Which Guzheng is the most decent?

[narai10]

Hi,

I am new to the Guzheng and I have been playing my mom's for three months. She says she will get me my own so that I may develop a special "bond" with my own instrument so I will have more "soulful" playing.

I have come to like two guzheng but I am afraid that one has a dark soundboard so I don't know which one to get.

GUZHENG ONE- This Guzheng has a dark soundboard that has probably been flame dried but I do not know for sure. Below is a link to a picture of it.
ezjojo.com/images/guzheng5.jpg
It is made of jin si nan mu. The seller does not specify a brand or the maker just saying an expert designed and made it. Also, the seller describes the sound as very rich clear deep ancient sound.

GUZHENG TWO- This Guzheng like GUZHENG ONE has a dark soundboard as well, and are both sold by the same source. Once again the brand and maker is not specified. The sound is again described as very rich clear deep ancient sound. I like the designs though. It is made of paulownia and tungwood.
ezjojo.com/images/guzheng4.jpg

GUZHENG THREE- Same problem as the first two Guzheng in which they have dark soundboards. Also the sounds are described the in the same way. Maker and brand is once again not specified. It is made of paulownia and tungwood.
ezjojo.com/images/Guzheng3.jpg

GUZHENG FOUR- This Guzheng is the one labeled GZ04 on the website. This Guzheng is I believe Shanghai brand because the seller describes it as FOB Shanghai. The soundboard is not as dark as the first three and I believe it to be oven-dried. It is beautiful. However I don't know what its made of but most likely paulownia and some other hardwood.
shme.com/ie/musical/guzheng01.htm

Also I would like to know the difference between a Guzheng and a Professional Guzheng as some sites list them. Are professional Guzheng better than the 'Guzheng' and has better sound or does it have to do with material, design, or size? Also, would it be feasable to start with a professional Guzheng?

GUZHENG FIVE- This Guzheng is sold fromt he same source as GUZHENG FOUR. It looks pretty decent and the soundboard looks air-dried. It is also a professional instrument. The Guzhen is the one labeled GZ03 on the site.
shme.com/ie/musical/guzheng01.htm

On the Guzheng described above, I would like to know which one is the most decent.

[davidmdahl]

Welcome to the forum, narai10.

It is pretty difficult to judge the quality of any musical instrument from photos. You can bet that any instrument shipped is not the exact one in the photo. Quality is best determined in person by an experienced and unbiased musician. When this is not possible, then you are left with the reputation of the maker and seller. None of the links you list provide much useful information that lead me to have confidence in the guzhengs. The term "professional" in such a context means nothing.

I purchased my guzheng from Carol at Sound of China in the Los Angeles area (http://www.chinesezither.net). Through the information on her website, private emails, and testamonials of other customers on her forum (http://www.chinesezither.net/forum) , I had confidence that Carol knows her stuff, has good instruments, and treats her customers well. My experience bears that out.

While I understand and agree that the look of the guzheng is an important part of the enjoyment of the instrument, it should be secondary to the musical qualities. Don't let a fancy piece of wood seduce you for the wrong reasons!

Best wishes,

David

[narai10]

No deffinately my main goal is not to look at the design, but maybe I was not clear enough in my question.

What I was trying to ask was do the darker soundboards make a different in the sound. I have heard that darker sound boards (which have most likely been flame-dried) produce a metallic sound that is not as soft and expressive as the kiln-dried and air-dried soundboards.

I myself do not know how to distinguish between such traits and was hoping someone with wide knowledge about the Guzheng would be able to help me determine which is kiln-dried and which is flame-dried.

I believe the last two Guzheng are kiln-dried yet the first three could be kiln-dried as well, but again I do not know how to differentiate.

[davidmdahl]

It appears to me that the darker guzhengs are indeed flame dried, and the lighter ones have been air dried, or maybe just baked a little in an oven. The golden color is typical of oven dried. I am not sure that the photos are necessarily trustworthy, since the exposure could be misleading. The photo of GZ03 shows a lighter sound board, but the grain does not look right for a good sound board. As I understand it, closer grains are preferable. GZ07 looks a little better to me.

Darker sound boards, as from Dunhuang, have a reputation of being on the sweet side but maybe not so much power and richness in the bass. These are highly valued for traditional tunes. A lighter air-dried sound board as from Tianyi can have more clarity and power. This aesthetic favors modern tunes. Other qualities of the soundboard may be at least as important, but they can be hard to tell from a small photo.

My philosophy of musical instruments is to get the best one I can afford. A good instrument is a lot more fun to play, and a better investment.

You might post your questions at www.chinesezither.org/forum . Carol and other regulars have a lot more experience than me.

Best wishes,

David

[narai10]

Thank you for the information and the link David. Vi An answered my question herself on chinesezither.net forum (WOW) and said she would not recomend any of the Guzheng.

However I did tell her that the last two Guzheng were Yue Hai brand (because the first three do not have a specified brand). Now I am waiting for her reply.

David are you familiar with Yue Hai brand Guzheng?

Is anyone else familiar with Yue Hai bran?

Many Thanks!

[davidmdahl]

Sorry I am not familiar with Yue Hai guzhengs. I only know of a few of the major brands, and there must be over a hundred. I can only recommend based on my own experience. Without even second-hand knowledge of the brand's reputation, I can only opine based on the photos. Assuming that the photos are of best examples, I don't see a lot to recommend them.

Best wishes,

David

[narai10]

Hope you don't mind me asking David, but what brands do you normally purchase?

[davidmdahl]

I have a Dunhuang guzheng, and like it a lot. I see more Dunhuangs than any other brand. If I had the money and the room, both of which are in short supply at the moment, I would probably get a Tianyi. I like a guzheng that sounds good, of course, but I really appreciate good design and workmanship. My guzheng stays well in-tune over time, so I don't have to spend so much time tuning it.

A friend of mine moved from a Dunhuang Duo Crane to a Scarlett Bird. He loves the SB, probably due to the powerful voice. I prefer traditional tunes, so for me the SB is overkill.

Best wishes,

David

[narai10]

Yes I have gone to Chinesezither.net and listened to the sound clips of their Guzheng. There is a Tianyi there that has a reasonable price which my mom says has very good sound quality. She used to be a Guzheng player since she was 6 but she stopped in college and now lost much of her touch. Thats why she encourages me to play the Guzheng which contributes to the traditions and history of the Chinese side of my family. I love this instrument.