Buying Acoustic Guitar

  • Thread starter Thread starter Monkey Allen
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Monkey Allen

Monkey Allen

Fork and spoon operator
I'm in the market for a new acoustic guitar to replace my $300 1992 Ibanez Performance. I don't want one with a pickup. I want to spend close to a grand on this one, but I don't know what brand yet. Australian dollars that is. Apart from shonky salesmen, who I can spot from a mile away, what pitfalls should I look out for?
 
Make sure you get a SOLID wood guitar. Many many guitars say something like "exotic bralizian rosewood back and sides" but its nothing than a fancy plywood. it HAS to say "solid" in there. Read up, or ask straight. Salespeople may straight up LIE to you, though. I just dont like people in sales.

I dunno about prices in AUS dollars. I know you guys get the shaft on alot of stuff. Isn't there a shop somewhere owned by AC/DC's old bass player? :)

H2H
 
In the US, I would recommend the Martin style 15 guitars, which is a good place to look. I just don't know how badly the import shit is going to fuck you, but the style 15 guitars are, by far, the best guitars available for the money, at least over here.

The best advice, however, is to spend a LOT of time playing guitars, and find one you like. And then, take it to a good luthier (one not connected to the store you are buying it at), and get their opinion on the guitar.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Cool advice. I don't know about the ACDC place. Maybe there is down south. I live in the north. Yeah, we get the rough end of the stick here in terms of exchange rates and tax. I haven't seen a hell of a lot of Martin guitars over here. At this stage though, I have only visited 'Shopping Mall' music shops. I haven't been to any particularly specialty shops. I am seeing a lot of Fender guitars for about $900Aus which seem to be the top of the line in those shops. Thanks for the info about the wood. I'll be checking as many angles as possible. If I wanna be serious, should I stick clear of everything made in China and other countries in Asia? And, do you mean the Martin D15? They are a very expensive guitar! zsounds $799US
 
I just bought my daughter a new acoustic. We tried lots - Seagull, Takamine, Yamaha, Tanglewood - and settled on an Australian one, an Ayers. Solid mahogony body, no ply, sounds good even new but will surely get better. Worth a look I think, and in your budget. It was £400 (big birthday present - her 16th!), about US$700.
 
It's up to you what kind of sound and feel you want. I don't know what your money will buy in Austrailia but I like Martins, Gibsons and Taylors.
 
Monkey Allen said:
Thanks for the info about the wood. I'll be checking as many angles as possible. If I wanna be serious, should I stick clear of everything made in China and other countries in Asia?
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Not necessarily. They have been doing a much better job in recent years. They still are not close to the best American factories, but they are getting better.



Monkey Allen said:
And, do you mean the Martin D15? They are a very expensive guitar! zsounds $799US
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The D15, the OOO15, the OOO15S, and others. Anything by Martin with the 15 in it is a very good value, in my opinion. They are not the world’s greatest guitars, buy they are the best guitars you are going to buy for the price.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
That Martin D15 is worth $1995Aus...$1665 on some Australian internet dealer markdowns. I tell you what, that's an expensive guitar...I was amazed to find out that the D15 is basically one of the cheaper Martin models. They have guitars that range (in Australian dollars) up to $14,000 and average around 4 or 5 thousand. I also tell you what, I have never played a $2000 + guitar, even in a shop. It would want to have a tone from heaven, that's for sure.
 
Monkey Allen said:
They have guitars that range (in Australian dollars) up to $14,000 and average around 4 or 5 thousand.
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The Martin D100.















My shop has been, for the last two years running, the first and second largest Martin guitar warranty center in the world. I know my Martins.

As I said, I had no idea how much you might get fucked by the import taxes. Still, I would suggest you at least consider trying to put together a little more cash, and seeing if you can a way to get something a bit better.

Most important, find a good store. They will be worth their weight in gold, as they will have a more knowledgeable sales staff, a greater variety of guitars (and probably no Fender acoustics, which pretty much universally suck), and they will be honest. Having a sales staff which you can trust to tell you the truth will make buying guitars a much more plesant experience. Ask around among other musicians. They will be able to help.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Light - was that a $100,000 guitar you posted a link to or am I being stupid? :)

Monkey - have you looked at your home grown Ayers?
 
Light.................

Do you consider the Martin HD-28 one of their finest or maybe I should ask which model you consider superior (<$5K)?

thanks,

rpe
 
I'm not knowledgeable on what's available given the exchange rate but...

I'd play a lot of acoustics. The last acoustic I bought I played over 100 guitars. I settled on a Tacoma PK30. I set out wanting to get a Gibson J45 or a Taylor 612. Play the guitars. Listen to them. Enjoy the experience of trying a lot of guitars. Then get the one that your ears and hands tell you is the one for you.
 
rpe said:
Do you consider the Martin HD-28 one of their finest or maybe I should ask which model you consider superior (<$5K)?

thanks,

rpe
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There is nothing a musician can't like about an HD-28 or HD-35.
 
If you look real hard here in the US, you can find a shop that has Maton guitars. They are pretty pricey for what they are, starting in the $2000 US range, I seem to remember. The one I tried had a nice loud sound--not a subtle guitar at all. How are they thought of in Australia? Wouldn't you be getting a very good guitar if you got a Maton?

http://www.maton.com.au/acoustics/bg808.asp
 
Garry Sharp said:
Monkey - have you looked at your home grown Ayers?
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No, but I will.

On the money note, you have no idea how weird it would feel for me to spend 2 grand on a guitar - let alone more than that. Maybe I should get out a small personal loan and pay it off. But I am anti that. I like to pay straight up. God $2000 is a lot of money for a guitar. But hell, it would sound sweet. And you only live once
 
why would you spend that much money if u dont want to swing for the martins and gibsons?

i dont really think you can go wrong with either, or some others (few) in the price range, but this being my main instrument and having played some high end martins and gibsons, i can tell you that there's nothing that a 2 or 3 year old epiphone masterbuilt DR500ME or DR500RE cant give you that you wont get with anything decent out there, at least till u reach higher end martins.

these epiphones go for 600 bucks...watch for QC though. i got a bad bridge on my DR500ME, but its easily solved with a setup or a new bridge, im just too lazy.

with this said, check out the new Guilds...the gad-50 is my next guitar...600 bucks as well.

if you're not going for a high end acoustic, settle for something that has good woods, and upgradable hardware...a bone nut and saddle cost 10 bucks or something silly like that..

a setup will run for 25 bucks...

these new masterbuilt epis all have grovers..i bet guild has them too...the guild even has bone nut and saddle..

and a guild...IS always a guild.. :D

despite fender messin around with it now..

with wood getting sparser and sparser around the world, i seriously doubt the woods used on decent (not considered high end) guitars, despite the brand, will be THAT different.
 
Monkey Allen said:
God $2000 is a lot of money for a guitar. But hell, it would sound sweet. And you only live once
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It's your life. 2 grand for a great guitar is a cheap investment if you really love playing. It's worth it. Go for it.
 
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Believe me, I want to...badly....it's just such a lot of money. I've had this $300 Ibanez performance since 1992. I suppose, music is what I love, guitars are what I love. I may as well spend the money on it.

Other thing is that I don't want to feel like I'm being ripped off. I mean, for $2000 this Martin D15 would want to sound as though Jesus made it himself.
 
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