Buying a Guitar

themightypuck

I've recently been motivated to pick up guitar again. I'm a rank beginner and want a decent acoustic. Are Martin's still considered a pretty sure thing? I don't want to futz around too much. I already have a decent Seagull S-6 but it is a Maple and very bright with a fairly tight action and a relatively wide nut. I want something a bit more mellow and easier to play.

themightypuck

Mod plz close. I just found the guitar thread DOH.

Pheezer

There's no "guitar thread". You make your own thread for your question. You do not de-rail another thread with a similar but unique situation.

If you've got everything you need in the way of advice by reading that thread, let me know via PM and I'll just kill this one.

themightypuck

My bad. In that case my question remains. I'm looking for a user friendly acoustic not more than a grand. I noted Martin D-28s are pretty expensive but D-15s are under a grand. Are they any good? I'm always a bit leery of the cheapest model of a line.

Pheezer

Martin is a very popular brand and as a result their prices are probably inflated slightly. They are however popular for their quality, so even their low end is going to be a pretty good instrument.

It all depends on what your needs are, and whether the instrument is right for you. I'd suggest actually playing one. I don't own an acoustic though, so I wouldn't be able to suggest any alternate brands.

amateurhour

I like Takameme (I can never spell that right) acoustics personally. I think the quality really good, the pressure required to fully make a note on a fret is light, and some of the nicer models come with a built in tuner that is really useful.

Kapel

A few years ago I picked up a Ovation Celebrity Deluxe. It was about 700 bucks at the time and has served me very well.

It's an acoustic/electric. By which I mean it's designed to be played through an amp, but due to its body, can play well without also. It's got a built in tuner and pre-amp which is nice and it looks and sounds great.

The sound hole is located on both sides of the guitar, rather than under the strings. This is to prevent string reverb when playing through an amp. Unfortunately the unplugged sound suffers a bit of its carrying power but I still love it.

If going strictly for acoustic though. I've always wanted to get my hands on a takamine 12 string.

deadman jolt

Martins are really good guitars DEPENDING on how much you want to pay. To me, the martin D-16 is the start of the really good level of guitars. I've never been impressed with the DX. The custom models from Musiciansfriend seem to be D-16 with different wood combinations.

Taylor is another brand that has a big following, and their 3 series is roughly equivelant to the D-16.

For beginning guitarists, if you don't want to lay a grand and a half (who does) try out some Fenders, Takamines, and Alvarez guitars. Fender acoustics CAN be good, but your ear and fingers have to decide. I've had good experience when A/B comparing takamine's or Alvarez to low model expensive guitars like Taylor 110s.

GuySmiley

When I was shopping for an acoustic several years ago, I spent days at guitar shops playing everything they had in stock. I couldn't play well, but you really only need to hold the guitar and play one or two chords to get a feel for it. In the end I fell in love with Taylor guitars, but couldn't afford one. The salesman grabbed another guitar from storage and had me try it out. It was a Norman, and it was great. Half the price of a Taylor but with a great sound.

Good luck, and here's a link in case you'd like to check out a Norman dealer:
http://www.normanguitars.com/intro.htm

themightypuck

Thanks. It looks like Martins are pretty pricey so I might end up looking at some of the other ideas pointed out here.

alcoholic_engineer

I picked up a yamaha acoustic electric, (fgx720sc) and love it. It has a nice warm tone and pretty much everything I wanted.


Someone told me this summer that yamaha was trying to rebuild their brand name by releasing guitars that were a little above their price point, and so now is apparently a good time to snag one. It could be taken with a grain of salt, but to be honest out of all the acoustics I tried, that one was my favorite by far.

Cycophant

I'm also going to suggest a Yamaha. I've been playing for quite some time, and the Yamaha is more than decent enough of an instrument. If you're looking for a step up, I'd say look for a starting-range Takamine.

