Guitar Paradiso on a Tuesday... what is this? Let us know what you think of Ben's first Blindfold Challenge. He might not be able to see the guitars but he can sure play them!
Have you not played any Epiphone and Gibson back to back? It's a huge difference on everything other than comparing the highest end Epi and the lowest end Gibson.
@@endoffate5475 it would be easy for anyone since there's a pretty big difference between the two in terms of feel. In terms of sound the difference is noticeable, but neither is worse.
I think his first choice was right. The Martin sounded better to my ears then the Alvarez. I love the Martin sound but all of them sounded good. I would have liked to see a D 18 in this just to see how it sounded against the Akins
His first choice had the Martin as the cheapest guitar up there until Lee had him play them all over again. It seemed he was leading him to try and upscale the Martin from what he initially said.
@@Fektthis I don't think he lead him there he just did not give any real feedback the first time through. I couldn't play them to see how they felt but sound wise I thought it was Adkins 1 Martin 2 Alvrez 3 and the other one 4. Sound is a very subjective thing so everyone has there own opinion on what sounds good. I have a Washburn comfort series that I love and Washburn is considered junk by a lot of people. I have a Martin D 18 that sounds great but plays like crap no matter who sets it up. So in the end it's what sounds good to you if it's the 299 dollars all the better for you.
@@mollers92 lol, yeah... I think Lee was thinking, OMG I'll never be able to sell these over priced hunks of wood if ppl know they're not really better... which in many cases, they're not XD. I'm also sure he wasn't looking forward to apologizing to the Martin Rep they deal with either..
Hey Andertons! Love the vid. So glad Ben is getting more video time, he is awesome! Please do a Taylor Only Blindfold Challenge! What I mean by this is to get maybe 5-6 acoustics, all the standard Taylor line, and put in 100 series, a 200 series, and so on all the way up to the the 900 series. This way you can test if there is a huge change in quality between the 100 and 900 series. Maybe throw a koa in there to make it tough. I would also recommend do a Martin only, where you hide a Sigma guitar in there, and see if he can spot it. I would also love to see a tone wood test, where its the same brand but the acoustics are all made of different woods, and see if he can figure out what wood is which.
Ben is great! Love to see him discuss his preferences for finger-picking: guitar shape, nut width, scale length, etc. Or a blindfold challenge comparing OM’s and OOO’s, all high-end or a range of prices.
I love that you're doing more blindfold challenges! How about having Ben guess different woods for the tops and sides? Rosewood, Spruce, Cedar, Mahagony etc.
Personally I like the acoustic vids. Don't get me wrong I like the electric ones too, but the acoustic ones are very nice. These videos prove that alot of low end guitars play very well these days!
I am absolutely advocating for everyone at Andertons has done the blindfold challenge! It's what makes me believe that Andertons is one of the most friendly and immense guitar stores in the world! Awesome work
Just goes to show what a great product the masterworks really is. I have been blown away by my 66. Getting ready to buy another one I’ve been so happy.
For sure do more of these! I'd be interested testing different tier guitars within the same company, say Taylor. I have my 114e, I wonder how would it perform against 'older' brothers, since mine sounds excellent.
Jaskinia Męstwa I went to the Taylor event last week held in Birmingham and played every guitar on the wall and I actually preferred the 114ce which I was surprised at. I think from a live perspective playing with a band for me it was the best at standing out in the mix. I suspect because it’s laminate construction and therefore doesn’t have the lower end that the higher end models have. For me if I was playing solo I’d go for the high end models but live use in a band with electric guitars and drums I’d take the 114ce or 214ce. Just my two cents even if money was no object. In addition I wouldnt be stessing that someone would steal my £3000 acoustic if I had the £700 114ce!
I have an Alvarez Natural RD8 and I love it! I don’t feel super compelled to buy a Martin now after having seen this. Unless I was a top notch guitar player performing for people, which I do not.
great video ben is a amazing player.i would have picked the alverz guitar blinfolded but hey it sounds great and he played better on it for some reason.hell ya bring ben in for another blind fold test maybe semi hollow body electric guitars
Thanks Ben. I have always wanted a D28 but my original Takamine 1984 F363D is a beauty although a year or so late to get the lawsuit headstock and bridge. I really enjoyed your playing. They all sounded great and cosmetically I prefer white trim so I would go for the 160 including the deep mellow basses I heard in the clip. Thanks kindly. P.S. The D28 did sound very clear. Loved it!
