One of the more popular tech questions guitar players are asked is “what makes one guitar sound different than another?” Indeed, some players themselves don’t know the difference. They just go by whether it sounds good to them. Others are on an endless quest to find the perfect guitar.
Truth be told, there are many subtle differences in tone, feel and resonance between different guitar manufacturers. The woods used, body shape, fretboard style, neck length and more all contribute to why one person prefers one brand or style over another.
New Jersey’s Matt O’Ree has toured the world as guitarist with Bon Jovi, his own Matt O’Ree Band, and as an acoustic duo with his wife Eryn. Bruce Springsteen also supplied guitar and vocals on O’Ree’s 2016 release Brotherhood. With a house full of gear including Trainwreck amps, vintage Les Pauls, Strats and more, he’s well-qualified to talk shop.
Here, in a new regular feature we’ll be presenting featuring guitarists discussing their instruments of choice, O’Ree walks us through some top of the line Martin, Gibson and Santa Cruz acoustic guitars and demonstrates how each instrument has a different unique tone. As an added bonus, he highlights the unique sounds of a Resonator and Dobro.
Featured Instruments:
- 1963 Martin D18, with Brazilian rosewood fretboard and mahogany back and sides
- 2000 OOO-28 EC Eric Clapton signature Martin, rosewood back and sides, ebony fingerboard, mahogany neck and spruce top
- 2015 Martin D-45 ebony fingerboard, mahogany neck, rosewood back and sides and spruce top
- 2006 Gibson Hummingbird with mahogany back, sides and neck, rosewood fingerboard and spruce top
- Santa Cruz pre-war D Model dreadnought
- 2000 National Steel Single Cone Resonator
- Beard Goldtone Square Neck Dobro
We’re diving deep here so sit back and enjoy the class! We’ll be presenting more of O’Ree’s Geartorials on American Songwriter moving forward and you can see more reviews of his here.
Follow Matt O’Ree:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MOBontv/
Facebook: @mattoreeband Instagram: @mattoreeband Twitter: @mattoree Bandsintown: @mattoreeband
