Spot Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Guth, I said it before and ill say it again, I friggin love the tone on that J-45 of yours. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 ...I hate to throw a spanner in the works but I think this guy actually recorded this on his Cell phone!!!! If you gave him a semi-decent digital recorder I believe it would sound 1000% better!!!! I agree. Very poor fidelity. There's so little bass that it has to a limitation of the recording device, and not the guitar. Nice playing, though. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 +1 + another one. VERY nice, Guth. The bass undulates like a deep ocean current beneath the rest of the music. Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 ...I hate to throw a spanner in the works but I think this guy actually recorded this on his Cell phone!!!! If you gave him a semi-decent digital recorder I believe it would sound 1000% better!!!! I agree. Very poor fidelity. There's so little bass that it has to a limitation of the recording device, and not the guitar. ... Poor recording. Yeah. Okay. How well it was recorded or whether the guitar actually has poor tone doesn't matter. The point is being missed. The recording sounds like the guitar has a poor low end and Guth used that video to illustrate what a poor sounding J45 sounds like to him. . . . B) .... here's a clip that represents what quite a few of the Gibsons hanging on the wall at the local dealer over the past few years have sounded like. ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 And another +1 Guth. Also, while your J45TV does have its own tonality (really strong highs at least on these recordings), to me it does have some typical slope Gibson traits too, and certainly some thump (the bass run at 1:30 on Corn on the Cob - D tuned presumably?). Lovely playing by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Poor recording. Yeah. Okay. How well it was recorded or whether the guitar actually has poor tone doesn't matter. The point is being missed. The recording sounds like the guitar has a poor low end and Guth used that video to illustrate what a poor sounding J45 sounds like to him. . . . B) Exactly what I was trying to get across, although I like the phrase "not to my taste" better. I have a friend with a J-45 that exhibits similar muted qualities in the low end (not lack of volume) and it works for him. I've played plenty that sound like this recording (even with newer strings), regardless of how that J-45 sounds in real life. I see the tone of that example at one end of the sonic spectrum and my J-45 somewhere towards the other end. So folks that tend to bag on Gibsons have probably come across a number of examples that fall on one end of the spectrum or the other and those guitars are perhaps not to their liking, so they bash everything Gibson. But if someone were talking about the recorded tone of the J-45 in the YouTube example I shared and I was talking about the tone of my J-45, we'd be talking about apples and oranges in my opinion, even though they are both Gibson J-45s. As always thanks for the kind words regarding my sound clips. I'd also point out that I use a thumbpick and flesh/nails on my picking fingers. I also tend to dig in bit hard at times so all of that has an impact on the tone generated. I've also found some guitars respond better to a flatpick than my nails and others are just the opposite. I like that the J-45 seems to respond nicely to both, even though I hardly ever use a flatpick (maybe someday...). Mojorule, you are correct, the guitar is tuned down to open D for "Corn On The Cob". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 ...She doesn't sound like a Martin at all to me Rambler!!!!. That bad boy is mic'ed up and run through the PA. If that's the case then James Taylor must have wrote classics like "Fire & Rain" and "You got a Friend" on a "Martinized" Gibsjon J-50!!!! Hey Spoton, not like a martin, just in that direction. No intention to diss the singer on the song, or the o/p (you), but that's a pretty wet recording there. Effects on the vocal for sure and possibly the guit --through the board, maybe? Btw, here's JT himself. Drier/more compressed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I think it would be safe to remind folks, that most skilled guitar players don't just play one brand of guitar........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madman_Greg Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Well I don't mind sticking my neck on the block. I bought a J45 standard this year and here is one of my test recordings, there are mistakes but it was recorded to see what the guitar sounded like and to learn how to record it as well. I like to use a reference point like vocals with the guitar as well. This was recorded at home in my office come music room. My notes say two guitar tracks from one take, one from mic, one from pickup, delay, reverb and compression on guitar, no EQ on guitar, as it was recorded can't really detect any thump but its not really that style the track is a cover from a well known british beat combo j45-test2 Madman_Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 "a lot of people don't get the Gibson thump" Been thinking about this a bit lately. The Gibson acoustics I'm familiar with are terrific guitars, particularly well-suited for roots-oriented music. I would'nt say they are the most refined instruments in the world, though. Case in point. Here's Ernie Hawkins giving some lessons on Texas Blues, the first on a late 50s J45, the latter on a recent Martin HJ38 (scroll past the talk to get to the tones): Sugar babe (Mance Lipscomb) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3j9eN14O5E Lonesome Road (Lightnin Hopkins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B86-dPX-yM Ernie gets a tone out of both guitars that works for this music. Deep bass, aggressive top, not too much in the way of overtones. Of the two, the Gibson has a rawer sound, more right-at-you. Some hear that as crude. For others, it's music to our ears. The Martin is more nuanced and refined. The Gibson is like Lighnin' in the video clip, playing at a bar. The Martin has on a suit and tie. Which is "better?" Depends on what you mean. For the song? General tone qualities and response? You judge. Judging from the difference, though, you can see why some might see a Gibson as 'entry' level (if not downright inferior). I don't agree, but (assuming they are speaking from experience, not attitude) what's going on in this clips is the difference they are hearing. Rambler OK - a couple of things: 1. Does anybody know what guitar Lighnin' is playing Lonesome Road Blues on in that video? 