The Maillard Reaction
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Acoustic guitars
I've got two loaner guitars here for the week. They are going to be offered for sale at a upcoming guitar show and they may not come back. The owner figured this may be my last chance to experience them at my leisure. They are two of his personal favorite examples from a selection of a couple thousand guitars that he has bought/traded/sold over the past 50 years and he wanted me to get a chance to learn what they sound like because there is a good chance they will end up some where half way across the globe in the next few weeks. I like to take photos of his guitars when he lets me have these experiences, so I figured I would post them here for anyone interested in old guitars. They both seem incredibly lively and loud. They are both very, very light weight. They both make a super sweet and harmonious sound. I'm soul searching... the '49 may have to stay here just a little bit longer than we had planned. :-)   hint: right click open image in new tab to view at full resolution.
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bapu
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/12 16:00:28
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Have you applied the small room verb to them yet?
That's the real test I'm told.
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bapu
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/12 16:00:58
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If the color in the photos are correct, I like the '49 better too.
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bapu
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/12 16:02:17
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"Colour is everything" ~Alan Parsons
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michaelhanson
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/12 19:41:34
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The Maillard Reaction
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/13 07:57:06
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Goodness, my picking hand is sore today from playing so much yesterday and last night. I've been comparing the two old guitars to one of my guitars...  ... and it has reminded me of a lot of ideas about choices. Back when I commissioned this guitar I was playing a lot of Tele and Strat stuff with fat strings so the Martin OM 25-1/2" scale length, and the string tension, felt just right. Lately I've been playing a lot less guitar, and most often playing a 24-3/4" scale Gibson inspired electric guitar with light strings. These Gibson acoustics just feel "right" under my fingers, and it seems like I have to dig in to the OM to get a comparable response out of them. I hope my hand freshens up because the clock is ticking. :-)
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ampfixer
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/13 17:32:17
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There's something about age and playing that makes guitars sing. I love my old Gibson acoustic and have yet to find a modern guitar that has the same sound. That Martin is a really nice instrument and will only improve with time and playing.
Regards, John I want to make it clear that I am an Eedjit. I have no direct, or indirect, knowledge of business, the music industry, forum threads or the meaning of life. I know about amps. WIN 10 Pro X64, I7-3770k 16 gigs, ASUS Z77 pro, AMD 7950 3 gig, Steinberg UR44, A-Pro 500, Sonar Platinum, KRK Rokit 6
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The Maillard Reaction
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/13 18:30:54
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Hi John,
Yes the old ones sure seem different from the new stuff. My friend is of the opinion, and it seems true for the area where I live, that an opportunity to test drive and possibly buy an old guitar like these particularly nice Gibsons is an infrequent occurrence. If something does makes it to display in a local shop it is usually because they were passed over by the brokers and waiting list enthusiasts.
He owns a guitar show down in Orlando and the buyers fly in from all over to take stuff home for sale in their upscale markets.
He's going to bring a few more guitars by in the next few weeks for me to get a chance to have the experience.
I'm grateful for the opportunity. I am fairly familiar with the gamut of electric guitars but old acoustic guitars is a novelty for me.
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ampfixer
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/13 22:13:17
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I too, have a friend with a big guitar collection. IT's just great to drink coffee and pass guitars around. It also gives you a chance to see if the iconic models live up to their reputation, without selling a kidney. 
Regards, John I want to make it clear that I am an Eedjit. I have no direct, or indirect, knowledge of business, the music industry, forum threads or the meaning of life. I know about amps. WIN 10 Pro X64, I7-3770k 16 gigs, ASUS Z77 pro, AMD 7950 3 gig, Steinberg UR44, A-Pro 500, Sonar Platinum, KRK Rokit 6
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DeeringAmps
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/14 11:30:20
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Acoustic guitars NEED to be played to "open" up.
Bob Benedetto gave a seminar at the Luthier's Guild annual event some years ago, and spoke at length about it.
The more it vibrates, the better it vibrates.
I'm sure the same applies to a solid body as well, although not near as much; or maybe it IS equally as important.
Tom
Tom Deering Tascam FW-1884 User Resources Page Firewire "Legacy" Tutorial, Service Manual, Schematic, and Service Bulletins Win10x64 StudioCat Pro Studio Coffee Lake 8086k 32gb RAM  RME UFX (Audio) Tascam FW-1884 (Control) in Win 10x64 Pro
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johnnyV
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/14 11:39:30
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My latest test of acoustics is to listen for the overtones, the sparkle in the hi end 1-2-3 octaves above the note your playing. Each note will have way more content to it and that needs to harmonize too! Hard to explain but once you've played a guitar that "rings like a bell?" you'll know.
