I know a lot of forum members have extensive knowledge of guitars and their construction, and at the same time are truly great players. In other words, there
is an ENORMOUS amount of knowledge here relating to Martin guitars. I have been a member here for a couple of years now, and over time I have noted that there
often is some kind of consensus, or forum opinion, regarding many popular and recurring topics, for instance EIR vs BRZ, sitka vs Adi, prewar vs modern, 12 vs
14 frets, light vs heavy strings, just to name a few. Opinions on these topics are, of course, voiced most strongly by those who have the most experience, and
rightfully so.
I am a true amateur guitar player who never stray far from my own couch. I live in a small town in Sweden, and there are no music stores anywhere nearby. I have never played a brasilian guitar, a 12 fret, nor a prewar Martin, and unfortunately, I probably never will. I currently own three Martins, all purchased online. When deciding what guitars to go for, I rellied heavily on the "forum consensus" regarding tone and playability of these guitars. I think I have done very well, and all the guitars have lived up to my very high expectations, but in reality I know nothing about my own preferences since I have nothing to compare my Martins to. I'm sure there are quite a few of you out there who, like me, cannot test drive guitars before buying. Instead, you have read the forum and tried to figure things out for yourselves. How do you feel about your decisions with hindsight? Did it turn out like you expected? Did you find brasilian to be more articulate than EIR, was ADI punchier than sitka, etc?
Also, do you think your perception of tone, for example, had been influenced by what you read BEFORE you had a chance to hear for yourself? I think that if we know beforehand that there will probably be a certain difference in tone between two types of guitars, and we also know what this difference is suppossed to sound like, we are much more likely to actually hear a diffrerence (whether real or perceived). The mind is a funny thing, and it can play tricks on us, especially if we already have a preconceived notion of what we will experience. I guess what I'm really asking is: are amateurs like me, to some extent, conditioned to prefer one thing over another because we know beforehand that many of those with more extensive knowledge have a certain preference? Would you have had the same preference had you just walked into a music store and A/B'd two guitars, not knowing that generally Brazilian rosewood is held in higher regard than its Indian counterpart?
Note, that by asking these questions, I am by no means questioning the opinions or perceptions of anyone, expert or amateur on this forum. I am only interested in the psychology behind how we hear things related to guitars and their tone.
Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the great luthiers and other Martin experts on the forum for again and again taking your time to educate and help members like me.
Lars
I am a true amateur guitar player who never stray far from my own couch. I live in a small town in Sweden, and there are no music stores anywhere nearby. I have never played a brasilian guitar, a 12 fret, nor a prewar Martin, and unfortunately, I probably never will. I currently own three Martins, all purchased online. When deciding what guitars to go for, I rellied heavily on the "forum consensus" regarding tone and playability of these guitars. I think I have done very well, and all the guitars have lived up to my very high expectations, but in reality I know nothing about my own preferences since I have nothing to compare my Martins to. I'm sure there are quite a few of you out there who, like me, cannot test drive guitars before buying. Instead, you have read the forum and tried to figure things out for yourselves. How do you feel about your decisions with hindsight? Did it turn out like you expected? Did you find brasilian to be more articulate than EIR, was ADI punchier than sitka, etc?
Also, do you think your perception of tone, for example, had been influenced by what you read BEFORE you had a chance to hear for yourself? I think that if we know beforehand that there will probably be a certain difference in tone between two types of guitars, and we also know what this difference is suppossed to sound like, we are much more likely to actually hear a diffrerence (whether real or perceived). The mind is a funny thing, and it can play tricks on us, especially if we already have a preconceived notion of what we will experience. I guess what I'm really asking is: are amateurs like me, to some extent, conditioned to prefer one thing over another because we know beforehand that many of those with more extensive knowledge have a certain preference? Would you have had the same preference had you just walked into a music store and A/B'd two guitars, not knowing that generally Brazilian rosewood is held in higher regard than its Indian counterpart?
Note, that by asking these questions, I am by no means questioning the opinions or perceptions of anyone, expert or amateur on this forum. I am only interested in the psychology behind how we hear things related to guitars and their tone.
Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the great luthiers and other Martin experts on the forum for again and again taking your time to educate and help members like me.
Lars
