sbpark Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Now before everyone chimes in, "you have to play them for yourself to decide", I'll say that this is an internet forum based on discussion, so I'm just looking for everyone's experience and opinions on these two guitars. I won an AJ and a J45, never owned or played a Hummingbird, and I'm simply just curious. No intention on buying a Hummingbird. Just looking to start a good natured discussion nd maybe broaden my knowledge base and simply started this thread as entertainment, plain and simple. Obviously long scale vs. short scale, rosewood vs. mahogany back and sides, etc. So how would yu compare the tone/sound of each to each other? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 AS you know an AJ is sort of like a J-45 but on steroids/ Much more open, projective and big tone, but with the characteristics of a J-45. The tone is somewhat rustic, a bit rough even ccould be argued. The Hummingbird is softer but also much sweeter, the notes are more rounded and it has that nectarish overtones that only a Hummingbird has. I mean, best is to just look at a bunch of youtube vids to get the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 You also have to take into account the variation between rosewood and mahogany. Sorry - already mentioned above😨 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Like all things subjective, it's often not easy to contrast and compare the sound of guitars with words..........the differences live in the ear of the listener. The best we can do is describe a few generalities. The AJ is long scale and rosewood: loud, and perhaps a bit brash on that account, but rosewood has a kind of loose focus with rich overtones that contribute a bit of fuzziness to the low end and low mids; highs are perhaps fatter in tone; has a warm but slow attack and more complicated decay and sustain The Hummingbird is short scale and mahogany: sweeter, much more fundamental in tone with better focused lows and mids and an overall warmth that holds together well, usually with quick response and shorter decay And this is likely true of any comparison of rosewood v. mahogany, regardless of which two guitars are being considered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Like all things subjective, it's often not easy to contrast and compare the sound of guitars with words..........the differences live in the ear of the listener. The best we can do is describe a few generalities. The AJ is long scale and rosewood: loud, and perhaps a bit brash on that account, but rosewood has a kind of loose focus with rich overtones that contribute a bit of fuzziness to the low end and low mids; highs are perhaps fatter in tone; has a warm but slow attack and more complicated decay and sustain The Hummingbird is short scale and mahogany: sweeter, much more fundamental in tone with better focused lows and mids and an overall warmth that holds together well, usually with quick response and shorter decay And this is likely true of any comparison of rosewood v. mahogany, regardless of which two guitars are being considered. 👍👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 . DIFFERENT. B) Bird - Square dread, hog, short scale, warm. AJ - Slope dread, rosewood, long scale, brassy. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 All the suggestions here are "right on the mark." And in the end it all depends on what our own ears tell us. I think rosewood is often heard as being louder than mahogany and I hear a difference in tone, projection, volume too. My rosewood AJ is louder than my Hummingbird, but the bird is more mellow and warm. Of course, there are differences in scale, wood, bracing. That said, an AJ can also be played very gently and be a great folk guitar. Listen to Mark Knopfler. I've read that he has three AJs and one is a 1938 or maybe 1940 model. He does lots of sweet fingerpicking with it, as well as his rock music. Likewise, the Hummingbird is probably just as versatile. Keith Richards has used one a lot throughout his career with The Rolling Stones. Both are great guitars and a blast to play. I hope one day you end-up with one of each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Like all things subjective, it's often not easy to contrast and compare the sound of guitars with words...... What do you mean? EuroAussie said "nectarish overtones." How could that be more precise? [/sarcasm] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 What do you mean? EuroAussie said "nectarish overtones." How could that be more precise? [/sarcasm] Ha, ha .... but if you played one enough you want know EXACTLY when i mean .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwalker201 Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Let me ask this question. Short scale vs long scale, what are the positive/negative of those. What's the benefit of a long scale? All I ever had it played is short scale j15, j45. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 But more sustain with long scale ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Let me ask this question. Short scale vs long scale, what are the positive/negative of those. What's the benefit of a long scale? All I ever had it played is short scale j15, j45. I believe long scale guitars perform better with heavier strings, due to the higher tension, resulting in more volume and an overall "fatter" tone. My Martins sound better with mediums, while my short scale Gibson sound better with lights. Mediums tend to suck the life out of the Gibsons. Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Let me ask this question. Short scale vs long scale, what are the positive/negative of those. What's the benefit of a long scale? All I ever had it played is short scale j15, j45. I find generally speaking long scale give you a bit more of a 'bigger' sound. More volume and more projection, often more sustain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvi Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 seems like the longer scale is easier to play, less string tension? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Long scale: higher string tension, more power in the tone, little bit longer finger reach Short scale: lower tension, less bark and bite That said, guitars are such individuals that hard and fast rules rarely apply. Even within a maker/model there often are large differences in feel, playability and tone. Being built of wood that's pretty easy to understand: no two pieces of wood are the same.......ever. Like fingerprints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Long scale: higher string tension, more power in the tone, little bit longer finger reach Short scale: lower tension, less bark and bite That said, guitars are such individuals that hard and fast rules rarely apply. Even within a maker/model there often are large differences in feel, playability and tone. Being built of wood that's pretty easy to understand: no two pieces of wood are the same.......ever. Like fingerprints. IMHO, that about covers it. When you think you've learned the all-fitting, works every time long/short scale generality, the next couple guitars you play will blow it all to hell. All I've ever been able to do is take 'em one at a time and either appreciate what they do or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Now before everyone chimes in, "you have to play them for yourself to decide", I'll say that this is an internet forum based on discussion, so I'm just looking for everyone's experience and opinions on these two guitars. I won an AJ and a J45, never owned or played a Hummingbird, and I'm simply just curious. No intention on buying a Hummingbird. Just looking to start a good natured discussion nd maybe broaden my knowledge base and simply started this thread as entertainment, plain and simple. Obviously long scale vs. short scale, rosewood vs. mahogany back and sides, etc. So how would yu compare the tone/sound of each to each other? Thanks in advance! They're both acoustic guitars and they're made by Gibson. After those similarities, they're pretty different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbpark Posted November 11, 2016 Author Share Posted November 11, 2016 Call me crazy, but I find my longer scale guitars easier to play than short scale. Don't et me wrong, I love the sound of my J45 and it has a great setup, but for whatever reason I just have an easier time with the slightly higher tension of long scale guitars. I've owned a couple J45's now, so it's not just isolated to one short scale guitar. My Advanced Jumbo is one of the easiest playing guitars I've ever owned followed by my HD28. I even have the low E slightly higher at 7/76" compared to where I have it on my other guitars at 6/64" because it just works and for me and I hit that low E hard and it wont buzz, but still played effortlessly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvi Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 I wont call you crazy because the longer scale allows a bit more wiggle room for the strings- less tension I believe-- imo j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 .......longer scale allows a bit more wiggle room for the strings- less tension...... Unlike some other assertions made on the forum, is has been scientifically demonstrated that long scale instruments do have higher string tension. Given the same string gauge, it takes more tension to pull a longer string to the same pitch than it does a shorter one. Granted this tension difference maybe small, but it is there. There are other factors involved in how a guitar "feels" so it's not unimaginable that a long scale instrument might seem to have more "wiggle room". It is this higher tension that, in general, gives a long scale guitar apparently more volume and projection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvi Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 disagree, respectfully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 From an interview with Dana Bourgeois in Acoustic Guitar: Scale length can have a significant effect on playability. All factors being equal (string gauge, string length beyond the nut and saddle, break angles, and so on), shorter scales produce lower string tension, are more elastic, easier to fret, and require less arm extension. On the downside, a shorter, slacker string travels further when plucked or strummed and is more prone to buzzing and fret rattling when played at higher dynamic levels. Full interview HERE if you wish to read the source. From an article in Premier Guitar by Mark Dalton: The only downside to long scale is as the scale goes up, the string tension does as well. This is what makes longer-scale guitars a bit harder to play than their shorter-scale cousins. Full article HERE. This is a well established fact in guitar building and a law of physics to boot. As a string gets longer, tension must be increased to maintain the same pitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 To me there is zero doubt there is more tension on long scale, I find that clear as daylight. Which do i prefer, doenst really bother me, but if i had to choose I prefer the shorter because of the lower tension, just have to fret as hard. Anyway, i took a look at the youtube vault and here are two vids of mine from the past with the HB TV and AJ, there are some pieces that i did on both guitar so can easily compare. I think the differences are clear. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPNvijVI84U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp4AFrvfswE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvi Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 there is NO DOUBT dana b, as well as all builders and a great amount of players know more than I, yet I still grapple withe the physics,-seems like the longer a string is the easier to move laterally it should be, if I could keep the string tension steady on my j45 while I moved the saddle back, wouldnt I have to loosen the tuners ? puzzelled j... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 seems like the longer scale is easier to play, less string tension? The opposite actually. Longer scale=more pull=tighter string. That's why AJs and Martin dreds have more raw power than a J45, Bird or 000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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