Lament

[Pete Howlett]

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"Originally Posted on:"Fri Jul 23, 2010 "

I visit this section often and am usually blown away by the standard of work and photography! However there is often no video or sound samples. C'mon guys, step up to the plate or crease (as we are principally down under) - this is the 21st century

[Nick]

Pete Howlett wrote:

I visit this section often and am usually blown away by the standard of work and photography! However there is often no video or sound samples. C'mon guys, step up to the plate or crease (as we are principally down under) - this is the 21st century

You show me yours & I'll show you mine .

[kiwigeo]

Pete Howlett wrote:

I visit this section often and am usually blown away by the standard of work and photography! However there is often no video or sound samples. C'mon guys, step up to the plate or crease (as we are principally down under) - this is the 21st century

Pete it might not have occurred to you that quite a few of us in here might be good builders but our playing isnt so hot. Im classically trained and can play a passable bit of same but my steel string playing is crap and my lute playing...well Im about to find out how good I am at that.

Food for thought.

Cheers Martin

[Clancy]

Pete, as far as I know us standard members can't upload video or sound files, only images.

[kiwigeo]

Uploading is only allowed for non-standard members......we use Kim as our yardstick.

[Allen]

I've uploaded samples for two ukes and a Weissenborn. A big thankyou to Alan Hamley for doing the recordings for me. He's a far better player than I will ever dream of being, plus I don't have any suitable equipment.

Concert Ukulele

Tenor Ukulele

Wiessenborn

[Pete Howlett]

Wooooooooooooooo! some defensive replies here to a light hearted request:(

All my video - 80 of them on YouTube with about 15 showing completed work or other deoms are shot with my cranky Finepix 5000 still camera in video mode. I get numerous complaints about the sound quality and even more about how good the instruments sound...

I am also very sure if you are building for someone they can knock out a few chords and maybe a single string run or two which you can video.

Sorry if I upset you guys. I'd just like to ss and hear the crowning glory of your work - after all, it is what they are isn't it? Or you end up like Michael Sprake...

[Allen]

Don't worry about them Pete. There a miserable pack of Bastards, but have big hearts once you get to know them. Don't poke your fingers through the cage though until they get to know you.

At least for me, I really want them to be recorded to the best I can. Perhaps that's a misunderstanding on my part of what the masses want. Maybe they just want to hear and see it as if they were hacking away at their new instrument in their lounge.

Is this your experience after so many videos?

[sebastiaan56]

Im not that good at playing with my equipment so I will spare you all...

[Allen]

You just had to give Kim a "In" didn't you.

Hold on to you're socks folks.

[Pete Howlett]

I don't know about you guys but all my clients want to be watching over my shoulder as I build their investments Since it takes quite a bit of time out of the build doing this I generally show one picture of the early stages and then another before it goes into the spray booth. When it is all together, I then shoot a really grotty 1 minute video either in my workshop or living room just to get the client excited - sound quality is usually poor but they love it, giving their instrument 60 seconds of fame. I've also found that the sound quality from most computers and certainly YouTube is always going to be poor so I do not see a need to 'hi-fi' it. It is just allowing the client to peep through the workshop window from hundreds of miles away and see their baby born.

In all and in my opinion, it really doesn't matter about quality of sound - it's all about the presentation and enthusiasm with which you do it. Also, you shouldn't 'wiggle' the instrument as you are showing it - you don't want to hypnotise them with strobing light reflections. Long lingering shots then a few well chosen notes are all it takes to make them send that cheque. And you will notice I only play 2 tunes. These are well rehearsed, very simple and show the dynamic range of my ukulele. Thats is all you need - it's not a command performance! So learn one simple piece in the Key of E because it shows the dynamic range, the floor and the ceiling of the instrument and make that video. I'll even tab out a piece for you if you want

PS - it really helps if you are a poor player because it becomes rather endering the builder showing that he is 'less' than the client when it comes to playing - He wants to think: You've built it. Well done! For goodness sakes don't ruin it by being a btter player than me...

It's all just presentation at the end of the day - the work usually speaks for itself and if you guys are as good as those luscious photos you post here, you have no worrries folks

[Allen]

Send the tab Pete. Please

[kiwigeo]

I have a love hate relationship with my guitars.....love 'em at the start but by the time Ive finished them I cant wait to see the lasts of them. I know where 4 of the 6 guitars Ive built are...sort of, the other 2 I wouldnt have a clue where they are but Im sure someone's playing them and either enjoying them or making a living out of playing them.....or perhaps even both.

[Taffy Evans]

I'll get in here as I have pondered this question for a while. My concern, right or wrong, is not the recording of the audio or video as I have the good gear to do this, or what to play I keep it to carefully selected chords and single string stuff that show the guitars best attributes.

My concern, rightly or wrongly, is the listeners equipment at the other end. Are they listening on little computer speakers? are they hearing what I heard in the recording room? Then again I suppose if one always listens to guitars on the same equipment you make assessments at a different level.

