Best acoustic for recording?

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frist44

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What kinda of acoustics have you guys had the best luck recording? I currently have two and don't know i'm getting the best tone out of either of them.

Thanks,
Brandon
 
Wow, there are just so many out there. You really have to start by looking at solid-wood guitars. They will always sound better than laminate guitars. Generally, this will put you near $800 and up range. Also a smaller bodied guitar (can be called 000, grand auditorium, parlor, mini-jumbo....depending on manufacturer and who you ask) will generally give a more even tone when recording, as opposed to dreadnaughts or jombos, which are designed to be loud and boomy. Remember that originally, those guitars were designed to compete for non-amplified sound on a stage with other instruments.

I have my favorites, as do others. But I have the advantage over many right now in that I get a choice in the studio of what I want to use, and dont have to pay for it. The things I request most often are a Taylor 512c, a Taylor 814ce, a Lowden LSE2, a Martin J16GTE, and a Guild jumbo 12 string.

In general, find a guitar that just sounds great, and it will be easier to get a great recorded sound.

H2H
 
I love my Larivee D-O3E. You can get the non electric version for about $650. Thats an awesome price for a handmade, solid wood acoustic.
 
frist -

you need a Taylor baby. hehe. not to be confused with Baby Taylor...

I mentioned in your other post about this in mics that I have a K14C...thats a grand auditorium...nice body design for recording. as was mentioned..very even tone etc. not as boomy as a dread.

thats a pretty expensive guitar though -

the Taylor 3 series is good...if you are spending that kind of cash though, jump to the 5 I would say. 5 gets you better wood/materials all around...nice koa design around the sound hole. if you really want to spend some dough the 7 and 8 series are amazing.

check out the website, www.taylorguitars.com, all the info is there. Swing by a mars music or guitar center and pick up the catalog...they are pretty.
 
recording acoustic

A bit obvious maybe, but here goes: Whichever acoustic sounds good to you is the one to use. Try out as many as you can and evaluate. Mic technique should definitely not be overlooked, too! The key point is that YOU like how it sounds, plain and simple. A cheap, beat-up piece of #@$% Silvertone from days of yore can sound marvelous on tape/hard disc when properly set up and mic'ed. Likewise, a highly-touted name brand like Martin or Taylor can potentially let you down. Always regard each individual instrument on its own terms. There are great Martins, and then there's crap. Same goes for Harmony guitars, etc. You'll never know what sounds good on your recording rig until you try it out. Then again, experimenting is where all the fun's at, right?

Bruce in Korea
 
All the Taylors are good guitars. That's what I love about them. Well made, great playablilty.

Martin? Ick, unless you have a lot of money to spend. I have rarely picked up an "affordable" Martin that I liked.

I was originally gonna get a 3 or 4 series Taylor when I went shopping for a good acoustic. I was about to buy a 314. Great feel, good sound. A little bland on the looks, but who cares for the studio?

Then, the salesman brought me this Yamaha guitar... I was like, "yeah, whatever, I'll give it a try." Little by little it sank in. I had already decided to buy the 314 but this guitar was good... Real good. I went back and forth until my fingers hurt (I hadn't played that much guitar at the time). Then I had the salesman play them.

*It's a Yamaha LL500.* Solid Spruce and Solid Indian Rosewood back and sides! The Taylor has a beautiful sound on the lighter side. The Yamaha has a powerful rich sound (probably cuz the rosewood) that's a little fuller.

The LL500 is a no compromises guitar. It's got the craftsmanship and features of the best Martins for less than half the price! Check out http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/Yamaha/LL500-01.html

I haven't had it that long yet, and have only recoreded it a handful of times, but everytime I hear a playback I'm grinning ear to ear! Mic selection and placement gets me all the sounds I've wanted.

...So, sorry about the long winded reply. I guess I'd say that the Taylors are great and I have nothing bad to say about them. I just liked this guitar more!
 
I own a Taylor and a Martin. I don't believe all of one guitar brand are great, or even the same exact model. The guitars change soooo much from one piece of wood to the next. I think a l;ot Taylor and Larrivee guitars are Much more balanced than a lot of the other high priced guitars. You really don't want a guitar to be too boomy. That is why I don't like my Martin for recording. It's also not the best Martin model.

Overall you should get a solid wood guitar. They start at around $500.
 
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