TreeHouse Guitars

[guitarman001]

I don't own any of these but I think this is another Canadian builder and his builds all sound amazing.

This one in particular with the redwood top and Honduran back & sides might be the best parlour I've ever heard:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhJ_0PNDS2I&t=160s

[Silence Dogood]

That's a cool guitar and I love the look and when builders think outside the box: but the guitar sounds "hot" to me, like the audio has been enhanced or messed with.  Something about it doesn't sound quite natural.

[guitarman001]

I need to find some other demoes - if that's true it's false advertising for sure

[William2]

Yeah, the guitar sounded plugged in to something.

[Silence Dogood]

Maybe not plugged in but very possibly altered/enhanced after the recording. 

[B0WIE]

 I think, what may be sounding like an auditory trick, is actually the result of DADGAD or some other de-tuning. It's considered a little bit of a "cheat code" for making guitar demos these days. You'll find that many sellers of high-end acoustics make their demos in DADGAD. The overtones really bloom, bass is deep, trebles relaxed and sparkly.

 Not every guitar performs well in that sort of tuning. Most get a bit dark and mushy. And, many of these highly resonant luthier-built instruments might sound exceptional when down-tuned, but can be quite aggressive and chaotic sounding if you were to bang out classic rock chords in standard tuning.

 In addition to that, when you hear him speaking you can tell that the room is highly reverberant and the zoom is placed close. That's creating some of that depth we hear in the recording. I'm familiar with his instruments and he does good work.

[guitarman001]

You're bang on regards the tuning - I've frequently seen demoes in these alternate tunings for the reasons you state

Better if they just knocked out some normal chords in normal tuning

[guitarman001]

I found another demo of that specific guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7CvLpdKwo4&list=RDB7CvLpdKwo4&start_radio=1

So definitely sounds a touch less hot. I can still hear the characteristics of the guitar (it's obviously great) but totally correct comment earlier re original hot recording.

[Silence Dogood]

I went back and watched the original again.  The guy states that there is no EQ, effects, etc. being used. I'm not questioning his integrity but the recording just doesn't sound natural.  Maybe that particular room he's in coupled with the particular mic created that "hot" atmosphere.  I really don't know, but something is going on. 

There is a place in my house with close walls and a tiled floor where I sit and play most of the time.  There is excellent natural reverb there, and when I grab simple phone recordings (from a certain angle, one figures these things out over time), I get a huge sound that sometimes has hints of chorus and certainly added reverb, though none is there.  Recording is a whole other art form, one I'm not expert on.   

[B0WIE]

 No to be belligerent about it, but again, the tuning. The Dream Guitars demo seems to be in E standard. The Treehouse clip is in some form of D. I know my guitars sound like completely different instruments when they are tuned a step down. That's exactly why I do it. I like that rich, relaxed character.

 As far as sounding hot or saturated, that absolutely correct. The Zoom H6 is a $300 all-in-one. If the Neumanns are any indication, the DG rig is likely several thousands dollars before it even hits the actual computer. And, the DG rooms are usually low in reflections (reverb). The natural compression of a close-mic'd Zoom in that reverberant room is part of that surreal sound in the first clip, IMO. I think it actually sounds really good when you listen back on a phone but, if you listen on good headphones, you realize it's not something you could use in a professional recording. 

 I could be wrong and there could very well be something sus going on but I'm just saying, I personally think the shocking difference is in the low tuning and the inexpensive recorder. That's because I hear similar differences all the time with tuning, and when I record an with proper mics in my treated room vs recording the same guitar in my living room with my phone.

[guitarman001]

Definitely something to watch out for. Good catch, guys!

[Silence Dogood]

No to be belligerent about it, but again, the tuning. The Dream Guitars demo seems to be in E standard. The Treehouse clip is in some form of D. I know my guitars sound like completely different instruments when they are tuned a step down. That's exactly why I do it. I like that rich, relaxed character.

 As far as sounding hot or saturated, that absolutely correct. The Zoom H6 is a $300 all-in-one. If the Neumanns are any indication, the DG rig is likely several thousands dollars before it even hits the actual computer. And, the DG rooms are usually low in reflections (reverb). The natural compression of a close-mic'd Zoom in that reverberant room is part of that surreal sound in the first clip, IMO. I think it actually sounds really good when you listen back on a phone but, if you listen on good headphones, you realize it's not something you could use in a professional recording. 

 I could be wrong and there could very well be something sus going on but I'm just saying, I personally think the shocking difference is in the low tuning and the inexpensive recorder. That's because I hear similar differences all the time with tuning, and when I record an with proper mics in my treated room vs recording the same guitar in my living room with my phone.

You might be right about the tuning, but I will say in my own experience alternate tunings do make my guitar sound different, but not fundamentally different.  I was messing around in open D the other day and it sounded great, but it still sounded like my guitar.  But, hey, I'm open to the possibility here with this particular guitar in the video. 

[BlueBowman]

I think Bowie might be on the money here. At first I too thought there was something curious about the sound, but watch the player stop occasionally to listen to a long sustaining note. I think we are mostly hearing what he is hearing (within reason, I mean, as this is a recording). Drop tunings can also make a big difference on some guitars. And, for anyone who has never experienced a great guitar drop-tuned in a small room...well, you can lose a couple hours of your life in that symphony of sound! Natural reverb and sustain out the wazoo. If I never performed live again, that's the kind of room I would play in every single day.

Cool aesthetics on that little guitar. I like the brand name as well.   

[John Lee Pettimore]

I found another demo of that specific guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7CvLpdKwo4&list=RDB7CvLpdKwo4&start_radio=1

So definitely sounds a touch less hot. I can still hear the characteristics of the guitar (it's obviously great) but totally correct comment earlier re original hot recording.

This clip sounds completely different to me.  I can buy the alternate tuning scenario re; the first clip, though it seems something else is going on too.

In this clip the guitar sounds quite appealing to me.  The first clip sounded like, well, poo...