This is so crazy i payed the Alvarez MD60 EBG in my lokal musik shop today this guitar sounds like an 3000$ no joke and costs 769 euro just insane man just another proof that name on the headstock is an myth.
I'd like a test/comparison carbon fiber vs wood. Please :) And what about blindfold "hearing" before playing? First, let the blindfolded listen-only and next play. See how opinion differs when there's no physical connection to the instrument. That would also be an interesting comparison to how the instrument sound for the player rather than the audience.
How about reviewing some archtops? They never get a look-in. Also fully hollow body electrics. All price points would be good. Not blindfold, just a review of what is around.
Yah put him to the test!!!!! I had to pause this vid to save for later... but I had to giv a thumbs up 👍🏼 first before even watching. Can’t wait. BREAK A LEG!!!!!!🤘👌🏽
Excellent player! The comparisons were very instructive. I think it might be beneficial to not have any assessments in the first pass, then to do a second round with the relative preferences being stated. Thank you!
fun challenge to hear what each one sounds like and u r right Captain..take away the name label and use our other senses then it becomes very interesting....thanks
How about a blind challenge just based on tone from higher end brands and models? Taylor V Class 800 series, Martin Modern Deluxe, Gibson Hummingbird, etc?
MORE BLINDFOLD TESTS FOR BEN! :-D (Maybe work in a Yamaha FG830 (laminate rosewood back/sides, for a little different sound than mahogany) if possible. NOTE: I just played an Alvarez today in a music store where I was having a setup done on one of my guitars, and I was extremely impressed. Not sure which model, though. It just seemed to have a big, full, clear sound. And so did a Guild rosewood guitar.
The main thing that I'm taking away from thisis that I could play for another 20 years and not be as skilled without a blindfold as Ben is with one. But certainly, Alvarez won in terms of value here, I believe.
taylor low end v taylor mid range v taylor high end although perhaps taylor might not be very happy with this idea. Or standard bracing vs V bracing...
Just goes to show, if a guy in a bar is playing and you think "wow he's great!"..doesn't matter if he spent 300 or 2 grand .....practice makes perfect.
Blind test! I want to buy the best sounding guitar but I can only spend up to usd 1000. I was thinking between Taylor 114, some Eastman or Álvarez. Can you do a Blind test?
You're making this a lot more complicated than it is after he tries every guitar once give them to him again in the order from his least favorite to most favorite and let him decide then.
I own 2. Master works Alvarez acoustic. And a blue ridge love all 3 , but fir blue grass. Its my blue ridge. That i pick up. Every guitar has its own voice tuey say. But both alverez and blue ridge make domfine guitars. With out breaking the bank,,
Please have Ben try blindfolded Recording King high end vs anything. I truly love the high end Recording King guitars!!! I have had all of them. I currently only have one RD-126. I buy sell and trade regularly.
Guitar Paradiso on a Tuesday... what is this?
Let us know what you think of Ben's first Blindfold Challenge.
He might not be able to see the guitars but he can sure play them!
Love Guitar Paradiso... Larrivee, Eastman compared to Gibson, Martin... Blind of course!!!
He surely can! Cutaway electro acoustics up next? Yamaha APX 500 vs...... whatever you can throw at it?
Andertons Music Co it was great
Great episode! Have Ben take 4 guitars from one brand and see if he can place them from least to most expensive.
Have Ben guess a full-solid, solid top, and a laminate top?
That sounds a great challenge! We might have to test him on those... ;)
Good idea!
@@andertons has this ever happened?
Geez, this guy can rock an acoustic guitar.
He sure can!
Andertons Music Co I like to believe that that is Ben commenting there
@@macmuggo5459 I think they all do
Ben should be blindfolded and have him see if he can guess between a Gibson and epiphone version of the same style guitar
Have you not played any Epiphone and Gibson back to back? It's a huge difference on everything other than comparing the highest end Epi and the lowest end Gibson.
That would be too easy fro him, hes very good.
@@endoffate5475 it would be easy for anyone since there's a pretty big difference between the two in terms of feel. In terms of sound the difference is noticeable, but neither is worse.
