Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello everyone,

Here is a little fun for you all! I have recorded some sound bites on my three weissenborn style lap slide guitars each built from different tonewoods.

From left to right in the picture below are:

"Annie" built by my friend and fine guitar builder, Taffy Evans. I have had this beautiful guitars for a few years now. She is a Cedar top, New Guiena Rosewood back and sides, Jarrah fingerboard and bridge with a Walnut head plate.

"Blackie" is one of mine and he is all Tasmanian Blackwood.

"Sassie is my first build and she is Tasmanian Golden Sassafrass with Tasmanian Myrtle appointments.



If you go to this link www.myspace.com/ozziebluesman the three sound bites are posted there. The same tune was played on all three guitars.

Just for fun please have a listen and guess what guitars goes with which sound bite.

Recording chain was a Rode NT3 mic pointed at the 12th fret into a DBX pre-amp straight into the Zoom MRS4 recorders channel one. Channel two is a single coil, Fishman soundhole pickup fitted to each guitar during the recording process. These are not great pickups IMObut it did the job. I then balanced the volume of each channel on the computer, added a little reverb and saved the file as an MP3. Annie has a k&k bridge plate pickup system fitted and they sound wonderful IMO. As my two new guitar have no pickups as yet to achieve a good comparison Annie was fitted with the soundhole pickup also.

Hope you all enjoy a little fun.

Cheers

Alan

Alan,

Lovely playing on all of them! I know from experience that this is just a crap shoot but here goes:


Sounclip 1 - Blackie

Soundclip 2 - Annie

Soundclip3 - Sassie

They are poxy computer speakers I am hearing them through but I like the sound of the first one best - it seems to be more complex, interesting and somehow sweeter to my ears. They are all great though.

_________________
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 Alan,
I listen to music on my computer through a stereo system, so the sound quality is good, and all 3 of your guitars sound great! The "little" reverb you added gives the guitars that classic hawaiian sound.

Sound Bite 1. Blackwood
Sound Bite 2. Sassafras
Sound Bite 3. Cedar

Thanks for sharing the sound clips.

Ron M.

Thanks for posting those. They are all beautiful! I haven't decided which one I like best yet.

_________________
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

Well thank you everyone for your comments and having a go at picking the tonewoods. The tone differences are easy to pick when you hear the guitars live. Not so easy to pick off a MP3 recording.

Here are the correct places.

Annie (sound bite 1)
Blackie (sound bite 2)
Sassie (sound bite 3)


[quote] I am hearing them through but I like the sound of the first one best - it seems to be more complex, interesting and somehow sweeter to my ears. [quote]

I agree with you David. The first sound bite is Annie, the cedar top guitar and you have picked a guitar that was built by a builder with over thirty years wood working experience.

Todd, your comments are spot on. Without having a pick you identified each guitar.

I am very happy with the tone of the other two guitars though. Blackie has a bright, very open tone and Sassie has a very big, warm tone. Sassie has more volume that the other two. I do expect the Blackwood to open up in time.

After trying all guitars in different open tunings Annie will stay in Open D, Blackie in Open C and Sassie will be E or Eb open tuning.

Thanks again to all my friends here on the forum for your interest.

Cheers

Alan

Alan all three sound great to me but I really like the sound from Sassie- bite 3

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Thanks Bob and Todd for your thoughts.

I have just finished tonight recording three tunes each on Sassie and Blackie. This time I have used the condensor mic and borrowed a boundry mic. No soundhole pickup this time. I should be able to prepare the files to upload in the next few days. Keep an eye out for the new sound bites.

Cheers

Alan