Advice greatly appreciated. Looking to buy

[kempysixseven]

Howdy gang,

I hope you can collectively help me out.

I used to dabble in guitar playing many years ago and was never very good but did manage to get to what i'd call 'bad rythm guitar standard' in a bad band.

 

My point is, I've recently (this week in fact) become re-obsessed with owning a guitar. I sold my last lot to move from Australia to London in 2001, and had a lovely 360series white Rickenbacker and a Jasmine Takamine Elec/Acouistic. Ooh I loved them!

 

Question is then - what to buy?

 

Ive been doing the usual research one does when faced with the prospect of parting with medium sized wads of cash, and the names that have been constant in this research are Washburn and Epiphone. I want a good (for the money) acoustic guitar and have read that the D10S Washburn is the object of my desire? Are the 'experts' right, or are there other versions.

 

I've even considered eBay, and have found not only the aforementioned D10S models but D10N ones as well as D14s. Any major differences?

 

Basically, will I be wasting my moolah on these Washburn babies, and should I be looking at other brands such as Yamaha and Epiphone etc? I really would like to get out of this new obsession for under

[T.B.]

Hi Kempy,

 

I don't think you can go wrong if you decide to buy the Epiphone EL00, Washburn D10S, or Yamaha FG730S. They all are solid top guitars and in your price range more or less ..... with the exception of the EL00 being a "grand" concert size guitar and costing a little bit more than your present budget. The D10S was my starter guitar and it was an amazingly playable guitar and damn near impossible guitar to destroy. Let me make another recommendation if I may, the Durango B-46 Slope-Shoulder Dreadnought. This guitar is amazing!! I swear we shall be singing it's praises like sooooooo many do now about the mid 60's to mid 70's Yamaha FG series. The B-46 cost about $189.00 US so it should cost about $101.00 (GBP)? Let use know what you decide.

 

Trina

 

P.S Here a link of a Jan 06 review in AG:http://www.acousticguitar.com/article/157/157,6730,NEWGEAR-1.asp

 

 

[APBlues]

Hello-

Advice?

Well it's hard to really say what kind you will like because I don't really know your playing. Guitars can be very personal...I will say that Epiphone's and Yamahas are worth a look for the money. I bought a US$300 Korean Epiphone 12 string in the mid 90s and it has developed a very nice tone over the years while the neck has remained arrow-straight. Yamahas are another story, but I've heard good ones too. I will say that once you've played a vintage guitar there is really no comparison though, and there are many cheaper vintage guitars on eBay and the like that can be had for between $100-$300 (Kay, EKO etc).

[kempysixseven]

Thanks a million.

 

Eyes are fixating more firmly on the D10S as it happens - more research ensued since my initial post. Seems whichever forum I visit, the Washburn Appreciation Society was there only moments before me, heaping praise.

[Freeman Keller]

I was helping a friend buy a guitar a couple of years ago and the Washburn D10(something) was the one that he liked over some Epi's and others, but, we played and listened to everything in town within his budget (and slightly above for perspective). Take the time to try everything - if you don't feel you play well enough, take a friend who plays the same style you aspire to and let your ears and fingers decide what you like.

 

Personally, my style of playing does not favor dreadnaughts and early in my playing I made the mistake of buying a couple - they are wonderful guitars, but just not for me. So think about what you want to do, where you see your playing now and in a couple of years, and filter everything you hear on the internet (including what I am saying) because we all have very strong biases.

 

I have taken a little cheapie cassette recorder with me so I can compare a guitar from one location to another, and in the case of the Washburn, before my friend bought it I asked the store to put a fresh set of strings on because they sounded a little dead.

 

Washburn does make some nice guitars but there are so many others I think you would do yourself a disservice to not shop around.

 

last, but not least, here are the reviews in the HC database - mostly pretty good.

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Washburn/D-10S/10/1

[kempysixseven]

Thanks so much again. You people are some of the freindleist and helpful people in 'Guitar World'. Cheers.

I'll let you know how I get on.

 

ps: As for my playing style as one of you touched on...its fairly non existent. Ive not played anything for 6 years, and before that I was a beginner to intermediate strummer at best.

This time around I plan to take more time and learn some tunes I like, as my downfall last time was that strumming away aimlessly simply turned me off playing. I'd get a ditty in my head (a simple made up strumalong bit) and play that for weeks/months, never strecthing myself let alone any atempt at constructing any sort of song structure. It was all made worse by my best mate at the time being a virtuoso..which meant when we got together to play, we'd jam some blues thing and within 3 minutes Id give up in order to watch him 'solo'.

 

I guess Id just like to be able to play along to songs I dig, with a view to writing my own some time further down the track. Hey - Id also like to be able to play along with S-R-Vaughn, but dreaming is another hobby of mine.!!

 

As for styles, Im eclectic to the extreme. I love listening to Blues all the way to punk rock, hardcore, country and Pop. One day its Social Distortion, next its Clapton, next its Johhny Cash. With the imminent purchase of this acoustic, I just want to learn to play again and be able to hold a song together. Not getting carried away, but as dreaming is my favourite pastime as aforementioned, I'll no doubt have granduous ideas of owning les pauls and rickenbackers and playing to stadiums. haha

 

Thanks again for yor help.