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I finished my 4th and 5th classicals around January and completed the FP in February. EIR with a spruce top the other HRW with a cedar top, otherwise identical in bracing and geometry. They are both made according to the drawing represented in my avatar, Spanish heel, BRW bridges, ebony and maple purflings, side cut-offs for bindings, bone nut/saddle, hide glue throughout, French polish.

I was really curious what the sound difference would be because they had very different tap tones along the way of the build. The HRW/WRC had a consistently more bell like tap tone, which I’ve found to be characteristic of this wood combo. The tap tone difference seem to translate into the HRW/WRC having more of a sustained ringing sound than the EIR/Spruce, which is a little softer and more articulate and clear, when played.

I made a sound clip of each for comparison. I don’t have a local musician to produce a recording for me so I made the clips myself. A few disclaimers, the recordings are very amateur. I’m really not a player I just play enough so I can enjoy the guitars, compare them, and find out which sounds better and why. Also, I don’t have any decent equipment for recording; the recording was done on my pocket-size office voice recorder. Try to hear through the limitations of the recordings and hear the difference between the two guitars, it’s difficult. The differences are much more pronounced when you actually play the guitars. Pics are a little bigger if you click on them. Thanks for looking and listening.
HRW/Cedar
EIR/SPRUCE

Marc, both guitars look sweet! And your playing is better than you indicated too! I only got to listen to the EIR one but it sounds excellent to me. Download is a little slow here today, I'll try to get a listen to the other tomorrow.

Great job.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Marc,

Lovely guitars and thanks for posting the soundclips - I'm always interested in hearing these. Your playing is very nice too. It's very early days and the sound is going to change a lot. The cedar/HRW sound rounded and more "played in" but the spruce/EIR one sounds as though there could be more complexity in there when it opens up more. Both sounded nicely balanced and are definitely ringing and sustaining very well. It's fun to keep doing recordings over time and listen to the change in sound - your ears sort of register it but it's hard to remember much back in time in your head - or at least I find it so.

Well done

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Nice job Marc, playing and building. Both guitars look great and sound great. I, personally, hear a lot of very nice note separation, that appeals to me, in the spruce top. It is a very clean sound. The cedar top is, as Dave said, sounds more played in, but also has more overtones working in the background. The spruce, while not opened up yet, gives every note a full value, and blends them well in a chord.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Very classy instruments! Nice playing. It would be fun to hear sound clips in 6 months to see what happened to both of them.
Terry

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

They both look great. My favorite, is the indian with spruce top. It looks, for want of a better word, classical. No flies on the honduran though. I love the way you killed the binding into that back wood that goes over the heel.

John

Good job Mark!

I really appreciate the sound clips. We really can hear a difference. I personnally prefer the EIRW one, but that's just me.

I never heard HRW before, just heard others talking about it. Now with your clips, I finally understand what people meant by 'brittle' sound.

Thanks again!

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Marc, they look splendid. I definitely prefer the voice of the spruce topped guitar on the Lagima, but then I'm not a great fan of cedar topped classicals, especially on Spanish music. It's a little tight at the moment, but should open up to become a very nice sounding guitar, well suited to the Tarrega. You should be very proud of your work. What strings are you using? If you get a chance put some Goldins on and see if you like the sound.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Both guitars are beautiful and you should be congratulated on a job well done! I, too, prefer the spruce topped guitar but both may sound similar in a year or so after the spruce has a chance to open up. The cedar definitely has a more mellow overtone.

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Reguards,

Ken H

Nice work Marc!

nice guitars, and nice FP finish, too! I know what a pile of work these represent. (Details, will they never end!)

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Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Thank you everyone for the very kind remarks, very much appreciated.

Colin, they have D'Addario EJ27N strings. I ordered a couple of sets Goldins last night on your recommendation.

Great job Marc! Very well done. Congratulations.

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

Congratulations on two beautiful instruments, Marc. You did a great job.

Regards,
Max

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Max Bishop
Brighton, Michigan

Lovely guitars and workmanship.
Congratulations!
I too, like the sound of the spruce guitar better.
I think it will sound even better after it openes up.

Sen

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Sen CL Goh
http://senguitar.blogspot.com