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.
***
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.