That D-45 was amazing! Who wouldn't want it? I also loved the Guild D-55...it was awesome! Actually all the guitars were pretty great! I look forward to your videos every day!
Very good! Lot of fun, and Q. rightly knew his own guitar. This is how people SHOULD choose am instrument, on feel and sound alone, but this an image/brand led world, and that is what blights our buying decisions imo
To me there are 3 'winners': Quinton for picking his own guitar; the Guild for sounding so good; & the Yamaha, not because it sounded better, but because Quinton didn't flinch when playing a $200 guitar up against ones costing 10 times as much.
Great blindfold test. It would be interesting to hand Quinton his guitar twice at different intervals to see if his perception changes. BTW, the Guild did have a very appealing sound, which he confirmed.
I have the FG800 and FG830. Both are fantastic. I wouldn't trade them for anything. I've put them up against my uncle's Martin D41 and they hold their own. Some might say better. Seriously. They sound that good.
N e v I l l e N I c o l oddly enough of have to agree! I don't know why because they're essentially the same guitar (both hardwood back/sides with laminate NATO or Rosewood being the only real TONAL differences) Yamaha sure does a great job with their instruments, I own a Martin 000-18 and a Yamaha FSX700SC. I tend to gravitate towards the Yamaha more lately...sad huh? Someday though, I hope to be able to have a Yamaha LL-26/36 or LS-26/36 or even to just play one of them. I cannot find them anywhere in the states. All guitar stores I've been to pretty much laugh me out of their store when I ask about them. 😂🤦♂️
Hi NevilledNIcol - I wanna echo the previous points - no substitute for playing one yourself. I believe that instruments, despite whatever consistency might underlay their manufacture, just sometimes come together with a little magic. Both sounded nice to me, and I may have been extra conservative with those two coming early in the rotation, but to my ear the yamaha had a deeper bottom. I also noticed that initially I wasn't quite aimed at the mic which likely had an impact on what came through in this video. Thanks for watching!
@@quintonking9960 yeah i agree. I was looking at a used Gibson J-45 True Vintage for cheap at a music store recently and it wasnt very good next to a J-45 standard or even next to anythjng else in the store
Martin should apologize to buyers of the HD 28 and refund the money of anyone who asks. When a $200 guitar makes your $3000 guit sound just average, you have a problem.
Brilliant stuff guys! Well done Quinton for getting your guitar. For sound, the Guild tops it with the Yamaha coming in at last place. I thought the Yamaha sounded really flat against these other high end guitars, but even so, a great all rounder for the price. But that Guild, wow, check out Quinton's reaction, straight off, he really dug it, and I heard it too.. Guild don't always get the same publicity as some of the other big guys, yet they've been going a long, long while, many great players wouldn't use anything else. Now here's why.
It's funny Quinton didn't like the new HD-28 much, but his guitar is an HD-28, and he new it and liked it (of course he could tell his was his from the neck tho, so that's gonna bias him).
I've owned a Guild D55 for a couple of years. Somewhat overstated appearance but tone is unsurpassed for a rosewood guitar. Awesome and beautiful. Also have a Taylor 615 Jumbo (discontinued), Englemann top, which I bought in 1994. It has been my main gigging guitar and is superb in tone and playability.
Just started the video, this could be really good or really bad! I hope he can choose correctly. 🤭 Edit: half way through he did in reality choose his own guitar but with minor doubt! The Yamaha FG800 sounded great (I just played one --was the FG830 actually--yesterday and played it more than any other at the shop!) and the Eastman and Guild sounded really great too. Noticed he didn't even hesitate to talk much positive about Taylor (no surprise because they aren't killer sounding, but play like butter). Fun video so far! Ended perfectly! I've grown to love these two gents. Someday I will make it into the store, someday.
Fun video. Quinton is a great sport, and a good player. I'm happy to see the FG800 hanging in there with the big boys. Hopefully someday I'll be worthy to upgrade to either an E20 or D28, but for now the humble FG800 is better than I am.
