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I'd like to say Merry Christmas to all OLF'ers and have recorded a Christmas Carol for you all. This Carol has always fascinated me since I was a little boy - I think it's the "dark" quality and the references to torches - burning in the New Year. Anyway here's an off-the cuff arrangement of Torches in DADGAD that started to emerge last week and that I recorded tonight. I also thought it would be fun to record a number of guitars one after the other with the same tune and same recording set-up (AKG C1000S microphone with flat EQ and no added effects). So as a fun competition see if you can match the four clips to the guitars.

Guitars:

All Cuban Mahogany Parlour
Euro spruce/ EIR fan-fret
Euro spruce/Black Limba Grand Concert
Cedar/maple Grand Concert

Torches1

Torches2

Torches3

Torches4

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Okay a real stab in the dark....but I did enjoy the tunes!!

Euro spruce/Black Limba Grand Concert
All Cuban Mahogany Parlour
Cedar/maple Grand Concert
Euro spruce/ EIR fan-fret

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

Great tune AND playing mon!!!!

Here what I think you used in the order below for the clips:

All Cuban Mahogany Parlour

Euro spruce/ EIR fan-fret

Euro spruce/Black Limba Grand Concert

Cedar/maple Grand Concert

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Ann Arbor Guitars

In the order below.

Euro/EIR Fan Fret
Euro Black Limba Grand Concert
Cedar/Maple Grand Concert
All Cuban Mahogany Parlour

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Here's my leanings...now before y'all laugh at my guess, please understand I'm listening through laptop speakers.

You sure it wasn't the same guitar?

Euro spruce/ EIR fan-fret
Euro spruce/Black Limba Grand Concert
All Cuban Mahogany Parlour
Cedar/maple Grand Concert

The last one was the only one that had what I felt was the sound I attribute to cedar. The others had me a bit stumped, but I took my best guess.

I can't wait to here what the correct answers are!

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

I am not sure if I know what I am listening to, but I sure do enjoy listening to your guitars

I will go for;
Euro spruce/ EIR fan-fret
All Cuban Mahogany Parlour
Cedar/maple Grand Concert
Euro spruce/Black Limba Grand Concert

Peace,Rich

OK, here's my guess

1. Cedar/Maple
2. Euro/EIR
3. Euro/Black Limba
4. Cuban Parlour

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Randy Muth
RS Muth Guitars Website
RS Muth Guitars Blog
Facebook Fan Page

1:Cedar/maple Grand Concert
2:All Cuban Mahogany Parlour
3:Euro spruce/ EIR fan-fret
4:Euro spruce/Black Limba Grand Concert

Dave, I've lost track of how many times I've played each clip. I've been trying to pick a favorite, but I can't. I know they each have their own voice, but I can't say I want one over the others or that I don't want one of them. It's been really interesting to hear them. Thank you.

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Aoibeann

Dave, man, those all sound great! I can't pick a favorite either.

1. EIR
2. Limba
3. Cedar/maple
4. Cubano

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

Really enjoyed all the clips and the song. I like clip 2 the best for the tune.

1. Cedar/maple Grand Concert

2. All Cuban Mahogany Parlour

3. Euro spruce/ EIR fan-fret

4. Euro spruce/Black Limba Grand Concert

Merry Christmas

Mark

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Wisdom is justified by her children

Best so far is MikeP and Mark with two out of four.

This is just fun really and doesn't say very much apart from how one particular set up of recording a batch of guitars turned out, how it translated to mp3 and how it sounds on whatever sound system you are listening on. In fact I'm glad I wrote down the track order because listening to them on CD even I was having trouble remembering which was which Perhaps it tells me all my guitars are so bad that they all sound the same

It's interesting though - three different top woods, four different b/s woods, three different body sizes and four different scale lengths.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

I really enjoyed that; An excellent example of the different voices we can achieve using different body sizes and materials. Thanks mate.

My guess:

1 All Cuban Mahogany Parlour
2 Euro spruce/ EIR fan-fret
3 Cedar/maple Grand Concert
4 Euro spruce/Black Limba Grand Concert

I might have 1 and 3 mixed up

Dave, I'm with Max, I lean toward #2.
What interests me is the evidence that a long-held conviction is true: that the most important ingredient is the builder. I can hear subtle differences, but they all sound like your guitars.
And, it's a very good sound, by the way.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

1.Cedar/Maple
2. All Mahogany
3. Euro/Black Limba
4. Euro/EIR

What ever the answer is I liked #1 the best.

This is fun!

Paul - half right but you mixed up the wrong two.

