Acoustic guitars

DonovanB

So I'm keen to get a decent steel string acoustic. I'm using them a lot more and am growing attached to the idea.

What are the options? I tried out an Ibanez AW 15, 40 and 85. A few Guilds and a Taylor with a hectic V shape neck. and so far the Ibanez 85 comes out tops for me.

Anything else I should look at seriously? I don't want to ignore budget altogether, I'm not looking for a R100k guitar, but what are the quality guitars out there on a Medium budget?

I liked the Martin, although it's slightly out of my budget it could be worth saving for?

let's hear the thoughts...

[deleted]

Larrivee 3 series if you want best value for money guitar on earth.
Save up and get a real pretty one, 5 series.

Best mass produced acoustics kla...

Taylors, Martins, nice... but Larrivee is another class at their price points.
Okay everyone knows I am a Larrivee nut. But play one and let your ears be the judge

If you want a bright thin guitar get a Taylor ? imo
If you want to pay to much get a Martin ? imo

Okay I started running already.

singemonkey

Brentcgp wrote: If you want a bright thin guitar get a Taylor ? imo
If you want to pay to much get a Martin ? imo

Okay I started running already.

Don't be a hater ?

Jericho

Yamaha make great, well-priced acoustic guitars. I'd give them a try as well.

I have an FG700 and its really good. A well seasoned pro had a go at it and couldn't put it down.

[deleted]

singemonkey wrote:
Brentcgp wrote: If you want a bright thin guitar get a Taylor ? imo
If you want to pay to much get a Martin ? imo

Okay I started running already.
Don't be a hater ?

No hate.. Just cant understand the popularity... Martin maybe yes... But Taylors? They feel SOOOO good... till you play it, for 10 seconds... then reach for something else... Still looking for a great Taylor... I found an amazing 614 many years ago.... almost got it... but then I found my Larrivee... ?

DonovanB

If you're a fan of a particular brand there must be something in it...

I will try Larrivee if I can find one. I remember Bob's Morgan being very easy to play and great sounding as well.

I haven't tried any Yamaha's lately. I must say I'm not convinced by the brand. I will give some a go though.

Martin is expensive, but I did love the model I played recently.

The Ibanii are another bunch. Most play fairly well and some forum members can vouch for the AW40CE. Personally the electronics in the AW85 sound better to me and the playability was great. I just can't help feel like I'll be selling myself short to get an Ibanez. The same goes for Cort and Crafter. it just feels emotionally wrong.

As for the Taylor it was too bright for me. nice feel, but my style needs more bass response.

TomCat

If the Ibby's played nicely for you then also try the AW1000's. More of a prestige model.

Dillon

Not everyones cup of tea, but certainly mine:

www.guitarforum.co.za/your-gear/finally-got-my-dream-guitar!/

[deleted]

Other guitars that I enjoy are Taks ? and Alvarez Yairis.. rare, but some gems ?

Donovan Banks wrote: I will try Larrivee if I can find one. I remember Bob's Morgan being very easy to play and great sounding as well.

Morgan was started by a fellow that work for Jean Larrivee for many years, and in fact I think the Morgans are still being finished in the Larrivee factory..
A friend of mine has a stunning Koa Morgan OM, which is stunning.. and of course Bobs too..
Beautiful guitars.. they are in essence, Larrivees' with a M on the headstock ?

Look for a Larrivee if you can. Would be well worth the effort. ?

Dillon wrote: Not everyones cup of tea, but certainly mine:

www.guitarforum.co.za/your-gear/finally-got-my-dream-guitar!/

Stunning guitar, dont get me wrong, one of the nicest guitars I ever played was a Taylor, fond memories.. The RSSM Taylor...
Sadly when i was 15 I couldn't afford it :'( Otherwise I promise it would have been mine..

There is one I know of floating around SA...

DonovanB

TomCat wrote: If the Ibby's played nicely for you then also try the AW1000's. More of a prestige model.

There is no such model now?

