2008 Martin D28 - horrible resonances

[keith.rogers]

Ok, this is interesting, but I still think it's likely strings/setup, maybe some technique, e.g., compensation learned playing on a very different instrument (playing .008s on electric) can really not work on something else, but that's a stretch.

I captured the 2 above, normalized and the only place something really sticks out (which is not quite what I hear) really suggests maybe bad setup/frets, too light strings? Who knows. The difference from the EQ'd one just shows a big difference in the area that is harmonics of open strings. Without hearing the single strings played hard, it's difficult to know what's going on exactly, but I'd be suspicious of just about anything without having the guitar in hand.

p.s. (edit) - the E is the E octave, the G is an octave above the 12th fret G, and the A is 2 octaves above the 12th fret A. (If I can do the arithmetic.)

p.p.s. (edit2) - stretching my google skills here, but this Am chord, with the open 4th of E and A is likely creating an implied 7th....

 

[CoolCat]

in microphone world the resonance might be called "nasal" or "honky". the point is do you spend more cash to make a expensive guitar sound good? as if it wasnt done right from the factory, seems to be part of the cost and expense and expected it to play and sound really good concept, perspective.

technique...is another thing. thats a good point.
I hammer chords and frets can buzz, but if Im gentle and light the fret buzz disappears....so setup I suppose can be technique related, which is why playing them before buying might help. so personal choice/ technique has a role , to buy a guitar already setup or pay some greenpaper to have it done...... and hope they do a good job, especially on an expensive guitar. recording can get funky in weird rooms or certain mics, mics can be moved a tiny bit and change shapes...

I never did , but seems a person could really go down deep into the rabbit hole on tweaking things to the "perfection".

 

[Slouching Raymond]

the point is do you spend more cash to make a expensive guitar sound good? as if it wasnt done right from the factory, seems to be part of the cost and expense and expected it to play and sound really good concept, perspective.

Makes me wonder if expensive guitars are all they're cracked up to be.
My acoustics range from £180 for an Epiphone, to £400 for a Takamine.
The Epiphone is pretty damn good.

 

[R D Smith]

Makes me wonder if expensive guitars are all they're cracked up to be.
My acoustics range from £180 for an Epiphone, to £400 for a Takamine.
The Epiphone is pretty damn good.

Me too. I got one of the super cheap (free) Rogue guitars Guitar Center was giving away when you bought a 12 pack of D'addario strings, and much to my surprise, it sounds really good! I have a couple of Guild D-25's and I really like the way they sound, but the Rogue was a pleasant surprise.

 

[spantini]

Me too. I got one of the super cheap (free) Rogue guitars Guitar Center was giving away when you bought a 12 pack of D'addario strings, and much to my surprise, it sounds really good! I have a couple of Guild D-25's and I really like the way they sound, but the Rogue was a pleasant surprise.

Ditto with my Rogue. All I did was tweak the neck some. Sounds very good, it has all the low end my Taylor Big Baby lacks.

 

[keith.rogers]

I think OP’s guitar has a setup or fret problem on looking over the graphs. The peaks that were EQd out are essentially the 12th, 15th and 17th fret notes of the first string. Now, the E and A might be natural overtones, as they show up in the earlier comparison against my old mahogany OM, but the G? It is actually in that first comparison (not on my guitar) but I overlooked it. The guitar’s own body resonance might be amplifying some overtones more than others, but I don’t see how a note that’s not being “played” (Am chord) is going to suddenly pop out at that high frequency when its lower octaves are not there.

I’ve seen weird things with guitars that had untrimmed string ends in coils, loose tuner buttons, other guitars hanging on the wall “humming along” but I suspect a high fret, and not the fact that it’s not a cheap guitar

 

[Mick Doobie]

I hear it plain as day from the first clip posted, or at least what I think you're hearing. An overtone, especially during the Am chord. If it was a note, for comparison, it would be the E note played 5th fret second string, then during the G chord , briefly the G note 3rd fret 1st string. At least that is what I'm hearing. Definitely one of those things once you hear it you can't unhear it.

Shot in the dark...why not?....Take a bandana, a handkerchief, loosely tie it around the headstock just above the nut. Just enough to muffle/dampen the strings above the nut. You never know.

 

[TalismanRich]

Mick, I've heard that before. I've got a DeArmond Starfire with a harp tailpiece. You definitely get some ringing of the strings from behind the bridge. I'm also wondering if it's possible to tap around on the top and back and find that exact tone. It could be that this particular guitar has got a hefty peak at that frequency just from the way the wood vibrates, just like a drum.

 

[dogooder]

I bought this guitar in 2009 or so. To get right to the point...it's full of ugly overtones regardless of the room I play it in. These ugly overtones manifest most brutally when I'm strumming chords around the first 3 frets. Like I'll play Am to G to C or something and there'll be this horrible 1khz (approx) overtone or sympathetic resonance or whatever you call it just underpinning everything played. If I strum some other chord there'll be ugly resonances at 700hz or 500hz, whatever. At first I thought it was my crap 8x9ft studio space. But anywhere in the house I still get these resonances. Or I thought it was the microphone capturing inaudible room boxiness or standing waves or something weird. But no. These resonances come right from the guitar itself. I can literally hear in an open position strummed Am chord...the E, A and C notes of that chord shape combining together to generate this ugly 1khz overtone. Totally unmusical, just rotten. Even if I pick those 3 notes together in the Am open shape...hello...here's that 1khz or unmusical overtone/ resonance.

It's already a nightmare to record acoustic guitar but with this supposed fantastic Martin D28...these resonances coming right from the soundhole absolutely sabotage any effort.

A lot of the songs I do all came about from simple strummed acoustic guitar. But recording simple strummed acoustic guitar has always sucked mightily. I'm almost 100% certain this is not a room thing or a microphone thing. This is coming right from the guitar itself.

I posted a thread here a while ago asking about simple, good sounding...and more importantly good recording acoustic guitars. So if anyone knows one, let me know. I'm probably going to go to the music shop when I get time and try out some mid sized Yamahas, Epiphones and stuff like that.

What do you reckon? I might add...I'm pretty certain there's no broken bracing or defects at all with the guitar. It's just a giant dreadnought tank probably supposed to have been played on a stage with all manner of trumpet, double bass, fiddles etc. So it was probably meant for bluegrass lines and licks or the kind of precision playing that nullifies resonance and overtone and which is beyond me.

thanks

I recently purchased Blueridges cheapest model, used, because the price was right, not because I wanted or needed it. It turns out the thing sounds great. I had never played one before. Now I am thinking I should go and check out their higher end models.