Guitar Comparison Video: Tremblay, Morin, Bumgarner, Gaffiero, Barault

geese_com

Before I sell a couple of guitars that I currently have, I figured it would be good to do a video that captured and compared the sound of each guitar. Also it is nice to hear Selmer, Favino, Busato, DiMauro heart hole, style guitars one after another to hear how different they all sound from each other.

Martin Tremblay Busato Grand Modèle strung with Argentine 1510 (10-45)

Cyril Morin Favino Style strung with Argentine 1510 (10-45)

Craig Bumgarner Corazon strung with Argentine 1510 (10-45)

Cyril Gaffiero #80 Favino Style strung with Argentine 1510MF (11-46)

Jean Barault Selmer 503 Replica strung with Argentine 1510MF (11-46)

There aren't many back to back comparison videos of GJ guitars online, so I like to make them to hopefully help out anybody seeking more info.

Sorry as always for the terrible playing but hopefully you get an idea of the sound of each guitar. I shot on the first take in just one take without any warmup beforehand.

https://youtu.be/7J7czcm3TZA

Buco

Your rhythm has improved, sounding good. I thought you sold the Tremblay. That one has a serious bark on rhythm.

geese_com

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/109955#Comment_109955

Persistence pays off! I kept telling the person that I sold it to that I would like to buy it back and one day we worked out a deal. I am going to make sure it doesn't leave again. The Tremblay and the Barault are keepers for sure.

Buco

Aha, that's a good buyer, lucky for you. Good stuff man, keep plugging away.

croth

I watch your videos all the time. I love what you're trying to accomplish and I give you a lot of personal credit for making these videos. Keep it up and thanks.

geese_com

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/109962#Comment_109962

Thank you for your kind words.

I just hope that the videos can help people get an idea of how these guitars sound. I personally find it hard to judge guitars based on separate videos, so that is why I do them as back to back comparison. I think it gives you a good idea of the sound differences of the guitars.

I am fortunate enough that I can take the financial risks of buying, testing out, then reselling guitars (at losses most of the time), so I wanted to share the guitars with the GJ community.

croth

Let me know which guitar you're willing to sell at a loss next time! LOL

I do have a suggestion, though it might be petty. Generally speaking, in order to test something objectively, you have to keep all the variables the same. In your present comparison, you have some guitars with 11s and some with 10s. I believe that the string gauge can influence the tone. I know it's time-consuming (and costly) but it might make the comparison tests more valid if you always used the same string gauge on each test instrument. Just a thought and something you can ignore. I will continue to enjoy your videos as long as you make them.

All the best.

geese_com

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/110010#Comment_110010

Thanks for the feedback. I used to change the strings to fresh strings every time I did one of these videos. This latest one was actually unplanned. I just had an hour to kill so I decided to do it. Hence why it was just done on the first take in one take. Otherwise I would have changed the strings on all the guitars to fresh sets to reduce the variables.

Either way I think you can hear how each "type" of guitar sounds different from the other.

P.S. The Bumgarner is for sale currently at a loss but I am taking offers (which may result in a bigger loss 😂)

pdg

Action is another variable that greatly affects tone and volume. But, just like strings, each guitar may "prefer" a different action.

Ultimately, you'd probably want to "optimize" each guitar -- by setting the action and choosing strings that make it sound its best -- and then compare the guitars.

But maybe that's why some of your guitars had 010s and some had 011s.

I found that I got "into" the sound of each instrument and heard it as the "right" sound, and then the next one came along and I adjusted to it the same way. Not better or worse, just different.

ChrisMartin

I know I have stirred this up before but I still maintain the ultimate sound of any guitar depends as much on the setup and the player as it does any inherent qualities in the luthiery. As pdg says above, it may take some experimentation with strings, bridge height and any number of tiny variables to get the best tone out of the guitar, but even while doing that remember tone is subjective too, so what is pleasing to your ear may not be to another.

Then there is playing technique. The way the left hand holds the strings, either pushing down hard with a strong vibrato or a light touch skipping over a fast neck with a low action will greatly affect the tone, and of course the right hand attack will make a difference too, pick angle, position relative to the bridge, how hard you attack will all make any guitar sound different (for better or worse) compared to another player.

I know there are many on here who would tell us we have to play a certain way, use Argies and Wegens and if we do not have the rest-stroke picking going we are nowhere, but then there is also the possibility that ever since Django broke all the rules in the '30s there are no rules. It is the variety of picking your own influences and finding your own way of playing them that will reward with a unique personal style. Without such free thinking (outside the box) we would not have had Django (or Hendrix, Miles, Elvis etc etc).

Or you can follow the rules as dictated by some on here and aspire to be another clone.