2. I love the sound of Ernie's j45 - I have the older Ernie dvd - and the sound of that guitar is why I wanted a J45 and why I tried every one i could get my hands on and not finding that sound in any of them. I ended up with a Blues King first. I like that 'nails down a blackboard scrape'. My BluesKing had a touch of it - so I said: 'take it". My J45 has none of it, but I liked it's sound, though it is more like Guth's. Regards BK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I think it would be safe to remind folks, that most skilled guitar players don't just play one brand of guitar........ It is real hard or impossible to find a beautiful sound from one maker or type, and not be able to get worked up on other beautiful sounds from other types. I mean, I DIG the sound of a lot of Martin 000 and OM guitars. Small body Gibby's just don't do that, and I don't think they can. But, then there are SOME Hummingbirds that sound so great they freak me out. Certainly, No Martin of any shape can compare. But then, a guy could find himself playing a D-18V that might make you forget that there might be something about a D-28 that makes a good one sought after. I even actually played a used Taylor once that I didn't want to put down, and had me convinced there was something to them that other brands couldn't do. (honest) And, when it comes to something being "entry level", I could say I would rather hear one simple chord on these than hear someone who could play difficult amazing things on your average guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Poor recording. Yeah. Okay. How well it was recorded or whether the guitar actually has poor tone doesn't matter. The point is being missed. The recording sounds like the guitar has a poor low end and Guth used that video to illustrate what a poor sounding J45 sounds like to him. . . . B) ...I disagree 100% BK. I genuinely believe that its damned near impossible to judge a guitars tone from a sh***y youtube video with such a horrendous recording like this one. It honestly sounds like he did it on his Cell phone to my ears.... Just my 2 cents.....lovin' the thread, albeit that its gone off subject quite a bit.... Maybe we should start another thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I agree. Very poor fidelity. There's so little bass that it has to a limitation of the recording device, and not the guitar. Nice playing, though. Red 333 ...my thoughts to. I really like his playing and the song, despite the cr** sound!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Well I don't mind sticking my neck on the block. I bought a J45 standard this year and here is one of my test recordings, there are mistakes but it was recorded to see what the guitar sounded like and to learn how to record it as well. I like to use a reference point like vocals with the guitar as well. This was recorded at home in my office come music room. My notes say two guitar tracks from one take, one from mic, one from pickup, delay, reverb and compression on guitar, no EQ on guitar, as it was recorded can't really detect any thump but its not really that style the track is a cover from a well known british beat combo j45-test2 Madman_Greg ..Nice job Greg!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Hey Spoton, not like a martin, just in that direction. No intention to diss the singer on the song, or the o/p (you), but that's a pretty wet recording there. Effects on the vocal for sure and possibly the guit --through the board, maybe? Btw, here's JT himself. Drier/more compressed ...No problem Rambler. I'm genuinly Loving the discussions on Gibson sound and peeps individual favourites. Different strokes for different folks that's all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Well I don't mind sticking my neck on the block. I bought a J45 standard this year and here is one of my test recordings, there are mistakes but it was recorded to see what the guitar sounded like and to learn how to record it as well. I like to use a reference point like vocals with the guitar as well. This was recorded at home in my office come music room. My notes say two guitar tracks from one take, one from mic, one from pickup, delay, reverb and compression on guitar, no EQ on guitar, as it was recorded can't really detect any thump but its not really that style the track is a cover from a well known british beat combo j45-test2 Madman_Greg Now that sounds completely different from my Woody SJ, Greg. I have to find time to convert to MP3 the one recording I've managed to make with nothing but a headset mic and Microsoft's inbuilt recorder, but at best it gives a very faint picture of the balance between lows, mids and highs on my guitar. It can't really do justice to the instrument, and actually makes that 'cellphone' recording sound like hi-fi 32-track stuff. So utterly useless for the purposes of this thread. But at least heard from the playing position, mine has an element of growl in the mids, what I believe to be thump in the bass, and on some days a treble which sounds almost electric, and which may or may not be what people mean when they talk about the 'cracking' treble sound on J45s. (Not heard that description on this thread, though it is another classic term to go with 'the thump'.) My guitar does sound rather 'wetter' than vintage ones though - perhaps what Rambler means by 'Martinized', though to my ears it sounds nothing like a Martin, or any other non-Gibson acoustic I've ever heard. While Martins are undoubtedly lovely guitars, and sound great to me in certain famous and not-so-famous hands, I've only ever played lower end ones which didn't really feel or sound right to me. It is definitely the mahogany-backed Gibson sound which has led me to want and to buy a quality