New Guitar Time...

[Justinginn]

Aight so I think I'm quitting my band and going solo acoustic in the pubs of Budapest, Hungary. Wish me luck. Anyway, I'm gonna be needing a new acoustic and it's about time for one anyway. I know guitars pretty well  :doh: but I haven't been on the market for an acoustic in a while. Any killer recommendations? I'm gonna be playing mostly fingerstyle, though that can get pretty intense. I'm thinking just a pretty basic dreadnought in the $500-800 range. Sound about right? I'm liking some of the Guild and Epiphone Masterbuilt stuff and I've always loved old Alvarezes though I haven't heard any new ones. I would be into Breedlove except I'm a little wary of the laminate backs at that price range. And I really really like maple necks. Don't know why.

Any thoughts?

 

[-CB-]

Hideous as it is to some.... Ovation, roundback... great projection, built well, play well, wrote the book on amplified acoustic guitars, roadworthy... If you're going to be performance minded, its a tough act to beat.

 

[Panthur]

I recently bought a Yamaha FGX730SCA and I was not disappointed. I was a little bit sceptical at the advice that it'll beat guitars twice the price, but it does.

Thread is here ... http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=12957.0

 

[Mor Paul]

Hideous as it is to some.... Ovation, roundback... great projection, built well, play well, wrote the book on amplified acoustic guitars, roadworthy... If you're going to be performance minded, its a tough act to beat.

Huge +1 on roadworthy. The ovation legend (1987) I'm borrowing just got in a car crash, pretty nasty one. Case is nasty now, but the guitar is great. Only thing that happened was the battery attachment came loose.

 

[Justinginn]

I've got a 12-string Balladeer, which I love in some ways but in other ways the fiberglass back just doesn't have the character of a "real" back I'm looking for for this kinda playing. Love my Balladeer though.

A Yamaha? Really? Hope I can hit a GC soon because I've never had good experiences with Yamaha guitars. Love their drums. But their guitars... maaaybe... We'll see.  :icon_thumright:

 

[Justinginn]

http://www.alvarezgtr.com/prod_page.php?SeriesID=3&ItemID=251

I'm liking the look of this guy. MF has stopped carrying it but a few random dealers (web and real-life) still have it. Digging the big body, cedar top, solid rosewood back, price, and I've loved every Alvarez I've played. I could throw on an aftermarket pickup because I've got mics which could hold me for a while (and who knows, maybe I'll never need the pickup). Now if it turned out that it's got a maple neck, I'm sold. I don't know why but I've loved every acoustic I've played with a maple neck. Thoughts?

 

[Panthur]

If you do without the pickup then you can probably ignore my suggestion, one of the main reasons I got it was because the pickup is very good (it's an ART pickup and not an under the saddle affair), but obviously a proportion of the cost goes into that.

 

[Justinginn]

I could go either way. I'm a lot more concerned with the guitar itself than the pickup though. I figure I can add just about anything for $200 or less and I've already got mics. When I play with this guy it'll probably be just me playing and singing anyway so that would be pretty easy to pull off. But I'm still open to other stuff. I just love Alvarez and I'm into at least trying a Cedar-topped guitar.

 

[Volitions Advocate]

I don't know if you can get them in europe.  But the best sounding acoustic guitar I've ever heard was a Simon and Patrick.  They're made in Quebec and they're licensed under Godin in some places.  They're inexpensive but pro quality.  $400 CDN will get you one of the best guitars you'll ever own.  Just don't get one of the lower quality lines.  Art & Luthrie is made by the same company in a different plant, and they're not as good.

http://www.simonandpatrick.com/

 

[erogenousjones17]

I don't know if you can get them in europe.  But the best sounding acoustic guitar I've ever heard was a Simon and Patrick.  They're made in Quebec and they're licensed under Godin in some places.  They're inexpensive but pro quality.  $400 CDN will get you one of the best guitars you'll ever own.  Just don't get one of the lower quality lines.  Art & Luthrie is made by the same company in a different plant, and they're not as good.

http://www.simonandpatrick.com/

I wholeheartedly approve of this comment. In fact, I am a staunch supporter of all things Godin. Think there's any way they'd give me free stuff for that?  :laughing7:

 

[bagman67]

+1 on the Godin vote; also, the Martin DM is an excellent value.  Here in the States the used price on Craigslist usually hovers around $450-550 (without electronics, so you'd have to go after-market for that).  I got mine ~15 years ago when they first hit the street, and it has matured into an awesome dreadnought.  Goes head-to-head with its much-more-expensive brethren adn comes out a winner, often as not.  Pretty bulletproof, also, as such things go.

Finally,  my brother recently got a  Carvin Cobalt cutaway dreadnought http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/single.php?product=C750T&cid=75 for his birthday and cannot say enough good things about it.




peace

Bagman

 

[Justinginn]

Great advice guys, I'll look into it. I'm in the states for a couple more weeks this summer. God bless Texas.  :icon_thumright:

 

[Cagey]

Finally,  my brother recently got a  Carvin Cobalt cutaway dreadnought http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/single.php?product=C750T&cid=75 for his birthday and cannot say enough good things about it.

That was my first choice until a Taylor showed up at a price I couldn't refuse. Local studio was liquidating a pile of instruments. But, I've read/heard nothing but good things about that Carvin Cobalt. Like the Taylors, it's a lotta guitar for the money.

 

[CouchSpud]

Seagull also makes some pretty decent guitars if you can get past the headstock.

 

[JaySwear]

Seagull also makes some pretty decent guitars if you can get past the headstock.

big +1 to Seagull, but -1 to the headstock :icon_biggrin: i love the headstock! but to each their own. i have the artist portrait acoustic. love it's sound! and the string spacing is wider than most, so i would think it would be perfect for finger style. got it for only $750 on ebay, too. normally they're $1000+

here it is hanging out with my warmoths. i can't get a good photo of how great the mahogany on the back looks! it's crazy how it almost literally glitters in the light. love it.

 

[Justinginn]

Liking some of the Simon and Patrick stuff a lot. And I'm into Seagul but I'm kinda scared of laminate backs. Maybe it's silly but I've played enough guitars that sound/feel plastic (and then there's the one I own that is plastic lol). Three guys here have S6's and they all sound great. One guy even sold a $1100 Larivee to get one so I know they sound good. But laminate? Ahhh...

 

[JaySwear]

mine has a solid back and top, but laminated sides. no laminated back as far as i know ??? at lest not on the medium / high models

 

[CouchSpud]

Seagull also makes some pretty decent guitars if you can get past the headstock.

big +1 to Seagull, but -1 to the headstock :icon_biggrin: i love the headstock! but to each their own.

Same here, but from what I read before making my choice, it seemed that a LOT of people hated it. If anything it's more ergonomic and makes it a lot easier to tune it up.

 

[CouchSpud]

Liking some of the Simon and Patrick stuff a lot. And I'm into Seagul but I'm kinda scared of laminate backs. Maybe it's silly but I've played enough guitars that sound/feel plastic (and then there's the one I own that is plastic lol). Three guys here have S6's and they all sound great. One guy even sold a $1100 Larivee to get one so I know they sound good. But laminate? Ahhh...

Pretty much any GC you go to will have at least one Seagull on display. Go there, try it out (along with other guitars), and make your choice.

 

[Justinginn]

Hope I get a chance soon.  :icon_thumright: