Sirnothingness
Banned
I like anything that says Taylor on it.
B
BigMike
New member
avoid fender acoustics..
Ibanez are often good...
Ibanez are often good...
jimistone
long standing member
I searched for 2 months for an affoardable acoustic that didn't suck. Ain't no easy feat to find one.
I settled on a peavey brairwood acoustic. IMO there is no better value in an acoustic out there.
• 25 1/2 inch scale
• Solid cedar top
• Traditional X-bracing
• Rosewood back and sides
• 20 frets
• Sealed die-cast tuners
• Compensated bridge saddles
• Piezo pickup under the bridge
The wood is outstanding on this guitar.....very deep bass and nice ring to the high strings. These fuckers sound very good!
You ain't gonna get a guitar that plays like a Taylor, straight off the shelf, for less than 300 bucks...but...these guitars come close in terms of tone. I have a friend that has a very nice Taylor (ceder/rosewood guitar. We A/B'd the guitars with me playing the cheap Briarwood and him playing the taylor....then with him playing the cheap one and me playing the taylor.
Bottom line, the Taylor played better...but the sound was very close!
check it out
I settled on a peavey brairwood acoustic. IMO there is no better value in an acoustic out there.
• 25 1/2 inch scale
• Solid cedar top
• Traditional X-bracing
• Rosewood back and sides
• 20 frets
• Sealed die-cast tuners
• Compensated bridge saddles
• Piezo pickup under the bridge
The wood is outstanding on this guitar.....very deep bass and nice ring to the high strings. These fuckers sound very good!
You ain't gonna get a guitar that plays like a Taylor, straight off the shelf, for less than 300 bucks...but...these guitars come close in terms of tone. I have a friend that has a very nice Taylor (ceder/rosewood guitar. We A/B'd the guitars with me playing the cheap Briarwood and him playing the taylor....then with him playing the cheap one and me playing the taylor.
Bottom line, the Taylor played better...but the sound was very close!
check it out
ez_willis
.
jimistone said:
Did you buy it online or at a store?
I'm reluctant to make an online guitar purchase.
btw, I wouldn't know what a well built Taylor feels like, or appreciate the finer nuances of it anyways.
hixmix
Halibut, North Dakota
Similar to my question about a new "Strat" 
with a hard case and gig bag for $400. 
At that kind of money whatever you get may not float the boat, but it'll sure paddle the canoe. 
with a hard case and gig bag for $400. At that kind of money whatever you get may not float the boat, but it'll sure paddle the canoe.
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hixmix
Halibut, North Dakota
There's also another "deal" going on at MF right now that if you buy 10 sets of acoustic strings for $99, they throw in a "free" acoustic guitar. I shit you not. That may be the ticket. Have them ship the whole pile of crap to Andover on their dime. Just think, at that price you could just leave it there and it would become an icon and the subject of endless jokes for many JAMFESTS to come.
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hixmix
Halibut, North Dakota
OK, Guitar Center. Same difference. Page 9:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/buyersguide/BG_aug.pdf
http://www.guitarcenter.com/buyersguide/BG_aug.pdf
Y
YeshuasFan
Guest
Avoid generalized statements about brands, such as "Avoid Brand F." Go to one music store and try every model in your price range. If you don't find one in your price range there, go to another store, and so on, until you find one that most closely matches the sounds you are hearing in your head and you feel like you never want to let go of it--then buy that one.
ez_willis
.
YeshuasFan said:
. .ez_willis said:
Bass Master "K"
New member
I think what Yesh was getting at is, sometimes even a line of guitars that are fairly regarded as crap, occationally have a gem pop out and you might just be lucky enough to find that gem. If you already have decided "I'm not going to play that brand because I heard its not good" you might miss out on those rare chances.
I mean to be realistic, at $200-300 your not going to get the best worksmanship out there. I could tell you "hey, brand x you can't go wrong" but of course at $200 there is a bunch of variance in the quality of wood and parts being used and the care with which it is slapped together. I guess what I am taking forever to say is that the consistancy is so low at these prices that your better off taking Yesh's advice and just go into a shop and play everything in your price range. Go to another shop and repeat. Keep doing this until you hit one that you love or you run out of shops and can make an educated purchase.
Since music is my job, I only buy high end instruments. But I have had students who came up to me to show me thier new guitar/bass/piano (pianos I see when I visit them) and I have occationally been suprised at how decent the instrument was, having played the same model before and not being impressed. In every case they picked it because it spoke to them in the shop. Sometimes a cheap line, regardless of brand, gets it right.
Good luck with the search.
I mean to be realistic, at $200-300 your not going to get the best worksmanship out there. I could tell you "hey, brand x you can't go wrong" but of course at $200 there is a bunch of variance in the quality of wood and parts being used and the care with which it is slapped together. I guess what I am taking forever to say is that the consistancy is so low at these prices that your better off taking Yesh's advice and just go into a shop and play everything in your price range. Go to another shop and repeat. Keep doing this until you hit one that you love or you run out of shops and can make an educated purchase.
