Members revive Posted July 15, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 15, 2009 Good, then you can tell her a new guitar takes up much less space than a piano. I can almost hear the answer, "Why do you have to tell me the obvious? Do you think I'm stupid?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted July 15, 2009 Members Share Posted July 15, 2009 I can almost hear the answer, "Why do you have to tell me the obvious? Do you think I'm stupid?" Or maybe she might say "You know what, you're right, we don't really have space for a piano. A guitar is a much better option. Go out and get what you want". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted July 15, 2009 Members Share Posted July 15, 2009 She did and there was a couple for around $400. It's not the price though, it's the principle. We literally do not have anyplace to put one. Ya know, I'm sorry I said this. I could probably put a piano to use though. I've had my heart set on a new Martin for a long time now though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Melodeous Posted July 15, 2009 Members Share Posted July 15, 2009 My wife wants a piano too. We do have a place for an upright. It's not the distraction for me as it is for you, though. I have always wanted a piano but quite honestly I know I wouldn't have the discipline to learn to play. But, my 10 y/o has shown some skills when we had him in lessons so I expect the upright would be worth having. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted July 15, 2009 Members Share Posted July 15, 2009 Cool, this has evolved into a piano discussion. The absolutely best uprights in the world are from this guy: http://www.fandrich.com/ And this is the best he has:http://www.fandrich.com/index.php?&location=pianos&action=view&index=33 It is the closest you'll find to an upright grand, and the action is fantabulous. They occasionally show up used for not so much money. Talk about expensive instruments being worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted July 15, 2009 Members Share Posted July 15, 2009 Ya know, I'm sorry I said this. I could probably put a piano to use though. I've had my heart set on a new Martin for a long time now though. C'mon admit it, you really want the new Martin. Forget the piano. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Melodeous Posted July 15, 2009 Members Share Posted July 15, 2009 Cool, this has evolved into a piano discussion. The absolutely best uprights in the world are from this guy:http://www.fandrich.com/And this is the best he has:http://www.fandrich.com/index.php?&location=pianos&action=view&index=33It is the closest you'll find to an upright grand, and the action is fantabulous.They occasionally show up used for not so much money. Talk about expensive instruments being worth it! 17K is not my budgeted amount. About 1/10 of that might be doable. Not knowing how a real grand piano plays is an asset, in my case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gitnoob Posted July 15, 2009 Members Share Posted July 15, 2009 17K is not my budgeted amount. About 1/10 of that might be doable. Not knowing how a real grand piano plays is an asset, in my case. In that case, how about a digital piano? Yamaha makes some nice ones with weighted action for $700 or so. Sort of the other end of the spectrum in terms of tone and action, but it's a lot of fun, holds its value well, and best of all, it only weighs about 50lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted July 15, 2009 Members Share Posted July 15, 2009 Its like everything else. If you want the very best, you have to be willing to pay for it. The old addage is getting the last 5% is 95% of the cost. That is true in nearly everything. Spending a lot on a guitar because you want bragging rights (ie cork sniffing) is just silly. Spending a lot because that last 5% is worth it to you is simply the price of your taste. If you need to ask if it is worth the money, well, I would guess that you are not really driven to have that last lttle bit, regardless of price.You cannot achieve economy of scale in guitars that are built as an individual.Whether it is worth it is entirely up to you. My tastes do not require an uber-expensive guitar. I'd just spill beer on it at a festival/gig/camp out. I wouldn't want it if I was afraid to take it to those places, as that is where the music happens... I think its more like the last 1 - 2% of tone costs you a lot more. I do agree with your last point about taking them out on gigs and have having beer spilled on your expensive guitar or some drunk kicking in over or stepping on it. Guess you gotta play these expensive guitars only in your house to be on the safe side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frets99 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Played a wonderful Martin HD28 at GC today. Very very sweet guitar. Without a doubt, the best acoustic in the store. Retails for over $3000!! Then I played a Seagull. $389. Shouldn't have sounded as good as it did after I played the Martin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bbreaker Posted July 16, 2009 Members Share Posted July 16, 2009 I've played some expensive Taylor; Martin & Gibson guitars where i expected to be wowed. In most instances I was underwhelmed. I recall being jazzed to finally play an Eric Clapton Martin.......ugh, not impressed. I then played a Martin parlor sized all mahogany guitar. It was under $750.0. I thought it sounded much better than the $3K+ EC Martin. