Members vanoo Posted March 14, 2015 Members Share Posted March 14, 2015 Yamaha fg-730- Takamine gd-30 or Martin DX-1 ? I f you could only pick one of these,which would you pick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted March 14, 2015 Members Share Posted March 14, 2015 The Yamaha. I'll go you one better. Yamaha FG700S. It's built exactly like the 730, except it doesn't have a pretty but nonfunctional rosewood veneer or pretty but nonfunctional bling, and it's a hundred bucks cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted March 14, 2015 Members Share Posted March 14, 2015 Conventional wisdom says Yamaha but I'd take either the Yamaha or Takamine, depending on what kind of deal I could get. Martin's low-end stuff just doesn't do anything for me; fake wood, no binding, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanoo Posted March 14, 2015 Author Members Share Posted March 14, 2015 I played the FG-700, liked the 730 better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted March 15, 2015 Members Share Posted March 15, 2015 I played the FG-700, liked the 730 better. There's your answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted March 15, 2015 Members Share Posted March 15, 2015 What do you need the Guitar for?If you go for gigging, live, coffee house tours etc. I would go for the Martin, Sounds good and is stupidly rugged.If you need it for the living room and for your own amusement, I would go for the Yamaha,If you need a nice fire in the fireplace and some romantic crackles, the Takamine would me my first choice. I would strip the guitar from all pieces that could be of further use, like machine heads etc. before using it, though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted March 15, 2015 Members Share Posted March 15, 2015 I played the FG-700, liked the 730 better. Any idea why you liked the 730 better? The guitars are built identically, the structural wood in each is the same, the only difference is the paper thin veneer on the outer surface and a few little cosmetic niceties. The 730 is prettier, it costs a little more, and the two you compared might have some QC variations that made a difference in tone. (pretty rare with Yamahas, but possible nonetheless) Even the strings could make the difference you note. I'm betting that one or more of the above reasons is the reason you liked the 730 better. Not very scientific, but then picking a guitar isn't necessarily scientific. Whatever works for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanoo Posted March 16, 2015 Author Members Share Posted March 16, 2015 Sounds like your plugging the 700 pretty hard fretfiend. To me their was and is a difference. Even guitars of the same model can sound different. The 730 has rosewood back and sides, i believe the 700 is Mohogony/Nato. Even though their lamenate, i think it does make a subtle difference in sound. At least to my ears:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted March 16, 2015 Members Share Posted March 16, 2015 Negative. The back and sides on both guitars are made of Meranti. As I said, what you see on the outside is a paper thin veneer. If you choose to think that makes a difference, that''s okay with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EdBega Posted March 16, 2015 Members Share Posted March 16, 2015 I've A/B'd both a couple times they sound almost identical to me but dead strings can make any guitar sound dull ... The Yamaha quality control is bar none IMO but I'm sure they're not all the same so go with the 730 if it sounds that much better to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanoo Posted March 16, 2015 Author Members Share Posted March 16, 2015 Very interesting to know about Meranti being used on both. Makes sense from a cost saving /manufacturing standpoint to use a common wood.. So possibly the rosewood veneer has a placebo affect on me. lol. Thanks for the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flatpickle Posted March 21, 2015 Members Share Posted March 21, 2015 If the 730 sounds better, go with the 730. Though the construction may be the same, as FretFiend said, even two guitars of the same model and construction can sound pretty different. Pick the one that sounds good. That's the one you'll enjoy playing. To answer your question, I'd go with the Yamaha. I don't like the DX1 sound, and I've generally had better experiences overall with Yamaha rather than Takamine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members acousticdepot Posted March 26, 2015 Members Share Posted March 26, 2015 Another vote for Yamaha. The Martin X series is overpriced in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanoo Posted March 26, 2015 Author Members Share Posted March 26, 2015 Thanks for all the imput. I am going with the Yamaha, did alot of playing on many guitars. I kept going back to the Yamaha, just something about it that i love! