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[southernGuild]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

"She's got freckles on her BUTT....she is nice. And when she's in my arms...it's paradise!" :lol: You might enjoy playing that old tune upon your new lovely there Littlesongs. They do look great together there.....Great info for all of us in your comparison of the two, and i love your comparison of the apple and the pear. .....Now YOU've got the pair! :mrgreen: ............ I KNOW that you are well and truely enjoying your fruit platter! Cheers Mate! Well done!! ..they look GREAT! Southern :wink:

 

[12stringer]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

Very nice comparison Little Songs...I used to own a 70's westerly F112 and that was one sweet guitar with a lot of punch!
Enjoy your pair...you have a real nice combo going there!

 

[chazmo]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

Very nice, littlesongs!!! Side by side, the differences are quite evident. Honestly, I wouldn't even guess they were the same model. Hey, listen, can you tell if your back braces are spruce vs. mahogany comparing one to the other? I remember Hans's thread on the Josh White Guild, and in the side-by-side it looks like the two of your guitars are different in that way too.. But not so clearly in the close up.

 

[southernGuild]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

ALL THE SAILORS GIVE HER CHASE 'CAUSE THEY LOVE HER NAVAL BASE!!
Thanks Littlesongs, i ve only just hit that link today! .....very cool! MY grandpa use to play this record ( along with "chewing gum on the bedpost overnight' song) What a SWEETIE YOU'VE GOT THERE!........."with Old men she likes to NECK ( well THATS good!) !" :lol: ....she gets drunker than my BROTHER!" :lol: Looks like YOU need to find a rhyme for HOBOKIN!!! :lol: FUN and FUNNY STUFF! :lol: :lol: ENJOY! Southern :wink:

 

[gretschbigsby]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

Thanks for the review!

I was interested in your "new" F-112 myself until I learned here that there was a difference between the first models and the later ones. I had a '75 model that I should have never traded. I love those mini-jumbo shapes. But it seems that the more 000 size is quite fine on its own!

Congratulations.

Bob

 

[chazmo]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

Somewhat related question... Is there any significant difference in sound between an F-112 and an F-212 of the same era? There's a beautiful NOS (really) '76 F-112 on the bay that I'm thinking about engaging on.

[edit: so this, I guess, was a pretty ignorant question, eh? I think the F-112 is smaller-bodied than the F-212, right?]

 

[taabru45]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

I sure like my '72. Steffan

 

[chazmo]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

I've never owned a small-bodied 12 before, Steffan. I'll bet an F-112 would work nicely, especially being derived from the F-30 body shape, as I understand it.

 

[Scratch]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

Jus' gotta get one of those F112s one of these days. I'm GAS'n bigtime. Thanks much for the pics and the review, Littlesongs...

 

[taabru45]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

Chaz, it just snuggles up to you so nice...especially when you're used to a 512...naah, you never really get 'used' to a 512, or any other Guild for that matter, they just keep growin' on you and bringing out new stuff......if you let 'em. 8) :lol: Steffan

Scratch......you got room for any more cabinets??? :wink: Steffan

 

[Scratch]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

One would have to go, for sure, Steffan. Gonna put the Martin on the eBay block soon. Then, weeeelllllllll... :roll: :wink:

 

[fungusyoung]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

Amazing guitars... they'll have to pry mine outta my cold dead fingaz!

 

[12stringer]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

What I really enjoyed about the F112 is that it was very comfortable to play ...felt very natural to hold and of course it just sounded so great as well. Hard to put it down once I started to play it.
Took it out busking a few times and it was very clear and loud enough too.

 

[southernGuild]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

GOOD insightful stuff there littlesongs.......Youve got me pondering here! Southern

 

[shepke]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

I agree wholeheartedly with you observations about the evolving role of the 12-string acoustic guitar in recording. As an audio engineer, I have always implored guitarists to use small-bodied acoustics rather than large bodied instruments when tracking. Over the years I have worked with many musicians who initially brought dreadnaughts of one sort or another to recording sessions, and I have learned that it is sometimes much harder to get a well-balanced sound from these instruments (although this can vary a lot from instrument to instrument). Larger acoustics tend to boom a bit too much and the articulation between strings can get muddy and indistinct unless they are very carefully miced up and the performer is literally nailed to the sweet spot. With smaller bodied guitars it is easier to get a good track with satisfying presence, punch, and dynamics that also chimes nicely without much, if any, eqing or compression. Also the performer can move slightly off mic without changing the tone too much (squirmy acoustic guitarists are an engineer’s nightmare). At mixdown, small-bodied instruments (000 or smaller) tend to blend more tastefully in tracks with a lot of instrumentation. To this end I keep a 1968 Guild F-30 around.