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Melodeous Posted July 16, 2009 Members Share Posted July 16, 2009 I think its more like the last 1 - 2% of tone costs you a lot more. I do agree with your last point about taking them out on gigs and have having beer spilled on your expensive guitar or some drunk kicking in over or stepping on it. Guess you gotta play these expensive guitars only in your house to be on the safe side. I can't place percentage points on anything subjective. I agree with you about fearing damage to a valuable guitar. So, I'm looking at getting a Martin or Gibson. Just kidding there folks. Seriously, I am going to get something I won't wince at taking out. Don't know what it will be yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted July 16, 2009 Members Share Posted July 16, 2009 I can't place percentage points on anything subjective. I agree with you about fearing damage to a valuable guitar. So, I'm looking at getting a Martin or Gibson. Just kidding there folks. Seriously, I am going to get something I won't wince at taking out. Don't know what it will be yet. There hasn't been enough discussion in this thread about this issue. OK, so you have the money and you want that $3,000+ guitar. Fair enough, go for it. But is it going to be a closet/bedroom queen or are you actually going to take your prized baby out and expose it to jams, gigs and the real world of beer, booze and loose women? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarmandp Posted July 16, 2009 Members Share Posted July 16, 2009 I've played some expensive Taylor; Martin & Gibson guitars where i expected to be wowed. In most instances I was underwhelmed. I recall being jazzed to finally play an Eric Clapton Martin.......ugh, not impressed.I then played a Martin parlor sized all mahogany guitar. It was under $750.0. I thought it sounded much better than the $3K+ EC Martin.Just my opinion. The EC Martins are some of the best acoustic guitars I've ever played! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members revive Posted July 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 28, 2009 Are Expensive Guitars Really Worth The Money?At the risk of but what the heck I'm gonna write anyway...I Just Went to a local music store that stocks many high-end guitars: Martin, Taylor, Gibson, and (yes!) Collings. This store apparently keep the gits in a much better condition than the GC's that I usually go to. The customers were also more discerning and treat the gits with quite a bit more respect. The result was obvious: the same Martins that I tried here sound much better than those I tried at GC. Out of 5 Martins I tried, 4 sounded really amazing. GC was the exact opposite... you gotta try 5 Martins before you can find a good one. In addition, this store also re-string every guitar with D'Addario , making comparison a bit easier. So, this experience really changed how I view expensive guitars.I came to a conclusion that the really expensive ($2500+) gits are worth every penny. This is even more true in gits $4,000 and up. IMHO, at this level the tonal quality and sustain are quite obviously superior than sub-$2000 guitars. For example, I tried a Collings OM2HA, Martin OM-28 Marquis, D-42. OmiGod, they just sound so much better than lower end Martins/Taylors, and to me the difference was that obvious. Importantly, IMHO there is no cheaper subsitute; the Takamine and Yamaha of the world cannot produce guitars that compete at this level. I can confidently say that my Masterbilt sounds as good as any sub-$1500 guitar that I've tried. But I can also say as confidently that my MB can never compete with these very high end guitars.Which led to my next conclusion that, IMHO the low-end Martins/Taylors (For the mid-level Martins/Taylors (between $1500-$2500), I think the case is less obvious. These are very good guitars, where you may or may not find cheaper alternatives. For example, I think D-28 sounds much better than D-16 and below. But maybe you can find Yamaha LL16 or some Guilds that sound just as nice. I haven't done this comparison, so I don't think I'm ready to opine. Here's My personal take...I'm quite in love with my Masterbilt. So I will keep my MB for the time being until I'm ready to buy a really nice/expensive git. The Collings