In Market for New Acoustic

Nola

Nola

Well-known member
Hey guys. I'm playing an $80 Yahama guitar from like...the 1990s and it's awful. Really stiff to play with high action (even after lowing the saddle). I actually like the tone, even though it's laminate, but it kills my hand, and I am worried I will get arthritis over time.

I need something that's good for recording, yet also is nice (good action and feel) to practice on.

My budget is decent at the current moment, though that can change depending on income/the times. :/

Style would be a guitar that can do both fingerpicking and strumming in an old school style ala Dylan or Guthrie.
 
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Both sound nice. That Guild sounds a bit richer/woodier.

I'll make a list of recommendations and try to find them at the local shop to test. Is the action reasonable on these? The main problem with my current guitar is the action got insane over the years. My luthier says it's only good for slide, yet I play leads on it...I guess that's good for hand strength, but I fear I'll get arthritis if I keep playing this thing.
 
Nola said:
Is the action reasonable on these? .
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Ah yeah, that reminds me. I took mine to a shop to have it set up and lowered the saddle a little. The story is: I bought it from a GC in Austin and took it back to them a week later because it wasn't set up properly. The guy wouldn't do anything about it, he said it was perfect. Whatta dumbass.

I took it Mark Erlewine and he got it playing perfectly. It needed a truss adjustment and some frets were too high. He fixed it all. That all should have been done before hitting the shelf; I was a little disappointed with martin and GC for that. Although, it is near the bottom of their line of guitars. Still, it sounds great.

I was between the Martin and similarly priced Taylor. Flipped a coin.
 
For years I struggled with a budget Yamaha. It sounded nice enough but was hard to play.

Then I finally gave myself a present and bought Taylor 314.

The difference in playability and quality of tone was astonishing. It was like silk.

I have never been happier!

Review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvdgf4p9pBo

Me giving it a run:

[video]https://www.facebook.com/mike.raine.7/videos/g.722122087821922/10153211171284014/?type=2&theater[/video]
 
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haha I remember Fenders from the '60s that seemed to be 1/4" at 14 : ) Men where men, back then. hahah

Since all the cheap guitars are from the same factories, play will be very good. You may not get a good nut width.

I've been itching for Mahogany for recording for a long time, but I don't have room. I had to take another look when I started seeing those 48-month extended payment plans just the other day

https://youtu.be/imwgVcY8COU?list=PL4hnQ-31ndjbzokOZ9aWoENsQ93S70vUi
 
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My oldest guitar is an Ibanez acoustic that I bought in 1982. It has a lovely tone. However, the action has gotten high. It probably needs a reset.

I went shopping for an acoustic guitar a couple of years back. I played a lot of guitars in the $500-2000 range, comparing Taylors and Martins. I've got a Taylor 414 that I use for recording. It plays beautifully. However, the tone is a stringy and thin for my taste. I wish I had bought a Martin instead.

I second what Gecko said. The mid-range Martins are nice and pretty affordable even new.
 
Chili said:
Ah yeah, that reminds me. I took mine to a shop to have it set up and lowered the saddle a little. The story is: I bought it from a GC in Austin and took it back to them a week later because it wasn't set up properly. The guy wouldn't do anything about it, he said it was perfect. Whatta dumbass.

I took it Mark Erlewine and he got it playing perfectly. It needed a truss adjustment and some frets were too high. He fixed it all. That all should have been done before hitting the shelf; I was a little disappointed with martin and GC for that. Although, it is near the bottom of their line of guitars. Still, it sounds great.

I was between the Martin and similarly priced Taylor. Flipped a coin.
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Did Martin cover that under warranty? They definitely should if it's new.
 
garww said:
haha I remember Fenders from the '60s that seemed to be 1/4" at 14
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My current guitar was at 7mm. I didn't even know that was high until last year. My luthier was like "Wtf this is only good for slide" which got me thinking b/c I always just played it as a standard guitar. So I had the saddle lowered to like 5mm. It's still pretty hard to play and feels "stiff". I'm not sure what's up. It almost feels like the strings are pulling hard under the saddle. Maybe it has crappy bracing or something.