Since music is my job, I only buy high end instruments. But I have had students who came up to me to show me thier new guitar/bass/piano (pianos I see when I visit them) and I have occationally been suprised at how decent the instrument was, having played the same model before and not being impressed. In every case they picked it because it spoke to them in the shop. Sometimes a cheap line, regardless of brand, gets it right.
Good luck with the search.
Monkey Allen
Fork and spoon operator
I got the Taylor 110 about a year ago after a lengthy search. It's a nice guitar. Those Martins look ok too. I played one of them for ages in the shop but eventually went with the Taylor
cephus
Slow Children Playing
To get the best one, pick the one that has an excuse for being cheap. Get the ugliest one with the fewest features.
By the way, $300 for a backpacker is a fucking joke even if it is electric. Who'd play that live anyway? I have one and I paid $99 for it a long time ago. The only thing it's good for is wrapping a garbage bag and strapping it to the back of the motorcycle with my tent. Although it does record a little like a cross between a banjo and a mandolin. It doesn't mix with full size acoustic guitars around the campfire.
By the way, $300 for a backpacker is a fucking joke even if it is electric. Who'd play that live anyway? I have one and I paid $99 for it a long time ago. The only thing it's good for is wrapping a garbage bag and strapping it to the back of the motorcycle with my tent. Although it does record a little like a cross between a banjo and a mandolin. It doesn't mix with full size acoustic guitars around the campfire.
stetto
Left Unattended
At a 2-300 dollar price spectrum you'd better be prepared to go play a lot of guitars. I don't care who makes 'em, quality and playability will be inconsistant from one instrument to another, even amongst the same brand. The QC guys of long, long ago are all now house painters or carwash attendants.
If you buy one over the internet, you may need to have a LOT of fingers crossed. I bought an old Seagull on eBay for cheap and got really lucky; plays like spreadin' butter AND sounds really good. The internet doesn't give you the opportunity to play a LOT of guitars, which makes it a crapshoot, IMO. But you can get lucky (like me)...
...Of course there's always the addage that it doesn't matter what you get, if you know a luthier or great guitar tech they can always make it right--er...
Eric
If you buy one over the internet, you may need to have a LOT of fingers crossed. I bought an old Seagull on eBay for cheap and got really lucky; plays like spreadin' butter AND sounds really good. The internet doesn't give you the opportunity to play a LOT of guitars, which makes it a crapshoot, IMO. But you can get lucky (like me)...
...Of course there's always the addage that it doesn't matter what you get, if you know a luthier or great guitar tech they can always make it right--er...
Eric
Y
YeshuasFan
Guest
stetto said:At a 2-300 dollar price spectrum you'd better be prepared to go play a lot of guitars. I don't care who makes 'em, quality and playability will be inconsistant from one instrument to another, even amongst the same brand. The QC guys of long, long ago are all now house painters or carwash attendants.
If you buy one over the internet, you may need to have a LOT of fingers crossed. I bought an old Seagull on eBay for cheap and got really lucky; plays like spreadin' butter AND sounds really good. The internet doesn't give you the opportunity to play a LOT of guitars, which makes it a crapshoot, IMO. But you can get lucky (like me)...
...Of course there's always the addage that it doesn't matter what you get, if you know a luthier or great guitar tech they can always make it right--er...
Eric
What all this specific advice boils down to is that you have to let your eyes, fingers, and ears be the final judge. But you have to know what to look, feel and listen for and not just go with "Avoid Fender acoustics. Ibanez are usually good." I have a Fender acoustic I found two months ago that is well-constructed and sounds good out of the shop--so it should sound even better when the top is "played in." I've played some models of Ibanez acoustics over the years that the store should have to pay guitarists to move them out of the store.
When I audition guitars I take a small dental mirror [you know, the type with the six-inch long handle and the little one-inch diameter mirror at the end] and a little pen light to examine the interior of the guitar. I examine the interior to see if the factory workers got sloppy with the joins between the kerfing, bracing and seams. Globs of glue extruding from the joins or gaps mean sloppy workmanship and major problems later--avoid those guitars like the plague. I also examine the join between the neck and the body for the same defects--inside and out.
If it passes the visual inspection, I then proceed to examine the neck/fretboard both visually and with my hands--looking for gaps or sloppy joins between the fretboard and the neck, uneven fret wires, poorly filed frets, whether the manufacturer tried to cut corners by trying to pass off dyed wood as rosewood or ebony.
If it passes that test, only then do I play it to see how it sounds. While the visual/tactile inspections are objective, this last is mainly subjective--and two objective purposes. Objectively one is listening for any rattling or string buzzing. Also you are listening to see whether or not the strings have gone dead while it has been in the store, which would be indicative of the level of care and service the store provides. A guitar with dead strings has been in the store for a while. While that may mean it simply lacked appeal to various customers, it could also mean it's a dog. Subjectively, you're listening for how the guitar sounds to you. The only objectivity possible here is to take someone along with you who plays and have him/her play it also so you can stand in front of it to see if you like how it sounds from in front because there is a noticeable difference between how a guitar sounds from the back and how it sounds from the front.