Certains name brands seem to put out more than other , but you can pull 10 of the exact same guitar down off the wall and only one of them might pass this test.
I have a Art and Luthier and now a Taylor Mini GS that passed the test, the Taylor was one of 10 that didn't pass.
Sonar X3e Studio - Waiting for Professional Scarlett 6i6Yamaha Gear= 01v - NSM 10 - DTX 400 - MG82cx Roland Gear= A 49- GR 50 - TR 505 - Boss pedalsTascam Gear= DR 40 - US1641 -Mackie Gear= Mix 8 - SRM 350's i5 Z97 3.2GHZ quad 16 Gig RAM W 8.1 home buildTaylor mini GS - G& L Tribute Tele - 72 Fender Princeton - TC BH 250 - Mooer and Outlaw Pedals Korg 05/RW
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The Maillard Reaction
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/16 18:48:45
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Darn-nabbit, these acoustics are making me sing better...
...or maybe it's all the practice I've gotten in the past week. :-)
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DeeringAmps
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/17 11:39:23
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"the sparkle in the hi end 1-2-3 octaves above the note your playing"
That's where the Brazilian Rosewood shines!
"you can pull 10 of the exact same guitar down off the wall and only one of them might pass this test"
Sad but true!
Lots of things factor in here, meeting production quotas probably not so much...
T
Tom Deering Tascam FW-1884 User Resources Page Firewire "Legacy" Tutorial, Service Manual, Schematic, and Service Bulletins Win10x64 StudioCat Pro Studio Coffee Lake 8086k 32gb RAM RME UFX (Audio) Tascam FW-1884 (Control) in Win 10x64 Pro
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RobertB
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/18 21:48:39
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DeeringAmps
Acoustic guitars NEED to be played to "open" up.
Bob Benedetto gave a seminar at the Luthier's Guild annual event some years ago, and spoke at length about it.
The more it vibrates, the better it vibrates.
Tom
True that. I have a Simon&Patrick Woodland Cedar that I routinely thrash. It loves to be played hard, even though it has a naturally warm, somewhat mellow tone. My recently acquired Martin D-18 is noticeably brighter, as expected with a Spruce top. She has been in the case for the past twenty years, but there are signs she got played vigorously for the first twenty. And she definitely has some life to her. Oddly(or not), I don't really favor one over the other. They have distinctly different personalities, and I love them both. The key thing here is they both get played a lot, and that really does seem to affect how the wood behaves.
My Soundclick Page SONAR Professional, X3eStudio,W7 64bit, AMD Athlon IIx4 2.8Ghz, 4GB RAM, 64bit, AKAI EIE Pro, Nektar Impact LX61,Alesis DM6,Alesis ControlPad,Yamaha MG10/2,Alesis M1Mk2 monitors,Samson Servo300,assorted guitars,Lava Lamp Shimozu-Kushiari or Bob
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johnnyV
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/19 00:30:55
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My Nephew has a little Simon and Patrick folk or Parlor, It is so thrashed and he never changes the strings, but you just can't put that thing down. I think it is like this because he play's it 24/7
It just can't help but play nice. I guess you can say it's "played in".
Sonar X3e Studio - Waiting for Professional Scarlett 6i6Yamaha Gear= 01v - NSM 10 - DTX 400 - MG82cx Roland Gear= A 49- GR 50 - TR 505 - Boss pedalsTascam Gear= DR 40 - US1641 -Mackie Gear= Mix 8 - SRM 350's i5 Z97 3.2GHZ quad 16 Gig RAM W 8.1 home buildTaylor mini GS - G& L Tribute Tele - 72 Fender Princeton - TC BH 250 - Mooer and Outlaw Pedals Korg 05/RW
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Paul P
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Re: Acoustic guitars
2014/12/21 12:38:24
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Boy, some you sure have access to some nice guitars. Thanks for sharing your experiences. My folk and my daughter's ex-parlour guitars I mentioned in another thread were both Simon&Patrick sunbrust cedar tops. They don't seem to be made anymore. They're nice but the frets are really soft. Mine needs refretting after not that much playing, say an hour or so a day for 2-3 years, but I wouldn't pay someone to do it. Another project for the future. 
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