Yes
Pls blindfold challenges WAY more often. They never get old or boring.
It's nice to see more of Ben
What a fantastic player, more of him please
To be fair, Sire and Alvarez make some great guitars. I doubt a $300 Fender Acoustic would have come out quite so fortunate.
I think his first choice was right. The Martin sounded better to my ears then the Alvarez. I love the Martin sound but all of them sounded good.
I would have liked to see a D 18 in this just to see how it sounded against the Akins
His first choice had the Martin as the cheapest guitar up there until Lee had him play them all over again. It seemed he was leading him to try and upscale the Martin from what he initially said.
@@Fektthis I don't think he lead him there he just did not give any real feedback the first time through. I couldn't play them to see how they felt but sound wise I thought it was Adkins 1 Martin 2 Alvrez 3 and the other one 4. Sound is a very subjective thing so everyone has there own opinion on what sounds good.
I have a Washburn comfort series that I love and Washburn is considered junk by a lot of people. I have a Martin D 18 that sounds great but plays like crap no matter who sets it up. So in the end it's what sounds good to you if it's the 299 dollars all the better for you.
@@Fektthis There was definitely some suggestive tone haha
@@mollers92 lol, yeah... I think Lee was thinking, OMG I'll never be able to sell these over priced hunks of wood if ppl know they're not really better... which in many cases, they're not XD. I'm also sure he wasn't looking forward to apologizing to the Martin Rep they deal with either..
Love the blindfolded challenges. I think people would really love to see Ben and Pete try and guess the different wood construction blindfolded.
The Alvarez elicited the most playing fun, I think.
Hey Andertons! Love the vid. So glad Ben is getting more video time, he is awesome! Please do a Taylor Only Blindfold Challenge! What I mean by this is to get maybe 5-6 acoustics, all the standard Taylor line, and put in 100 series, a 200 series, and so on all the way up to the the 900 series. This way you can test if there is a huge change in quality between the 100 and 900 series. Maybe throw a koa in there to make it tough. I would also recommend do a Martin only, where you hide a Sigma guitar in there, and see if he can spot it. I would also love to see a tone wood test, where its the same brand but the acoustics are all made of different woods, and see if he can figure out what wood is which.
Ben is great! Love to see him discuss his preferences for finger-picking: guitar shape, nut width, scale length, etc. Or a blindfold challenge comparing OM’s and OOO’s, all high-end or a range of prices.
Dammit should have picked up an Alvarez during the black Friday deals
There is always the January sales haha.
Paradiso is my favorite, and Young Ben is quickly becoming a favorite picker! And, that's from a life long bluegrass fan!
I love that you're doing more blindfold challenges!
How about having Ben guess different woods for the tops and sides? Rosewood, Spruce, Cedar, Mahagony etc.
Woke up grumpy, there's snow outside, it's going to be just a rotten... oh hey, a new Anderton's vid! The day is lookin' up!
Thanks guys!
Great to see Ben on these shows. Smith and Brewer are fun to see live, well worth seeing.
Great video. Blindfold challenges are by far my favourite Andertons vids. Please keep them coming.
challenge 1 : cedar vs spruce vs mohagony 2. Rosewood back vs mahagony back
Personally I like the acoustic vids. Don't get me wrong I like the electric ones too, but the acoustic ones are very nice. These videos prove that alot of low end guitars play very well these days!
Not sure what else I'd like to see Ben do...but I really like him as a genuine and talented guy; and love to see his skills in more videos.
Sure like Ben's playing. Thanks for the video. These are fun.
Ben is freaking awesome! I love this guy!
Such a great test to show everyone. And the blindfolded plying is remarkable. Love these segments!
I am absolutely advocating for everyone at Andertons has done the blindfold challenge! It's what makes me believe that Andertons is one of the most friendly and immense guitar stores in the world! Awesome work
Do a comparison of OM style guitars.
Did Lee prefer the Martin over the Alvares because it was a Martin?
Yes please. But where are the Yamaha guitars. I can´t see them on the web site anymore.
Just goes to show what a great product the masterworks really is. I have been blown away by my 66. Getting ready to buy another one I’ve been so happy.
