What acoustic guitar record best ?

What acoustic guitars record best for you?

  • Olson

    Votes: 8 4.0%

  • Lowden

    Votes: 7 3.5%

  • Gibson

    Votes: 17 8.5%

  • Alvarez

    Votes: 7 3.5%

  • Takamini

    Votes: 16 8.0%

  • Martin

    Votes: 77 38.3%

  • Ovation

    Votes: 17 8.5%

  • Fender

    Votes: 5 2.5%

  • Guild

    Votes: 13 6.5%

  • Yamaha

    Votes: 34 16.9%
  • Total voters
    201
Stan the man said:
I'm planning to buy a Yamaha APX5, and for acoustic recording a MXL 603S condenser mic. (Please don't go and talk about the mic, because there are other threads for that subject.) But is the APX5 a good sounding and playable guitar?

Thanks
Stan :)
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I bought one for my son for playing live (it has the built in pick ups). It's a decent playing guitar but the tone sucks pretty bad.
 
Track Rat said:
I bought one for my son for playing live (it has the built in pick ups). It's a decent playing guitar but the tone sucks pretty bad.
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Do you mean the overall sound of the guitar, or just the sound from the pickup?
 
i think it would be more appropriate to ask: What kind of mic would record acoustic Guitar best?
for me it would be the U-87
or mabye you wanted to ask what kind of acoustic guitar has the best sound?
for that one i can't answer,i'm not use to play on acoustic Guitars
 
Paradox said:
i think it would be more appropriate to ask: What kind of mic would record acoustic Guitar best?
for me it would be the U-87
or mabye you wanted to ask what kind of acoustic guitar has the best sound?
for that one i can't answer,i'm not use to play on acoustic Guitars
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Well, my favorite is a combination of a DPA 4011 and a nice LD tube condenser, such as a Neumann M149. Schopes also makes some killer mics SD condensers (though quite different from the DPA).


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Paradox said:
or mabye you wanted to ask what kind of acoustic guitar has the best sound?
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Yes, I wanted to ask if the APX 5 has a good sound unhooked, so you've got a good sound to start with.. Anyone has any experiences with the new Yamaha guitars? And one more question: what does that 'thinline' actually mean?

Stan.
 
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You think some of these replies are subjective?

I love my Martin HD28V with a Natural under saddle pickup.

I think the Taylors sound good miced.

Some of them with the on-board electronics have hot strings. I think it's the B string that stands out.

I've been using a Fishman Pro-EQ. Platinum on-stage and in the studio. It is a must have with Acoustic/Electric guitars.
 
pennylink said:
Based on tone and playability (and my ears), I preferred most Taylor and Larrivee over Gibson, Martin and anything else in the over $1,000 new guitar category. Must say, some Collings sounded great too!
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I'll definitely agree with that. My Taylors have blown away everything else I've heard in a long time. I've done plenty of recording with my 410-RCE (limited-edition with rosewood) and it was great for fingerstyle, and now I also have a maple 614-CE that has the most even, balanced sound I've ever heard from a guitar.

Every Yamaha I've ever heard or played sounded like crap to me. Ovations seem to have no depth to their sound. Gibsons and Martins (even vintage ones) are just too dark and muddy sounding for my taste. I like the clear definition and projection of my 614.
 
Hey, I will tell you, I love recording with my Taylor 814CE, but most upper end accoustics have advantages and disadvantages. I have never had a problem recording anything that sounded good naturally. You can do a lot with mics and electronics.
 
acoustics!

Anyone who didn't answer with either Martin, Gibson, or Taylor, is out of thier minds! All of your Yamaha's, Charvels, etc. are very nice guitars im sure but, your absolutly kidding yourself if you sit there and blow smoke about your cheap acoustic's when the answer to the original poll is Martin.

And no, I don't own a Martin, they are too expensive for me right now. I have an Epiphone EJ-200 which is nice...a knock off of the Gibson J-150 like George Harrison used on "For You Blue" and other White Album Tracks. Great looking guitar and good sounding (it gets the job done). For recording, I also use a friends 1970's Yamaha. It is my understanding that Yamaha had been making great Martin-esque acoustics back in the 70's. Similar to a Martin, it has a nice low end sound.

Has anyone else had good experiences with Epiphone Acoustics? I think that for the price, you get a really great deal. They look just like the Gibson Acoustics everyone loves (the dove, the J-60, J-150, etc.) and sound very nice aswell. Especially great guitars to just leave lying around out of the case, to pick up whenever cause you don't have to baby them.
 
The Fool said:
Anyone who didn't answer with either Martin, Gibson, or Taylor, is out of thier minds! .
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thats kinda silly because there were a few powerful musical statments played on under $200 acoustics
 
The Fool said:
Anyone who didn't answer with either Martin, Gibson, or Taylor, is out of thier minds!
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Actually, anyone who said Ovation guitars record the best are the one's who worry me. :eek::p:p
 
Buck62 said:
Actually, anyone who said Ovation guitars record the best are the one's who worry me. :eek::p:p
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Well, it's not a natural sound but the sound they DO produce is unique.. but not to everyones taste.


HERE is an example of a poor acoustic sound recorded direct into the board. However, the sad part is that it sounds just as bad recorded with a mic. It's not an Ovation and I'm too ashamed to mention what brand it actually is.



//AdrianFly
 
my rig

i use a few guitars that i have and are as follows

Guild D25 pre fender that has been set up really well with a Fishman rare earth
humbucking pickup this runs right into the board then i use a mic sounds good most ways i set it up.

Gretsch 6012 Rancher acoustic
got this guitar over the summer
and i like to run my AT4040 on it at all kinds of spots on the guitar very nice tones on the bass side as well as the high end with never shabby mids :)

Harmony archtop. this guitar is cheap i think i gave like $50 with a case for it
great for slide the neck is really high so i just use it for slide tracks behind my other guitars very good with a AKG D770 at the 12th fret although i sometimes use one F hole with a mic right up in it most of the time its on the treble side.

swedish nylon string 30 years old this guitar is good on tracks where i do need to get really loud and its nice and mellow all the time good tones and stuff i use the AT4040 on it too.

i have this little no name toy thing for kids....
its really just a toy but it has this cool reverb sound in it
i think its because its made out of crap but kind of cool for chunky chords with my big guitars :rolleyes:

its not always a matter of any one guitar making the tone you want i get some of it by using two and three guitars on the recoding with paning and reverb and stuff like that i do like the sound of my Guild the best and this one has a nice small neck with good even bass tones and treble now if i want boomy sounds i mic it another way if i want highs that sing i use another trick in the mic its not the guitar so much as what the player can get it to do for him ;) i like my guitars and each one is good at something.


also i am thinking of working with my dads Taylor 355 12 string jumbo on a track i am ready to lay down i think with the right mic placement and the right levels used on the board it will hold its own with my guitars.
 
sile2001 says,"Gibsons and Martins (even vintage ones) are just too dark and muddy sounding ".
Maybe a Gibson J160E is a bit dark and muddy. Not sure how The Beatles ever got the sounds they did from that guitar.
My Martin HD28V is surely not dark and muddy. I think it's clear and clean sounding.
 
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