not.

Many years ago, I arrived to the Rainbowroom bar in Halifax NS, having ridden my Norton 700 miles in a couple of days. After walking up the stairs to the entrance, one of the patrons asked if I was riding a Triumph? Not a bad guess, a parallel twin is a type.

[sinistral]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

I have to agree with Robin on the bolded above and for the same reasons. Ultimately, I couldn't get past the second one before I had to stop. Blind guitar comparisons are difficult at best even when recorded with excellent recording gear and played well. The ice-pick-like trebels on that first one had me hitting the mute button pretty quick.

I had a similar reaction, but stuck it out to the end. It’s hard to tell if any of the guitars were given a fair shake, which could be due to the mic placement or the inconsistent playing. If I had to force-rank the guitars, it would be 4, 2, 5, 3, 1. The trebles on guitar 5 sounded artificially muffled.

[FrankHudson]

I finally listened to the recordings later yesterday.

While the OP's premise is one I subscribe to (that the player and playing makes the biggest difference in musical quality) the quality of the recording was extraordinarily poor that it made the whole exercise pointless.

To the OP: I hope you're not offended (my own recordings are imperfect, even to my ears) but it was that extreme that it defeated your purpose.

[donlyn]

Which guitar sounds the best? Martin, Taylor, Seagull, etc

Having read the thread to this point and thus not bothering with the link, my simple solution about the best sounding guitar to me is the one I choose to pick up on any given day. Right now, I am on a 12 string binge again, and I have been playing a lot with my Guild F-1512 12 string the last couple of days.

I play all my material on either a 6 or 12 string guitar, and enjoy the variations.
I also tune my 12 strings to 'D#' and fingerpick all my instruments.

Be well and play well,

Don
.

[Sadie-f]

OP, will there be a reveal?

[eshrager]

Originally Posted by jmagill

Which ice cream tastes best, Tillamook, Haagen Dazs, or Ben & Jerry's?
.

Pretty much the same - except for the new Ben & Jerry's Pecan Pie flavor which I found to be wickedly good!

[mawmow]

It is a nice project like I used to record some to show the difference between two or three acoustics :
I would name and show the guitars as well as basic specs (body types and woods) and string type.

Fortunately, you used the same software during same session.

But experience showed me the most neglected part is strings : type and age.
Was the same string type installed on all the guitars ?

Then woods, body types and bracing would compound with the string to produce the tone. You did not indicate any specs about guitars.

I got some Taylor, Martin and Seagull but do not know Lag.

I kind of recognized a Seagull, a well balanced and harmonious Taylor and probably the bassier Martin, but I cannot go any further.

Without all the specs I mentioned, I do not know what to think about that video,
except for the nice dogs pics.