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Post subject: Sound quality
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2009 8:20 am
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I recently returned from a trip to Lisbon Portugal where I spent my nights tracking down fado performers in out-of-the-way neighborhood bars. Generally, they were amateurs and their instuments were not the best, but their sound was riveting. It started me thinking about how much does sound experience come from the physical instuments and how much from the surrounding atmosphere and the associations we bring to the event. Fender has such a close and longstanding association with rock-n-roll, does the sight of the name/logo predispose the listener?


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Post subject: Re: Sound quality
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:58 am
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sanjose26 wrote:
I recently returned from a trip to Lisbon Portugal where I spent my nights tracking down fado performers in out-of-the-way neighborhood bars. Generally, they were amateurs and their instuments were not the best, but their sound was riveting. It started me thinking about how much does sound experience come from the physical instuments and how much from the surrounding atmosphere and the associations we bring to the event. Fender has such a close and longstanding association with rock-n-roll, does the sight of the name/logo predispose the listener?


A perfectly good guitar will sound bad if a lousy player is playing it, and a battered piece of junk will open your heart if a player with sense puts some soul in his/her playing. So it's the player that counts, and a better the tool
will deliver a better performance. (It's my personal opinion that some handmade instruments sound better than number thirteen from series 1001 with a big name)


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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 5:10 am
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Welcome to the forums.



The Blues President 8)

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KEEP THE BLUES ALIVE!!!! 8-)


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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:39 am
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Granted a tool is only as good as the workman using it. However, as a for instance, I've heard Muddy Waters in concert and in a far more intimate setting, the living room of a private home. I have also heard the LoC recordings John Hammond Sr made of him in the delta. Livingroom was better than concert (surprise!) but the recordings were best due to ambient background sounds and imagined atmosphere. Isn't sound a two-way experience? Doesn't the trained musician hear a piece differently from the casual listener?


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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:13 am
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sanjose26 wrote:
Granted a tool is only as good as the workman using it. However, as a for instance, I've heard Muddy Waters in concert and in a far more intimate setting, the living room of a private home. I have also heard the LoC recordings John Hammond Sr made of him in the delta. Livingroom was better than concert (surprise!) but the recordings were best due to ambient background sounds and imagined atmosphere. Isn't sound a two-way experience? Doesn't the trained musician hear a piece differently from the casual listener?


I'd agree that a casual listener hears things different than a trained musician or an audio technician would. "People don't hear what they're not expected to hear " (part of an introduction from a Rip, Rig & Panic song) A trained ear isn't tricked easily just as a trained eye won't be deceived by a trick.
It also depends where you stand in a place (acoustics) and how your ears are, trained or average, good or damaged.


Last edited by Socket on Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:15 am
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Everything seems better in a fun environment too. I think that's what he's getting at.


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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 3:31 am
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hey man i'm portuguese and i must confess all my pride to listen to you so passionadly talking about my cultural heritage.
and for fado it's all in the hands, the guitars can even not be tuned right if the singer is any good and the band is solid they can even play with a broom sitck


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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:49 am
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Theido wrote:
hey man i'm portuguese and i must confess all my pride to listen to you so passionadly talking about my cultural heritage.
and for fado it's all in the hands, the guitars can even not be tuned right if the singer is any good and the band is solid they can even play with a broom sitck


To be honest, I was talking about music in general, I've been in Lisbon once
but hardly heard Fado then (1985). But I agree that it's in the hands,
we performed as a band with a majority of moderately cheap Japanese instruments, still the audience felt that we kicked $@!.


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Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:25 am
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yeah, it's thruth i got realy excited though, since it's not every day you come to fender and read about your home town :D
have you seen the portuguese guitar? a 12 string that is usually tuned to open A and has a triangular body? if you want i can get you a picture.
those are the instruments of real craft... they're unbelivable


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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 8:52 am
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have you seen the portuguese guitar? a 12 string that is usually tuned to open A and has a triangular body? if you want i can get you a picture.
those are the instruments of real craft... they're unbelivable[/quote]

I had a look at them, the bodyshape more or less resembles other classical stringed instruments like the lute and some arabic type of string instruments.
I'd probably go through hell getting the 12 strings in tune because I normally play a 4 string bass guitar or an ordinary 6-string.
I had a couple of try's on a 12 string western acoustic from one of our former bands guitarist.
(another friend owns an EKO 12 string semi-acoustic electric)
I like the 12 string sound, but playing and tuning them is for gifted/patient musicians.


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Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:26 am
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I definitely agree with the comments that talented musicians can make a broomstick with strings sound good, etc.

But in my experience, the quality of a performance is based on the interaction of the performer and the audience. Whether it's a living room or a concert hall, if the audience is jazzed to see you play, you step up to the plate and give that lilttle "extra" effort.


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