[HD-5000]

Hey guys. I was hoping YOU yes YOU can help me choose a good acoustic-electric guitar.

I'm definitely going to do some testdriving but I hope you guys can point me in the right direction.

Price can be sky high (err, not really. budget is $2000, I can go higher but I'd be very happy if I could go lower).

I'm a big fan of the Dreadnought shape and its sound characteristics, but I am open minded and I can see beauty in all the ladies.

I want high-end features, like a solid top, low action, beautiful finish, sturdy contruction, all the works!

I would like a guitar that I can grow up with, something I will cherish, and perhaps pass it along to my descendants.

Any suggestions?

and thanks in advance.

 

[HD-5000]

Going shopping tomorrow, I would really like some advice tonight.

Bump

 

[Capital R]

I've always loves Takamine guitars, so I recommend anything Takamine that you may find. Sturdy, great quality, beautiful, and they sound amazing.

 

[Jahn]

holy crapoly. you have 2000 bucks for an acoustic? for that price you can snag a used Martin D-28 and die happy. honest. that's the way to go. don't forget the die happy part. seeing as how you live in KC, there should be tons of guitar stores in the area carrying some awesome acoustics - used too. google the locations, it's worth it!

 

[HD-5000]

Yes!

The Martin D-28 looks extremely pleasing to the eye. It's GORGEOUS. It's the ideal guitar thats been in my head, materialized. Final judgement will be reserved until I evaluate its sound.

No kidding about the budget. This is a gift from my parents to enjoy before I leave for college. I see this as a great honor and privilege from my wonderful parents.

They know how serious I am about music. They have spent thousands upon thousands for my musical education and bought me a $6000 violin. This is their final music-related purchase for me and I am glad that they will end it with a BANG!

 

[HD-5000]

Hmm, doesn't look like its an acoustic-electric.

There is a Takamine dealer nearby, the selection is wide so I will need to take a closer look.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HD-5000 Hmm, doesn't look like its an acoustic-electric. There is a Takamine dealer nearby, the selection is wide so I will need to take a closer look.

by "acoustic-electric" do you mean you want it to have a pickup and an input to hook it up to your amp?

my suggestion is that you get a good guitar first and worry about the electric part of it later. you can get custom pickups/mics installed that sound better than stock electrics and they're pretty cheap...

i'm primarily an acoustic player and love goodall guitars: http://www.goodallguitars.com/

jim goodall's a small guitar maker based in kona, hawaii...and they're beautiful. i have a mahogany concert jumbo but i've heard a rosewood standard that was absolutely a cannon...my friend's a professional musician and uses a koa goodall as one of his guitars. he had the electronics installed separately and it sounds fantastic.

i, too, like the martin d-28, but it's a common guitar. my other suggestions would be collings or santa cruz guitars...i'm fond of the smaller companies. good luck...

 

[lumanogin]

Lumanog guitars are really good (I'm a little biased

), comparable to Gibsons but at half the price. I'm heading to the Philippines next week to do some business and pleasure, and will be bringing a couple back for my friends.

 

[incognitoedleon]

In that price range, the Martin D-18 and D-28 are both worth trying out. If you see them around, Larrivee guitars are another excellent buy you should check into.

 

[wrhawk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by incognitoedleon In that price range, the Martin D-18 and D-28 are both worth trying out. If you see them around, Larrivee guitars are another excellent buy you should check into.

i'll second the recommendation for larrivee guitars.
beautiful sounding instruments, and wonderfully priced.

i've had mine for at least 5 years, and have really enjoyed playing it, and hearing its sound mature. another bit of encouragement is that all of my friends play american guitars, be it martin or taylor or whathaveyou, and they all love playing my guitar. point being, their guitars easily cost twice as much, but the fit and finish and sound that my larrivee's got is a notch above.

this is certainly not to say that american guitars aren't worth buying - quite the opposite - but you should at least be aware that, whether you like it or not, you're paying for the name on the headstock before tonewoods and construction come into the picture.

another point of value is that, it really doesn't matter what make guitar you buy, as long as it sounds great and is a joy to play. i'd really encourage you to visit a few of the smaller guitar shops in town (avoid guitar center, etc), and get a few honest opinions on some of the less well known guitar companies. i'm positive you'll be able to find a better instrument for less money than you would were you to buy a big name guitar from a big name shop.

however, the fact that you've seemingly done no research of your own, and seem to have given yourself a whole day to figure out what you should be looking for, makes me think that this advice isn't going to really be heeded.

i'm sure your parents don't care exactly when you choose which guitar you want, and i can guarantee that if you spend some time playing, listening, and reading up on a few guitars, you'll be much happier with your decision a few years from now.

lastly, i'd be willing to bet that, 5-10 years from now, you won't care whether or not your acoustic can be plugged in. sure, it can be convenient to be able to plug in at shows, or plug in to tune, but as far as producing listenable results, you'll quickly find that there's no competing with a good condenser. also, if you're just looking for the convenience of being able to tune and whatnot, there's no reason why you can't take any guitar and, with $2-300, install a pickup that'll get the job done fairly well. (and seeing as you're buying a reasonably large-bodied instrument, you may not even ever have to worry about micing it.)

in anycase, hope some of this helps.
as all things head-fi, remember to use your ears, and try not to let your eyes bias your opinion too heavily.

 

[mrarroyo]

Larrivee guitars are sweet, I have compared to Martin's and chose the larrrive. Good luck.

 

[MarconiSalad]

Check out a Martin OM-21. Half the price of a D-28. Great for quiet fingerpicking or with a pic and amp (add a pickup).

 

[Jahn]

exactly. don't turn down a godly guitar because of a lack of electronics. in fact, that keeps you flexible so you can upgrade external pickups (or even under the bridge pickups, or inside the body mics) for life without messing up your guitar. some of the 80's acoustic electrics are marred with monster active pickups gnawing a gigantic black rectangle in the side, yuck. Personally i use a Fishman Rare Earth soundhole pickup for the rare days i need to slap one on and amp myself up.

 

[HD-5000]

Well, I've decided to hold off on buying a guitar until I do some more research. I did go to a store which had some nice Taylor guitars. Does anyone have experience with these?

I think I will go the ordinary guitar + pickup route. There's a nagging, sort of audiophile like purist side to me that tells me that the electronics will degrade the quality of sound (and I'm probably right

). I don't think that CF Martin had in mind holes cut into the sides of his guitars anyhoo.

 

[Jahn]

i had a Taylor 810 for a while, but eventually it wasn't my speed. It was very californian speed metal (in the acoustic world) versus the old boom cannon of Martins (which i can't afford). i met in the middle with Guild guitars, which have a nice chunky warmth that I can dig - it's like the W10VTG of guitars!