Norman86
I apologize in advance if this is a stupid question...
Im currently looking at getting a cheapie acoustic, just as a spare, or when im lazy to play with my strat...
so im currently looking at 2 different acoustics,
The Cort AD810 and the Yamaha F310.
i really like both to be quite honest, but here lies my 2 questions!
1. how important is a cutaway in an acoustic guitar? is it a preference thing again? does it change the tone in a guitar in any way?
or does it actually not matter? is it only to make the higher frets easier to play?
2. what is the general consensus of those 2 acoustics?
any others i should look at?
my budget is not great... R1000! maybe stratching slightly...
and because its not a must have for any electronics, i just need a basic acoustic that will last!
as i say, i do like both, the feel and the tone! to which im leaning, im not too sure!
3rdly... its either the acoustic... or i upgrade my strats ups to the tonerider city limits pups!
This because the pups all sound the same to me, with the exception of the middle pup, that sounds hotter than both the neck and the bridge pups!
so ja... any comments and opinions please?!
If this was your choice to make, what would you do?
Thanks,
Norman
Norman86
Thank you Zohn!
so its just a preference thing then! thanks! its much appreciated!
Ray
OK I dont liek cutaway becasue I dont play up there anyway. As faras the loss of tone is concerned you will get different opinions. but think of the slope shouldered dreadnoughts that have neck body join at the 12th fret. Makes for more body and many people say they are much bigger sound wise, due to the extra body. So, logic to me anyway, is that with a cutaway you got less wood so the sound should be less. But if you play a stratocaster and you play up there then maybe a cutaway is the way to go.
Norman86
thanks Ray!
I do have a strat yes, but i dont play up there yet ? thats why im not sure whether it would matter!
but Ray, you have PM!
racman
The cutaway is supposed to be in the "dead" area of the soundboard and the general consensus of most luthiers, reviewers, manufacturers and players is that a cutaway does not make a significant difference in tone - positive or negative.
I don't play that often up there but I generally prefer a cutaway for the times I do.
Zohn is correct in stating that Clapton, Mayer and many others play beyond the 12th fret quite easily.
Problem is - I'm just me and I need every bit of help I can get!! ? ?
Norman86
lol @racman and all the help you can get!
but thanks!
out of curiosity... does anyone have a completely standard MIM or American standard strat, and do your standard pick-ups cancel hum in positions 2 and 4?
somehow, me thinks i have "upgraded" pups in me strat :-\
makepeace
Norman86 wrote:
out of curiosity... does anyone have a completely standard MIM or American standard strat, and do your standard pick-ups cancel hum in positions 2 and 4?
somehow, me thinks i have "upgraded" pups in me strat :-\
A lot of strats have a reverse wound middle pickup, which when combined with either of the bridge or neck pups, acts similarly to a humbucker. My squier's standard pups were so, and so are the MIM pups that I replaced them with.
Norman86
thanks makepeace! i never would have known that until i picked it up now!
stu
Positions 2 and 4 do get rid of the hum. Because your using two pick ups its kinda working like a humbucker (am I right?)
My acoustic has a cut away and its only usefull in one song that I play. But Im still glad its there, I think it makes the guitar look more impressive ?
deefstes
Hi Norman86,
I think, as long as you don't pay more than R1000, you'd be doing well getting either of those guitars. They are both good sellers, probably the respective manufacturers' entry level best sellers. If I had to choose though, I'd probably go for the Cort.
As regards a cutaway, I have a Martin DCX1E which has a cutaway and I never play that high up. In order to use those high frets on an acoustic you would need a fairly low action which is typically not how you'd set up an acoustic as it would give way too much fret buzz when you're strumming.
Moreover, a cutaway on a dreadnought body style doesn't really make sense to me anyway as you would typically rather use a smaller bodies guitar like an OO or OOO for the trebly tones while the dreadnought carries the bold and full sounds. If I had known back then what I know now I would not have bought a cutaway DCX1E. I will say that a cutaway on a round body like Concert style, OO or OOO does look very good to me - but that's about it.
Having said all that, I don't think it affects the tone of the guitar much as it is mostly the bridge end of the body that reverberates most.
Norman86
deefstes wrote:
Hi Norman86,
I think, as long as you don't pay more than R1000, you'd be doing well getting either of those guitars. They are both good sellers, probably the respective manufacturers' entry level best sellers. If I had to choose though, I'd probably go for the Cort.
Thanks for that! any specific reason for preferring the cort?
costafonix
Cort is great value for money, they're nicely built too, but I guess the advice you'd get from most people on this forum is go play them both and see which one you like best.
Fingerpicker
Get the cutaway, otherwise you'll spend the rest of your life wondering if you should have got it.
I spend a lot of time up there when accompanying other guitarists, especially in E and G keys.
Norman86
thanks guys!
lol... Fingerpicker, if i could only find a guit in my price range with a cutaway! not so easy!
but im looking second hand too! but no luck! yet!
i see samusicalinstruments has a washburn WD10 @ 50% off... so its retailing from them at R1699...
opinions on this one maybe?
Norman86
would the Washburn WD10 be a better buy than the Cort / Yamaha?
im thinking it would, but would just like to be sure!
i am making an appointment to see the WD10!
Otherwise, anyone with a second hand acoustic they want to sell?
RobK
All I'd have to tell you is to be patient and keep looking. Even if you like that WD10, maybe don't jump at it.
I tried two that I liked the looks of a couple of times, but wasn't 100% happy. I almost bought one of them a couple of times too, but walked away at the last moment. One was an Ibanez and the other a Tanglewood, not sure of the models.
I also briefly tried PeteM's Cort nylon string acoustic(not sure what model) and liked the sound that came out of that. It also looked good and was comfortable to hold/play.
That was a while ago, and today I finally found what I wanted at a brilliant price too ? . Picked up a Cort CEC 7 and couldn't be happier. Also a nylon string, but I love the sound.
Oh just FYI, when shopping around I've learnt that the price on the sticker is not usually the actual price, so always ask for the price ?
