Taylor Acoustic Guitar vs Epiphone Acoustic Guitar

[rexde]

http://home.comcast.net/~candmeat/E.mp3
http://home.comcast.net/~candmeat/T.mp3

(Files also attached to this post)

They're very short, less than 1:20.
There is a small difference between these two recordings. I'll post what it is after I get some amount of feedback. I'd like to get some "blind" listening tests first.
I am most interested in people's opinion of E vs T. Which one do you like better, why, what equipment/SW/FX do you think were used, etc.
I think your opinion should probably be one of these four:
1. I like E better.
2. I like T better.
3. Sound the same to me.
4. They're different, but I wouldn't say one is better than the other.

Of course, I'd love to hear any other comments as well, from "Please sign with us" to "Are you off your meds?"

FYI, these are the first things I've produced in digital recording.


P.S. If you have the bandwidth, there are CD-quality files available at
http://home.comcast.net/~candmeat/E.wav
http://home.comcast.net/~candmeat/T.wav
But they are about 10x the size.

[andykaz]

T sounds better to me. More low end. More defined picking/plucking.
Is it compression on T with the gain turned up a bit maybe? I'm dying with suspense.

[rexde]

Andy, thanks for listening. No one else did. Oh well, I guess from that I can conclude that they couldn't find any discernible difference.

The difference is this: T is for Taylor. Specifically, a nearly new (Dec, 2007), 914CE, (supposedly) the same guitar Dave Mathews plays. It cost me $3000+, and I was happy to pay what I did.
E is for Epiphone, specifically a $50 special I bought used over ten years ago. The strings on the Epiphone are (much) older than the Taylor guitar.
Other than that, the only difference is a little bit of EQ (slightly different on each). Same mics (2x AKG 414), placement, interface (Firestudio), everything. They were even recorded within 20 minutes of each other. Except for the EQ, there was no processing, no compression, etc.

sigh

[thesilentdrummer]

I am close to the 4 category. Both are usable, but the taylor has definately more definition. The lows are fuller, the highs are brighter, smart mic placement could get you whatever you want. The epi is too dull. Maybe new string would help, but I don't know.

[Manny]

Aye, the Taylor sounds much better. The strings could be a factor but I reckon even if they both had new strings the Taylor would still come out on top.

Congratulations on the new Taylor!

[Jeff B]

What sample rate did you record at? Love the mic'ing position-mind sharing how you positioned the 414's?

IMO, both clips sound great. I wouldn't necessarily call either clip leaps better than the other, just different. The Taylor clip is A LOT louder, which could skew a first impression. Lower the volume of the Taylor clip by like half and then listen. How'd you EQ them? I'd be interested to hear them both without any EQ.

[rexde]

Thanks for all the feedback, but I've got to be a bit skeptical of the opinions that came in after the disclosure. It's my nature to be skeptical

As for the mic placement, I did what I read in many books, one about 12 inches in front of the 12th fret, one about 12 inches from the body from a spot just behind the bridge. The clips you heard were the result of some experimentation on that. I think the sounds varies tremendously by very small adjustments. I was actually a little disappointed in the sound, I'll be doing some more moving around and experimenting. If anybody else has any advice/comments about mic placement, I'd love to hear it. I'm really struggling with it. Seems like I go from proximity effect to weak input instantly. I'm also trying to figure out the switches on the 414's.

As for EQ, it was pretty minor. I'll post the un-EQ'd tracks when I get a chance, at least by this weekend.

Both guitars also have pickups, and I did record that, but it is not included in these mixes. I thought the sound from the pickups on both guitars was even better (even the ancient Epiphone), but I wanted you guys to hear from the same recording source.

So, I'll put new strings on both, work on my playing some, maybe try a different tune, and maybe ask for some comparisons with pickups, effects, etc.

[thesilentdrummer]

Switch on the 414:

Left to right

1. Omni: This rejects no sound: everything is on axis. sources 360 degrees around this are picked up equally.
2. Cardiod: this pickup pattern rejects noise "behind" the mic. Good directional sources.
3. Supercardiod: similar to cardiod. Great at rejecting off-axis noise and for micing derectional sources.
4. (F'ing) Hyper Cardiod: This thing is so tight on the pickup pattern that it starts picking up stuff "behind" the mic (mathematical/trigonometric phenomanon). Badass at rejecting off-axis noise and for micing derectional sources, but be carefull of stuff behind it.
5. Figure Eight: Picks up sources from only 0 degrees (right at the front) and 180 degrees (right at the back).

So basically, if you think of a cell dividing, thats what your pickup pattern does. It starts as one cell, then it pinches together until you have two.

[brandondrury]

I thought they both sounded excellent but did totally different things. It sounds to me like they were played quite a bit differently, but it's possible that the guitars themselves are just that different.

I thought they yielded dramatically different emotions. The version with the Epiphone is a bit more somber, maybe a bit sadder sounding. I'm not sure if that was the idea, but I felt the Taylor was just "normal"...whatever that is.

Both sound excellent, regardless.

[brandondrury]

Andy, thanks for listening. No one else did.

I'm positive that a big reason for that was the title of the thread. It was titled "Please compare two short tracks". I changed it to Taylor Acoustic Guitar vs Epiphone Acoustic Guitar. I bet it'll get more attention now.

BTW, what Epiphone guitar is this. I want one!

Brandon