I'm kind of frightened to see that a $250/300 guitar sounds quite as good as a $2000/$3000 Gibson or Martin to the ear of a seriously good musician : it shows that it takes time to get the right feel from a guitar and make one's mind up...In shops we usually get a very limited amount of time here, compared to what is actually needed then.... They gonna ruin their business (ha!) with these blindfold tests ! Bernie
Loved this demo I´m impressed how the Yamaha sounds knowing is a more cheaper than the other guitars. Of course Martin is Martin, for me, maybe the best sound .
Just a couple things guys... when Quinton is handed the guitars, he should NOT be allowed to touch anything BUT the neck. NO feeling the body of the guitar or the headstock/tuning knobs AT ALL (that implies no adjusting the tuning of course).
Hey subisci - Completely agree! When I came in the guitars were all tuned to a solid E (which to my ear, always needs to be tempered slightly flat for playing in open G). I don't think I consciously picked up on the tuner shape differences, but one never knows what might have filtered through subconciously. Tough to set these blind tests up properly - but we'll certainly keep trying to improve our methodology. Thanks as always for your support and sincerely appreciate the feedback!
come on if you play/ practice like quentin probably something along 4 + hours a day and with his years of experience, i bet he can tell blindfolded, they changed pickguard on his guitar. also it has pretty unique sound.
I like Taylor guitars, but that dread doesn't appeal to my ears. Neither did the Eastman or that particular HD-28. The D-45 Brazilian,, his custom HD-28 and the Guild sounded most balanced to me. On the fence about the Yamaha, but surprisingly good for what it is. Gibson sounded ok, but I think you just have to be a Gibson guy. Not my forte. Nothing against Gibson. Perhaps blindfolded I'd change my tune.
William Hooks I'm not a Gibson guy either but every time I play one I kinda fall in love with the sound, but for some reason from the mic it never impresses me.
I liked the normal HD-28 a little more for tone, but the funny thing about Quinton's custom is it has a lot of personality. Martins sound a little different from each other but they don't usually sound like they came straight out of the old west 😂
Here's an idea: a blindfolded challenge to correctly identify back & side woods. Use various guitars from various labels, to minimize confusion make it all solid woods & all spruce soundboards. Then ask the player to distinguish among mahogany, rosewood & maple back & side instruments. I have been told that previous trials have yielded results no better than random chance. My guess is you'll find the same.
man that D-55 sounded like a bomb!! "this is humiliating!" LOL. Q called that taylor out immediately!!! freaking great video guys. love hearing the back story of the purchase too. only one question remains-- what's his/her name??
Hi roytube - I confess I've not taken that step. To be fair, I dated my wife for about 10 years before putting a ring on her finger, so this kind of procrastination is probably par for the course. I'm open to suggestions :)
Haha! Fair enough Quinton! I even have a set of "naming rules/guidelines" and it still takes me months and I'll even go back and change if a name doesn't stick. If I have any ideas come up when I watch your reviews I'll shoot them you way ;)
Interesting that when he got ahold of his guitar, it was the first time he actually attempted a quick jam on one of the instruments besides licking the G chord.
Hi Caveman - good catch! I think it was the neck width I noticed first and so I wanted to move around a bit to confirm the little bit of extra space between the strings. Gotta say, this was way more difficult than I initially anticipated :)
Paul's faces were great haha - especially when he nailed his own guitar. That was awesome! Is that sound hole bigger though on his HD-28? Looks like it's been enlarged?
I would just like to point out how much he liked the Yamaha FG800. I have other guitars but my Yamaha FGX800 is just as good as guitars that cost $2000-$3000.
@@quintonking9960 . My main guitar is a Gibson Doves in Flight custom acoustic and my secondary guitar is a Gibson SJ 200 Western Classic custom acoustic.
And the best was last - the Guild D-55. But if Quinton likes a wider neck, the Guild is 1 11/16". One more comment - the blindfold isn't as useful as someone in the shop playing all the guitars for you.
Great stuff. You guys put out about the most enjoyable (and informative) guitar videos I watch on RUclips.
Thanks for the kind words Zelomeister! Please feel free to share any suggestions you might have and we'll certainly try to oblige!
Great demo guys. That D-45 and Guild D-55, Quinton's guitar. 1 2 3
Wow, I am going to watch this again.
