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Hello,
after years of playing my adorable Ibanez 2355 M (1977), I found a good deal for a Gibson ES-175 (2012) and I subdued to the temptation. I thought it would be interesting and fun to do a sound comparison of the 2 axes. Here are some recordings where I play the 2 guitars (sorry for the sloppy playing):
Clip 1
Guitar 1: Nextcloud
Guitar 2: Nextcloud
Clip 2
Guitar 1: Nextcloud
Guitar 2: Nextcloud
Played through DV Mark Jazz, everything on 5, no reverb.
Can you guess which is which ? Which sounds better in your ears? What do you think?
Photo for reference:
Edit 26/06/2022 - added new recordings with both guitars having the same strings.
Edit 29/06/2022 - the answer and some other details about the two guitars are in the post 31 on the 2nd page.
Edit 05/05/2023 - fixed the linksLast edited by tomassplatch; 05-05-2023 at 11:48 PM. Reason: Both guitars now use the same strings
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05-20-2022 06:27 AM
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Very similar IMO. I prefer the second one.
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My guess would be you start with the Gibson and end with the ibanez.
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Not necessarily, but i prefer the guitar 2
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Maybe some day my ear will develop to the point where I can tell the difference between the two, but this certainly isn't that day. Both sound fine to me.
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No. 2 sounds a little fatter so that would be my preference. Don't want to guess as to which one that is I seem to fail those tests!
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The first seems a little brighter, but if you told me they were the same guitar with the tone knobs set differently I'd believe you. They're both good tones, and can't really say which I prefer. No idea which is which, but I'll flip a coin and say the second is the 175.
Last edited by John A.; 05-20-2022 at 10:29 AM.
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Hmmm. I see the red wraps of TI strings on the 175, but the 2355 ends are not wrapped? Not the same strings? Could make a difference.
Having said that that there’s something about #2. It has a more I dunno blended tone, seems like all six strings are balanced nicely whereas #1 to me seems to not.
Hard to put into words, but jk likes #2. (Hope that’s the 2355, as we know I’m biased!)
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My computer won't let me hear the clips. That said. I think it important to remember that, since the Ibanez is based on the Gibson design, much of any perceived tone would come down to pickups, pots, and hardware (brass vs whatever).
The ES-175, as a template, is pretty reliable at producing good tones. BTW, big Ibanez fan here, as well as Gibson. I own a bunch of both brands!
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Agree C74, and I know you’re on the I-side)))
But those strings?! I still want to know if they’re different, and what are they on the 2355.
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The strings on the Ibanez 2355 are Dunlop nickel round wound 12. Very warm sounding. TI 12 flat wounds were used on the Gibby. I think with this hint the answer to which guitar is which is much easier. But I am hugely surprised how well the 2355 compares to the Gibson, really impressed.
Originally Posted by jazzkritter
Last edited by tomassplatch; 05-20-2022 at 03:45 PM.
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Both sound quite similar on my tablet. I would guess it’s more important which you prefer as a player.
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Very similar. I find the second a little more balanced so I guess strings are the Ti and so... Gibson.
Very similar indeed, but some amps tend to level the sound a bit, thus differentiating the guitars less. Maybe Little Jazz is one of them?
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They sound pretty much the same to my ears. Possible guitar 1 is brighter sounding but about .001 differences.
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I liked #2 better on the first recording, and #2 better on the second recording as well.
I think first #1 and second #1 were the same guitar, and first #2 and second #2 were the same guitar.
I wish you had used the same strings on each guitar - it's hard to see how this is a valid comparison with different strings.
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Yes, you are right, I will do another recording with the same strings on both. Originally Posted by dconeill
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I skipped over all the posts before mine to post my guess:
Guitar One: Ibanez
Guitar Two: 2012 Gibson ES-175.
The Gibson ES-175's characteristic chirp was immediately familiar to my ears.
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Nice pair. I have a pair similar. The pickups and pots and strings are different on my two and they still sound pretty much the same to my ears.
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Not a fair comparison, R, with different strings. Apples to apples! Originally Posted by tomassplatch
Marinero
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Yes absolutely. I just received a second set of strings, I will change on one of them and redo the recording. Many in this thread will have to eat their hats when they learn the result Originally Posted by Marinero
Last edited by tomassplatch; 05-25-2022 at 05:26 PM.
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Hi, T, Originally Posted by tomassplatch
Yes absolutely. I just received a second set of strings, I will change on one of them and redo the recording. I think many in this thread will have to eat their hats
Looking forward to the new test!
Marinero
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Great idea!
Prefer #2, first one is way too bright for my taste.
Next time would be nice to have the same strings on. Maybe try to capture less room ambience, moving the mic closer to the speaker maybe? ... it seems to colour both clips and minimise the differences.
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Hello, sorry for the delay, I just took time to make new recordings with both guitars having the same strings. I modified the first post, but I post link also here:
Clip 1
Guitar 1: Nextcloud
Guitar 2: Nextcloud
Clip 2
Guitar 1: Nextcloud
Guitar 2: Nextcloud
So what do you think ? Which sounds better ?Last edited by tomassplatch; 06-26-2022 at 08:16 AM.
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Not enough difference to hear on my iphone! They sound identical to me!
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Hi, T,
First comparison: indistinguishable
Second comparison: #2 is my favorite with more depth and roundness to the tone
Marinero
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