steel-string instead of an expensive nylon-string acoustic. Yours seems to have a more ringing, almost bell-like voice, but I can't work out how much of that is due to the delay, reverb and compression that you added. As I said, on occasion mine sounds as though it's amplified when it's not, so some of the ringing sound may well be your guitar and not the effects. One day my wife asked me if I was playing plugged in, which given that I currently only have a Zinky's Smokey to hand was highly unlikely. (If anybody is interested, I can report that my wonderful guitar does sound uniquely crap through the ciggy packet.) BTW, now you've got me back into Ocean Colour Scene. I've not tried that song on the new guitar, even though I was playing it on my old cheapie before Christmas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 LOL...guys, PLEASE stop saying, "My guitar sounds better......or......my guitar sounds woodier.......or......My guitar has a bigger thump than yours......".....lol.....just put samples of your guitar and playing on this thread and let's see how your guitar sounds......in other words....let's get some good examples of good sounding Gibby's up here so that Hawkins video won't be the standard by which all Gibby's are measured....lol....LET'S HEAR THE WOODINESS, THUMPINESS, GOOD TONE, GREAT VOLUME, ETC. ETC....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 ...I disagree 100% BK. I genuinely believe that its damned near impossible to judge a guitars tone from a sh***y youtube video with such a horrendous recording like this one. It honestly sounds like he did it on his Cell phone to my ears....Just my 2 cents.....lovin' the thread, albeit that its gone off subject quite a bit.... Yes, you are right, a recording is never the proper way to evaluate a guitar. And yes, the video recording in question is poorly done. I'm not disagreeing with any of that, because we are not evaluating the guitar that was used in that recording. It's the (in your words) "sh!tty youtube video with such a horrendous recording" that approximates the sound we were talking about. You know what, this washtub rig sounds like a string bass - approximately - B) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPk12iuv-gQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedmac Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I think a lot of folks that make those statements and talk about Gibson quality are people who have never owned a Gibson acoustic and can't afford a Gibson. I suspect there is a lot of unspoken envy involved. I agree with that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Yes, you are right, a recording is never the proper way to evaluate a guitar. And yes, the video recording in question is poorly done. I'm not disagreeing with any of that, because we are not evaluating the guitar that was used in that recording. It's the (in your words) "sh!tty youtube video with such a horrendous recording" that approximates the sound we were talking about. Hey BK, love the way you got sh!tty in your post,...mine always comes up as sh**** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I always felt my 69' CW has a nice Gibson thump. Its quite dry and vintage sounding, but still with a nice ring and sustain. Here's a track I recorded sometime with it which is based around a low end riff - is this a Gibson thump ? http://www.reverbnation.com/taylorprague#!/artist/song_details/7745306 LOL...guys, PLEASE stop saying, "My guitar sounds better......or......my guitar sounds woodier.......or......My guitar has a bigger thump than yours......".....lol.....just put samples of your guitar and playing on this thread and let's see how your guitar sounds......in other words....let's get some good examples of good sounding Gibby's up here so that Hawkins video won't be the standard by which all Gibby's are measured....lol....LET'S HEAR THE WOODINESS, THUMPINESS, GOOD TONE, GREAT VOLUME, ETC. ETC....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I always felt my 69' CW has a nice Gibson thump. Its quite dry and vintage sounding, but still with a nice ring and sustain. Here's a track I recorded sometime with it which is based around a low end riff - is this a Gibson thump ? Nice job EA. And hell yeah. You got a nice thump there, especially percussive on the hard strum. (This thread has me running my computer audio through my stereo for two days now. B) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Nice job EA. And hell yeah. You got a nice thump there, especially percussive on the hard strum. (This thread has me running my computer audio through my stereo for two days now. B) ) EA...good one....nice sound... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I always felt my 69' CW has a nice Gibson thump. Its quite dry and vintage sounding, but still with a nice ring and sustain. Here's a track I recorded sometime with it which is based around a low end riff - is this a Gibson thump ? http://www.reverbnation.com/taylorprague#!/artist/song_details/7745306 As ever your CW sounds great, EA, but to me that's not quite the thump, but something else. I reckon your Aaron has more of it. Would love to hear you re-record this track on the Aaron and with a heavy pick (you know you want something harder for your SJ, so that you don't wear those medium picks out!). That would thump, I think. Righteously so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 LOL...guys, PLEASE stop saying, "My guitar sounds better......or......my guitar sounds woodier.......or......My guitar has a bigger thump than yours......".....lol.....just put samples of your guitar and playing on this thread and let's see how your guitar sounds......in other words....let's get some good examples of good sounding Gibby's up here so that Hawkins video won't be the standard by which all Gibby's are measured....lol....LET'S HEAR THE WOODINESS, THUMPINESS, GOOD TONE, GREAT VOLUME, ETC. ETC....... Just send the pro-level recording equipment to southern Hungary and I'll get on with it, Wily. Then I'll set up the first recording studio in the region and make a mint while I'm at it! Just don't expect to get it back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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