More first impressions of 2014 812ce.. and general thoughts about a new guitar

[Veloz]

So I had pretty much decided that I still liked my older GC8's sound and playability better than the new 2014 812ce (same body size/shape except for the cutout), and that I would probably return the 812ce (although it is a beautiful looking thing)

My immediate reactions were that the GC8's sound was warmer, richer, fuller, more vibrant, and what the 812ce has going for it is clarity, articulation and good balance. But just the same, to my ears, the tone is "lighter" and less satisfying somehow.

Anyway, I'd been thinking about this a lot lately (do I keep the 812ce? Do I try the 812ce -12 fret? Do I try the 814ce, do I just keep the GC8 and stop driving myself crazy?..etc)  and one thing occurred to me:

Can we really "fairly" evaluate a new guitar when we're used to the sound of our previous guitar? I mean, aren't you always going to be using your old guitar (assuming you like its tone well enough) as the reference point? Or put another way, I wonder if I had played the GC8 and the 812ce for the first time, at the same time, if I'd still choose the GC8 or not? Am I too prejudiced to like anything that doesn't sound like my current guitar?

And to muddy the waters more, last night I took the two guitars to my instructor. He played both for a short while and said he liked the older one better. I felt vindicated.

Then he suggested a blind test, where I turn around and he played one of them (aka "guitar #1") and then the other  "guitar #2") without my knowing which was which. Lo and behold, I chose guitar #1 (which I was sure was going to turn out to be the older GC8) across multiple styles of music. But of course you know guitar #1 turned out to be the 812. Ugh!

WTH?  Then I got to remembering that a guitar can sound different when listening to it as a listener vs how it sounds to the player.

After playing the new one longer, and with it sometimes plugged in, my instructor changed his mind: he likes the newer one better.

I wish I had a useful moral to this story. I guess in the end, choosing among several "really good guitars" cannot be done scientifically or even objectively. Maybe you can't make a bad choice.. maybe it's just a matter of emotional reaction and that's that..

The Road Show comes in 18 days.   Let it bring clarity to my confused mind. Ha!

[ntotoro]

Any practical reason you can't keep both? 

Nick

[michaelw]

imho, which guitar makes you want to pick it up & play it
listening with your back turned while in front of the guitar is different
than playing it yourself or hearing the guitar played from out front -
to me, the tone that matters most is what i hear when i'm behind the guitar

it is your guitar, is it not
it's your $ & you're the one that will own the guitar, not your instructor, correct

imho, clarity, articulation & balance can be "fine-tuned" to a degree by experimenting with different
strings (brand/type/gauges), pick (if you use one) saddle & to a lesser degree, nut & bridge pins -
the tone that i hear you describing from your GC8 is what a number of builders try to coax out of
their new guitars straight "out-of-the-box" with materials, "pre-war" specs & other processes &
from what i can tell, it is easier to increase the definition of a guitar than to make it sound more "mature"

having guitars with the same shape & body woods is not a bad thing, if you like the tone of both, they complement each other
 have a place & purpose in your tonal arsenal, but if one of them is always the first one out of the case, the "go-to", then

newer does not automatically mean "better", sometimes it's just "different" & hopefully in a good way -
it would be a different story if the tone of the new guitar was closer to a blend of both, as i'd be more likely to think
that you might  be more happy with the tone now, a couple months from now, a year from now, 5 years from now

if you're thinking this much about it & if it seems the honeymoon's about over, i'd go with your gut, not "what-if"

ymmv

[DennisG]

Do you happen to have the same strings on both guitars?  If you don't, you might want to restring the guitars to make the test as close to apples-to-apples as you can.

[Jersey tuning]

It's really difficult to objectively choose which guitar is your preferred one.  There is always bias one way or the other to cloud the issue. I always assume my $XXXXX guitar is going to sound better than my $XXXX guitar, but why does that necessarily have to be so? Of 5 standard steel-strung 6 string guitars I own and play somewhat regularly, , often a different guitar will be "it" on a particular night. That said,  that $XXXXX model sure is alluring..........

Blind tests seem to be invaluable! Let objectivity reign!

[Captain Jim]

An old friend vs a new friend.  How do you decide?  Best situation is to have room for both friends in your life.  If your guitar situation doesn't allow that, be sure it is not just a matter of loyalty... or buyer's remorse.  There must have been something about the new 812ce that made you consider a change.

I wish I had some profound advice for you, but I think plenty of us struggle with decisions like this from time to time.  I would love to add an 812 to the mix, because I find that size more comfortable than my 814.  BUT, I love everything about my 814: the sound, the neck, the action, and that gorgeous tobacco burst.  Space and self-imposed limits would mean the 814 would have to go to make room for an 812... or a K22.  Dilemma, huh?

Those here who understand (and appreciate) your angst are truly fortunate to be in the position of choosing between two VERY nice guitars (or justifying both).

Good luck with the decisions.

Best wishes,
Jim

[Edward]

As you have found, there is far more to it to picking out the "right" guitar than any objective criteria can explain.  This is exactly why I have long since decided that the only true measure of any guitar's worth (or any gear, for that matter) is whether it gets picked up, used, and enjoyed.  If not, ditch it without remorse ...and sometimes this can only be learned over time. 

Edward

[Joseph]

Quite a dilemma there.. Trying to decide between several guitars with very close specs. The one thing I wonder if you have considered is that ..maybe the cutout on guitars does have an effect on what you like or dislike.. (One which I personally don't like).  Your GC8 is a non cutaway (correct?) which has a sound of its own. If it were me.. And I could afford it.. I would keep the GC and look for something with a different tone signature all together... via shape and wood combos.  Hopefully the Road Show guys will be able to clear up the fog for you.

[groberts]

Now that you've had your 812ce for a while, how are you liking it? Has it opened up any, or have you maybe been able to embrace its tone more ...over a period of time?