Steve - thanks, it is re-assuring that there is a sound signature of my instruments. The hardest one for me will be the solitary sitka top that I have to build with soon

OK here are the answers:

1. Cuban mahogany parlour
2. Cedar/maple GC
3. Euro/EIR fan fret
4. Euro/Black Limba GC

Thanks for taking part and a Cool Yule Y'all

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Well, I wouldn't have done too well differentiating between the four, but I did enjoy the clips. Thanks.

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Jim Womack

"Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. "
Will Rogers

I agree with Graham.

This time I am muck less sure of myself. Dave I think you unconsciously adjust your technique to the guitar you are playing on finger style pieces such as this, Also no two performances are ever exactly the same. Dave you also chose a piece that is a more sensitive piece in which tops are not driven as hard. This makes things more difficult in two ways. First I feel that the focused sound of a parlor would be more apparent and second the breakup curve becomes more noticeable. Cedar,spruce, mahogany(most to least).

One more issue to cloud things is my perception your instruments because of their arcing seem to have a bit of a wide midrange emphasis( there goes keying on mids to spot the mahogany top).

So where did this lead me?
I am back thinking you have a sadistic streak Sir!

So all that said what did I key on?

Cedar- warmer more blended trebles (when arpeggiated)
Mahogany- dry clear trebles
Spruce- bright trebles with only slight blending

Listening to the very begining over and over lead me to think,

1. Cedar
2. Mahogany
3. Spruce
4. Spruce

So I am still really really unshure what else can I key on?
Chording

Cedar- most sensative to technique?
Mahogany- most fundamental clear
Spruce- clearer than cedar, more blended than mahogany

Listening from about 1:19-1:30 I think I once agin heard

1. Cedar
2. Mahogany
3. Spruce
4. Spruce

So that settles that right or wrong they are my picks.

Oh wait I still have to pick which is the fan fret!

What should I try to key on?

That would be the guiar with the most bass to treble contrast I think?

Towards the end of the song I think I hear that provided by #4?

Dave this has actually been a fun exercise in trying to teach my ears to see thanks.

I really do think there is a lot of player technique dependant stuff going on and my PC audio tain't the greatest... (So i do not have to be embarased if totaly wrong after talkin so much).

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"It's a Tone Faerie thing"
"Da goal is to sharpen ur wit as well as ye Sgian Dubh"
"Sippin Loch Dhu @Black lake" ,Kirby O...

OOPS took so long to type up it was over by the time I posted. I was way off anyway .

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"It's a Tone Faerie thing"
"Da goal is to sharpen ur wit as well as ye Sgian Dubh"
"Sippin Loch Dhu @Black lake" ,Kirby O...

I wonder If we would have done better in the same room with our backs turned?

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"It's a Tone Faerie thing"
"Da goal is to sharpen ur wit as well as ye Sgian Dubh"
"Sippin Loch Dhu @Black lake" ,Kirby O...

[QUOTE=Dave White]
Steve - thanks, it is re-assuring that there is a sound signature of my instruments. The hardest one for me will be the solitary sitka top that I have to build with soon

[/QUOTE]

Dave, I think you'll find it to be a nice tone wood.
Just ignore Colin while you build!   
And, once again, I'm sure it will sound like one of your fine instruments.

Steve

P.S.-- Was the Sitka a commission? How is it that you are using this instead of the usual Euro. ?

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Kirby,

I'm sorry, I don't mean to torture you with these - if I was I sadist I'd pm you with them every day In terms of the spruces, you had them in positions 3 and 4 which was right. Cedar with European maple is an interesting mix as their dark/light seems to blend nicely for fingerstyle. I think Steve nailed it - the woods are subtleties around the makers sound. But I think you are right too - I play fingerstyle, if the sound samples had been done blue-grass platpicking, or blues then they could have sounded very different. I need to find a good flatpicker.

Steve,

No it's not a commission. I bought a set of sitka years ago and it sits in my woodpile looking accusingly at me. I've picked it up a number of times meaning to build but it's "feel" somehow fails to excite me. I need to get over this and just make something with it. I have a Lowden and a Taylor GC with sitka tops and they are nice guitars. So maybe the nexy soundclip competition will be spot the sitka topped guitar

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Hey Dave I must be a bit masochistic b'cause I really enjoyed the challenge. Threw me back out pert bad yesterday and am unable to find comfortable position to stand, sit, or lay. It was actually therapeutic to have something else to focus my attention on thanks Dave. PM all you want, just remember IF(big if) I ever get the cash I will invade Europe(Watch out Dave, Colin and Arnt)!!

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"It's a Tone Faerie thing"
"Da goal is to sharpen ur wit as well as ye Sgian Dubh"
"Sippin Loch Dhu @Black lake" ,Kirby O...