That Alvarez is the winner. The Martin sounds great but for the price leap, I wouldn’t say it is worth it.
Ben is playing so damn good ! Please more acoustic videos w/ this man ! and with pete also
For sure do more of these! I'd be interested testing different tier guitars within the same company, say Taylor. I have my 114e, I wonder how would it perform against 'older' brothers, since mine sounds excellent.
Jaskinia Męstwa I went to the Taylor event last week held in Birmingham and played every guitar on the wall and I actually preferred the 114ce which I was surprised at. I think from a live perspective playing with a band for me it was the best at standing out in the mix. I suspect because it’s laminate construction and therefore doesn’t have the lower end that the higher end models have. For me if I was playing solo I’d go for the high end models but live use in a band with electric guitars and drums I’d take the 114ce or 214ce. Just my two cents even if money was no object. In addition I wouldnt be stessing that someone would steal my £3000 acoustic if I had the £700 114ce!
Great blindfold challenge! I bought a Sire R3 from you a few months ago and I'm really pleased with it.
Nice one Ben, your very brave doing these challenges street cred and all that very enjoyable was impressed with the Alverez
This just shows that other guitar makers are catching up with the elite manufacturers. Great video guys. Ben plays lights out btw. 👍👊
I have an Alvarez Natural RD8 and I love it! I don’t feel super compelled to buy a Martin now after having seen this. Unless I was a top notch guitar player performing for people, which I do not.
Lee- Ben is great! Keep him playing!
What an incredible guitar player!
Could you gents do an episode on archtop guitars and how they differ from regular old flat tops?
Holy crap, Ben got some chops!
If you guys stock Breedlove, you should have Ben play their Oregon all myrtlewood guitars. Best sounding balanced guitar I’ve ever played!
evidently the Sire is a good guitar at a very good price. thanks for sharing.
Love Ben. What a cool dude. and great player!
That was dope ! Thanks I’m in the process of trying to figure out what Alvarez model I want
Yes please more ACOUSTIC PARADISO and more BLOND FOLD CHALLENGES
great video ben is a amazing player.i would have picked the alverz guitar blinfolded but hey it sounds great and he played better on it for some reason.hell ya bring ben in for another blind fold test maybe semi hollow body electric guitars
Had the pleasure of seeing Smith and Brewer open for 10CC a year ago, both amazing players, check them out!
Happy Andertons ships to the states now. They have a lot of eagerly awaiting customers....
Also, I’d like to see acoustics assessed for both acoustic as well as amplified performance, as this is an important selection criterion for me.
timestamps for licks i want to learn: 2:12 3:35 5:22 8:01 9:05 10:06
Thanks Ben. I have always wanted a D28 but my original Takamine 1984 F363D is a beauty although a year or so late to get the lawsuit headstock and bridge. I really enjoyed your playing. They all sounded great and cosmetically I prefer white trim so I would go for the 160 including the deep mellow basses I heard in the clip. Thanks kindly. P.S. The D28 did sound very clear. Loved it!
Could we have 'Name the tonewoods', please? Tops as well as back/sides.
Yes, more Acoustic blindfold challenges!
Would love to see a blind folded test of all Gibsons. G45 J45 J15 Hummingbird maybe?
The Alvarez sounds amazing!
This is so crazy i payed the Alvarez MD60 EBG in my lokal musik shop today this guitar sounds like an 3000$ no joke and costs 769 euro just insane man just another proof that name on the headstock is an myth.
I'd like a test/comparison carbon fiber vs wood. Please :)
And what about blindfold "hearing" before playing? First, let the blindfolded listen-only and next play. See how opinion differs when there's no physical connection to the instrument. That would also be an interesting comparison to how the instrument sound for the player rather than the audience.
How about reviewing some archtops? They never get a look-in. Also fully hollow body electrics. All price points would be good. Not blindfold, just a review of what is around.
I have two Alvarez' and two Martins on the wall and I play the Alvarez' the most !!!
To be fair... I think 3 guitars ought to be the limit for a blindfold test. 4 is pushing it. I do enjoy these, though. Carry on.
In terms of sonic order of preference I thought he was right. I thought the Alvarez was more "present" than the Martin.
More of this! Ben is great. And acoustic guitars are underratet! sorry for my poor english! He`s the Pete Honore of acoustic guitars.