Yeah, it was about time you guys did another blindfold challenge! Been waiting for this forever 🙌😋💪
That D-45 was amazing! Who wouldn't want it? I also loved the Guild D-55...it was awesome! Actually all the guitars were pretty great! I look forward to your videos every day!
Very good! Lot of fun, and Q. rightly knew his own guitar. This is how people SHOULD choose am instrument, on feel and sound alone, but this an image/brand led world, and that is what blights our buying decisions imo
To me there are 3 'winners': Quinton for picking his own guitar; the Guild for sounding so good; & the Yamaha, not because it sounded better, but because Quinton didn't flinch when playing a $200 guitar up against ones costing 10 times as much.
Great blindfold test. It would be interesting to hand Quinton his guitar twice at different intervals to see if his perception changes. BTW, the Guild did have a very appealing sound, which he confirmed.
What a fun video. Thanks for the blindfold test, guys! Had to immediately pull out my HD-28 and give it a strum to see how it compares (haha).
Gotta say, I like these blindfold gigs a lot!
This was great! I hope you do more of these blind comparisons! And enabling customers to do it in the store too is a great idea.
That sealed it, my next guitar's an Eastman E20D, but with a torrefied top
I liked the J45 and the Guild best. Brighter to my ears.
This was a lot of fun to watch!
Excellent video!
i have yamaha fg800 and it really sounds pretty amazing best you can get at that cost or maybe under $500.
I have the FG800 and FG830. Both are fantastic. I wouldn't trade them for anything. I've put them up against my uncle's Martin D41 and they hold their own. Some might say better. Seriously. They sound that good.
The Yamaha FG 830 is better than the FG800 by far! Fuller and louder but more balanced. More mids and bass
I have an FG820 12 and it sounds incredible as well, great value!
N e v I l l e N I c o l oddly enough of have to agree! I don't know why because they're essentially the same guitar (both hardwood back/sides with laminate NATO or Rosewood being the only real TONAL differences) Yamaha sure does a great job with their instruments, I own a Martin 000-18 and a Yamaha FSX700SC. I tend to gravitate towards the Yamaha more lately...sad huh?
Someday though, I hope to be able to have a Yamaha LL-26/36 or LS-26/36 or even to just play one of them. I cannot find them anywhere in the states. All guitar stores I've been to pretty much laugh me out of their store when I ask about them. 😂🤦♂️
beat the taylor in this comparison!!!
Surprising that the Yamaha to him sounded more bassy than the J45 Rosewood
I find the Yamaha Fg800 to be more "boxy" like playing a plywood box with strings.loud but shitty tone
Hi NevilledNIcol - I wanna echo the previous points - no substitute for playing one yourself. I believe that instruments, despite whatever consistency might underlay their manufacture, just sometimes come together with a little magic. Both sounded nice to me, and I may have been extra conservative with those two coming early in the rotation, but to my ear the yamaha had a deeper bottom. I also noticed that initially I wasn't quite aimed at the mic which likely had an impact on what came through in this video. Thanks for watching!
@@quintonking9960 yeah i agree. I was looking at a used Gibson J-45 True Vintage for cheap at a music store recently and it wasnt very good next to a J-45 standard or even next to anythjng else in the store
My 70s yamaha has much more bass than a j 45
Great job Quinton and Paul. An informative comparison!
Great vid! Would love to see more of these “blindfold” vids.
The most revealing and entertaining guitar demo test - EVER!
Excellent, more like this please! That D45, want!
Martin should apologize to buyers of the HD 28 and refund the money of anyone who asks. When a $200 guitar makes your $3000 guit sound just average, you have a problem.
Christopher Robinhood
My HD-28 sounds amazing.
Brilliant stuff guys! Well done Quinton for getting your guitar.
For sound, the Guild tops it with the Yamaha coming in at last place. I thought the Yamaha sounded really flat against these other high end guitars, but even so, a great all rounder for the price.
But that Guild, wow, check out Quinton's reaction, straight off, he really dug it, and I heard it too.. Guild don't always get the same publicity as some of the other big guys, yet they've been going a long, long while, many great players wouldn't use anything else. Now here's why.
