Buying new acoustic

S

solo.guitar

New member
I want to buy a new acoustic, mainly for recording. I've been using the same one for about 5 years now and it's starting to sound a little harsh to me, especially the high E string. The A string is also pretty 'boomy'. For finger picking it sounds good but is also pretty quiet.

I want one that will sound good with both finger picking and strumming, soft or hard. I also want a full sound with a deep bass and clear high-end, and a good crisp strumming sound.

I plan on saving up for awhile for this guitar, so I'd say my budget is about $1,000.

I really don't know much about acoustic guitars, like what materials are good, what aren't, how to know what materials a guitar is made from, what to ask the people at the shop, etc.

So instead of suggesting guitars (which is good too), I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me, or point me to a site that explains these things.

Thanks.
 
Solo,

It would be helpful if you could describe the music you play or would like to play. Your question has no simple answer.

You asked about woods. I strongly recommend you insist on solid woods throughout. The three most popular choices for back and sides in your price range are: Honduran mahogany, East Indian rosewood, and maple. Each of them has it's own special qualities. I own and play guitars made of each. Maple tends to be bright. Rosewood is often richer and warmer. Mahogany is often stronger on the fundamental. Personally, if I had to choose one it would be mahogany (I'll get flames for that one). Mahogany is often the least expensive of the three.

There are many tonewoods on the market other than those above that make great guitars.

The top should be made of spruce (there are a number of types) or western red cedar, always of solid wood

There are also many different styles, shapes, and sizes of guitar. Some of them are more versatile than others.

Without more information it would be difficult to steer you further.

Last thing, and this is IMPORTANT.
If it sounds good and it plays good it is good. Don't let anybody tell you different.
 
Thanks Milnoque

I was wondering about the tonal qualities of different woods. Most sales people at the shops don't have a clue when you ask them.

I play solo mostly, but I also have a friend that comes over to play/record. I play fingerstyle, rhythm, and also lead. I need a guitar that will sound good for all of them, and have decent volume.

I will be using it primarily for recording. I'll probably use the one I have now to take places.

I know price doesn't necessarily equal quality. My friend has a real nice sounding guitar that cost about $200 something, and I've tried out several high-end guitars that I didn't care for at all, so it will take a lot of trial & error before deciding on which guitar to buy.

Another question, is there any way to tell what type of wood the guitar is made from by looking at it? Or anything to look out for that may signal poor quality material/finishes?

I know it all comes down to the way it sounds, so that's the important thing, but I guess I'd just like to know more about the instrument I'm playing. :)

Thanks again.
 
I just bought a new accoustic and I ended up going with a Breedlove (AD25SR+). My price limit was $1000 as well, and I had a hard time find one that sounded better to my ear in the price range.
 
I wanted a kind of mellow sounding guitar and my budget was similar to yours. I tried lots and ended up buying a Seagull with a cedar wood top and cherry back and sides.

Like this one but without the laquered top and with different electronics:

http://www.seagullguitars.com/products6+cwcedargt.htm

I love it, I play guitars worth many times more in the local vintage and rare guitar shop and my £560 seagull sounds better than a lot of them (to me anyway).

Godin who make Seagulls also make acoustics under the names Art & Lutherie and Simon & Patrick. Never tried an A&L but the S&Ps are very nice also.
 
Larrivee OM03R. Under $1K, solid wood throughout, real nice ebony bridge/fingerboard. Jean Larrivee really knows his spruce! A bit sparse on looks, but has killer tone.

I also have a $2500 Santa Cruz OM/PW, and the Larrivee compares nicely with the Cruz.
 
If you have a good music store in your area try this. A Martin D-18 is Mahogany. A D-28 is East Indian rosewood. Martin has good consistancy with their quality control so the guitars you try will be pretty representative. If you play the two side by side you will get a good idea of the tonal difference between mahogany and rosewood. Try to use new guitars for this as age and the type of playing change the sound of guitars over time. Look at the back and sides of the two and you will be able to see good examples of those two woods.

