Blindfold Challenge - Rosewood Dreadnought Battle (Martin vs Guild vs Gibson vs Taylor vs Eastman)

It's been a while since we did an old fashioned Blindfold Challenge!! Today we put Quinton to the test. Think he can identify the difference between the following Rosewood dreadnought guitars…
Gibson Songwriter
Taylor 814ce
Eastman E20D
Guild D-55
Martin D-28
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[@chrisperyagh]

As soon as the Guild entered the room, it made itself known and all the others respectfully bowed their headstocks in its presence. The Martin and Eastman sound almost identical.

[@814Taylor]

That Guild D-55 sounds awesome and Quinton was feeling at home on that Martin D-28

[@dreamsR4real]

Right?!, two important points here.

[@bosse641]

That Eastman was impressive. ...and that Guild was a class of its own. Wow.

[@dreamsR4real]

7:50 "the take-home message here is don't let your "brand bias" effect your choice when you're going for a sound" etc.... Thanks Quinton. I know it was hard, but that's the main point, the playability and Sound you connect with.

[@slpc30]

They all sound amazing I really liked the Gibson

[@guitarzana688]

Wow that Guild has a chug that really stood out to me.

[@KimberlyBowling]

Mahogany next please!! That would be awesome!

[@MrDent495]

D28 for me, no mistaking the depth of that sound, the Eastman is giving it a good run for its money though.

[@supermarioxs1]

That Guild!!! Wow …. I want one

[@shawnsnow6413]

The Gibson Songwriter is a sleeper. I picked one up on a trade and I am extremely impressed.

[@pecosnick45]

Its probably the guitar here that surprised me the most. Id be curious to know if it has the cut needed to play in bluegrass jams, but dang if it doesn’t seem like the ultimate country guitar.

[@JonathanFMayer]

This was one of the most fun videos you've posted

[@firecrackerheart]

excellent compare, gentlemen! it was a toss-up for me, between the D-28 & the E20D-MR-TC. you two are great-thanks!

[@jaredwood5973]

I’ve owned all of these plus a few others like the D-41 and E8D, and the D-55 is by far my favorite.

[@Michael-Willoughby]

That would be a tough one, blindfolded. I own the Songwriter. Soo sublime. If I was in the market, I think the Eastman E20 would be my next guitar.

[@maxwellfan55]

Re brands/headstock badge.... "You might be surprised what you like, instead of what you think you like." Quinton, you nailed it. If that's what comes from this experiment then it was worth it. Believe your ears rather than your heart. A Larrivee next time?

[@maximumaverage]

I love these videos! Thanks for the content, super stoked to watch. As a follow-up, good job Quinton, it's tough to pick those guitars out blindfolded. We appreciate the effort and humility

[@ik6gpy]

The Eastman E20D TC MR is incredibly balanced through my headphones. I do not hear any particular frequency overpowering the others. Outstanding

[@robertdavis5495]

I love how he instantly guesses the Guild. That says it all and a lot about the sound the Guild makes

[@WindEnergy]

Why did Quentin recognize the guild so quickly?

[@MadDrummer100000]

@@WindEnergy The D55 has deeper/more bass compared to the others. It’s quite a defining trait of it. I love how it sounds, my dream guitar.

[@kindredwinecoff]

@@MadDrummer100000 Best guitar there is.

[@kamarienedwards1757]

@@WindEnergyit also has a longer scale lenth

[@jjmuni]

You’re doing great Quinten! I could teach you cross country skiing and learn and exchange some guitar licks if it wasn’t for distance.

[@johncrane6673]

Another excellent video. "Brand Bias" an impediment to finding "the" guitar. I have only recently begun to notice Guild guitars and have yet to purchase one. However, hat D-55 just amazed me.

[@texhaines9957]

They sound different a little. Guild very different. The neck profiles are also different. Thanks Paul and Quinton

[@slbolfing56]

Fun video! I felt the Gibson & Taylor sounded very similar, as did the Martin & Eastman (although I could hear more trebles on the Eastman - not sure if that's the Adi top or Madi back). The Guild stands out with its unique sound.

[@shawnsnow6413]

I've owned both. The songwriter has a lot more "depth" as Quentin calls it.

[@RohiniWorks]

the D55.... wow !!!! truly a statement.