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted March 26, 2015 Members Share Posted March 26, 2015 . . . I kept going back to the Yamaha' date=' just something about it that i love![/quote'] Not particularly surprising. Happy (Pending) New Guitar Day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted March 26, 2015 Members Share Posted March 26, 2015 Speaking of the Martin, in my opinion, no serious guitar should have a Richlite (Micarta) fretboard in the first place. That would be enough for me right there. No sale. I have to admit the only Takamine I've ever played was a 30 and it needed a setup pretty badly. So I'm not sure I'd fault the guitar so much. It was hanging in a pawn shop and by all indications, appeared to have been there quite a while. I left it hanging there. As far as Yammies go, I've played several over the years and can't recall having played one that I thought was anything other than decent. Some better than others. If I were going for any of the three, based on inconsistent information, I'd have to pick the Yamaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted March 27, 2015 Members Share Posted March 27, 2015 ^ I guess it depends. A while back I played a D1GT at a local Guitar Center and I liked it a lot despite it having a Richlite fretboard and bridge, and a Stratabond neck, none of which I was supposed to like. This was a $1000 guitar, which sounds fairly "serious" to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted March 27, 2015 Members Share Posted March 27, 2015 I'm a proponent for traditional materials but I'm also a fan of the composites insomuch as they are making great strives with tone. The Rainsongs I played at a GC a couple months back were pretty convincing. Given the environmental limitations of natural materials coupled with the poaching and questionable sustainability, I'm thinking if these wood guitars I have don't outlast my ability to play them composites are in my future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted March 27, 2015 Members Share Posted March 27, 2015 The Richlite thing is a non-issue for me. It feel like ebony to me. For me, the back and sides on the X are the deal breaker, as is the Stratabond neck on the 1 series. IMO the best "decent" but "affordable" Martins are the customs commissioned by Guitar Center. As for Takamine, if we're talking entry level I'd go with one of their cedar top models but other than that I feel like they're outclassed by Yamaha. Still, looking back when I was but a newb myself I recall it was several years before I could upgrade and I feel that it would have been better had I not gone "entry level" but instead went with something that was "halfway decent." That being said, if I were to get a Yamaha I'd probably save up for an LL6 with laminated rosewood back & sides and a solid Engelmann spruce top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted March 27, 2015 Members Share Posted March 27, 2015 While I'm not disagreeing with any of your opinions about the richlite fretboards, they do not feel like ebony or any other wood to ME, not even Rock Maple. (yes, my reference to that is electric guitar) They feel like a very hard, unforgiving plastic. Pushes me out of my traditionalist comfort zone, I suppose. Like you, my primary reference is sound quality. My secondary reference is playability, and like most of you, the main point probably goes to the fretting hand. I just can't make myself like them. I don't know about Stratabond necks but that is a non-issue for me. I'm talking fingerboards only. I just want what I want and I could never make myself pay a grand for a guitar that didn't feel right. Notice, those are MY EXPECTATIONS, and having nothing to do with yours. Not being judgmental here. I actually considered a Martin 000CXE once. Sounded good but I couldn't get past that creepy board. Plus the pawnshop that had it valued it much more than I wanted to pay in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vanoo Posted March 27, 2015 Author Members Share Posted March 27, 2015 I liked the sound of the x series Martin, i'm more of a "if it sounds good and feels good , then i'm fine with it. I did play some Segulls as well, but i like the 11/16 nut. However i did not think the Martin was $200 dollars better, than the Yamaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EdBega Posted March 28, 2015 Members Share Posted March 28, 2015 If you can live with the headstock the Seagull is a great guitar for the money ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steadfastly Posted March 28, 2015 Members Share Posted March 28, 2015 I tried one of the Martin's a few weeks ago. I was very, very impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members recordingtrack1 Posted March 28, 2015 Members Share Posted March 28, 2015 If you can live with the headstock the Seagull is a great guitar for the money ... Great for self defense in a bar fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted March 28, 2015 Members Share Posted March 28, 2015 I had a seagull guitar. I remember it had a very long model number and the quantum II electronics. Huge neck. I don't know why I'm mentioning this because I can't remember anything remarkable about it. I had it about a month and then it disappeared. I don't remember how or why it disappeared, either. I think it flew away. I probably insulted it for wearing a pick guard or something and it split while I wasn't looking. Seriously no memory of its sound or action. Kinda the way I am about Canada in general, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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