electro-acoustic guitar
- Thread starter ollie99
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muttley600
Banned
You will not get a lot for your budget. What are you looking to do with it? Live? Recording? If I was tied to that budget I'd look second hand and forget the electro bit...
ollie99
New member
well mostly recording but live as well, and I'm not looking for amazing quality.... plus I'm not too knowledgable about electro-acoustic guitars but my brother has an acoustic which cost £150 new which I think is very good so does that give you any idea on the sort of quality I expect?
muttley600
Banned
acidrock
GO PACKERS!
When it comes to low priced acoustics,your best bet is to head down to the store and sort through them,used and new.Play them with your eyes closed and don't buy a guitar because of the way it looks,at that price range at least.I've got a Yamaha six string and a Seagull twelve string that play and sound great for cheap,but were scratched up ugly ducklings.
As far as pickups,some are better than others,none are better than a mic for recording.
As far as pickups,some are better than others,none are better than a mic for recording.
muttley600
Banned
Agreed, but for that price I'd just get the guitar and forget the pickup. Even an average sounding and reliable pickup is going to consume most of that budget. I'd add one when funds permit.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
I bought my electro acoustic 23 years ago for £100. The sound when it's plugged in is atrocious. I still hate it ! When I played live, I used to mic it up and use the plugged in sound with all the treble off as a kind of bolstering of the acoustic. It was quite an original sound.
But that plugged in racket ! Ooooh !
But that plugged in racket ! Ooooh !
I'll second grim's post- I own a very nice Martin acoustic, and owned until just recently a very nice Seagull. I installed a piezo bridge pickup in the Martin, and man, I have NEVER been happy with the sound. More quack than a whole flock of strats- and neither the guitar nor the pickup are budget. I have tried several schemes- played it thru a Behringer acoustic guitar amp, thru my Super Champ XD's "Acoustisonic" setting, tried several pedals including some that have acoustic simulators- at best, it sounds passable. The only benefit I see is when playing live, I don't have to stand near a mic. I suppose a Fishman pre-amp/EQ would probably sound decent, but they cost about $300 USD.
And I am of the strong opinion that electric/acoustic guitars are almost NEVER needed. Esteban (that hack) started that crap, with his infomercial guitars, and now it seems everybody thinks they need a pickup in their acoustic guitar. They don't. It's just a gimmick. For your £150 (that's what, about $250 US?) you can find a decent acoustic guitar without a silly, sub-standard pickup in it. It that respect, the only thing I have ever seen was an Ibanez acoustic that had a built-in tuner, mounted where you would expect to see the pickup's EQ- on the upper side of the guitar. Now, THAT was kinda cool- always have a tuner handy. But a pickup? Pass, and save your money.
As far as an acoustic guitar, the only brand I recommend with any regularity is Seagull. You can probably find a used one in your budget, if you are patient.- Great things comes to he who waiteth- as long as he worketh like hell while he waiteth.
And I am of the strong opinion that electric/acoustic guitars are almost NEVER needed. Esteban (that hack) started that crap, with his infomercial guitars, and now it seems everybody thinks they need a pickup in their acoustic guitar. They don't. It's just a gimmick. For your £150 (that's what, about $250 US?) you can find a decent acoustic guitar without a silly, sub-standard pickup in it. It that respect, the only thing I have ever seen was an Ibanez acoustic that had a built-in tuner, mounted where you would expect to see the pickup's EQ- on the upper side of the guitar. Now, THAT was kinda cool- always have a tuner handy. But a pickup? Pass, and save your money.
As far as an acoustic guitar, the only brand I recommend with any regularity is Seagull. You can probably find a used one in your budget, if you are patient.- Great things comes to he who waiteth- as long as he worketh like hell while he waiteth.
mjbphotos
Moderator
I have to disagree with SteveieB: Electro-acoustic are needed for most live playing these days. And you can find a used guitar with a Fishman pre/EQ in your price range, if you are patient and shop around. I got a Fender CD140SCE (solid spruce top, lam sides/back) for $200 used (new ones are $300) and the acoustic sound, while not as rich as guitars in the $500+ range, is ok for my needs, and the plugged-in sound works well for me - both in a band situation (where you have to have electro-) and in solo performances. I had also looked at the Epiphone AJ220 (same price new) but thought the Fender sounded a little better.
Of course, the Taylor e/a that should be arriving in the next few days will mean the Fender becomes a backup, but the Taylor cost a LOT more!