[@jtelevenoyd1571]

They're all excellent-to-outstanding, but wow, that Guild. _Wow._ That's the one I'd grab if I were making the call, with the Eastman and the D-28 fighting it out for second place. That said, though, my personal preference for mahogany borders on a fetish, so my own dilemma (polylemma?) will be between D-18 types and F-40 types. I'm mostly fingerstyle, but I want _one_ badass flatpicking guitar.

[@ronaldsobin7959]

I am a Guild guy, d55e. I liked it fine in this comparison but the Martin and Eastman also sounded good to my ears. I would easily like to have and would often play any guitar in this whole group.

[@DJWRailroad]

Well, Paul, @3:04 + actually Quinton did lean toward Taylor and f/u saying either a Gibson or Taylor so he as, what, 50-50 correct (more like 70-30 correct "intuitively")? Ergo, good ears Quinton ;-)

[@ksmith8000]

from this side of youtube compression it was Martin by a mile for me....but they all sounded good. Thanks for doing this!

[@whatsupchicken]

Quinton is so modest I like him a lot. A bit too much talk for me and I would really appreciate to see TIMECODE but overall your videos are really helpful! The Gibson for me was a bit different in this comparison not in a good way and that Guild is a weapon it should be illegal! P.S who else get nervous to see those beautiful guitars all together holding in hand waiting to see some accident?

[@ia5662]

I wish you would have thrown a D-18 in there just to hear what Quinton would say - I'm so curious if he'd notice.

[@smarzor]

A Larrivee next time please, I'm very interested to see a blindfold comparison with other mahogany guitars

[@martinkleinman2522]

for me, in order of preference: Gibson...Martin...Eastman...Guild...(and, a distant #5) Taylor. But I wouldn't kick any of the 1-4s out of my home.

[@jjmuni]

I must have quite similar ears. That’s my listing too.

[@DesertScorpionKSA]

The Guild D-55 is my dream dreadnought. I had a Guild D-50 which was a cannon but I stupidly sold it. Best acoustic guitar I ever had.

[@uvp5000]

Quinton, you may feel some embarrassment, but I can say you did not humiliate nor embarrass yourself. You appeared like a blindfolded guitar player trying different instruments. Thank you for your participation.

[@kyleharleyanderton]

Eastman for the win, to my ears. Guild is cool as well, like getting a dread and jumbo in one.

[@johnlord1399]

The Taylor 717 would have been closer to a dread than the 814.

[@TheNewenglandboys]

That Guild is hands down has the most amazing sound! All Good guitars but they pale compared to that Guild! I’ll take one!

[@MrLuigiFercotti]

The Guild was like a baritone walking into a room full of tenors. Lol

[@АндрейГонтарюк]

Я копил деньги на D28, а в итоге купил songwriter custom shop 2012 . Его звук понравился болше, да и выглядит наряднее) У вас классный канал. Удачи вам!

[@quintonking9960]

Привет Андрей! Я просто рад, что вы нашли гитару, которая подошла именно вам - нет лучшего чувства, чем играть на инструменте, который вы действительно любите! Спасибо за просмотр! Извиняюсь за ошибки - гугл переводчик :)

[@anthonyb2334]

I think this illustrates how the sound quality of acoustic guitars can be subjective. For me, I liked four, and could own either one. And if you factor costs, that Eastman held up pretty good. Thank you Thank you

[@muscle99sav]

Awesome

[@jabusallah]

Guild is like streets ahead you guys.

[@MrLex87]

Wow that Guild D-55 is powerful

[@6stringstrum]

Thanks for this wonderfull comparison!! That Guild was the only one that sounds terrible to my ears...and the Taylor didn't sound warm to my ears...the rest i really liked a lot !!! For recording i would prefer either the Gibson or the Eastman.

[@texhaines9957]

E20 D MR TC, not just an E20D

[@nellatrab]

First off the Guild is way bass heavy and unbalanced, so much that it over takes mids/trebles probably best for strummers, but playing single notes, not so good. The Gibson has a midrange focus and a bit glassy. Martin is fairly balanced, has that typical D-28 signature soul. Taylor is balanced, quiet, missing dynamics and probably best for plugged in and fingerstyle. Eastman is balanced, nothing stands out, somewhat crisp, very loud, resonant and just a good even tone all around. Surprisingly most likely the least expensive guitar here. Nice work guys...you should do this with mahogany dreads too!

