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Post by absolutezero on Jul 16, 2011 19:25:53 GMT
 which brand of zheng in the picture? And is it worth to play for 1,000 usd? I try to find guzheng that caught my taste in both appearance and sound but there are very limited series in my country. Most of zheng sell here is dunhuang brand but I think its sound too sharp for me. I'm so sorry that my English isn't good enough to express my thought. likely to know the characteristic of zheng in the above pic. thanks in advance |
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Post by xindi on Jul 18, 2011 15:07:35 GMT
I take it you have read this thread:http://starvoid.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Guzheng&action=display&thread=1248
The Dunhuangs do sound bright - although they do have a great bass response. Have you checked the bass response of the one you have shown?
One thing that I don't like about the carved ones, is that the dragons get in the way of tremolo for me. Can you bring a guzheng player with you to check it out?
The bridges on the upload of yours don't look like they were built to pair with the guzheng. Check out the wood - if it isn't a proper paulownia board. What is the wood for the rest of the guzheng used?
On the limited info you've given, my guess is that US$1,000 is too much. I've seen similar ones in China go for around 2000-4000Yuan. If yours is mahogany, it's possible that, like mine, the darker sound in the middle and highest octaves are more appealing, at the expense of the bass response, which the Shanghai Dunhuangs seem better at, for the same price.
You could get a Dunhuang rosewood for that price!
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Post by absolutezero on Jul 19, 2011 15:19:18 GMT
The seller told me that this one made from Golden Silk nanmu.
there is the only info. he gave me.
and this seller is teaching guzheng as well.
maybe I will load more budget to get Scarlet Bird Zhuque Model #8A
by the way, thank you very much for your suggestion
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Post by xindi on Jul 21, 2011 22:01:48 GMT
Hmm. I get the impression you would probably pick A, B, C, D, or E for a guzheng because of x, y, or z characteristics based on the way it looks, or how the sound clips transmit the sound textures!  I wouldn't know how to buy off the internet - it's a big thing, compared to testing it out in person to get a feel for it. What grade are you btw? The Scarlet one you pointed out looks good. NB - looks! I have very limited experience in testing anything other than my own brand and the Shanghai Dunhuangs. What I did find, was that 'sharp' or 'bright' Dunhuangs, tend to settle down after a few months of playing. Maybe they just need to be worked in? The other thing ... I'm a flute player than a guzheng player. I note the Scarlet one says 'air dried for 3 years'. By my standards, that is not very much. I tend to go for flutes which use wood dried for at least 5 years - warping in flutes is very common, particularly in European boxwoods; bamboos and moderate density woods. I can't tell if 3 years is a good standard or not for guzhengs, but if you're in a moderate non-tropical climate, I guess it is probably okay. If you let the forum know where you live, maybe some kind person near you might let you try theirs out...>!  As long as you don't play someone else's guzheng with your feet: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MJ-NeXRcEk |
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Post by carol on Jul 22, 2011 17:13:32 GMT
The making of Scarlet Bird is very different from other guzhengs. 3 year air-dried might not sound much, but definitely is a lot in China, considering most other factories use paulownia wood straight from Lankao like 2 weeks after they are in roasting dry as necessary.
Back to the making. For the making of Shanghai and Yangzhou guzhengs, they first make the frame with sound posts and braces. Then put on soundboard, bottom board, and the sides, bend the top board with mechanical tools, glue and wrap all pieces together. This is the standard way of making guzheng nowadays. Because they have to bend the soundboard to make the curve on the top of the guzheng, they can't cut the board too thick, otherwise it will crack right in the middle. So the soundboard is thinner, and the lifespan of the beautiful sound is shorter.
The Scarlet bird way of making is the traditional way. It's the same as the making of the Japanese koto. They first carve out a thick piece of wood, shave the top to the guzheng curve, carved sound grooves underneath, and then glue on the bottom board. Because the wood is carved out, the soundboard is a lot thicker than the others.
The sound is very different too. It's a lot deeper and richer than other guzheng. Some people like it, and some peope don't. That depends on the personal taste. It certainly sounds the opposite of what a dunhuang guzheng sounds.
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Post by absolutezero on Jul 23, 2011 11:55:02 GMT
I'm quite new to guzheng as I have touch and played from my friend not more than 10 times.
Normally I play guqin, erhu and ocarina (mostly guqin)
These three instrument gave to much of the sorrow sound so I'd like to play guzheng as of cheerful sound its provide.
(my saving is still in the recovery mode 'cos of almost 5-digit guqin I bought a few year ago.
So I try not spend much)
by the way, I live in Thailand ^^
thanks for your opinion.
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Post by carol on Jul 23, 2011 15:49:41 GMT
If you are in Thailand, I'm sure you can find a lot of older Dunhuangs around. Check out the older one and see if you like the sound. They tend to lose the sharpness after a while, but also don't sound as bright as before. I would think Dunhuang is a better choice than the Nanmu one in the picture.
I don't know how big the guzheng community is in Thailand. I've shipped a few Scarlet Bird to Bangkok before. There might be chance that you can check out my friend's Scarlet Bird there.
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Post by absolutezero on Jul 24, 2011 14:59:00 GMT
I'm just found out that there is Longfeng brand imported by my erhu teacher. So which model of Longfeng would you all recommend in the price range of 500-750usd. carol - I'll try asking someone who have used Dunhuang for more than a year. It's hard to figure out other brands rather than Dunhuang as many guzheng players here worship this brand as the greatest brand of the universe ;D. |
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Post by xindi on Jul 24, 2011 23:00:39 GMT
Must be somethings up with my playing. Seems to make people cry lol.
If you're still saving, and new to the guzheng, you might be better getting a second-hand one from your teacher. Most teachers don't sell great ones, but they are serviceable. Some get a cut for flogging specific ones which aren't great, but they aren't usually too expensive.
Otherwise, if you can wait, the Scarlet Bird looks great. I'd agree that Dunhuangs are overmarketed, although that doesn't stop them from being fairly decent (except for the cost). The problem is, some of us don't read chinese, so Dunhuang is a name we can recognise. Longfeng .... errrr. Who are they.
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Post by sunshine on Feb 22, 2012 8:39:58 GMT
absolutezero, I am a Thai and live in Bangkok. I now have one Dunhuang Zitan, one Dunhuang Rosewood, one Dunhuang Bubinga, one Scarlet #10 and one custom-made Tianyi Black Sandal wood. I used to have the one you posted, it is made in Yangchou, Feng Huang Brand, with REAL GOLDEN THREAD NANMU carving with 9 dragons, its sound is good but unfortunately it does not have the real good wood for the backboard, it is plywood !!!! Yes, it costs about USD1,000 for time being, some one may think it is too expensive but you should know that the Nanmu price is not cheap itself and plus with the carving cost, shipping cost, import tax, seller's margin...., USD1,000 of selling price in Thailand is not expensive. If you like the carving & Nanmu, you have to pay. If not, then you can look for other brands or models.
However I can ensure you that the craftmanship of Scarlet Bird and Tianyi is so much better than Dunhuang... However Dunhuang has a sweet sound while the Scarlet Bird is loud, resonant, powerful but not as sweet as Dunhuang. Tianyi is a combination of those two. I am looking to buy a Nanmu Mica Inlay from Sound of China soon as I do not really like the carving one though.
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