Good to see blindfold challenge/test again
It's funny Quinton didn't like the new HD-28 much, but his guitar is an HD-28, and he new it and liked it (of course he could tell his was his from the neck tho, so that's gonna bias him).
That D-45 was so loud it was clipping the mic!
Nice video, this was fun
1.Guild 2.Martin D45 but I went to a local shop a bought a preowned Eastman E20D from 2014 ;-)
Quentin picked out his guitar! Great video.
His description of the Grand Pacific just confirmed that I won’t own one...
I was very disappointed with the sound of it too! I think V-bracing has just killed the awesome steps Andy made with the recently re-voiced models!
Brad H. I agree. I know a lot of people like it, but I just feel it makes the top too stiffly braced.
I've owned a Guild D55 for a couple of years. Somewhat overstated appearance but tone is unsurpassed for a rosewood guitar. Awesome and beautiful. Also have a Taylor 615 Jumbo (discontinued), Englemann top, which I bought in 1994. It has been my main gigging guitar and is superb in tone and playability.
This was awesome thank you for this
Just started the video, this could be really good or really bad! I hope he can choose correctly. 🤭
Edit: half way through he did in reality choose his own guitar but with minor doubt! The Yamaha FG800 sounded great (I just played one --was the FG830 actually--yesterday and played it more than any other at the shop!) and the Eastman and Guild sounded really great too. Noticed he didn't even hesitate to talk much positive about Taylor (no surprise because they aren't killer sounding, but play like butter).
Fun video so far!
Ended perfectly! I've grown to love these two gents. Someday I will make it into the store, someday.
Really nice vid and Quinton is one helluva geetbox player! Wish I could play my Breedlove Koa the way he does!
Fun video. Quinton is a great sport, and a good player. I'm happy to see the FG800 hanging in there with the big boys. Hopefully someday I'll be worthy to upgrade to either an E20 or D28, but for now the humble FG800 is better than I am.
I thought I was seeing CF Martin on the "blindfold."
This is a great video!
Awesome video.
I'm kind of frightened to see that a $250/300 guitar sounds quite as good as a $2000/$3000 Gibson or Martin to the ear of a seriously good musician : it shows that it takes time to get the right feel from a guitar and make one's mind up...In shops we usually get a very limited amount of time here, compared to what is actually needed then....
They gonna ruin their business (ha!) with these blindfold tests !
Bernie
I helped Boe sell his building when he closed Boe's Strings. I may have demo'd Quinton's guitar before he purchased it. Very cool !
Also whoaaa Quinton, you look like (obviously younger) Bono with your glasses off.
Loved this demo I´m impressed how the Yamaha sounds knowing is a more cheaper than the other guitars. Of course Martin is Martin, for me, maybe the best sound .
Just a couple things guys... when Quinton is handed the guitars, he should NOT be allowed to touch anything BUT the neck. NO feeling the body of the guitar or the headstock/tuning knobs AT ALL (that implies no adjusting the tuning of course).
Hey subisci - Completely agree! When I came in the guitars were all tuned to a solid E (which to my ear, always needs to be tempered slightly flat for playing in open G). I don't think I consciously picked up on the tuner shape differences, but one never knows what might have filtered through subconciously. Tough to set these blind tests up properly - but we'll certainly keep trying to improve our methodology. Thanks as always for your support and sincerely appreciate the feedback!
That Guild is awesome!
D-45 and Quintons HD-28 custom 😎
"You don't want to try this in the neo-natal ward" lololol Paul didn't even hear him say that.
Blindfolded I chose a Larrivve D05 over an HD28 Martin and a Gibson J45
come on if you play/ practice like quentin probably something along 4 + hours a day and with his years of experience, i bet he can tell blindfolded, they changed pickguard on his guitar. also it has pretty unique sound.
I’m a Martin guy but the D55 is one badass guitar. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad one.
The D-45, Guild 55, and Quinton's HD-28 Custom. The Gibson was pretty good, I will say. The Taylor and Yamaha are last.
I like Taylor guitars, but that dread doesn't appeal to my ears. Neither did the Eastman or that particular HD-28. The D-45 Brazilian,, his custom HD-28 and the Guild sounded most balanced to me. On the fence about the Yamaha, but surprisingly good for what it is. Gibson sounded ok, but I think you just have to be a Gibson guy. Not my forte. Nothing against Gibson. Perhaps blindfolded I'd change my tune.
