What acoustic guitar record best ?
- Thread starter Chuckschwandt
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Richard Monroe
Well-known member
I'm almost finished tracking an album, and all of the acoustic was done with a Taylor 710CE. IMHO, the Taylor is the best new off the rack recording acoustic I could possibly afford. I prefer the cutaway modals, as the cutaway seems to reduce boom somewhat. Older Martins in good condition are to die for. Some old Gibsons, especially jumbo bodies, rock. The Martin neck, although attached often to a great guitar, does not fit my hand, and the Gibsons I really like ( a vintage dove) are out of my price range. The McPherson is one of the very best, but I'm not willing to sell my car to buy a guitar.-Richie
In my experience a Yamaha performed best. It was an old battered up thing but sounded great.
I recorded an Ovation too lately. It cost around €1200, looked super cool, sounded great in a life gig situation but when I got it in the studio I didnt like it much. It was such a big sounding guitar and very hard to place in the mix properly. It dominated everything else. Had to go a bit mad on the EQing but I eventually managed to tone it down a bit.
Had to do hardly anything to the Yamaha.
Like some of the Takamines too.
But, hey, every guitar is different. Regardless of brand. I reckon you could be lucky and get a really nice guitar for very little or you could pay a fortune and get a piece of crap. Vice versa of course.
I recorded an Ovation too lately. It cost around €1200, looked super cool, sounded great in a life gig situation but when I got it in the studio I didnt like it much. It was such a big sounding guitar and very hard to place in the mix properly. It dominated everything else. Had to go a bit mad on the EQing but I eventually managed to tone it down a bit.
Had to do hardly anything to the Yamaha.
Like some of the Takamines too.
But, hey, every guitar is different. Regardless of brand. I reckon you could be lucky and get a really nice guitar for very little or you could pay a fortune and get a piece of crap. Vice versa of course.
as usual
It depends. I have heard $3000 guitars that sound like crap and $400 guitars that are very pleasant.
While I think sticking to the known quality makers is important, the way the guitar plays and sounds is the telling tale. Each person also has different ideas how a guitar should sound. I have played a lot of expensive guitars that I just didn't like the sound of--they sounded great, but not the sound I like.
It depends. I have heard $3000 guitars that sound like crap and $400 guitars that are very pleasant.
While I think sticking to the known quality makers is important, the way the guitar plays and sounds is the telling tale. Each person also has different ideas how a guitar should sound. I have played a lot of expensive guitars that I just didn't like the sound of--they sounded great, but not the sound I like.
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
I have some hi dollar guitars and some boat paddles with strings. They all have a place. The D-41 and the vintage 000-18 sound like what you'd expect from $4000 guitars. The Taylor GA-XXV just sparkles. But one of the best tracks I've gotten was a nylon stringed Bently I bought from a neighbor kid for $30. Granted I was mic-ing it with a Neumann KM-184 but it sounded great. The point is, there is no best, just what works for a particular tune at the time.
tune machine
New member
I have one of the less expensive Taylor dreadnaughts (I think it's a 410--mahogany body w/ satin finish ... was about 1400 clams) and always liked how it recorded ... that is, until a guy I know brought over his new Collings. Any of you ever tried one of those? Man, I recorded that thing into SONAR with an AT4030, and it is truly the most balanced sounidng acoustic I have ever heard. Unfortunately, he said the Collings ran him about 7000 clams. It was fun to pick on it and record it. I have had O.K. luck with Takamines and Gibsons--although the Gibsons sound harsh sometimes. Good strumming guitars. the worst are those bowl backed things.
I played a lot of acoustic steel string guitars recently while shopping around for a new guitar.
Based on tone and playability (and my ears), I preferred most Taylor and Larrivee over Gibson, Martin and anything else in the over $1,000 new guitar category. Must say, some Collings sounded great too!
I ended up buying a Larrivee DV09, a dreadnought with cutaway rosewood body and mahogany neck/ebony fingerboard. I am VERY happy with this guitar.
It's equally suited to flatpicking or finger style and creates an incredibly balanced sound without over-emphasising any particular frequency which translates very well into recording. The model I have has no electronics and although I use a fairly inexpensive Marshall mic, the resulting recorded tracks are very balanced yet punchy at the same time. It cuts through the mix very easily if you want it to, without the need of EQ.
