Calling guitar experts: Solid Wood acoustic guitars

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anomaly Design
  • Start date Start date
Anomaly Design

Anomaly Design

New member
I know that guitars twice my age are better than whats out today. I owned 2 guilds and a gibson from the late 60's early 70's (lost them in a fire a few months ago :( ! )and wonder what happened to the quality. Taylors seem to be all thats around but there so delicate I feel like I might crush them while playing!

So on to the point... Obviously solid woods are expensive, but how much is the entry level solid wood? Is there an 'entry level' solid wood? Whats the least expensive solid wood you can think of?

I ask because I'm attempting to replace my irreplaceable guitars that I lost and came across a newer (but used; looks almost mint) built Guild 6 string, solid rosewood back and sides for $1500. I can't seem to find a guitar thats not only solid for this price, but a guitar thats built like it can hit baseballs!

I'm pretty sure I'm buying it but can anyone donate an opinion? Greatly appreciated!
 
An old Martin D-28 is built to essentially the same design as ones being built today. No reasonable person would be inspired to use one as a weapon in a bar fight. To you they might seem quite fragile. Yet, a very large number of them survive and continue to make great music.

The point is, they are alot tougher than they look.

The guitars you mentioned are notable for their heavy construction. To many ears (including mine) they suffer from being so overbuilt. There are always exceptions, but as a rule, lighter construction yields a more resonant instrument.

Pretty much any instrument in your stated price range ($1500) will be built to give a lifetime of service with reasonable care.
 
Yeah. Skip the Guild and get a herringbone instead.

You can thank me later.
 
Milnoque said:
An old Martin D-28 is built to essentially the same design as ones being built today. No reasonable person would be inspired to use one as a weapon in a bar fight. To you they might seem quite fragile. Yet, a very large number of them survive and continue to make great music.

The point is, they are alot tougher than they look.

The guitars you mentioned are notable for their heavy construction. To many ears (including mine) they suffer from being so overbuilt. There are always exceptions, but as a rule, lighter construction yields a more resonant instrument.

Pretty much any instrument in your stated price range ($1500) will be built to give a lifetime of service with reasonable care.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the different point of view. The guitar (F47RC) actually goes for $2700 brand new, used ones on ebay go for $1900 so I figured I found an excellent deal. It was between that and a Taylor 714 (I like rosewood) but it doesn't have the same projection and its laminated. For the price Its difficult to pass it up. Am I wrong?
 
c7sus said:
Yeah. Skip the Guild and get a herringbone instead.

You can thank me later.
Click to expand...

I never heard of that... that thing is beautiful! And Expensive! I might have to wait until I'm a millionaire...
 
You can find used HD-28's from the 90's > early 2000's for under $2000.

HDV's will run a bit higher, but they have scalloped top braces and ring like a bell.
 
The new Guilds I've played have really been quite nice. My impression is that they aren't constructed as heavily as the older Guilds - which I see as beneficial. I've been pleasantly surprised as I was concerned about what would happen after the Fender buy-out. If you found one that sounds good and plays well, I wouldn't hesitate buying it. I don't own any Guilds but I have several Gibsons and Martins. If I was looking for a new guitar, I'd certainly consider a Guild. There are a number of solid wood guitars around at that price point or less. Martin makes several, as do Larrivee, Tacoma, Takamine and Seagull among others. If you look at used guitars, several other brands would also be available. I'm personally not generally a Taylor fan, although they do play well given that thin neck. I've not played one yet that truly sounded great unamplified (an older Leo Kotke 12 string came the closest - but 12 strings are a completely different kettle of fish).
 
+1 on newer MIA Guilds. +1 on the other brands Pohaku listed. A new J-45 Gibson can be a great choice. None of them will be as chunky as your dearly departed guits.

If you haven't followed the guitar market for a while, you're in for a treat. some of the best guitars that have ever been made are being made right now.

With $1500 bucks to spend there are a bunch of choices. Do yourself a favor. Go out and play some guitars and let your ears and fingers make the decision, not the logo on the headstock. Plenty of folks on this board would love to be in your shoes.
 
That's an interesting take. For classical guitars, the opposite is true. They have come a long way in the past 40 years. Not saying there aren't good vintage instruments, but there are probably more great builders to choose from nowadays (RIP Thomas Humphrey).
 
Try a Martin D-15. Great guitars.


Oh, and I would strongly argue that today's great guitars are at least as good as old ones. The difference is that the old ones are OLD, and age makes guitars better.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Larrivee D-03R (rosewood) will come in way under $1,500 You could probably find a used D-09 (rosewood) for around that $1,500 also.

I've owned a Larrivee D-03 and a D-05--both mahogany dreads and both wonderful guits for the price.
 
I wouldn't agree at all that older means better. There are some excellent guitars out today in all price ranges. I won't recommend any because as I'm often fond of saying here there is no best or better, only you can find the one thats good for you. I would advise not looking at the price and feeling the weight. Rather close your eyes and listen to the sound.

@milnoque, I wouldn't agree that "as a rule, lighter construction yields a more resonant instrument.." Each guitar has an optimum mass that responds to the strings and the energy they pump into the guitar. It's a balancing act, too light and the thing gets floppy sounding and to heavy it just doesn't respond. I would agree than many both old and new instruments are overbuilt but I see the reason for that being that they don't want returns or problems.
 
muttley600 said:
@milnoque, I wouldn't agree that "as a rule, lighter construction yields a more resonant instrument.." Each guitar has an optimum mass that responds to the strings and the energy they pump into the guitar. It's a balancing act, too light and the thing gets floppy sounding and to heavy it just doesn't respond. I would agree than many both old and new instruments are overbuilt but I see the reason for that being that they don't want returns or problems.
Click to expand...


Indeed - if a guitar is too light it will just get overdriven by the strings, and it will fall apart completely.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
muttley600 said:
@milnoque, I wouldn't agree that "as a rule, lighter construction yields a more resonant instrument.." Each guitar has an optimum mass that responds to the strings and the energy they pump into the guitar. It's a balancing act, too light and the thing gets floppy sounding and to heavy it just doesn't respond. I would agree than many both old and new instruments are overbuilt but I see the reason for that being that they don't want returns or problems.
Click to expand...

Of course you are right to take issue with my blanket statement but I stand by it for the context of this thread. The "as a rule" caveat applies. The OP was concerned about the fragility of modern guitars as compared to late sixties and early seventies Gibsons and Guilds he had owned.

It has not been my experience that many modern factory guitars in his price range suffer from having been built too lightly. I agree that it does happen, but not often. The OP had played a Taylor 714 and expressed a concern that it was "so delicate I feel like I might crush them while playing!". I was hoping to give him confidence that this was not so.
 
c7sus said:
Yeah. Skip the Guild and get a herringbone instead.

You can thank me later.
Click to expand...


I'm with ya on the "bone"...my '83 HD-28 has the rosewood the OP desires, and sounds better than when new...thanks to a bone nut and bridge pins.
 
Try These

I'm partial to Martins, and own two, a D-45 and an OMC-Aura (for recording). The real Martins are treasures. I wouldn't bother with the laminate versions, especially since you noted you wanted all wood. But any of the real Martins, like the D-28, will be companions for life.

Personally, I'd pass on Taylors. I feel they're very nice, but boring.

But for $1500? You could also find a wonderful, and I mean wonderful Huss & Dalton. Handmade in Virginia. I have a CM Rosewood model, and it's absolutely amazing.

But I also have a mind-blowing Collings...I love that guitar. It plays like a dream and projects like a piano.

Now, my friend, if you play a Collings, you might never turn back. For $1500 you'll be lucky to find a used one on eBay, but brother, IMHO that's the Holy Grail.
 
Light said:
Try a Martin D-15. Great guitars.


Oh, and I would strongly argue that today's great guitars are at least as good as old ones. The difference is that the old ones are OLD, and age makes guitars better.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Click to expand...

The model 15 Martins are really great guitars for the money. I recently helped a friend purchase a 00-15 and it was a really sweet guitar. Despite their relatively low cost, it's likely to be a guitar that you will always keep.

My perception of today's acoustic guitars versus those available when I was much younger (OK, let's say in the 60s), is that the quality of guitars in the low end of the market is much better now than it was back then. For example, the overall quality of the LaSiDo manufactured guitars (Seagull, LaPatrie, etc.) is really very good for the price. My recollection of inexpensive guitars back in the 60s was that they were poorly constructed and played poorly as well. An inexpensive acoustic that cost, say $75 in 1967, would cost $478 in today's dollars (CPI adjustment). There is just no comparison between what you could buy for $75 in 1967 and what you can buy for $478 today.
 
HD_Dude said:
But for $1500? You could also find a wonderful, and I mean wonderful Huss & Dalton. Handmade in Virginia. I have a CM Rosewood model, and it's absolutely amazing...

...Now, my friend, if you play a Collings, you might never turn back. For $1500 you'll be lucky to find a used one on eBay, but brother, IMHO that's the Holy Grail.
Click to expand...

Great guits but find either one for a price anywhere near $1,500 and you will witness a scene right out of "Jingle all the Way" with Arnold S. and Sinbad. It would get bloody!
 
pohaku said:
The model 15 Martins are really great guitars for the money.
Click to expand...

Just to be slightly pedantic (OK, really stupidly pedantic!), they are STYLE 15 guitars. The model is "D15" or "OOO45," etc. The number is the STYLE. (Sorry, just being a bit of a prick. It's a hard habit to break.) But yes, the Style 15 guitars are probably the best value on the market, IMHO.

And just because I haven't seen anyone say gainsay it yet, whoever was knocking `70's Guilds hasn't a clue what they are talking about. Back in the 1970's, Guild was making the best acoustic guitars on the market. They were of a particular style, but they were AMAZING instruments. And they were probably making the best production 12-strings ever made. Just when Gibson and Martin started throwing the game, Guild came in and started hitting home runs. If Anomaly Design had a great `70's Guild, he is going to have a VERY hard time replacing it with a new guitar. Personally, I'd do my damnedest to try and find an old Guild for a replacement.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
I believe I may have given you the impression that I was knocking the old Guilds.

I was arguing that they were overbuilt but I didn't mean to indicate they they were bad guitars. I wouldn't call them amazing but I agree that they were and are fine guitars. They may well be the best values on the vintage market. Examples often sell on e-bay well within the OP's price range.

+1 on the 12-strings-
My 12-string is a '73 Guild F212. It is a much better instrument than the custom Taylor it replaced.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top