# Guitar A vs B vs C



## Jim Soloway (Sep 27, 2013)

I've pretty much settled in on three guitars, each with its own purpose and tuning. I have a Godin CW Kingpin ii tuned to standard pitch (my newest), custom Heritage archtop tuned down to D standard, and of course my old blue Soloway Gosling finger style, tuned down to Db standard. Yesterday I was experimenting with all three and I ended up recording the same passage with each (my intro to Tord Gustavsen's "Colours Of Mercy"). I think it's interesting how the music responses very differently to the different guitars. I've pasted them together end to end in the sequence listed above (Godin Heritage, Soloway). I have my favorites but it would definitely interest me to know which other's might prefer. BTW, the whole things only abut 80 seconds long.


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https://soundcloud.com/https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fjim-soloway%2Fgodin-vs-h575-vs-gosling


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Okay, I've listened all the way through twice and sampled bits over and over again, but I can't decide. They're different, but one is not necessarily better than another. The Godin (first one?) might be the one most different, if that makes sense, but they're all pleasant. 

I shouldn't attempt this with a head cold.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I agree with Mooh. Nice playing BTW. The first one was a bit brighter than a typical tone that I prefer, 2nd one sounded more "jazzy", if that makes sense, and the 3rd was kinda in between the 2. I also picked a certain passage with both chording and single note runs at the end. They are all good sounding. The standard tuning was definitely a "happier" sound to my ear. The other 2 were slightly darker sounding, which I'd imagine has something to do with the drop tuning.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I like the third one best. I hear a slightly brighter tone than the second clip but still with good balance in the mids and low end.

Takes guts to play so clean and subtly processed.

Nice stuff.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I like these sorts of exercises. 

Perhaps the Heritage sustains more evenly than the others. The Parker has a lovely smooth balance overall, but there's something muddy about a couple of notes, maybe it's the string?

I suspect I would like the Godin a whole lot for playing flatpicked swing chords in my violin/guitar duo for tunes like Limehouse Blues, Sweet Georgia Brown, Opus 57, and the like. The other two guitars would suit fingerstyle better.

(An aside...Recently I had the opportunity to compare 4 violins (mostly demonstrated by a pro, I'm a hack on the violin) in an acoustically good church, and we came to similar opinions about each and their relative rankings. The pro still hasn't purchased another one, but I was thrilled to be a part of the exercise. At the end of the testing we played an extended duet with violin and me at the grand piano.

Two years ago I did the same thing with dozens of pianos, except not in the same room, and ended up buying a 1916 Nordheimer upright for myself. I still think it sounds better than all the baby grands I tried, all the other uprights, and only came second to a number of grands that I couldn't begin to afford anyway.)

Peace, Mooh.


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## GTmaker (Apr 24, 2006)

I found the third passage to have a richness in tone that was more pleasing to my ears.

G.


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## garrettdavis275 (May 30, 2014)

I'd go with the 2nd one. There's more blending in the notes which sounds a bit less refined but more musical. Totally personal preference, all 3 are beautiful sounding, with the last one having far and away the most definition, while the Godin sounded the "woodiest" to me.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Is the Gosling one of your longer scale guitars?


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## Jim Soloway (Sep 27, 2013)

Robert1950 said:


> Is the Gosling one of your longer scale guitars?


No the one with the 27" scale length is is the Swan. The Gosling is 25.5". This particular one has the wider "finger-style" spacing and an almost classical size neck. I used this one for a big chunk of the album.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

They all had good tone - and the playing was very good on all - but for that piece I preferred the Heritage. Just the right mix of brightness/attack and woody warmth. 

One wife (girlfriend.significant other.etc), many guitars. THAT'S what leads to happiness, IMHO.


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## b-nads (Apr 9, 2010)

My speakers here at work aren't great, but the 3rd guitar seemed to have the best elements of all three to my ear.

Very nice playing ;-)


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## Jim Soloway (Sep 27, 2013)

Thanks to all for the comments. For the first time in years, I feel really content with the guitars I have. With just three guitars, I've covered pretty much all of my needs and all three are fun to play. Now if my new tremolo pedal would just get here


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Being content with the guitars you have is a good thing


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## pattste (Dec 30, 2007)

Nice playing.

The Godin sounds very boxy, not at all a guitar that I would reach for when playing this type of music (or any other probably). The Heritage has a woodier, more traditional jazz sound. The Soloway sounds rich, detailed and more modern, my favorite for this kind of playing. I would rank them Soloway, Heritage and the Godin a very distant third.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

I really liked the third segment - the clarity is superb and yet still very warm sounding.


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## fredyfreeloader (Dec 11, 2010)

Very nicely done, I notice a big difference with the tunings, not so sure there was anything else that stood out. I would like to hear all three with the same tuning and connected to a different amp and I'm sure I would have a new feel for the differences in each guitar. The Godin sounded brighter, the Soloway more what I would expect with a three piece lounge group the Heritage OK.


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