Personally I also found Larrivee to be a better buy than Taylor. I got a great deal on the Larrivee, but in any case I would have had to spend $200-$400 more to get a Taylor with similar features and sound. Resale value could be a different story, but hopefully I'll never have to go there.
Like mentioned before, ultimately it's what sound good to your ears (and meets your budget) that matters!
Based on tone and playability (and my ears), I preferred most Taylor and Larrivee over Gibson, Martin and anything else in the over $1,000 new guitar category. Must say, some Collings sounded great too!
I ended up buying a Larrivee DV09, a dreadnought with cutaway rosewood body and mahogany neck/ebony fingerboard. I am VERY happy with this guitar.
It's equally suited to flatpicking or finger style and creates an incredibly balanced sound without over-emphasising any particular frequency which translates very well into recording. The model I have has no electronics and although I use a fairly inexpensive Marshall mic, the resulting recorded tracks are very balanced yet punchy at the same time. It cuts through the mix very easily if you want it to, without the need of EQ.
Personally I also found Larrivee to be a better buy than Taylor. I got a great deal on the Larrivee, but in any case I would have had to spend $200-$400 more to get a Taylor with similar features and sound. Resale value could be a different story, but hopefully I'll never have to go there.
Like mentioned before, ultimately it's what sound good to your ears (and meets your budget) that matters!
King Elvis
New member
Gibson J-200!!!
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Gidge said:
Jim is a close friend of my fathers, and I have played many of his guitars, as well as recording a few of them. They always sound good, period. He also (and this is more important) has some of the nicest workmanship of anybody building right now. Whether or not you like his guitars sound, you can not fault his work.
The idea of saying a particular builder’s guitar is best for recording is ridiculous. It completely misses most of the issues (if not all) involved in making a guitar sound good for recording. What kind of back and side wood, or top wood, would be a better question (Mahogany seems to work best for me. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking of mahogany as a "budget" wood, it is not). Also of importance is bracing pattern, though I think it is more a question of color than better or best (I have an amazing little ladder braced guitar I use a lot for leads, because it has a bright, punchy sound which cuts through my rather thick guitar arrangements very nicely). Asking about builders also doesn't take into account the size of the guitar (most builders make a number of sizes), the scale length (which I think makes a bigger difference than anybody in the luthier community really acknowledges), or plywood verses solid wood (solid always sounds better) or price range. I don't mean to be a prick, but it is really not a question that is helpful.
That being said, the best way to find the right guitar for you has never changed. Play a bunch of guitars until you find the one you like. The best part is, you get to spend your Saturdays at a guitar store playing. What could possibly be more fun than that?
And if you do decide to get one of Jim's (Olsen) guitars, good luck. His waiting list is two years, and his base price is $12,500. They are worth it, but it sure is a lot of money.
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badgas
New member
I don't think it's the guitar that makes the difference.
I tend to think it's the meat behind the instrument. I've heard some really nice stuff played on old beaters, and some stuff by guys who know the fingering but not how to play.
Also, it's what sound your looking for.
With so many different answers, it's a personal decsion.
I have seven acoustics and they all sound different.
~ shrugs ~
I like the sound of my Lyle, my Yamaha APX, J-30, etc, etc, etc,,,,,.
I tend to think it's the meat behind the instrument. I've heard some really nice stuff played on old beaters, and some stuff by guys who know the fingering but not how to play.
Also, it's what sound your looking for.
With so many different answers, it's a personal decsion.
I have seven acoustics and they all sound different.
~ shrugs ~
I like the sound of my Lyle, my Yamaha APX, J-30, etc, etc, etc,,,,,.
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McButtsky said:
If that is an old 714 (more than a year or two) than the pre-amp is a Fishman, just so as you know.
I have never been fond of Taylors (the exception being the Leo Kottke twelve string). They are all very nice, but they tend to have no character. This is the problem with growing up with a Luthier as a father. I have been surounded by some of the best guitars in the world for so long, that I am jaded when it comes to factory instruments. Taylors just sound too much like one another to my ear. A guitar should be distictive and unique. Taylors never are. They are just nice.
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