What Guitar is that?
In this video I’ll answer one of the most common questions I get on our YouTube channel: What guitar is that? We’ll take a look at the guitar I’ve used for the last thirteen years as well as my new guitar.
Paul Sheridan
For the last thirteen years I’ve been playing a guitar by Paul Sheridan, a luthier from Perth in Western Australia. Paul makes big powerful instruments that have a sweet, silky tone. They feature a lattice bracing. Other guitarists who play Sheridans would be Stephanie Jones, a young Australian virtuoso, and also our very own Dave Belcher.
The Sheridan guitars are almost all 640mm in scale length. It’s a tiny bit easier to play as a result. Sheridans also have soundports that provide feedback to the player so you can hear yourself better.
Gary Lee
Recently I’ve purchased a new instrument made by luthier Gary Lee. Gary is based in New Jersey and I’ve known him for many years. He had a guitar on display at the GFA, so I purchased it. Gary’s instruments are played by a number of great guitarists, including Fred Hand and Ben Verdery.
A unique feature of Gary’s instruments is they have an allen-key system on the neck where you can adjust the action. Gary’s guitars are double-top instruments. This one has cedar with a spruce on top (and balsa wood sandwiched between them).
What I love about this instrument is that it is exceptionally well-made, but also it sounds different.
Conclusion
Different instruments serve different purposes, and I use each of these guitars to different ends. At the end of the day, though, the right instrument is the one you just don’t want to stop playing. And I haven’t put this guitar down for the last several months.
In the video above I play the same piece on each instrument so you can hear the difference.
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But hopefully that answers your question about what guitars I play in my videos. Let me know in the comments what guitar you play.
To my ears the Sheridan guitar is the best. I Play a Casimiro Lozano guitar – and I will never buy another instrument – this is the guitar I have difficulties to stop playing.
Best of luck
Søren
In your expert hands they both sound beautiful. I think the Gary Lee sounds brighter and the allen-key system is brilliant.
I bought your book on sight reading and noticed the dedication to your care providers. Truly they are our heroes. Having been through the cancer ordeal twice over, I cannot thank them enough for saving my life.
I am playing the sock string muffled guitar Yamaha gc-10A till the wee hours. This was probably the worst value guitar ever produced.. I found corroboration about this on the internet. It an old GC Tiawan guitar and its just sounds like a damp shoe box. With the sock under the strings it hardly makes a difference just quiet. Infact it does have a weird sound of its own normally.. It just like the notes with no overtones or echo.. just a dead thump of a sound.. which I suppose has its place in the myriad of effects.
Hi Simon.
I just received my first guitar made by a Luthier. It is a homage to a Fleta by Domenic Roscioli from Adelaide. I only need to put it down because my fingers get sore after a month of holiday. But it is a beautiful instrument that has reinvigorated my desire to play better. A good sounding and easy to play instrument is a blessing for any player, even a beginner like me.
Thank you, Simon, for your video of comparative guitars. I had never seen a design feature that allowed sound projection where the neck and body of the guitar join. I can see the value of it though.
I just purchased your book on sight reading and was impressed by your clear appreciation for your support staff. Our heroes, indeed. I cannot express how grateful I am that they were able to save my life twice via cancer treatment.
They certainly have differences, both make lovely music in your hands. Why the difference in strings? And why the mix of 3 different strings on the Lee?