Gibson Archtop Guitars Blindfold Test

[Jazz_175]

I think the only one who could really identify those guitars is someone who played all of them for years, so knows them very well and should be able to identify them by listening to them (giving the back to the player)without the filter of the recording.
So the owner of the guitars should be able to do that.
The only Gibson jazz guitars that I extensively played in my life are 175 and 335.
How can I identify guitars that I do not know, or that I played once in my life for 5 minutes several years ago ( L5 Wes).

Still it is a lot of fun listening and comparing them.

[kris]

I think the only one who could really identify those guitars is someone who played all of them for years, so knows them very well and should be able to identify them by listening to them (giving the back to the player)without the filter of the recording.
So the owner of the guitars should be able to do that.
The only Gibson jazz guitars that I extensively played in my life are 175 and 335.
How can I identify guitars that I do not know, or that I played once in my life for 5 minutes several years ago ( L5 Wes).

Still it is a lot of fun listening and comparing them.

+1!!!!

[Dutchbopper]

Howdy guys,

Thanks for the replies. My original post was more fun oriented than a scientific research into tonal differences. I realize that would require a different approach. Still, to me, it seems that the player may well be the most distinguishing factor in crating sound. Personally I do not care for the acoustic properties of my archtops much. I consider all the guitars that I used in the test clips to be electric guitars anyway.

I'll post the outcome later.

Dick

[kris]

I did Blindfold Test with my guitars last year.
It was Tele style, semi-hollow ibanez As-200 and hollow-body guitar.
It was not easy because I had in my head my own sound...:-)

[peterpanico]

You know,just recording only my Strato on all 5 switch settings,and playing with the tone knob,and stating "tell me what archtops I'm playing here..."
I'm pretty sure that will pop up the "experts" and their "guessings"....
Blind test are really a nice thing to shame a lot of people "who knows"...
not long ago,a small pickup maker,over here,did this trick just recording its testing "guitar" ( actually a simple plywood slab with a neck,to test different pickups....so acoustically a real "nothing") with different singles and humbuckers of his,bare recording with no postproduction and.....
Hell broke loose.....on a famous Italian Forum they "sensed"
Les Pauls,335s, Vintage Stratos,marvelous carved solid L4/5s
and whatever comes in mind....ah..ah... really a joke....
Same happens with "blind" wine testing.....as of today,the world it's full of Experts and expertise......me just laugh at the moon...
You know the "Fool on the hill..." thing

[rpguitar]

I've posted this comment a couple of times on forums, and I'll say it again:

The difference among guitars to the listener is not that important, and is at times indistinguishable, even when the guitars have numerous structural differences.

The difference among guitars to the player is crucially important, and is always distinguishable, even when the guitars are nearly the same structurally.

We often confuse these two things when we engage in demos, sound clips, tests, etc. in the online community.

[Bill C]

I've posted this comment a couple of times on forums, and I'll say it again:

The difference among guitars to the listener is not that important, and is at times indistinguishable, even when the guitars have numerous structural differences.

The difference among guitars to the player is crucially important, and is always distinguishable, even when the guitars are nearly the same structurally.

We often confuse these two things when we engage in demos, sound clips, tests, etc. in the online community.

Good point. Although I often find myself listening - particularly to guitar players - and thinking, "great playing but I'm not crazy about the tone". But then I play the guitar - after a fashion ...

[rpguitar]

Note that I didn't say tone is unimportant to the listener. I said that the differences we obsess over as players are not distinguishable to listeners.

[Groyniad]

1 = 175
2 = L5
3 = 335 or 350t
4 = johnny smith
5 = 125 or 175
6 = 335 or 350t
7 = tf

DB - how far off am i?

[va3ux]

I seem to remember a follow-up video where he revealed what was what.

[ChrisDowning]

RPG -- As players, I think we tend to judge a guitar by how it plays. Can we play the guitar the way we personally do it? Can we get all the notes to sound about the same on a gradient between the low E on the 6th up to a high E on the 1st? For example, my with rock/blues strings gives me too much volume on the 3rd and 2nd strings (needs different strings), my Guild with HB can be way too boomy, and the Takamine can sound very faux acoustic and sharp and needs toning down. The list of Gibsons (leavingthe issue of pickups to one side for now) would all have playing differences depending on how you play fingerstyle, with a plectrum, a thumpick, whatever. I think those elements vs price would give an individual the answer to which is 'best' for you personally.

Personally I can't imagine going on the roadwith a guitar costing more than about $2000 - but then I'm a bit paranoid. So you can see I'd be choosing a s/h 175 or 330, or s/h Heritage 525. My Guild S300 has all the same hardware you would get on a good original Guild archtop - but with a solid ash body, ebony/maple neck - so that was a compromise I made back in 1982 and the guitar is still with me. (The sound is there but it looks a bit like it comes from an episode of Startrek).