I must say that the AW40 looks very cool for the price...
Especially this one.

aubs1

I don't really know or play acoustics, but Bob said something to me once (when I nearly bought a Taylor T5), that made lots of sense: " If the guitar feels nice in your hands, but you are not convinced of the tone, etc., let someone play it while you stand a few feet away, and listen.......... "

Just a thought, Don ........

guitarboy2828

Don, I have just played over 60 guitars trying to find myself a kiff acoustic.. What I came away with it is.. (just know this was all in the USA)

Taylors are cool, the 314ce's were amazing, but the price was crazy! For that price I'd probably have pick up a larrivee! I didn't like any other taylors, even the higher up 814ce's.

You're in durban, which is a pity coz we don't got a whole lot down here. But I ended up with a Breedlove, really best value for money I found. Great sounding guitars and they were very nicely priced. Takamine's were my second choice. I loved them.

I left SA thinking i'd get a Martin because I played a Martin DC-1E at Coastals and fell in love, but when I play that same model and models higher than it and compared them to other guitars side by side, it lost big time. Problem here is that we only get to play that guitar and everything else is half the price, which usually says a lot.

I tend to disagree with Jeremy, Yamaha are not well priced at all. Far to expensive. Their instruments have also lost some of their quality of late I find. The old school FG 700s are amazing, those things are tone beasts!

Reinhard

I'm enjoying my Hummingbird. Got it for a great price (I have checked some of the big brands at Marshall Music, and this was cheap in comparison), used. Very smooth and balanced, nice action, worth checking out.

Squonk

Want a great looking guitar, get the Martins or the Taylors or even the Larry's

Want a guitar that will work for you, that sounds great plugged in and you can slap it around a bit as well.

Go for Takamine ?

Ray

Maybe depends on what you want to do with it as well. Also, are you particular about what's on the headstock? If you're looking at Ibanez then maybe not. Anyway, lots of people until a few months ago were asking the same questions as you. Then they got the same answers from people that were asking the same questions a few months earlier and so on and on and on. Guys read a bit of the stuff that gets said about the higher end guitars and the lower end guitars and shit! you going to go far to find so much knowledge. Funny thing, acoustic guitars churn out experts and quickly hey. But think about this. If you buy a cheapish guitar and you dont like it, then you sell it or you keep it as a beater and you buy something else. If you like it If you buy something pretty expensive and you dont like it then you've got to sell it and tell people all sorts of crap why you're selling it and you sit with this moer of an investment that you hate and believe me you will hate it!
I'm not an expert. When I was looking for acoustic guitars I asked questions and I bought lots of guitars. And gave some to nephews and other people and so forth. Not here but elsewhere there was a repeating answer I was getting and that is that Yamahas are the way to go for cheaper guitar value. In particular the FG7nn series. I have a fg750 and a fgx730sc and I love them. I have a cort acoustic which i dont like the sound of but I like the smaller body. i have a cort resonator which i do like except the neck is a bit narrow and I am a bit ham handed. I have bought a MUCH more expensive guitar the brand and model of which is well documented elsewhere on this forum and in this thread but I didnt like it and tried to sell it and would have lost so much it's unbelievable. The embarrassment it has caused is incredible because I played expensive guitars and headstock was important and this one came out tops. I now have a nephew who thinks I am the greatest thing since bubblegum. Anyway, if it works out that your first acoustic is one that you don’t like, try and make sure it’s not a big issue to get rid of it or keep it as a beater.
Take a look at:
http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/50-guitars-to-play-before-you-die-part-2-199810

racman

Brentcgp wrote:
Morgan was started by a fellow that work for Jean Larrivee for many years, and in fact I think the Morgans are still being finished in the Larrivee factory..

they are in essence, Larrivees' with a M on the headstock ?

Mmmmm ... I think not. I believe they also have different bracing patterns. But yes, there are distinct similarities - they both produce an OM and Dread model, and they are both made out of wood ?

Having played a few Larries as well as my Morgan, I believe that they do sound different but you can't go wrong with either brand - great guitars!!

There is a great '95 Martin D-35 still for sale as well ?

