Akewstics! Martin, Gibson, Taylor, Etc.

[CBA]

Friends,

I've never had good luck with acoustic guitars. I learned to play on a Stella, which was fine to start, but then what came after... a Gibson J-160E, Yamaha cheapo, and my current "Inspired By 1964" Epiphone Texan... none of them have been pleasing to the ear or fun to play. My bandmate has a beatup $200 Epiphone that sounds really thick and resonant, and my college friend had an a pretty cheap Ibanez that sounded great and played really well.

So I'm looking at acoustic guitars again, and I'm willing to pay up to $1,000 for a good one. I'm going to start with Martins, as I haven't explored those too much over the years, if at all.

I guess my dream acoustic is the Gibson J-50; played a vintage one at Elderly here in Michigan and it was wonderful.

And I want one with no electric capabilities. Just a straight up acoustic guitar.

Ok anyway let me know what you like!

C

[futuresailors]

Tacoma. I forget what model I liked, but I preferred it to my friend's Martin. They're not super plentiful, but for like $500 you can get something at least on par with a $1500+ Martin.

[CBGB]

Seagulls are really good for the momey. I'vegot the one of the cheapest models and it sounds really nice. Just the neck's a bit tight.

[lulwut]

Check out the Martin 15 series, they are really nice

[dubkitty]

i'm not crazy about any of the "major" acoustic guitar manufacturers nowadays. Martins are built like brick shithouses, and tend to be kind of dense and dead sounding for their first 30-40 years of life unless you find a good one. i've only ever played one Martin that i liked. Gibsons tend to be kind of limited i.e. they only really do one thing well. and Taylors sound like guitars that were designed to have pickups in them...they're thin, not terribly resonant, and come with a huge mid scoop in the frequencies even when unamplified.

so, what DO i like? if you're looking for less expensive, Seagulls are well-loved but have a particular slightly plunky sound that's not right for everybody...e.g. Jonsi plays a Seagull on the Sigur Ros records. Eastman guitars are some of the best Chinese acoustics on the market, and you can find their Gibson slope-shoulder dreadnoughts (the J45/J50 type) on eBay regularly. for something under $500, look at Alvarez, particularly the jumbos which turn to cannons with a good setup and bone bridge saddle/pins. the Epiphone Masterbilt series were really nice guitars but have been discontinued excepting a fairly standard slope-shoulder with a pickup in...the 000-sized acoustics were wonderful. and Blueridge guitars are quite good, though the quality in the cheaper ones tends to vary. once you get to the 140/160 models they're as good as anything reasonably-priced that gets imported. i owned a BG160--the rosewood-bodied slope-shoulder--i had to sell for moving expenses last year that i miss like crazy.

[Greenfuz]

I love my old parlor guitar it is perfect


full bodied acoustics sound way too bassy to me

[Gearmond]

Seagulls are really good for the momey. I'vegot the one of the cheapest models and it sounds really nice. Just the neck's a bit tight.

seagulls are great, and i'm also fond of Takamines. they're generally really really well made and sound good

[dubkitty]

i meant to mention Larrivee as well.

[oldangelmidnight]

I've liked most of the Breedloves I've played.

[Mudfuzz]

as far as one you can find in a music store.. takamine although... I have this thing for cheap plywood ibanezes....

[CBA]

Cool... so I'll have a look at Seagull and Takamine and Larrivee. It's been a long time since I've gone to just play an acoustic guitar, so I'm just going to really use my ears and fingers and see what's best. Unfortunately one of the longtime guitar shoppes in town here just went out of business... but there are a few others I can check.


THANKS AGAIN!

C

[kaboom]

i play a seagull 12-string as a 6-string, and it's my favorite. i don't know about how good it sounds vs other acoustic guitars, but it feels great.

[huggernaut]

i'm not crazy about any of the "major" acoustic guitar manufacturers nowadays. Martins are built like brick shithouses, and tend to be kind of dense and dead sounding for their first 30-40 years of life unless you find a good one. i've only ever played one Martin that i liked. .

If you're willing to put in serious coin, even modern Martins can be amazing.

I recently got a Golden Era 000 that is simply one of the best sounding acoustics I've ever heard. Surprisingly huge sounding for its size, tons of clarity but still that woody "Old Martin" sound. Absolutely love it.

The 15 series is a good bang for the buck, if you're an asshole about having to have things made in America like I am.

[dubkitty]

well, yeah, there are great-sounding Martins out there...i just haven't encountered many of them.

[CBA]

FYI...

Ended up getting an Epiphone Masterbilt AJ-500R for $400. Discontinued for some reason. It's all solid wood, which is cool, and has a neat rosewood back and sides. The top is sitka spruce like yer basic whatever, and then has the rosewood body and mahogany neck. Bone nut and saddle, too. Pretty great sound. I went at the fretboard with a toothbrush and some linseed oil... never touched up a guitar like that.

Should be a solid guitar for quite a while. Supposin' I'd rather have the 24.75" scale, but 25.5 on an acoustic is fine for me.

http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Acoust ... -500R.aspx

C