Lets Play a Game on Tone

[firemodel55]

I believe the object of the game is, given the same lofi recording setup, to find out which of the given LPs sound best to our ears without being influenced by the cost of the guitars themselves. To my understanding it is not a survey as to which guitar sounds closest to a vintage gibson nor to show how a gibson should sound like.

As I said, none of sounds bests to my ears because of recording limitations.  Thus, I cannot play the game.  The threadstarter also asked me to give my reasons and I did.  Unfortunately, you may not have heard in person a really good sounding 50s vintage Les Paul thats why it is easier to just rate Les Pauls. 

[royc]

As I said, none of sounds bests to my ears because of recording limitations.  Thus, I cannot play the game.  The threadstarter also asked me to give my reasons and I did.  Unfortunately, you may not have heard in person a really good sounding 50s vintage Les Paul thats why it is easier to just rate Les Pauls. 

Yes sir, I am among the majority of guitarists who haven't heard nor ever hope to hear a really good sounding vintage les paul. We're lucky I guess coz we still have the capability to appreciate a less expensive guitar, though two of the guitars in question falls outside the budget of most local musicians.

[firemodel55]

Yes sir, I am among the majority of guitarists who haven't heard nor ever hope to hear a really good sounding vintage les paul. We're lucky I guess coz we still have the capability to appreciate a less expensive guitar, though two of the guitars in question falls outside the budget of most local musicians.

It is not the expense because I have gone thru tons of Historics that sound like crap and that a Japanese Knock off could beat them too.  Converesely, I have gone thru a lot of bad sounding Japanese Knock offs.  My point is that there is simply not enough data to choose among the three.  If you can make a choice on a guitar's sound using a cellphone, it would not matter then if one of guitars was a good sounding vintage les paul.   

[deltaslim]

As I said, none of sounds bests to my ears because of recording limitations...

Speaking of recording limitations, youtube is one of the worst ways to try share guitar tones.  Even if you record your guitar amp w/ top of the line a/v recording gear, the moment you save it on youtube it is processed and compressed by their system. Then the sound output is at the mercy of the output sound system -- laptop speakers, earfons, etc.  Finally, anything that you share online will be digital, regardless of how your recorded it.

But even within that narrow range of available sounds, it's possible to make a distinction.  The tolerance range is still pretty wide between very bad sounding gear and very good sounding gear.  But the final factor is the listener, whether they have very good (or "golden") ears and experience or not.

[vhunter]

Speaking of recording limitations, youtube is one of the worst ways to try share guitar tones.  Even if you record your guitar amp w/ top of the line a/v recording gear, the moment you save it on youtube it is processed and compressed by their system. Then the sound output is at the mercy of the output sound system -- laptop speakers, earfons, etc.  Finally, anything that you share online will be digital, regardless of how your recorded it.

But even within that narrow range of available sounds, it's possible to make a distinction.  The tolerance range is still pretty wide between very bad sounding gear and very good sounding gear.  But the final factor is the listener, whether they have very good (or "golden") ears and experience or not.

You hit the nail on the head there man. Perfect argument if ever i did hear one.

Just wanted to build on that idea and add.. another problem with Youtube, is it doesnt capture the feel and vibe of an instrument.

[skrumian]

oh my, oh my why the need to argue about the low fi recording?  that's a given and you just need to play with the limitations. =)

my vote, 2-3-1.

[glassjaw_jc]

oh my, oh my why the need to argue about the low fi recording?  that's a given and you just need to play with the limitations. =)

my vote, 2-3-1.

hehehe

[mrbrownstone]

youve got a point there alex, there are guitars that are in the ballpark tonewise but somehow lacks the character and clarity of a good sounding old guitar.

[deltaslim]

oh my, oh my why the need to argue about the low fi recording?  that's a given and you just need to play with the limitations. =)

my vote, 2-3-1.

personally, they all sound nice enough. but to distinguish them ("blind test") and say one guitar sounds that much different or better than the other was hard. because of the aforementioned limitations, it's also hard to identify what would have contributed to tonal differences if any (eg, high output HBs vs amp breakup vs. mic input clipping?)

[siore]

oh my, oh my why the need to argue about the low fi recording?  that's a given and you just need to play with the limitations. =)

my vote, 2-3-1.

+1

I think Filippo and jmorrero understands the limitations.  Just take the recordings for what they are, and try to infer something from it.  It's tough to make out exact qualities, so we could always be wrong with what we hear.

[farseer]

among the guitars... ive tried that r7 before... kaya im pretty sure its nice... great complexity... yun malamang yun maangil

[Filippo]

ok guys sorry for the delay!! Been pretty busy with work but here goes!!

Guitar 1: Bacchus LP with GFS PUPs i think
Guitar 2: Historic with Sheptone AB Customs 8.2 neck pup 8.9 bridge pup
Guitar 3: 59 Replica with Mongrel 50's PAF's 7.8 neck 8.2 bridge

The recordings do have limitations. I totally subscribe to what Joric said. Despite the limitations though, I still feel that the recordings were enough for us to more or less get a good approximation to the tone and characteristics of each guitar. The descriptions sent in by those who participated naman are pretty much consistent and similar with each other and pretty close na rin to what I experienced live.

