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Message 8008
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| Subject: | Re: [RESOGUIT-L] Beard | | Date: | Tuesday, November 20, 2007 22:01:28 (+0000) | | From: | bobmcevoy <bobmcevoy @.......net>
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I'm leaving room for Bob McEvoy to chime in :-) about his E.
This is a discussion I was going to stay out of. I dislike ratings and
comparisons of instruments as much as I dislike musical competitions. But when
someone disparages a whole line of instruments and causes another to question a
decision to purchase, then I will take the bait.
My opinion is totally subservient to the likes of Mike Auldridge, Jerry Douglas,
Tim Graves Jim Heffernan etc. These people all play Beard guitars and I am proud
to be in their company only to say I play a Beard also. They all play these
instruments differently. Loud when they want to, soft when they want to. Mike
chooses to play his MA 6 or 8 softly. I have heard both Tim Graves on an E and
Jim Heffernan on a MA 6 make their instruments speak out. I heard Pete Smith
play an R body which I thought was an E. Howard reminded me that it was an R and
it was totally dependent on the player.
When I bought my Beard E, I was not in the market for an instrument. I owned a
Michael Terris and was on order for a Sheerhorn, sometime in the future. But I
had an opportunity to play a number of Beard E's and R's and MA 6 at the Beard
shop. This was a rare opportunity since he doesn't normally have instruments in
stock at least to this extent. With the wood differences, they were all
different. I was looking for certain characteristics that I found in this
instrument, but they were all outstanding instruments.
I think the MA 6 is more aggressive than my E model but Mike looks for sweat and
plays it that way.
I now have a Maple Sheerhorn, and a maple Gold Tone. They are all great
sounding instruments but all of them different. As Howard reminded me, "It's ok
to love more than one" (instruments that is).
The Gold Tone is well balanced sounds like a Dobro but is a little lighter in
volume. Of course, it has a partial sound well. I heard Johnny Bellar do
everything you would want to hear on a Wechter Sheerhorn.
The Sheerhorn is heavy bass and carries this through all strings. It does play
well in the high register. It is built this way. Baffles, open construction, no
screens. It is only two weeks old so it may change, we will see. It does speak
out. Took it to a jam this last Sunday with 3 banjo's fiddle guitars etc. No
one said that it was too quiet and I tend to be a quiet player.
The Beard E is brighter, less bassy evenly balance across the strings. carries
very well on the sixth string between the 10th and 12th frets. The dead spot for
all Resophonics. The Sheerhorn carries through there also but not with the
brightness of E model. The Gold Tone looses some in that area. I am unable to
compare the MA 6 at this time since I don't have one but I would bet that it
carries in that range.
The answer they are all different, I would think that the MA 6 models are the
most similar since the basic model does not have the wood variation like a Beard
E or Sheerhorn made with different woods and Mike plays everyone. If they
satisfy Mike A then that's the only guarantee that I need.
Finally one of my favorite players is Junior Barber and he makes a DeNeve sing
so there are other great instruments out there and I don't want to slight them,
only that this discussion is limited to Beard and Sheerhorn instruments.
In the end it's personal taste so that is why I think comparisons are bogus.
Buy one or the other enjoy it and don't worry about comparing it or what others
might think. If you like it and the way it sounds that's all that matters. Let
me emphasize, it's not the instrument as much as the player.
Back to practicing, hmm which instrument will I practice with this time? Oh, I
guess the closest one.
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