And yes, even a cheap guitar can be improved on--for a price--but why pay $300 for a guitar and then pay $400 for repairs to make it playable when for the same $700 one can purchase a better guitar and avoid the headaches?
Happy Hunting.
T
travelin travis
New member
Seagull S6 Cedar (used or blemished) is the best you could get for your money, imo. You should'nt have any problems finding one or two or three locally or on ebay. Awesome sounding and playing guitar for the money. Nice balanced sound that's perfect for light to moderate strumming and finger picking. Also, it's a bit wider at the nut than most acoustic guitars, which makes it really easy to finger chords.
That Peavey Brairwood looks pretty similar in features but I've never played one.
EZ-Willis, to tell you the truth, it's really hard to pick out a nice sounding acoustic guitar if you don't have alot of experience playing acoustic guitar. Spend some time playing alot of acoustic guitars, even the ones you could'nt afford in a million years. Typical cheapy acoustic guitars have poor sustain (this can sound suttle at first) and usually sound boomy (very apparent when miced up). I would avoid anything that has a thick finish, a ply top, and a bunch of fancy cosmetics (in your price range).
That Peavey Brairwood looks pretty similar in features but I've never played one.
EZ-Willis, to tell you the truth, it's really hard to pick out a nice sounding acoustic guitar if you don't have alot of experience playing acoustic guitar. Spend some time playing alot of acoustic guitars, even the ones you could'nt afford in a million years. Typical cheapy acoustic guitars have poor sustain (this can sound suttle at first) and usually sound boomy (very apparent when miced up). I would avoid anything that has a thick finish, a ply top, and a bunch of fancy cosmetics (in your price range).
jimistone
long standing member
I bought in in a store. I want to play and listen to a guitar before I buy it.ez_willis said:Did you buy it online or at a store?
I'm reluctant to make an online guitar purchase.
btw, I wouldn't know what a well built Taylor feels like, or appreciate the finer nuances of it anyways.
I got the guitar with a hard shell case for right around $300.
I have done some truss rod adjustment and filed down the plastic saddle/bridge.
It really plays good now....didn't play bad before and sounded great to start with, but plays like an expensive guitar now.
Im very happy with it.
A
adauria
New member
If you're looking specifically for a travel guitar, check out the Little Martin LXM or LX1 (like the LXM but with a solid wood top instead of all HPL), or the Baby Taylor. I just bought an LXM myself and am very happy with it for travel purposes. It's significantly smaller than a full sized guitar, but sounds surprisingly warm.
The Baby Taylor is a good guitar also, it just sounds like a Taylor - i.e. very bright. Some love that sound, I don't care for it that much.
I like Ibanez and Fender electrics, but neither are my favorites for acoustics.
If you want a full sized guitar, the Seagull S6 is highly recommended by others in that price range. Also, that "free" guitar Guitar Center was giving away (which I think is probably sold out everywhere by now) is Jasmine S35 (by Takamine). They aren't the prettiest to look at, and can sound a little tinny, but for the money (~$100) they really make a decent beater.
I'd avoid most other travel guitars, unless you need something REALLY small and sound isn't a priority. Of the ultra-portables I've played, I'd probably go with the Washburn Rover, but they all kind of sound like cigar boxes with strings.
Good luck!
-Andrew
The Baby Taylor is a good guitar also, it just sounds like a Taylor - i.e. very bright. Some love that sound, I don't care for it that much.
I like Ibanez and Fender electrics, but neither are my favorites for acoustics.
If you want a full sized guitar, the Seagull S6 is highly recommended by others in that price range. Also, that "free" guitar Guitar Center was giving away (which I think is probably sold out everywhere by now) is Jasmine S35 (by Takamine). They aren't the prettiest to look at, and can sound a little tinny, but for the money (~$100) they really make a decent beater.
I'd avoid most other travel guitars, unless you need something REALLY small and sound isn't a priority. Of the ultra-portables I've played, I'd probably go with the Washburn Rover, but they all kind of sound like cigar boxes with strings.
Good luck!
-Andrew
J
Jouni
New member
YeshuasFan said:
NOW!.. that is something I wanna know more about!!??
I've got an acoustic bass and some old geezers have been asking that in the bar. ...and me a total dipshit.. Unless you're gonna sweat and drool the top solid, what the hell the top does???
C
chris-from-ky
New member
The Dean Exotica is a fantastic guitar for $300. I leave it baking or freezing in the car all the time (depending on the season) and it's never more than a slight bit out of tune. I adjust it once, it holds for hours and hours afterward. It can take one heck of a beating and it sounds real good to all the people who've heard me play it. Check them out.