OM2HA that I tried today was just out of this world. Amazing sustain (still ringing a minute after I strummed), rich and balanced tone, very strong resonance, very strong bass. It's just an amazing all-around guitar. So, I will keep my MB and not buy another guitar until I buy that Collings (except maybe I'll buy a travel guitar and possibly a 'beater' -- but no 'serious' guitar). And after that, I'm set for life. Thanks for listening and offering your advise... I think my conclusion is consistent with what some of the experienced players think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seagullplayer77 Posted July 28, 2009 Members Share Posted July 28, 2009 You just had to resurrect this demon, eh? I thought we put this stupid thing to rest a few weeks ago, but I guess I was wrong .Oh well. At least I have a front-row seat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members revive Posted July 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 28, 2009 You just had to resurrect this demon, eh? I thought we put this stupid thing to rest a few weeks ago, but I guess I was wrong . Oh well. At least I have a front-row seat! Didn't really want to resurrect the discussion... I actually wanted to bring it to a closure by answering my initial question. At least that's the intention... Now if someone still wants to I too will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted July 28, 2009 Members Share Posted July 28, 2009 I don't disagree that the really super expensive guitars sound better. But how much better and what are you willing to pay for that 1 - 2% difference in tone? The $/tone curve gets very steep once you get over the $1500 - 2000 range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seagullplayer77 Posted July 28, 2009 Members Share Posted July 28, 2009 Didn't really want to resurrect the discussion... I actually wanted to bring it to a closure by answering my initial question. At least that's the intention... lol...wow. Must be one of my slow days, because I didn't realize you were the OP. In that case, thanks for closing up the thread (hopefully) ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarVlog Posted July 28, 2009 Members Share Posted July 28, 2009 It's A-L-I-I-I-I-I-I-IVE!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members revive Posted July 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 28, 2009 lol...wow. Must be one of my slow days, because I didn't realize you were the OP. In that case, thanks for closing up the thread (hopefully) ! No problem...Btw, I used to live in Chicago for 8 years until last year. I really miss the Chi-town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SoloArtist Posted July 28, 2009 Members Share Posted July 28, 2009 There hasn't been enough discussion in this thread about this issue. OK, so you have the money and you want that $3,000+ guitar. Fair enough, go for it. But is it going to be a closet/bedroom queen or are you actually going to take your prized baby out and expose it to jams, gigs and the real world of beer, booze and loose women? Loose women huh? Its usually those loose men spilling beer all over stuff! I have two Martin dreads that began to swell because I was over-humidifying them. I got a hygrometer for each guitar case to solve that problem. Still, I ended up purchasing a third guitar, a Little Martin with a pick up for my music ministry, jams and gigs. The other two are staying in the studio. The Little Martin has HPL back & sides so it doesn't react to humidity like my solid wood guitars. I witnessed, (with horror:eek:), a musician kick over his $3,000.00 Taylor during a gig. It was both chipped and scratched after it got blown off the stand. My heart sank for him but is was a lesson learned. I don't have $3,000 to kick off a stand or anything else. The Little Martin is workin'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members revive Posted July 8, 2010 Author Members Share Posted July 8, 2010 1st Anniversary of the thread that took HCAGF by storm Let's After reading my old posts in this thread, I realized that I've come a long way in my 1 year-long guitars. Here are some lessons & observations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ac30guy Posted July 8, 2010 Members Share Posted July 8, 2010 BUY USED. period. (yes, a triple period). Don't get in a hurry, wait on a really good deal. Somebody will be strapped for $ and sell something dirt cheap to get it gone and get some cash. Be there waiting. Spend time talking to people prior to sending money to them for a pedal, etc. Make sure you get shipping insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seagullplayer77 Posted July 8, 2010 Members Share Posted July 8, 2010 Took HCAGF by storm? Pshaw .Remember this?Got some ebony bridge pins for my Alvarez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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