[Little Jay]

Db posted the answer in his blog:

1. Gibson ES 125
2. Gibson Johnny Smith
3. Gibson ES 335
4. Gibson ES 175
5. Gibson L5
6. Gibson ES 350t
7. Gibson Tal Farlow

So Groyniad, you got the Tal right and you heared that 3 and 6 were thinlines...
(Statistically that comes close to a lucky guess )

[GNAPPI]

" I tend to sound the same on any guitar."

There's a lot of truth in that statement for many players, (myself included) and if I don't get the same or similar sound I diddle with the EQ and controls to get close. But I guess we all have sonic preferences. I don't like shrill, trebly (issat a word?) bassy, muddy, or very lo freq sound so I tend to get a sound envelope develop I like.

I think many players "hear with their eyes" :-)

Oh, agreed on the tal Farlow!

[add4]

I could identify the 335 with certainty since i'm mainly playing that. I think the 335 recording very clearly exposes the good and bad of that particular guitar. very direct sound, rich and a lot of harmonics, and the 'texture' and resonance of the high notes, when help up for a longer moment, are really typical according to me.

My favourite one was the ES125, followed by the 335.

I loved the tones of the other guitars, but it felt a little bit too .... how to describe that. not giving as much energy. i can't put my finger on what's happening, the dynamics are great, the sound is great, but it's as if the ears would have to focus to continue hearing that sound for a long time.. as if the pickup was a little 'weak' i don't know ..
To my ears the only guitars who do not have this problem are the 1 and 3.

Maybe it's a question of recording setup, amp setting, ... i don't know.

Also i was surprised to mistake some L5 types for a ES175 type of sound, with not so much of harmonics, the typical jazz box sound, hollow sounding, lots of mids, just the 'fundamental tone' is there.


I'd be VERY curious to know the amp setups for all of them. I'm sure that might be a factor too (i know i HATE henriksen amps because they make everything sound overcompressed, could it be the amp used for some guitars i found 'weak'?)

anyway, all of them sound great and theres really a gibson sound in all of them.

[Little Jay]

My favourite one was the ES125, followed by the 335.

Mine too! And I have those both... so why am I still having G.A.S.?!?

[Dutchbopper]

Hi Guys,

I was a bit surprised. This thread is almost 3 years old. It was just for fun. Don't think anybody had them all right. That would be practically impossible.

Regards,

DB

[add4]

haha yeah 3 years later, that question is still interesting

[ChrisDowning]

Would have loved to have seen a similar test with the non-usual suspects. SG Stratocaster Casino PRS Firebird L6s Telecaster

Then a non-archtop set D28 with a soundhole PU Takamine Flat top Any Cheap electric archtop Godin Multiac Nylon strung electric classical Selmer django style An Ovation.

Now that's a real pub quiz for guitarists! Holy Moly - there's a whole lot of guitars there that are not supposed to be for jazz - now wouldn't that be embarrassing if you actually liked something that was way off piste?

[Dutchbopper]

In this particular series, the Tal would be my favourite. But that's just this series. The outcome could be quite different on a different amp or recording.

DB

[vinlander]

The Tal is probably the easier to spot because it has quite a distinct tone, particularly on those bass notes.

[Dutchbopper]

The Tal is probably the easier to spot because it has quite a distinct tone, particularly on those bass notes.

Yes, very much like Tal's classic sound, isn't it? Too cool!

DB

[Greentone]

Wow! I only transposed 4 and 6. That's not too bad. I took the test this morning and found the answers just now. I thought the carved tones were pretty obvious and the 24-3/4" scale lengths seemed sort of obvious, too. The trick, at first, was identifying the 335 because my 335 sounds very dark and full. The 335 on the test sounds light and airy, but I "got it" in about 30 seconds.

Cool test.

[add4]

I think 335s can be a bit all over the place tone wise. With some common features. But some are dark some are more Light.

[Doctor Jeff]

Dang, that's hard! Lots of nice tones--some thinner than others, some "fatter"--hard for me to tell which is which though.

I echo the above comments--your style and touch shine through no matter which hollowbody you're playing. It's especially hard to tell in the context of the band arrangements and with the reverb and amp setting.

For a perhaps more revealing test one would want to hear solo guitar, no reverb, small amp and small room with flat settings.

In any event, great sounds and great playing--I think you could make a barn plank sound good!

[Rob MacKillop]

The Johnny Smith and the 175 did it for me - beautifully distinct jazz sounds, not that I guessed correctly, but they are my pick of the bunch.

BTW, love your playing, Mr Bopper!