Mused into action by the great work of Brandon Drury at http://www.RecordingReview.com/ I created a shootout of my own. My mixing or recording skills are not a part of this shootout however. Mine is about strings. Old strings versus new strings. Nothing changed other than the strings and the eq on the guitar to different, but reproducible levels. The equipment:
Guitar: Fender CD-60CSE
Pickup: Piezo direct to computer input. Volume at 100%, eq as shown below.
Computer recording device: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS platinum pro jimmie jack this doesn't have a long enough name. Used line-in / mic in 2, front panel. Hardware mixer set at 12 o' clock. Internal jumper has been changed from factory condenser setting to dynamic (not sure if this plays any part in this but there it is.)
Strings: (Both Sets)
D'Addario EJ16 Light (.012-.053) Phosphor Bronze
Used Set: Approximately 25-50 hours of play time on them
New Set: uhhh, new.
So the breakdown: I have the eq on the guitar flat, volume maxed. I have the line in 2 volume knob at 12 o'clock, straight up. I have the line in 2 mixer setting at 100% and the record level of line 2 at 100% into audacity with no effects. The cord used is a planet waves and there is nothing between the guitar and the computer at any point. The signal should, in essence, never change in any of the recordings, other than the noted eq settings which are reproducible since +12/-12 is that slider's all up or all down position.
First I recorded a little piece of Leyenda, or at least how I think of that song, with the eq flat. Then I started a new recording with the highs on the 3 band eq on the fender all the way up (+12). After recording that I moved it back to zero and then dropped the bass all the way (-12) and recorded another version like that. Then for reference purposes I put the eq at zero and recorded another flat version.
With all that done I saved my audacity project. Now I changed strings on the Fender to the new set of D'Addario EJ16's. Interesting note, the packaging has a tension guide on them which I find fascinating.
After polishing the guitar, which I hope wouldn't make any difference, but it did happen so I can't leave it out, I tuned the guitar's new strings a couple times hoping to get them up to snuff for staying in tune, and started the process over. First flat, then treble +12, then bass -12, then another reference track.
Can I hear a difference? Indeed. There is a slight signal boost in the new strings and I suspect that is coming from the overtones / harmonics that are missing in the old strings. Therefore if your "tubes" don't sound like they used to? Maybe you need new strings.
Here are links to the sound files for your own perusal.
Next up, my bass needs new strings. I use fender Nylon Tapewound 9120s strings on a squire jazz bass. The only musical thing I'd rather do than play on new bass strings would be to crawl into a grand piano with ball pean hammers. Now the question is, what do I mean by that?!
