GGJaguar
Reverential Member
Battle of the arch backs! The plain jane D-4 versus the acoustic-electric DCE3. This is one comparison that I was really looking forward to doing.
To start, these guitars were made within a few years of each other in Westerly. Given that the D-4 is a budget guitar it stands to reason that it doesn’t feel as luxurious as the DCE3. Here is a thumbnail sketch of the specifications. As you can see, the dimensions for the neck and body are pretty much the same between the two models.
I did the comparison by strumming through a bunch of cowboy chord progressions, followed by some arpeggiated stuff to hear the single notes, and concluded with some fingerstyle playing. The first thing I noticed is that the DCE3 is louder than the D-4. That was unexpected, especially since the D-4 is made to be an uncompromised acoustic guitar while the DCE3 is a “master of none” acoustic-electric. The DCE3 has more bottom end, good mids and a smoothed off top end. The overall sound is slightly compressed. The D-4 has a weaker bottom end, but more mids and high end sparkle. It’s a bright guitar and the overall sound is more woody and open than the DCE3. Both guitars sustain equally well. They are both good in their own way. I wish I could combine the two sounds into one guitar because together they’d be perfect.
I was still having a hard time with the way these arch back guitars sound from a player’s perspective and I think that’s due to the way they project their sound. So, to confirm what I was hearing (or not hearing), I recruited Mrs. Jaguar for a blind listening test to see if she could describe the sound (she was in all-state chorus and has a good ear). I also asked her to give me her opinion as to which guitar sounded better. She was about 20 feet (6 meters) from me and facing in the opposite direction so she could not see what guitar I was playing. Surprisingly, she pretty much duplicated my observations with the exception that both guitars seemed equally loud to her (I still say the DCE3 is louder). So, I do believe I’m hearing the sound correctly from behind the guitar. Also, Mrs. Jaguar did not have a preference of one guitar over the other. She said they were different, but both good.
I tuned the DCE3 down a half-step to put it into the sweet spot. I definitely prefer the de-tuned sound. Mrs. Jaguar did another blind listening test and thought I was playing a guitar other than the D-4 or DCE3! She thought it sounded richer in the lower tuning. She had no preference and just made that observation which is good enough for me. Both of these guitars are outside of my usual tone zone, but sometimes it’s good to go with a different sound just for a change of pace and to “recalibrate” the ears.
So there's no clear winner as both guitars are fine sounding instruments in their own regard, but if I had to choose one, it would be the DCE3. I like the way it feels, plays and sound better for how and what I play. YMMV.
To start, these guitars were made within a few years of each other in Westerly. Given that the D-4 is a budget guitar it stands to reason that it doesn’t feel as luxurious as the DCE3. Here is a thumbnail sketch of the specifications. As you can see, the dimensions for the neck and body are pretty much the same between the two models.
I did the comparison by strumming through a bunch of cowboy chord progressions, followed by some arpeggiated stuff to hear the single notes, and concluded with some fingerstyle playing. The first thing I noticed is that the DCE3 is louder than the D-4. That was unexpected, especially since the D-4 is made to be an uncompromised acoustic guitar while the DCE3 is a “master of none” acoustic-electric. The DCE3 has more bottom end, good mids and a smoothed off top end. The overall sound is slightly compressed. The D-4 has a weaker bottom end, but more mids and high end sparkle. It’s a bright guitar and the overall sound is more woody and open than the DCE3. Both guitars sustain equally well. They are both good in their own way. I wish I could combine the two sounds into one guitar because together they’d be perfect.
I was still having a hard time with the way these arch back guitars sound from a player’s perspective and I think that’s due to the way they project their sound. So, to confirm what I was hearing (or not hearing), I recruited Mrs. Jaguar for a blind listening test to see if she could describe the sound (she was in all-state chorus and has a good ear). I also asked her to give me her opinion as to which guitar sounded better. She was about 20 feet (6 meters) from me and facing in the opposite direction so she could not see what guitar I was playing. Surprisingly, she pretty much duplicated my observations with the exception that both guitars seemed equally loud to her (I still say the DCE3 is louder). So, I do believe I’m hearing the sound correctly from behind the guitar. Also, Mrs. Jaguar did not have a preference of one guitar over the other. She said they were different, but both good.
I tuned the DCE3 down a half-step to put it into the sweet spot. I definitely prefer the de-tuned sound. Mrs. Jaguar did another blind listening test and thought I was playing a guitar other than the D-4 or DCE3! She thought it sounded richer in the lower tuning. She had no preference and just made that observation which is good enough for me. Both of these guitars are outside of my usual tone zone, but sometimes it’s good to go with a different sound just for a change of pace and to “recalibrate” the ears.
So there's no clear winner as both guitars are fine sounding instruments in their own regard, but if I had to choose one, it would be the DCE3. I like the way it feels, plays and sound better for how and what I play. YMMV.