Keira-WitherKay

acoustics are all about tone............ but tone in itself is so debatable.......... so a good acoustic is one that sounds great for you , and that again has a problem of until you played enough guitars you don't have a clue.............

so play as many as you can........

and also play guitars out of your price range as a comparison.......... cos so many people spend hours or a lifetime hearing only 'cheaper" guitars.tha they learn to associate with good tone....... but compare it to top end models and see how they stand up...........

also decide what you want out of the guitar ... as in volume ...beter guitars tend to be louder .........acoustically that is...... but if you buying a guitar for stage use and gonna use a pickup ......unplugged acoustic volume is not an issue.......

also with plugging in pickups colour the tone immensely , even mr fishman of fishman pickups is quoted as saying NO pickup on the current market reproduces the true sound of the guitars they in so if you plugging in make sure you get a guitar that sounds good plugged......... and if it sounds thin or weak acustically don't worry cos the plugged sound is what matters to most performing muso's ...and believe me some pickups ( good ones) can make some dodgy guitar sound awesome after some acoustic modelling and well voiced EQ

so decide your budget ............ do research on whats out here and their market prices ......... decide whether you want the guitar to sound good plugged in or unplugged ......... and find the tone you like

and as we always say BUY 2nd hand unless you getting a 40 - 50% discount off the retail price of new guitar cos acoustics lose value incredibly so a new brand x costs Y new but 2nd hand ( unless it's vintage) it will devalue by at least 40 - 50% because if the seller wants a sale ..... he has to beat the huge discounts most stores offer on new gear to make the guitar attractive......cos if you buying 2nd hand at only say 30% less than retail price rather buy new since you will get a gaurentee and rather find the store that will offer the best deal.......... but ussually 2nd hand is cheaper by far and one easily can get a guitar at 50% of the market price or less if it's a desparate seller........... never forget it;s a buyers market your hard cash money is king .....

guitarboy2828

I agree with the Larrivees and Morgans, they are amazing I'm sure. However, they are in a different ball park to Ibanez's. Even the most expensive Ibanez is probably not close to the price of a 3 series Larri. So, that does have to come into play a bit. A 20k guitar is going to sound different to a 7k guitar.

Squonk

20K will not always sound better than a 7K

I was at TJ's last night and listened to the Taylors, Martins etc and some of them sounded like poop plugged in.

There is always the plugged in factor, if this is what you want the acoustic guitar for, I would test all of these plugged in as well.

deefstes

OK, I'm gonna go right ahead and make your choice much easier for you by eliminating all but four guitars to choose from ?

Depending on your price bracket I'd recommend this:
If you're in the lower to mid price range, get a Takamine, no further questions asked. Considering what you pay for the guitar, you are not going to get another one that gives you better quality than Takamine. There are many nice Yamahas, Corts and Crafters but none of which outrank the Takamines in my view.

If you're in the mid - higher price range you get to choose between three guitars, Martin, Taylor and Larrivee. There are certainly other very good ones out there but these are the three that have just always impressed me. Personally, I'm very much a Martin guy but I can't fault the other two.

I'd be honest that I don't know Larrivee as well as I do Martin and Taylor. Here is my take on Martin vs Taylor:

I've always loved the looks of the Taylors (I mean look at the 916ce if you want to see a thing of beauty) and was firmly decided on buying a Taylor as soon as I could afford it. When it came down to buying the guitar and I started seriously comparing the different ones I had no choice but to buy a Martin instead. The tone was just that much better for me. By that I'm not saying that Taylor has an inferior tone to Martin but it certainly has a much different tone and I preferred that of Martin. Others would prefer Taylor.

Taylor typically has a much brighter and clearer tone, sometimes perceived as "thinner". They tend to work well with lighter gauge strings. It's an awesome tone and I think it is personified in their GA guitars. The dreadnaughts do have a fuller sound but if that is the tone you're after I don't think they can compare with the Martins. If ever I do buy myself a Taylor it will be a GA shape.

Martins have that warmer, more earthy tone. It lacks that crisp attack sound of the Taylor which I sometimes find a bit distracting in a way but I know some people love it. They lend themselves to heavier gauge strings and especially on the dreadnaught shapes it is a truly fantastic tone.

Larrivee, like I said, I don't know as well as these two. I've played a few, never pass an opportunity to do so, and they've always impressed me but I'd consider them a closer match to the Taylors than to Martin. They also make truly beautiful guitars. You're not supposed to buy a guitar based on the visual appeal but I for one can't help but to be influenced by that.

So, to make a long story short, buy a Takamine or if you can afford something high end, play as many Martins, Taylors and Larrivees as you can get your hands on and establish which is the tone that speaks to you.