I played it for many years, but I noticed recently my hand was cramping after practicing on it. So I gotta do something.

I've written all the suggestions so far down and will check if my local shop has any of them.
 
Robus said:
However, the tone is a stringy and thin for my taste.
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A friend observed that the Taylor wasn't a guitar for thrashing, and I agree.

I have a mate who plays a hand-made (in Australia) guitar (and sadly I can't remember the name of the maker. Daffy perhaps?), It has strings on it like railroad tracks. He plays bluegrassy type material and it is perfect for that. It is big, bold, and loud. Your flat-picking solo will not get drowned out by other players, whereas I expect the Taylor would get lost.

However, I can't play it, and I much prefer the softer subtlety of the Taylor.
 
OP: The good news is that there are a lot of new, solid-wood, pro quality instruments available for even under $500. If you want to buy American, that might go up to $1500. By $3000, you have many bases covered, with historic choices. Important to remember is the experience with your Yamaha. Take the time to try some out and remember that a guitar will usually hang around long enough to outlive your favorite dog---or two or three.

Paj
8^)
 
High action won't cause arthritis, but may exacerbate it.
If you want something to thrash, just get that Yammie fixed - sounds like it needs a new nut cut if the action is still high after adjusting the saddle. Probably doesn't have an adjustable trussrod, though. Then get a good guitar for recording.
I'll second the Taylor x14 series though - good for fingerplaying or strumming. The 314 is the least expensive solid wood model, runs about $1600 new, but you can find used ones around. The 114 and 214 series are laminate bodies, and used about half that price.
If you are looking for something in the $500-600 range, check out Seagulls and Epiphone Masterbuilt.
 
"My oldest guitar is an Ibanez acoustic that I bought in 1982. It has a lovely tone. However, the action has gotten high. It probably needs a reset".

I didn't bother with steel string 'til around 2009. Our local hole in the wall had 3 - 4 low end Ibanez. Two steel string and two nylon. I took the $200 steel string. It's not a beauty, but i keep phosphor bronze on there, and silk wound on the Cedar Ridge. MArtin lights on the Ranger 12. My nylon in storage, I've played since 1966 and really love that $50 import (with case). I've found a Mexican Classical, but it's from the post varnish-era and not very lively sounding.

Anyway, THe cheap Ibanez gets use for full sounding strumming and heavier activities

EDIT: Oh I do have a painted neck Kay that is good for slide - I don't really bother keeping all of the six strings on there : )
 
I have a guild DV52 that I really love. It has so much projection it makes other guitars sound like they are severely lacking in volume in a side by side. Taylor's for the most part seem to have a little thinner and snappier sound with not a lot of volume....Gibson J45 seem to have a darker sound with a bit more projection than Taylors.
The Guild DV52 has it all IMO. The detail, the full rich sound, and massive volume.
They aren't cheap though. Probably set you back a grand for one in excellent condition.
 
I've got a Takamine GS330S with a Fishman PU I bought a bunch of years ago and more recently a Takamine EAN16C. Both reasonably priced acoustics that sound good to me and record well.
 
jimistone said:
I have a guild DV52 that I really love.
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Jimi, any chance you can record a quick passage on one (strumming and plucking) to see how it records? I know I won't find one near me to test.
Also, how is the neck profile? Is it fat and fills up the palm like the J-45s? Is it a good guitar for both fingerpicking and strumming?
 
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As far as Martin's go....I have played a many of them. My grandad was a pretty good fiddle player and I used to go to the fiddle jam sessions. Every single guitar player played a Martin...mostly D28-s. A few D 35s too.
Martin's normally don't have the snap and sizzle of the Taylors, but like the guild I own are sound cannons. you won't get drowned out by a fiddle.and banjo with a martin.
 
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