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Thread: Better machines give better sustain?

  1. #51
    Registered User sunburst's Avatar
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    Default Re: Better machines give better sustain?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ray(T) View Post
    ...mandolin playing and lutherie are more of an art than a science...
    Yes, that is a popular one. I like "magic" even less. I've put a lot of time and effort into learning lutherie, I can't do it with "magic". I consider myself a craftsman first, a scientist second, and an artist third or so. There might be other descriptors ahead of 'artist'.
    This discussion has definitely taken a turn toward post #41.

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  3. #52
    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Better machines give better sustain?

    Quote Originally Posted by maxr View Post
    I think this just shows acoustics is subjective even though it can be measured.............
    Not really, sound is quite measurable.

    An uncontrolled observation is just an anecdote, can't be repeated or validated by another independent observer.

    But it is correct to say that my playing a Gibson Loar and a Rogue would be purely anecdotal, probably greatly amusing to whomever would hear.
    Not all the clams are at the beach

    Arrow Manouche
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  4. #53
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    Default Re: Better machines give better sustain?

    This all reminds me of why we hear so little from Dr. Cohen anymore.......

  5. #54
    Teacher, repair person
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    Default Re: Better machines give better sustain?

    Two "anecdotes" about hearing:

    1. Upon my most recent visit to George Gruhn's shop, he asked me to come up to the second floor and do a blind playing test of two mandolins. I closed my eyes, and without telling me anything about the instruments, he placed them in my hands one at a time. I could tell by the feel of them that they were both F-5 style mandolins, but that was all. I played each one several times, and he asked me for my impression of their tone and projection. I gave him my opinion of their tonal nuances. I also said that #2 was an old mandolin. I opened my eyes and he showed me the instruments I had been playing.

    #1 was a new hand-built mandolin that he had been evaluating to see if he wanted to carry the maker's instruments. #2 was indeed an old instrument . . . a 1929 Gibson F-5.

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    2. A few years back, the owner of my friendly neighborhood music store, who usually has only beginner's and intermediate mandolins in stock, had 3 F models: a Gibson F-5G, an Eastman 815, and an upper-line Weber F-5.

    I played all three of them and formed my opinions of their attributes. Two of the instruments struck me as quite good, with only a small difference in projection and quality of tone. The third was noticeably weaker than the other two. Just for a lark, I asked the owner to stand where he couldn't see me and give his impressions of them to see whether or not he heard the same thing that I did. I played each one 3 times. The owner said, "Two are pretty close. The third one is much weaker."

    He ranked them the same as I did. I won't tell you which was the winner and which was the loser, except to say that some folks would be surprised at the results.

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  7. #55

    Default Re: Better machines give better sustain?

    They’re easier to tune, thus courses are in closer tune, thus boss sustain.

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