Digital MP3 audio files are amazing for capturing musical ideas,  recording live-off-the-floor rehearsals or just as general musical sketch pads.  The sound quality really is quite exceptional,  especially considering the relatively low file size of MP3 format versus WAVE files.   I am much less convinced of their usefulness as a means of previewing, evaluating or comparing musical instruments or amplifiers.  There are just too many variables at work ... the proximity effect and placement of the microphones during recording,  the soundcard and powered speakers of the listener,  to name just a few factors ... all drastically affect the sound. 

    I go to other websites who have gone to great lengths to record many different models,  with the same mics and placement,  playing the same tune,  to help long distance customers get an idea of the sound differences.  I think their efforts & the results are commendable.  I know a lot of people who find this kind of exercise helpful. 

    On the other hand,  I've spent my entire professional career developing an ear for guitars & their related gear and even to me,  when listened to through many computer's powered speakers,  most of the audio samples sound very similar.  When previewed through the normal small powered speakers that come stock with most computer systems the sound is usually not very flattering to brand names that I know are consistently exceptional.   I note this not to criticize some of the great sites out there who use audio files,  but to emphasize the fact that there is no standardization in the gear used to produce or listen to these audio samples,  making it often difficult to get a realistic representation of a guitar. 

     So why offer an audio sample at all?   I'm going to offer the occasional sound sample because some customers who feel that they are "better than nothing" have requested them.  Fair enough.  Let's give it a shot and see if it becomes at all helpful.