Have you ever noticed that a tune you're playing sounds better on guitar "A" than guitar "B?" And THEN have you noticed that a few days later that same tune sounds better on guitar "B" than guitar "A?" Or is it just me???
I can say that although my playing might change some, I can't believe it changes to the degree that it would significantly affect my appreciation for the tone guitar "A" produced the last time I played it. And this happens all the time.
I store my guitars in one, humidity-controlled room, so that eliminates the environmental variable.
The advice is "trust your ears" when selecting a new guitar--but can you? Really? I know, I know: "Everything is a compromise." But the implication is that if my appreciation for the tone/sound of my guitar(s) can change from day to day, then how can I trust my "appreciation" of a guitar's tone/sound when trying to select a new one in a store?
I love my 712ce 12 fret and I love my 614ce, but I'd like to acquire something that's going to provide a distinctive tonal difference between those two guitars--maybe a 514ce or a 512ce 12 fret (I play exclusively fingerstyle with acrylic nails, so I'm not sure if my nails might overdrive a cedar top--but that's another post). So this concern is real for me.
So, if anyone has had a similar experience, what do you do to compensate for fickle tonal appreciation when testing out new guitars? Record yourself? Take along a listening buddy? From the looks of some of the inventories many of you list under your names, it looks like you simply buy enough guitars to render the issue moot.
Cheers!
Bill