E-minor7 Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . We typically hear that the Hummingbird is ideal for singer-songwriters due to their withheld volume. Definitely a point to that, but here's another take. Rosewoods being the ones for singing folkies because they - opposed to the hogs - leave a little room in the middle where the voice likes to sit. The team below is golden - and listen to the guy to the right. He sure talks a lot and may seem fearless - BUT ! he knows what he's saying and every time I've 'met him' he always passes qualified insight. In other words : there is something beneath the shell. Now I have my favorite among the 2, but no need to reveal that. Judge for yourself and crack a HAPPY EASTER P.S. - wonder if those 3 tops are torrefied 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 Hmmmmm........ very interesting. Chris McKee does a really good job of explaining the rosewood/mahogany tonal balance split, which you can hear in these two guitars. But because they are totally different body shapes--plus we know nothing about any other differences, such the top bracing--it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. The Songwriter sounds like a cross between a Martin and a Taylor to my ear, and not much like a Gibson at all. I need to find some good AJ vs J-45 comparisons somewhere to see if the differences are the woods, or significant differences in these two body shapes. Of course, the longer scale of the AJ complicates things. Maybe a J-45 and one of the new rosewood SJs would be a better comparison. Or the class D-18 vs D-28 difference. I would say the Songwriter has a more "modern" sound, whatever that means. The individual singer's voice would be the determinant in which is better for a singer/songwriter. Somehow I can't see Keef with a Songwriter, or Croz with a 'Bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneS Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 Here’s a girl folkie having no trouble with hog. I shot this a couple of Januarys ago at the Highway 1A Songwriter’s Festival in FL—it was 33 degrees in the tent at the time. That bird kept us all warm. https://www.dropbox.com/s/3c96x8r91zuniha/Video Jan 12%2C 10 48 09 PM.mov?dl=0 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 I have never drank too deeply from the Tonewood Kool Aid. Too many things go into making sound come out of a guitar. When discussions get too deep I tend to think to myself "take a deep breath and step back from the edge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 Depends on the song. I have a couple songs that demand the roar available from Rosewood, but the bulk of the repertoire sits very nicely in hog heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 1, 2021 Share Posted April 1, 2021 1 hour ago, AnneS said: Here’s a girl folkie having no trouble with hog. I shot this a couple of Januarys ago at the Highway 1A Songwriter’s Festival in FL—it was 33 degrees in the tent at the time. That bird kept us all warm. https://www.dropbox.com/s/3c96x8r91zuniha/Video Jan 12%2C 10 48 09 PM.mov?dl=0 Both of those 'birds were on fire. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 Fair point em whats the first thing you do when you plug into a PA? Turn the middles down right ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 2, 2021 Author Share Posted April 2, 2021 5 hours ago, blindboygrunt said: Fair point em whats the first thing you do when you plug into a PA? Turn the middles down right ? Hehe, , , I never plug in. And if I did the the sound would be adjusted individually after the acoustic etc. circumstances. When I plugged in with the band I never cared. The finer sonic nuances got lost thus wouldn't matter and my playing back then was rotten. Last time I played a solo gig it was on my D-35* and the sound was a mix between the fishman and a mike in front - not bad. *rosewood for those who don't know. That said the theory above isn't mine or something I subscribe to. But it's a new angle (to me anyway) and worth noticing when discussing all these details - not least singing/playing acoustically. Though hog seems rounder/mellower and rosewood broader/bigger more potent, various types of wood remain mysterious to me and I still collect new thoughts. JCV fx recently called his favorite back'n'sides maple one-dimensional. Aha, , it made me wonder, , , and listen to my Dove and F-bird with different ears. In the studio a few weeks ago, I played the re-necked 1966 Country Western. A highly bassy animal, which had to be tamed low-end-wise, especially for the later part of the song. On and on go the experiments and ideas. So does this Board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 2, 2021 Author Share Posted April 2, 2021 My post was also a tip of the hat to the 2 fellows. I'm long-time fan of Polecastro's tests and dig Quinton King and Paul (2 excellent crypto-comedians). But Chris and Cooper above has been on my list for a while. There are several others - and 'less is more' doesn't count when is comes to guitars and their test-pilots / philosophers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 2, 2021 Author Share Posted April 2, 2021 15 hours ago, AnneS said: Here’s a girl folkie having no trouble with hog. No - she has no trouble whatsoever. . . Oouuhh, , , recall bein' so young that firing with such intensity was just a natural thing to do. . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 I get the "scooped mids" of Rosewood vs. the emphasized mids of mahogany, and I have mostly rosewood acoustics. But I do have a mahogany Hummingbird and when I do my solo thing I find that there is plenty of room for the vocals when playing the Hummingbird. In fact it is the guitar I choose when playing a performance that requires amplification and a PA because it has built in electronics and I feel my voice blends so well with it. On the other hand if I'm playing without any amplification I will use my Collings dread because it is a lot louder, yet I can still sing over it. I guess what I'm saying is that both tone woods are useful and if you like the way a particular mahogany acoustic sounds you shouldn't shy away from it because it doesn't leave enough room in the mid-range frequencies for the vocals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneS Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 4 hours ago, E-minor7 said: No - she has no trouble whatsoever. . . Oouuhh, , , recall bein' so young that firing with such intensity was just a natural thing to do. . Oh, you are so right. And the intensity made the guitar bloom in your hands. Yessiree... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 7, 2021 Author Share Posted April 7, 2021 On 4/2/2021 at 6:17 PM, Twang Gang said: I get the "scooped mids" of Rosewood vs. the emphasized mids of mahogany, and I have mostly rosewood acoustics. But I do have a mahogany Hummingbird and when I do my solo thing I find that there is plenty of room for the vocals when playing the Hummingbird. In fact it is the guitar I choose when playing a performance that requires amplification and a PA because it has built in electronics and I feel my voice blends so well with it. On the other hand if I'm playing without any amplification I will use my Collings dread because it is a lot louder, yet I can still sing over it. I guess what I'm saying is that both tone woods are useful and if you like the way a particular mahogany acoustic sounds you shouldn't shy away from it because it doesn't leave enough room in the mid-range frequencies for the vocals. Glad to hear some thoughts on the topic. The common idea about fx rosewood dreads and the hog Birds when it comes the singersong-performances is repeated again and again, not only here, but in the guitar society encountered allover the web. I never thought of it before reading it here some 10 years ago and always believed the answer was to dampen the guitar or sing lounder - ideally meet in the middle, simply adjust by ear as you go. Still do. But as one's sonic experience and sensitivity expands, it's a challenge to investigate these things - and established some sort of consciousness. There's a limit to how long you can continue like the same Salvation Army player, pling strum plingg pling. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.