acoustics. how do you even shop for one effectively?

[jibberish]

i have access to 50 or 60 acoustics at the N Olmsted GC.

they have Yamaha, fender, Gibson, alvarez, martin, taylor, takamini, ovation, epiphone, luna, seagull, Mitchell, Ibanez and some weird wide neck Spanish/flamenco wtf guitars that i am not interested in.

the best sounding one so far is a sapele side/back taylor. the little $600 sapele laminate is nice too.

the loudest most projecting is a martin mahogany side/back. the solids do sound better than laminates, but not all that much.

KOA tops are too mellow for general use, from any brand.

the expensive gibson is what you hear on tv, but honestly is boring sounding. $150 yamahas are amazing sounding(at that price) and the biggest badassed sounding boomer guitar was a giant epiphone haha.

i keep wondering about getting a cutaway.....

so i am basically getting nowhere deciding which one i should set my sights on.

should i just grab the $150 Yamaha to learn why i don't want the $150 Yamaha? heh.

[justJon]

Get the Yamaha. IMO you can spend 6x what they want for those and not get a better, more playable, good sounding guitar.



(Then again, I used to think essentially that about drum shells, i.e. a drum is a drum...until I picked up a set of 3-ply maple, 1970's Ludwigs! Magic in those shells!)

[black]

I once had someone who was willing to spend a lot of $$ for me to buy a nice acoustic. I was strumming Taylors and lower priced Martins, thinking I'd score one of those or a Guild.

Believe it or not, I found both Yamaha's and Ibanez's that had better tone and felt better than their more expensive cousins. (i went with the ibanez)

I'd say go with what feels and sounds the best to you. You'll be happier and play it more often that way.

[justJon]

There!

2/3 of the New Mexico delegation has spoken. A veto-proof majority!

(RacerX Loves his Taylor, IIRC)

[jibberish]

heh. ok thx you guys.  even the missing 1/3 has his vote in the ring.

this is not a rush thing fortunately.

racerx's acoustic stuff does sound nice......

[RacerX]

I sold that Baby Taylor awhile back.

Now I have a cheap Samick OM and an ancient Yamaha 12-string for acoustics.

Follow your ears. 3/3 New Mexicans can't be wrong.

[jibberish]

ok. thx. more Yamaha.    I trust Yamaha, that's for sure. only had Yamaha bikes. that dx7 is a fucking tank to this day. all their stereo was that next level affordable range in there with like denon and Harman kardon.  A dude I worked with, who was a pro bass player , like worked at Disneyworld and I think headed off to play bass for bela fleck...anyway, he swore by Yamaha for his bass.

[The Shocker]

I use a nice Yamaha passed on to me from my dad.  Sounds great.

[RAGER]

I always get excited when I run across an early 70's yamaha or ibanez. Damn near everyone I've played sounds good. Do I own one?  No. Derp.

[Volume]

Here's the secret: None of them sound good. You might as well buy an old beat up noname git and throw some shit that will rattle through the sound hole put some fat strings on it and play slide. It's the only way, sorry.

/drunk

[RacerX]

Here's the secret: None of them sound good.

Congratulations—you have shit magnets for ears!

[Volume]

[RacerX]

No, not fucking magnets; shit magnets.

[johnny problem]

Definitely go for what you find sounds good, and plays well.  If it's the Yamaha, you can always get a Bone saddle and nut, and that thing will sound way better.

[Mr. Foxen]

If you find one that sounds good but plays bad, the playing is way easier to sort out than the sound.

[MikeyT]

   I like Martin, Gibson, Guild and Mossman for 'steel string' acoustics. Also the Epiphones made before Gibson decided to cheapen the brand. The best sounding acoustic I ever owned was an old Epiphone. Unfortunately it was warped, so I sold it. Should have kept it and just played on the lower frets.

   
     For cheap acoustics I like Epiphone and Yamaha.

I have an Epiphone dreadnought w/a laminated Spruce top but would like to get one of the 24.75" scale Epiphones w/a solid top. Some of the new Epiphones play even better than Yamahas. I like the shape of the necks.

I have a Yamaha Flamenco and three Yamaha acoustics right now. All four have solid tops & all four sound really good. Used to have a 70's Yamaha acoustic (in the 70's, ha, ha). It was an all-laminate guitar, but it sounded good, too- especially for slide.
Yamaha acoustics usually have a balanced, tightly focused tone with a strong midrange, which works well for a lot of the stuff I play. And they're pretty.
When it comes to bang for the buck, Yamahas are hard to beat.

[justJon]

Forgot about this thread...FWIW, Wino's tone is amazing, and likely all in his hands, but when he came through on his acoustic tour a month or so ago, his primary axe was an older looking Yamaha. Settled it for me!

[Dylan Thomas]

I just ordered new acoustics for work.  We got a Yamaha, it sounds great and will be really nice for the beginners who come to stay with us.

Also got a Fender all mahogany that I am absolutely in LOVE with.  It was only $200, and it sounds freaking amazing, it's just got a really mellow, warm tone....


I currently use a Yamaha, though the body is cracked and the neck is pretty warped at this point.  I'm thinking of getting one of those Fender Mahogany's, it was $200 with a hardshell case.  That's a hell of a deal....

[neighbor664]

All the cheaper, low end models have their shortcomings. What ever you get, you can do a few low buck upgrades and adjustments to get the most out of it.
My $99 Epiphone was transformed by just setting it up well and replacing the cheap plastic bridge pins with heavy brass ones and Grover 16:1 tuners. I should add a bone nut and saddle also, but haven't got around to it.

[jibberish]

Here is what I ended up with:
I got a nice Ibanez dreadnaught for $80 and a taylor 114e (non-cutaway, sapele back, grand auditorium style for w/e $600) for really intricate mids

<-low end cutaways don't cut it. need to go 316CE for the cutaway that sounds better than the plain 114e at  $1700.  not holding my breath either. the 114 is just as sweet, just no cutaway.

[everdrone]

dont buy an Ovation if you cannot bear the sound of it.  WHy?  Cause you'll never play it. Ha!


nice score with the Taylor and all btw