But really, you said it yourself, you're still a beginner guitarist. There is simply no reason to blow huge amounts of money on a Martin or anything fancy. Yes, don't buy bottom-of-the-barrel, because it'll piss you off and you'll stop playing. But blowing $1000 on a beginner guitar is just foolhardy.

themightypuck

I'm a rank beginner. I own 4 guitars. A beat to shit squier strat that really needs to die. A weird made in columbia classical I got at a pawnshop for 25 bucks in Los Vegas, New Mexico. A crappy beginner don't remember the brand name that I haven't seen for a while. A Seagull S-6 Flame Maple Cutaway that is really nice but has a pretty wide nut and a pretty unforgiving bright sound. I played my friend's Martin and I loved it. That's why I was asking about that brand. I could easily keep going with the Seagull but I'm willing to blow some change for a decent more forgiving guitar.

limester816

For a grand or so, I highly recommend Larrivee - they're made in Canada and feature some of the best woods around, I love them as much as some Martins I've heard and played. Taylor also makes some great guitars for that price-range... the Martins you hear about are the ones that have wood aged for many years, and well above a grand.

elevature

I'm looking to buy a guitar as well, but I'm a complete and utter beginner and so am going for something very inexpensive. Once I learn a little I'll look into something more expensive.

The two models that I'm considering are the Yamaha F-310 and the Epiphone DR100. Both are around $120 CDN, and are definitely beginner guitars, but I've read numerous reviews on both and everything has been overwhelmingly positive.

I liked the Yamaha a little better the first time I tried them in store, but I'm going to go back and try them again just to make sure.

Glocjt

If you're willing to spend half a grand or so, see if you can find some decent used guitars. I bought my Martin DC-15E used a couple of years ago from a guy who kept her in great shape, and have never regretted it. Sounds just lovely paired with Elixir phosphor bronzes.

And as mentioned, Larrivees are nice, too. I've played around with some of their dreadnoughts (D-03 and D-03R, methinks) and rather enjoyed them. My experience with trying Taylors has been that their higher end models (700s and the like) are really nice, but way out of my price range. :P I didn't care for their 100s and 200s, and much preferred the sound of Martins over their 300 series.

If you're just starting out, and are reasonably sure you'll stick with playing, see if you can't save and spend around $200 or so for a decent starter. I spend ~220 on an Ibanez AW-10 for my first guitar, and it sounded pretty decent and the action was pretty good, too. I know it can be hard to justify paying a bit more when you're just starting, but having something that's decent will definitely help you start playing better.

And uh, I guess the bottom line would be to hit up music shops (big, small, whatever) and try different guitars out. Different brands tend to have different feels to them, and you should totally try stuff out and see what you like.

shutz

alcoholic_engineer wrote: »

I picked up a yamaha acoustic electric, (fgx720sc) and love it. It has a nice warm tone and pretty much everything I wanted.


Someone told me this summer that yamaha was trying to rebuild their brand name by releasing guitars that were a little above their price point, and so now is apparently a good time to snag one. It could be taken with a grain of salt, but to be honest out of all the acoustics I tried, that one was my favorite by far.

A couple of years ago, I went out looking to buy an acoustic. I was looking for something in the 300$ - 450$ range, as it was going to be my first acoustic (although I already had a sweet Godin electric and a Squier P-Bass, and I initially learned to play on my father's mexican-made acoustic.) I also wanted an integrated pickup, as those tend to sound better than the ones you can add after the fact.

I spent some time trying a few different guitars, including a Takamine, which are supposed to be among the best, but the one I tried had a very light color, and an even brighter sound that (to me, anyway) was more grating than satisfying. Then I saw a Yamaha, probably of the same exact model you mention (fgx720sc) which had a really shiny black body, dark rosewood neck... I fell in love with the look, and when I started playing it, I also fell in love with its warmth (a very warm sound, but the highs are also well-defined.)

The hiccup was, it sold for something like 650$CAN (yeah, I'm from Canadia...)

But I was in love, by then, and I actually could afford it (just cashed some stock options, woohoo!) so I got it.

My only problem has been that I don't play often enough, so I don't have thick enough skin on the tips of my fretting fingers, so I usually get Extra Light or Custom Light strings, which have a lot less sustain (and warmth) than the strings that came with the guitar. But the guitar still sounds really good, better than most other acoustics I've played. And it looks so sweet...

alcoholic_engineer

yea, thats the same one I got shutz.

I highly reccomend it to anyone if they can stomach the price