When Allan [ozziebluesman] started sharing/sending his guitars sound I got better audio gear for my computer, it made a world of difference to what I was hearing.

Years ago when selling HI-Fi, I would have the same music source but it depended on what system it was played as to what was heard and what was missing.
Maybe I'm completely wrong. Ive been recording my guitars for the last 30 years, and I don't know if my guitars are getting better or the recording/playback equipment is better. Only joking, I do know whats got better.

[Nick]

Taffy Evans wrote:

I'll get in here as I have pondered this question for a while. My concern, right or wrong, is not the recording of the audio or video as I have the good gear to do this, or what to play I keep it to carefully selected chords and single string stuff that show the guitars best attributes.

My concern, rightly or wrongly, is the listeners equipment at the other end. Are they listening on little computer speakers? are they hearing what I heard in the recording room? Then again I suppose if one always listens to guitars on the same equipment you make assessments at a different level.

When Allan [ozziebluesman] started sharing/sending his guitars sound I got better audio gear for my computer, it made a world of difference to what I was hearing.

Years ago when selling HI-Fi, I would have the same music source but it depended on what system it was played as to what was heard and what was missing.
Maybe I'm completely wrong. Ive been recording my guitars for the last 30 years, and I don't know if my guitars are getting better or the recording/playback equipment is better. Only joking, I do know whats got better.


Agree with you there Taffy, I've video'd my last three builds & posted on you tube but the sound coming out of the listener/watchers computer could be very different to what I'm hearing....Hell it even sounds different to me when I'm editing the video on me puter from when I was in the room recording! I don't mind putting a video up for you guys to have a listen but to me it's never really at it's best & I have reluctantly linked these to the pictures on my website. Not sure if that will be a help or a hinderance yet. Slightly sceptical also in this digital age, where there's too much room for 'tweaking' to improve what the listener is hearing (Autotune for vocals -case in point)

[Pete Howlett]

Despite how poor it is, clients and interested parties still want to see it so there is no excuse really... apart from the audio misgivings, you still have to make it real.

[Nick]

Pete Howlett wrote:
Despite how poor it is, clients and interested parties still want to see it so there is no excuse really... apart from the audio misgivings, you still have to make it real.


I know what you are saying Pete, but I still don't like using this medium (low res video/audio) as a true indication of an instrument's potential. I guess I have had the luxury so far of being able to let my customers actually play my instruments & hear for themselves what they are capable of. Too that end I like to visit their house with a few of my guitars and let them play in an environment that is acoustically familiar to them. Also most of my work so far has come from people who have seen my guitars played by others & like what they hear. All of my work has come via word of mouth so far.
But getting back to your original post, many here are amateur builders (myself included compared to you) & utilising the different forms of advertising media is just not a high priority. Purchasing even a halfpie decent camera capable of video is an expense that is not warranted just for a forum. I know cell phones e.t.c can shoot video nowadays but bad quality video is worse advertising than no advertising as far as I'm concerned and don't even mention sound quality! (mentioned all light heartedly by the way)

[Taffy Evans]

Nick your comment about going to the potential customers homes brought back memories of my days selling Hi Fi sound systems.

At times i would offer the customer the chance to hear a system set up in their listening room, they would look at me in disbelief. But after the setting up a short time listening over a cup of coffee, I never ever returned to the store with a sound system.

[jb2060]

It is really quite easy to upload video to youtube and then embed the link into your posts. The video/Audio 'never' sounds as good as it does in the flesh because everything thing is so compressed. I usually add a note to the video if it is a poor quality recording.

I like posting videos of my guitars so people can get an basic idea of the proportions of the guitar when be held by the player and variability of the sound with different songs etc. The mic on my camera is decent but just doesnt get close to representing the sound in the room. I will now be using a HD Flip Mino camera for the video (the one I used in the Blue Shop guitar clip) and using a seperate Condenser microphone recorded into my PC. I will then use Video app to join the Sound and video together so they are syncronised.

If some of you find that a bit tricky then have a go at uploading a slideshow of your high quality guitar pictures and have a good quality audio file of your guitar playing in the back ground. This can look outstanding when done well.

In summary: I would love to see/hear your guitars in action (what ever the sound and video quality).

[Pete Howlett]

All good points and I understand the dilema. I also think it's the best idea taking your sdtuff into people's homes. yes, I am a professional builder trying to make my living building ukulele where 'local' for me means Europe if I am to put new tools in my workshop, wood in my store and food on the table (note the order).

As far as I am concerned any video I shoot is not about how good my instrument sounds. I know the sound quality is rubbish, compressed to an almost castrational point - in the end it's more like "This is what it sounds like at its poorest. Just wait 'til you get it in your hands "

What often tickles me is the 'comparison' videos - they simply don't work on the level they intend to. It's not possible to evaluate even tho I have tried to in the Weissenborn post. And yes, I am a bit of a whited wall...

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