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+1 Comins
The Yamaha with the SD mini hum was a close second though.
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12-19-2021 07:52 AM
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I think Rick's thread proves that a cheap guitar can sound pretty damn good (at least when played by a skilled guitarist like Rick). Some great guitarists have sounded superb on cheap guitars (Ulf Wakenius and Gray Sargent come to mind). I have had a few cheap guitars that sounded pretty good, but none inspired my playing like my Gibson and D'Angelico archtops do, so those guitars are what I play.
Truthfully, I think some degree of confirmation bias has been at work in this thread. If Rick did not reveal which guitar was which, perhaps many of those who say they preferred the Commins might have chosen otherwise?
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Listening through the computer's speakers, no difference. Through headphones, the Comins sounds a tad fuller. But IMHO these are too short and, in style, too limited samples for sweeping conclusions. How would the PUs handle fast single-string runs, for example? Or loud block chords? Over the past decade I've come to the conclusion that cheap guitars have exponentially and asymptotically approached expensive ones in quality. That killed an entire industry in Europe much earlier and made some American survivors look like besieged fortresses who, rather than surrendering, teamed up with the enemy, i.e. flagged much of their volumes to the Far East or, at least, south of the border.
Nothing except street credibility or one's ego prevent from gigging with a cheap guitar. The amp and, in particular, the speaker, matter a lot more. And, if the floor is full of tone-mutilating stomp boxes, why waste a precious vintage instrument at one end of the signal chain and a historic relic for an amp at the other?
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I just did another video.
This one has five cases (I said four, but I added one at the end). This time, I'll reveal everything after people have finished commenting (if anyone does <g>).
The basic question is, which one do you like best and why?
For extra credit, try to identify the guitar, amp and EQ combination for each of the 5 cases.
If you rank them 1 to 5 in order of preference, it might be possible to draw some conclusions about what people are reacting to.
There are three variables.
Comins GCS-1 vs. Yamaha Pacifica 012 (the cheapest one, btw) with a Lil 59 in the neck position (which is the only pu I used on this video)
I rotated the tone control of the guitars. So the variable is less treble roll-off vs more treble roll-off.
Two amps.
Amp 1) 1964 Ampeg Reverberocket R12RB. This is the one with the solid state rectification, but it's all tubes after that. It has a replacement speaker (12", same as stock) but is otherwise original. That's the original reverb tank.
Amp 2) DV Mark Little Jazz. This is an 8" speaker.
I used the settings I typically use with this gear. They sound best to me. Clearly, there are multiple other ways to do this experiment. I had to pick something and this made sense to me.
Signal path:
All guitars into Boss ME80, which added a little reverb and allowed me to adjust volume with the pedal. No EQ or effects other than reverb.
The LJ had the reverb control at 9 o'clock (meaning it adds a little without getting into that funky reverb-like sound that the LJ does when the control is set too high). I used my usual settings for the LJ, which are bass all the way down, mids at noon, treble at 11 o'clock. Volume at noon.
The Ampeg had the Dimension control on 9 o'clock as well. Ampeg's tone control at 10 o'clock.
So, Guitar, amp, EQ, two settings each results in 8 cases. I did 5 of them in the video. -- I just listened to it -- I apologize for too much reverb throughout.
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My preference order is as follows: 3, 4, 2, 5, 1
I eagerly await the reveal.
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2, 4, 3, 5, 1
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My preference in order: 3, 5, 2, 4, 1
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If forced to guess, I would guess that the Comins tends to sound a little fuller partly because the HB is full width. The Lil 59 is a narrower HB pu.
Originally Posted by Gitterbug
The narrower the pickup, the shorter length of string it is sensing. As I understand the physics that produces more perceived highs.
Another issue is scale length. The Comins is 24 3/4 whereas the Yamaha is 25 1/2.
Still another is that the Yamaha neck is very skinny compared to the Comins.
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Perhaps the best solution is to buy another guitar.
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My preference is 2, 3, 4, 1, 5. The last three sound more... solidbodysh.
Stefano
Hi everybody, new-poster from Italy
Last edited by StefanoGhirardo; 12-20-2021 at 05:50 AM.
