F-5G vs 815V

[roberto]

Inspired by a post of Almeriastrings where he compared two mandolins on a sound clip, here's my contributuon: a 2012 Gibson F-5G and a 2006 Eastman 815V, of course, not necessarily in that order.
Same strings, same pick, same microphones setting, same recording device, same tune and same me.
Let me know what do you think.

Las Habas Verdes - comparison.mp3

[form]

I like the first one better, cleaner and crisper IMO but possibly a little more tinny and less woody than the second. I would say the second has more "body" or is a little more hollow-sounding, while the first is more straightforward and cutting. Based on my experience with my own Eastman MD305, I'm going to guess the second is the Eastman.

[George R. Lane]

I agree the first one has to be the Gibson. Much fuller and cleaner tone.

[Keith Witty]

First one is the Eastman, second one is the Gibson. The first one sounds identical to the 815V I've heard.

[Douglas McMullin]

I have no idea which is which, but I like the second one best. The first one, relative to the second, is a bit weak and tinny. The second one has a fuller tone that I prefer. That said, they both sound good. If I had to guess based on my experience with a few Eastman's I would wager the second one is the Gibson.

By the way, nice tune and good job playing it.

[Andrew B. Carlson]

1. Eastman
2. Gibson

That said, I prefer the sound of the 2nd one.

[shortymack]

1 Eastie
2 Gibby

#1. Louder, more note seperation. #2 more balanced, less overtones.

I wonder how much difference would be heard played in a band setting and which would be preferred then.

Nice tune and playing, thanks for the aural excitement.

[Bernie Daniel]

My guess is the same:
1) Eastman -- strong on treble, good volume - nice sounding mandolin
2) Gibson -- deeper more bass relative to treble than #1, more complex and fuller tone -- a nicer sounding mandolin

As to actual volume its hard to tell -- most people hear treble better than bass so that could bias your pick in that regard.

Nice playing too BTW!

[lgibjones]

I would say #2 is the Gibson.

I too really admire your playing.

[Paul Kotapish]

Very nice playing, indeed!

I also have no idea which is which, but I prefer the first one, actually. The first one is more brilliant and clear, and I'm guessing one could get a warmer tone and ameliorate the treble with technique more easily than compensating for the lack of that info on the second mandolin.

The second one is undeniably warmer and "woodier," but it sounds a bit muffled and dull overall--like the treble sonic information just isn't there.

In my experience, anyway, a bigger, warmer, low end tends to develop over time, whereas if an instrument doesn't have sparkling, brilliant highs from the get go, it never will.

Curious to hear which is which.

[Fred Young]

I like the sound of #1 by far the best, but thats is proberly biased because my ears have difficulty seperating the basser notes. clearly.

[Marty Jacobson]

Identifying a mandolin via a sound clip is a little bit like guessing the color of an object in a black-and-white photograph... it's not really a fair representation of either instrument. Even though your playing is indeed fantastic...
That being said... it's fun to guess. I would put money on my guess that the Gibson is the second clip.

[almeriastrings]

There is definitely more 'body' in the second. Overall, a richer, warmer and more complex tone, but still with very good clarity.

The first clip sounds quite a lot 'thinner' to me.

I think the Gibson is clip number 2.

Nice playing

[roberto]

Thanks, amigos!
OK, first is the Eastman, second the Gibson.
I must say that I've been playing the Eastman for the last seven years, and the Gibson less than 2 months, so I know exactly how take the best sounds from the Eastman and how to place the microphones. I'm still learning how the play the Gibson.
I placed the mics (2 Kel Song Sparrow) at 30cm from the mandolin, one focused on the neck joint and the other on the treble f hole. That's what works best for the Eastman. To record the Gibson, I think I should have placed the mics a little more distant and more focused on the pick, not the f hole. Listening to the Gibson clip, there's 3 or 4 point where the track saturates, and the whole wave is a little bigger than the first clip. So I think the Gibson is louder too, but the Eastman trebles "stridency" make it seem louder.
I think the Eastman is a good mandolin, but the Gibson is a GREAT mandolin.

[adamkavanagh]

thanks for doing this, was really neat

[stevedenver]

i notice you have a triggs F -not to derail, but how is it? especially compared to the gibsons?

[almeriastrings]

Won't intrude on Roberto's thread, so I'll put a couple of pictures up and describe it later (today, hopefully) in a new thread.

[stevedenver]

thanks

[tpourciau]

Thanks, this was great. I have an 815 and it pretty much sounds just like #1. Well, it would if I could play anywhere near that good.

[vetus scotia]

Very interesting results. Some preferred 1, others 2. Some were certain 1 was Gibson, others were certain 2 was. Some say you can't tell from a recording, others say the recording sounded just like their own instruments of the same kind. I think the next sampler should include a third selection, which could be one of the first two repeated or another, unidentified instrument. That would really put people's ears to the test.
At least everyone can agree that was some fine playing.

[f5loar]

I gave this a close listen on my Yamaha speakers. To me the Gibson is much more balanced with clearer sounding notes on all strings. I liked the Eastman too but once I heard the Gibson right after it I could tell a really big difference. The Gibson just sounded more Loar like to me.

[jasona]

Coming in late, the first sounds tonally restricted, in that it doesn't have much lower end, the second still closed in its upper ranges but should open with playing. If I had to guess, well, I would hope the second was the Gibson.

Edited: I see the second is the Gibson. Post a clip after you play it for another 6 months. I bet that upper range gets a lot clearer!