Of course, the Taylor e/a that should be arriving in the next few days will mean the Fender becomes a backup, but the Taylor cost a LOT more!
ollie99
New member
thanks for the replies guys and btw I was always going to record with a mic and stuff it's just if I ever use it live which is more of a possibility if I actually have an acoustic guitar. Judging from your replies I was thinking that perhaps I should just get an acoustic guitar but I just watched a review of a fender CD-60CE and it seems to sound pretty good when plugged in.
here is the video:
Fender CD60CE Demo - YouTube
just to reiterate, I know I am not going to get the best quality when it is plugged in and if I ever do use it live then it'll likely be used as a rhythm guitar with a band around it (bass, drums and keyboard) so it will not be the centre of attention, I just want to get the acoustic sound.
Also I am by far primarily an electric guitarist so I am not looking to buy a world class acoustic guitar, it is purely to widen sounds I can produce on record and live.
here is the video:
Fender CD60CE Demo - YouTube
just to reiterate, I know I am not going to get the best quality when it is plugged in and if I ever do use it live then it'll likely be used as a rhythm guitar with a band around it (bass, drums and keyboard) so it will not be the centre of attention, I just want to get the acoustic sound.
Also I am by far primarily an electric guitarist so I am not looking to buy a world class acoustic guitar, it is purely to widen sounds I can produce on record and live.
ollie99
New member
adding my budget up, I can actually spend up to £205.
with a quick look on ebay do either of these look like a good buy?
Tanglewood electro acoustic guitar (TF2C-SN) with hard case | eBay
Yamaha CPX-5 VS Electro Acoustic Guitar | eBay
with a quick look on ebay do either of these look like a good buy?
Tanglewood electro acoustic guitar (TF2C-SN) with hard case | eBay
Yamaha CPX-5 VS Electro Acoustic Guitar | eBay
kip4
Well-known member
i'd want the wood in my hands before i bought any guitar just to hear it and feel how it plays ,feels.
10 guitars by the same maker and not 1 alike is more often the case with entry level instruments. Try before you buy if possible Ollie or your playing fret russian roulette.
10 guitars by the same maker and not 1 alike is more often the case with entry level instruments. Try before you buy if possible Ollie or your playing fret russian roulette.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
I wasn't trying to discourage you from getting an electro acoustic, just saying that my cheapo one is shit as an amplified acoustic. It sounds like lemons fused with Zebedee springs..........
For a fair amount, you can get a good pick up {perhaps with preamp and EQ} that does make your acoustic sound like a real acoustic when plugged in. Most that I've heard don't. On my 12 string, I had a fairly pricey one fitted and even that doesn't sound like an acoustic when plugged in. Not to me anyway.
However, over the years, I think that there has developed an "electro~acoustic" guitar sound. It's ubiquitous in christian rock and pop and especially worship music. It's a sound I rarely like but it's in alot of post 80s music. It's a sound that is certainly not electric and certainly isn't acoustic but somewhere in between. Almost trying to be Jim McGuinn's 12 string Byrds sound but without the 12 strings.
What I've done is to utilize the minuses of my guitars and turn them into plusses with heaps of experimenting and I now have a range of acousticesque guitar sounds that I can actually say that I like, in addition to miked acoustic guitars.
ollie99
New member
that sound in the middle of electric and acoustic is what I'm expecting really. I just want to make sure I am going to get that sound and not some fuzzy or unclear sound.
muttley600
Banned
You almost certainly be disappointed with the sound of the cheaper pickups. Even decent pickups need quite a bit of tweaking to get them to sound and behave well. Spend your money on the guitar part and just use a cheap magnetic soundhole pickup until you can investigate something better. Thank me later..
ollie99
New member
You almost certainly be disappointed with the sound of the cheaper pickups. Even decent pickups need quite a bit of tweaking to get them to sound and behave well. Spend your money on the guitar part and just use a cheap magnetic soundhole pickup until you can investigate something better. Thank me later..
well I've just watched a video on how to install the pickup but is that still the exact same mechanics to when you have an electro acoustic apart from where the wire is hanging out?
ollie99
New member
does anyone think these would be good buys in the £200 region?
I asked the guy about the tanglewood and he received them as a gift and the guitar was around £200 and the case was around £40, and he hasn't played them much so he is selling them
muttley600
Banned
Installing a soundhole pickup is simple. Any decent shop will do it for next to nothing. To install a higher end system requires a bit of know how, thats why I advise going the soundhole route to start. It is non destructive and reversible, you can get a generic acoustic sound and you can upgrade or swap it out later. Fishman make about the best for the money right now. I'm still using the Rare Earth system in my acoustics through a Trace Elliot TA for live work. It beats justs about all the electro built in systems for flexibility and reliability. Of course it's your money so it's your choice.