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My guesses:
1 (Comins) This one is very bright and harsh. So it's tempting to say it's the Yamaha but I think it's the Comins with the solid state amp.
2 (Yamaha) treble rolled off, solid state amp
3 (Comins) through tube amp
4 (Yamaha) tube amp
5 (Comins) treble rolled off a bit, solid state amp.
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Those were my guesses too for the instruments. I'm not as discerning on the amps. I did wonder if 5 was the Comins with its neck coil split. Originally Posted by Tal_175
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I'll wait a little longer for the reveal, but to avoid confusion, I stuck with my own variables. Two amps, two guitars and more/less treble. No coil split. No tricks. Originally Posted by LifeOnJazz
The coil split option on the Comins sounds pretty good to me and I use it occasionally. It's the hum that stops me from using it more. I didn't use it these videos.
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1. Comins, Ampeg, more treble
2. Yamaha, Ampeg less treble
3. Comins, LJ, more treble
4. Yamaha, LJ, less treble
5. Comins, Ampeg, less treble
Tal and Life got the guitars right every time. They also got the EQ right in the cases they mentioned it.
That's impressive.
Tal separated the amps into two groups -- and he got the separation right. Good ears! However, he labeled the LJ as a tube amp and the Ampeg as solid state, each time. That may be a compliment to the LJ.
As far as the preferences went we got
34251
24351
35241
23415
So, the most consistent finding was that nobody liked #1 very much. But, switch that guitar/EQ (Comins, more treble) combination to the LJ and it got 2 out of the four first place votes .
The other two first place votes were for the Yamaha/Ampeg, but with less treble.
So, each guitar and amp got two first place votes.
Overall, I think that people voted for less treble more than they voted for an amp or a guitar.
The Ampeg apparently was sounding more trebly, or maybe more harsh in some other way, than the LJ. The Ampeg's first place votes were with less treble.
I think the LJ has less treble to begin with, and it looks like people were sensitive to that.
It suggests that the results might have been different if I had set the EQ on the amps differently. I could have gone up, or down, on treble with either amp.
Another point I found interesting was that the 8" speaker got as many firsts as the 12" speaker.
I've been gigging with the LJ, usually with the Comins, but often enough with the Yamaha. I think the Comins sounds better for single notes. I'm looking for high notes to sound thick, for want of a better descriptor, and I can get that from the Comins and not so much from the Yamaha. With the Comins I can often solo comfortably with just reverb. With the Yamaha I more often use the harmonizer to add an octave down. Thickens the notes.
OTOH, Yamaha sounds better to me (clearer, less grit) for chords in a combo setting. I don't like a lot of lows in that context. If I was playing solo guitar, I'd probably prefer the Comins. Generally, I take the Comins to gigs unless my hands are hurting; then I prefer the Yamaha.
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My takeaway from this blind test is that I prefer a solid state amp voiced for jazz guitar over most tube amps (and I have for years). I also prefer a short scale guitar.
Most of my gigs today (and for the past couple of years) have been with a Gibson ES-175 with a Henriksen Blu amp. I know what I like. Perhaps it's time to stop looking at other guitars?
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I recall reading a GP interview with a guitarist who said that a certain guitar sounded the way "a guitar should sound". Initially, that struck me as narrow-minded. But, the statement grew on me. I ended thinking that it was an excellent idea to have your own notion of what your guitar "should" sound like for the music you make, and strive for that. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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The fact that my first and last preferences were both the Comins, based on different amp choices, demostrates to me how influencial the EQ settings and amp voicing can be on the experience of the listener, and perhaps more so than the choice of the instrument itself. I suspect we could fairly easily make any great instrument sound horrible in certain conditions. It's finding the best sound for that instrument that is challenging and fairly subjective.
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I agree. As it turned out, one of the three combinations I didn't do was the Comins with less treble through the LJ. Oddly enough, that's how I usually play. If I had done that, the video would have included my versions of the best sound I can get from each guitar. Originally Posted by LifeOnJazz
So, one more video. Just the two guitars, through the LJ (same EQ as before), but with guitar tone control optimized to my usual taste:
Last edited by rpjazzguitar; 12-21-2021 at 07:21 PM.
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