All this is particularly true of 12-stringed acoustic guitars. For this reason I also keep a 1974 Guild F-112 on hand. It is, in my modest estimation, the perfect recording 12-string (particularly when combined with other instruments, where it more easily retains its 12-string character even when low in the mix. But, having said this, it’s also no slouch in solo guitar and vocal recordings. The F-112 can sound huge when close miced in stereo and is easy to control by simply backing off the mics if necessary (once again less boom, more clarity and depth – which I believe is facilitated by it’s mini jumbo shape and deep body). The F-112 beautifully fulfills the need for a 12-string acoustic, which records well in virtually any situation without a lot of screwing around. It would not surprise me at all to hear that this was part of its original design philosophy.

 

[Scratch]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

You guys are GAS'n me big-time!!! Gotta have an F-112 in the fold one of these days...

Great stuff fellers. Thanks for the insight...

 

[killdeer43]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

You guys are GAS'n me big-time!!! Gotta have an F-112 in the fold one of these days...
...

Yeah, and that same GAS is drifting up this way. What to do, what to do!!! Feed the GAS furnace, perhaps? :wink:

Joe

 

[fungusyoung]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

This is a really cool thread.

I got my '73 F112 last year because of it's simplicity and size. I also figured it would probably be easier to reel in for recording than the JF30-12 I used to own. Honestly, sometimes I still miss the sheer power and gracefulness of the JF30-12, but the F112 continues to blow my mind when used for recording & even more so (thus far) playing it out live.

I re-recorded the guitars for a song I posted here a long time ago, replacing the JF30-12 track with an F112. I also used an F30R and a Martin 000-15. It's literally a two chord song, but the mix of these instruments sound incredible along with the bass & drums.

My F112 has one tuner that's totally out of whack, it will need a neck re-set probably within 5 years and it's a bit beat up (though no cracks), but man... I've plugged this thing in at a couple different open mic settings (one a small bar, another acoustic-friendly listening room)... the results are amazing. Sound guys just smile. Sometimes I struggle with or get concerned about keeping it in tune, but it's so thick & rich to play out that I found myself reaching for it more than I ever imagined. I'm not a lead player AT ALL, but the lush rhythms of the F112 are wonderful. Plus, it's size is so darn easy to handle. I'd never want a bigger 12 now.

 

[chazmo]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

Very interesting about the recording comment... I've heard the same thing said about maple as a tonewood (versus rosewood) in that even though maple tends to be a much dryer sound acoustically it records better. I imagine small-bodied 12s record very well, especially in mahogany (which is dryer than rosewood too).

This is second hand "information" for me as I've spent zero time with recording equipment, but it makes sense. In anything involving microphones, the projection and accentuation of various harmonics is probably less desirable than when you're just using your ear in a purely acoustic, unamplified setting. That's why it's always seemed to me that it doesn't matter so much when stage musicians use unimpressive acoustic gear -- it's not particularly relevant to how they sound through speakers.

Just thinking out loud.

 

[fungusyoung]

Re: My Hoboken & Westerly F-112s

Very interesting about the recording comment... I've heard the same thing said about maple as a tonewood (versus rosewood) in that even though maple tends to be a much dryer sound acoustically it records better. I imagine small-bodied 12s record very well, especially in mahogany (which is dryer than rosewood too).

This is second hand "information" for me as I've spent zero time with recording equipment, but it makes sense. In anything involving microphones, the projection and accentuation of various harmonics is probably less desirable than when you're just using your ear in a purely acoustic, unamplified setting. That's why it's always seemed to me that it doesn't matter so much when stage musicians use unimpressive acoustic gear -- it's not particularly relevant to how they sound through speakers.

Just thinking out loud.

Thinking out loud and being right while doing it, Chazmo! At least, that's been my experience.

My 000-15 (all mahogany) is a wonderful guitar for recording. Much as I loved my DV52, it had massive overtones which was great for around the house, out on the patio & live, but I struggled recording that guitar. In contrast, my DV6 (same basic guitar as the DV52 but with mahogany instead of rosewood) records very well for a dread. I'm anxious to try my Martin D-35 too because even though it's rosewood it's ridiculously mellow compared to D28's (or the DV52) probably due to the bracing, etc.

I love maple as a tone wood. I just haven't used it enough yet, but to me it combines some of the best attributes of both mahogany & rosewood.