The bacchus had a great voice but it seemed to run out of "breathe". I guess this is the reason why some described it as "sterile" or lacking. Though over all, i feel that the guitar did fairly well in comparison to the others.

The R7 was very responsive and gnawy. I think that the higher output pickups had a lot to do with the audible difference in volume in the recordings of this guitar, and is possibly perhaps a reason why most of us were able to identify with this recording more. The higher output pups may have driven the amps harder (if that is possible) thus increasing the loudness of the recording despite having the same amp settings. Or then again, more of us could really just like a more aggressive tone altogether.
I feel that this guitar really suits what I envisioned it to be (my slash guns n roses guitar hehe)

The replica I personally loved the most. Based on the other recordings I've heard on vintage les pauls it seems to have similar characteristics. There was one description of this guitar having note bloom. For me, this what really sets it apart from the others. It really has a different complexity and sustain and airiness in its notes. The tone also has a roundness despite having the jangle and shimmer of an old guitar. So for blues, blues rock, classic rock, and jazz this would be my choice.

From this experience I have come to realize that people all have different tastes in music and tone for that matter. What may sound good to some may not sound good to others. At the end of the day it really boils done to the listener and what he intends to do with what he hears. This therefore makes me think that one guitar may be good for something but terrible for something depending on the sound you want to recreate.


 

[Zazza]

One man's feast is another man's poison 

Thanks for the shootout Esse 

[siore]

Salamat sa shootout bro!     It was fun to compare the clips.  I had #2 and #3 mixed!  Quite surprised there.

[mrbrownstone]

now that was a shoot out! i wish i can hear thos lps in person, the GT and the replica

[toybitz]

i like it like this...

3-2-1

I can't guess which guitar is which though.  I ain't familiar with the character and tone for a particular brand and copy of Les Paul...

now, to scroll down and see the results....

[Filippo]

One man's feast is another man's poison 

Thanks for the shootout Esse 

Salamat sa shootout bro!     It was fun to compare the clips.  I had #2 and #3 mixed!  Quite surprised there.

now that was a shoot out! i wish i can hear thos lps in person, the GT and the replica

You're welcome guys!! I just wanted the folks here to have fun Brownstone, come visit me sa house bro, let's hang out and rip out some ol GNR songhits hehe A/B natin mga guitara with your historic if you like

i like it like this...

3-2-1

I can't guess which guitar is which though.  I ain't familiar with the character and tone for a particular brand and copy of Les Paul...

now, to scroll down and see the results....

eto na ang results bro oh :

ok guys sorry for the delay!! Been pretty busy with work but here goes!!

Guitar 1: Bacchus LP with GFS PUPs i think
Guitar 2: Historic with Sheptone AB Customs 8.2 neck pup 8.9 bridge pup
Guitar 3: 59 Replica with Mongrel 50's PAF's 7.8 neck 8.2 bridge

The recordings do have limitations. I totally subscribe to what Joric said. Despite the limitations though, I still feel that the recordings were enough for us to more or less get a good approximation to the tone and characteristics of each guitar. The descriptions sent in by those who participated naman are pretty much consistent and similar with each other and pretty close na rin to what I experienced live.

The bacchus had a great voice but it seemed to run out of "breathe". I guess this is the reason why some described it as "sterile" or lacking. Though over all, i feel that the guitar did fairly well in comparison to the others.

The R7 was very responsive and gnawy. I think that the higher output pickups had a lot to do with the audible difference in volume in the recordings of this guitar, and is possibly perhaps a reason why most of us were able to identify with this recording more. The higher output pups may have driven the amps harder (if that is possible) thus increasing the loudness of the recording despite having the same amp settings. Or then again, more of us could really just like a more aggressive tone altogether.
I feel that this guitar really suits what I envisioned it to be (my slash guns n roses guitar hehe)

The replica I personally loved the most. Based on the other recordings I've heard on vintage les pauls it seems to have similar characteristics. There was one description of this guitar having note bloom. For me, this what really sets it apart from the others. It really has a different complexity and sustain and airiness in its notes. The tone also has a roundness despite having the jangle and shimmer of an old guitar. So for blues, blues rock, classic rock, and jazz this would be my choice.

From this experience I have come to realize that people all have different tastes in music and tone for that matter. What may sound good to some may not sound good to others. At the end of the day it really boils done to the listener and what he intends to do with what he hears. This therefore makes me think that one guitar may be good for something but terrible for something depending on the sound you want to recreate.

[mrbrownstone]

You're welcome guys!! I just wanted the folks here to have fun Brownstone, come visit me sa house bro, let's hang out and rip out some ol GNR songhits hehe A/B natin mga guitara with your historic if you like

eto na ang results bro oh :

you do the ripping ill be the audience

[Zazza]

@ Filippo:

Sir, i hope sa future strats and teles shootout naman 

[Filippo]

hahaha sold na my strat, tele na lang naiwan which is for sale na rin