Yah put him to the test!!!!! I had to pause this vid to save for later... but I had to giv a thumbs up 👍🏼 first before even watching. Can’t wait. BREAK A LEG!!!!!!🤘👌🏽
Excellent player! The comparisons were very instructive. I think it might be beneficial to not have any assessments in the first pass, then to do a second round with the relative preferences being stated. Thank you!
More Ben !
I've been really looking into getting a Parlor style lately. So maybe a blindfold Parlor episode?
I want this as a series
I think the Taylor 300 series guitars are better than all these. 324ce or 314 are extremely nice. Also the Martin HD 28 is nicer. Thoughts?
I like this guy.
Watching from Toronto Canada 🍁
fun challenge to hear what each one sounds like and u r right Captain..take away the name label and use our other senses then it becomes very interesting....thanks
I like these. Continue.
I very like blind challange - Please MORE!
Those Alvarez guitars are amazing value
Love the acoustic challenges!
Guessing the brand and/or price of different string sets would be fun. 😎👍
Yes! More blindfold comparisons please! I would like to hear high end asian (eastman) versus american made (martin/gibson).
More love for Ben's playing and just enjoying the channel and the new acoustic paradiso. Keep 'em coming!
LOl after banging into the most expensive guitar more than twice he finally moves it.
I just bought the Alvarez guitar for $499 free shipping. Thank you for the great video!!!
I have a Martin HD-28 and several other expensive guitars.
I am very excited to receive my new guitar!! I will post my unboxing here.
@@johnnyhoward7856 What is your opinion about Alvarez, I do consider between few options and one is Alvarez, Martin DPCA4 or D-13. Thanks
Need a Gibson, Epiphone and an Eastman in there
Atkin was lovely...
Enjoying these with Ben.. although there needs to be more things shouted at him from behind the camera Pete.
How about a blind challenge just based on tone from higher end brands and models? Taylor V Class 800 series, Martin Modern Deluxe, Gibson Hummingbird, etc?
MORE BLINDFOLD TESTS FOR BEN! :-D (Maybe work in a Yamaha FG830 (laminate rosewood back/sides, for a little different sound than mahogany) if possible. NOTE: I just played an Alvarez today in a music store where I was having a setup done on one of my guitars, and I was extremely impressed. Not sure which model, though. It just seemed to have a big, full, clear sound. And so did a Guild rosewood guitar.
I dub this segment "Ben-folds Four Challenge"
The main thing that I'm taking away from thisis that I could play for another 20 years and not be as skilled without a blindfold as Ben is with one. But certainly, Alvarez won in terms of value here, I believe.
I'd like to see a video like this one, but with smaller guitars
Interesting results.
New challenge: Different cables from cheapest Chinesium to really expensive boutique
Spot on. No one ever mentions guitar leads yet ANY guitar will sound crap through a poor cable.
taylor low end v taylor mid range v taylor high end although perhaps taylor might not be very happy with this idea. Or standard bracing vs V bracing...
Just goes to show, if a guy in a bar is playing and you think "wow he's great!"..doesn't matter if he spent 300 or 2 grand .....practice makes perfect.
Great video. And you you made a a great point about brands. Thanks.
Blind test! I want to buy the best sounding guitar but I can only spend up to usd 1000. I was thinking between Taylor 114, some Eastman or Álvarez. Can you do a Blind test?
I believe, you can give Ben a spade with old rubber strings and he makes it sound great ......
You're making this a lot more complicated than it is after he tries every guitar once give them to him again in the order from his least favorite to most favorite and let him decide then.
I own 2. Master works Alvarez acoustic. And a blue ridge love all 3 , but fir blue grass. Its my blue ridge. That i pick up. Every guitar has its own voice tuey say. But both alverez and blue ridge make domfine guitars. With out breaking the bank,,
That Alvarez steals the show for me. Price vs sound ratio it kicks the martin
Please have Ben try blindfolded Recording King high end vs anything. I truly love the high end Recording King guitars!!! I have had all of them. I currently only have one RD-126. I buy sell and trade regularly.
$1,000.00 and up.
I need that Alvarez vs Sire R7 shootout
Interesting the cheap Sire beat out the Martin. Martin was the worst value
Nice video guys!