[@terrymattingly6843]

Let's face it. D-55 is the strumming front microphone country superstar dread of all time. But the Martin (or a Santa Cruz) would take it in bluegrass lead work.

[@heathwasson7811]

Absolutely. As mainly a strum player, who does a lot of dynamic rhythmic type playing, Guilds always stand out in any given body style. If you're looking to do that type of playing, everything else is a distant second. Taylors and Martins are great for their articulation in finger or flat picking. Gibsons are a nice happy medium. But for me and my style of play, it's Guild all day long. It's a crime how underrated Guild is, and how hard they are to find in shops... especially their higher-end lineups. It's surprising how many players have never played one at all and an American-made Guild in particular. I'm in a huge city (Houston) and I don't know of a single dealer with more than a couple lower-end models in stock.

[@terrymattingly6843]

@@heathwasson7811 In 1987, I bought a mint D-55 in a Denver pawnshop (that didn’t know what it had) for $450 cash.

[@shred5]

I think that Gibson Songwriter may be my favorite here. It sounded the most balanceed.

[@powbobs]

(Martin+Guild)-Gibson Not a fan of the Taylor.

[@mickymillersson4376]

There's just too much going on inside that Eastman, like somethings loose! I'm, btw, saying this as an Eastman owner, so if I'm biased in any way it should be towards the Eastman. But hey! I thought the Martin was way better than any of the others except perhaps the Guild, but owning a Hummingbird means I like a bit of thump in the tone.

[@brucerichard2904]

Was there not a 717 available?

[@mariodriessen9740]

I swear I didn't watch the end the first time, but the D-28 sounded like the guitar I like most. I know it was the D-28, because I did watch it the second time. But maybe that's to be expected from a guy who owns and loves a D-28. Maybe you could have tricked me if you played the 5 guitars in a different order from the blindfold test. 😊

[@WindEnergy]

What was it about the Guild that Quentin instantly recognized?

[@mesimeriaris]

The deep low end

[@andrejgregoric1324]

two complerely different sounding parts of video. In the first one there is little difference. Second part with solo play is completely different, one can spot many differences. Must be mic placement. Or I'd guess room or vocal mics get in a sonic way.

[@ixtravague80]

D28 first for me. D55 second.

[@DavidBowman2023]

I like the Eastman for the money.

[@longtalljay]

Of course, that's not a dreadnaught Taylor!

[@longtalljay]

With D35, it's not "relative." I've now tried 8 or 9 over the last 3 years. Each one very consistently D35, and a much bigger, fuller sound than anything else on the wall.

[@longtalljay]

Also, that Herco pick will never draw the great tone of a great dreadnaught. Quinton is a great picker, though.

[@amirrezarezaie]

9:04 9:26 9:37

[@Guitar-pro-lk]

Anyone from Sri Lanka 🇱🇰🇱🇰🇱🇰🇱🇰🇱🇰🇱🇰🇱🇰🤗

[@OdySlim]

Eastman

[@phyfts]

I wish Gibson made a version of the songwriter that isn't hideous

[@Michael-Willoughby]

🤣

[@MultiPabloe]

Uy🐎

[@markstaggs7342]

I'm a Taylor guy then Guild,Martin Gibson am not a fan of not made in America guitars though some sound good I prefer American made.But in this video Guild for the win.

[@philipbennett1039]

What I take from that comparison is that, when everyone picks up a Taylor, they say, “It has that Taylor sound”, but, is that statement because they can see it? 🫤Quinton is a very very experienced guitarist and he couldn’t tell.

[@quintonking9960]

Hi Phillip - I truly couldn't for this particular 814 - but I'm absolutely guilty of the "it has that Taylor sound". What was interesting for me, was that I couldn't pickup on the Taylor playability that typically seems so obvious when it's in my hands. These blindfold challenges really are as enlightening as they are humbling :)

[@philipbennett1039]

@@quintonking9960 I love these types of reviews Quinton, Ben Smith and Ariel Posen did one on the Andertons channel, and they struggled to know which was which, great players too. There are some great guitars out there, so much choice. Keep up the good work, I watch the channel often.