William Hooks I'm not a Gibson guy either but every time I play one I kinda fall in love with the sound, but for some reason from the mic it never impresses me.
The Guild is awesome. Actually like the Yamaha a lot too.
Custom HD-28? Just wondering what the difference is from the stock version.
The 2 differences I saw were the larger soundhole, and the binding around the fretboard. Oh, and it has an addy top rather than sitka.
@@ranjo1965 Thank you. Now that you mention it, I see the larger sound hole and it makes sense he would go with the addy.
Yes and it has no fretboard inlays also. Just like Tony's old 35
Quinton's guitar better sound fabulous for $4K. LOL This series is awesome!
I liked the normal HD-28 a little more for tone, but the funny thing about Quinton's custom is it has a lot of personality. Martins sound a little different from each other but they don't usually sound like they came straight out of the old west 😂
Here's an idea: a blindfolded challenge to correctly identify back & side woods. Use various guitars from various labels, to minimize confusion make it all solid woods & all spruce soundboards. Then ask the player to distinguish among mahogany, rosewood & maple back & side instruments. I have been told that previous trials have yielded results no better than random chance. My guess is you'll find the same.
man that D-55 sounded like a bomb!! "this is humiliating!" LOL. Q called that taylor out immediately!!! freaking great video guys. love hearing the back story of the purchase too. only one question remains-- what's his/her name??
Hi roytube - I confess I've not taken that step. To be fair, I dated my wife for about 10 years before putting a ring on her finger, so this kind of procrastination is probably par for the course. I'm open to suggestions :)
Haha! Fair enough Quinton! I even have a set of "naming rules/guidelines" and it still takes me months and I'll even go back and change if a name doesn't stick. If I have any ideas come up when I watch your reviews I'll shoot them you way ;)
@@quintonking9960 Cracklin' Addy
No 4 is gained way too much. It distorts like hell.
Interesting that when he got ahold of his guitar, it was the first time he actually attempted a quick jam on one of the instruments besides licking the G chord.
Hi Caveman - good catch! I think it was the neck width I noticed first and so I wanted to move around a bit to confirm the little bit of extra space between the strings. Gotta say, this was way more difficult than I initially anticipated :)
The martin d45 is over powering the mic
Not exactly by tone though. Feel would have alot to do with this test.
Paul's faces were great haha - especially when he nailed his own guitar. That was awesome! Is that sound hole bigger though on his HD-28? Looks like it's been enlarged?
I would just like to point out how much he liked the Yamaha FG800. I have other guitars but my Yamaha FGX800 is just as good as guitars that cost $2000-$3000.
I would respect a guitar salesman who sold me a guitar i like blindfolded and didn't just try to upsell me
A lot of trust in the room.
Fun!
Most people listen with their eyes.
I wonder if he could have picked it out with someone else playing the guitars
Awesome entertainment......gentlemen
He could probably pick it out by smell. My J-45 smells like a humidor cabinet. My Martin like a gymnasium.
Funny how everyone recognizes that "martin tone" untill you blinfold them 🤣
Next time make sure the guitars all have the same gauge/composition strings.
HAHAH listen to that D-45 crush the mic :D
I wonder if I could find my own favorite guitar among 8 choices
Gotta say, with the blindfold on, it's surprisingly difficult! This one was really more about neck feel than tone :) Thanks for watching!
@@quintonking9960 . My main guitar is a Gibson Doves in Flight custom acoustic and my secondary guitar is a Gibson SJ 200 Western Classic custom acoustic.
Should NOT be touching those tuners lolz 🤣
No offense Doc, thought you were Joe Walsh at first glance. However, far better playing than Walsh ;-)
None taken! He's got great hair :)
@@quintonking9960 - hilarious "review" btw...ahhh, life in Boseman
And the best was last - the Guild D-55. But if Quinton likes a wider neck, the Guild is 1 11/16". One more comment - the blindfold isn't as useful as someone in the shop playing all the guitars for you.
Fix chapters
How about someone else plays all the guitars to see if Quinton can identify his own guitar .