Maple is the wood used on almost all violin family instruments. If you look at a few you will be able to recognize maple. Unfortunately you are unlikely to find a maple Martin.

If you are lucky you will find a smaller bodied Martin to compare with the "D" sized ones. 00, 000, M, and D are all designations for different body styles. Try to compare a smaller body to a D size made of the same wood. Do not let the size fool you. You can get a lot of sound out of some small guitars and they often record very well.

Play the instruments yourself and get someone to play them for you so you can stand back and listen to what the audience hears.

Do not get distracted by the playability. This experiment is about the sound.

The Martins will probably be out of your budget range anyway.
 
Another vote for Seagull.
Ive got a cedar top Seagull that works great for all my stuff.
I also own a Art & Lutherie that sounds good recorded. It has more volume and is a little more 'boomy' than the sagull, and on certain songs - it really shines.

Interesting note - both brands are owned by Godin and are made in Canada.
 
yeah solo, the only way to get a good guitar is you just have to get out there and play them. I actually spend more time looking for a guitar then I do a car. But anyways as far as sound goes, on an acoustic getting one with a low gloss finish will actually be louder. I believe this is called a French Finish, anyhow a guitar with heavy gloss actually holds in the sound, it doesn't allow it to permeate through the top. anyways good luck let us know what you get.
 
solo.guitar said:
I really don't know much about acoustic guitars, like what materials are good, what aren't, how to know what materials a guitar is made from, what to ask the people at the shop, etc.

So instead of suggesting guitars (which is good too), I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me, or point me to a site that explains these things.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

http://www.pantheonguitars.com/tonewoods.htm

http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/guitars/acoustic/buying-guide.php

http://www.dreamguitars.com/tonewoods.htm

There's a start. For $1000.00 you should have no problem getting a really great acoustic. Especially if you find a nice deal on a used one. Be patient.
 
No disrespect to gtr guy26 but there is more to finishes than gloss. It is a large topic on its own.

I hope I'm not being rude with so many posts, but:

Tops,
There are many kinds of spruce used for guitar tops. The most sought after is adirondack red spruce. Sitka is the most common. Engelmann and European are also common. Sitka has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any commercial tonewood. it makes an excellent tonewood, but it often requires a break-in period to sound its best. If you play really hard its often your first choice.

Cedar tops are wonderful if you're not too heavy handed with the pick. They often make the warmest sounding guitars.

The other posts are giving you good advice about brands. Every one mentioned is a fine guitar.

Here are some other considerations:
Fretboard radius
Scale length
Neck profile
Bracing
 
hixmix said:
There's a start. For $1000.00 you should have no problem getting a really great acoustic. Especially if you find a nice deal on a used one. Be patient.
Click to expand...

And don't buy on line. Two reasons: one, there can be a lot of variability between "identical" guitars. Play before you buy.

And two, I have been told by a couple of people in the biz that many times guitars that are available for sale at the on line shops are instruments that have been returned to the manufacturer for various reasons.
 
Wow lots of great advice here. :cool:

ggun - I know. I wouldn't ever buy a guitar online, because guitars (especially acoustic) can vary a great deal even in the same make/model.

Art & Luth is a great brand, and the same one my friend has that sounds really good. Very bassy and also real loud, but sounds real good especially on record.

I'm going to take all of your advice into consideration when I goto the shop this coming weekend.

hixmix - I'm going to read over those links you posted tomorrow when I have some time.

Thanks again for all the help. :cool:
 
Milnoque said:
Cedar tops are wonderful if you're not too heavy handed with the pick. They often make the warmest sounding guitars.
Click to expand...
That's a good point actually, you have to be very careful in general with an unlaquered Cedar top guitars. Mine has little dings and scratches all over it and I consider myself pretty careful, it's my main gigging guitar though so can't be helped I guess.

Of course this doesn't affect playability or tone but if you're at all anal about your guitar looking neat then a cedar top might not be for you, especially for gigging.
 
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