Members TikiPalooza11 Posted February 26, 2006 Members Posted February 26, 2006 What is a good choice for an acoustic electric around $500? I was looking at a Takamine EG330SC and it seems to be great, any opinions?
Members jackwr Posted February 26, 2006 Members Posted February 26, 2006 All the Tak Talk I've read has been positive. I don't know about the price. Try a search, you should get a few hits.
Members soundchaser59 Posted February 27, 2006 Members Posted February 27, 2006 I dont know what the prices are these days, but..... Takamine is made under the Ovation umbrella, so it might serve you just as well to get an Ovation instead.... unless you want the all wood sound. But the common motive for wanting an acoustic electric is to cut thru better on stage, and the Ovations were designed specifically for that purpose.....
Members Gretsch Fan Posted February 27, 2006 Members Posted February 27, 2006 The Gretsch G5022C is a jumbo sized A/E with a solid top great sound for around $500. There is also a dread in the same price point. GC carries them so if you can give one a test.
Members kwakatak Posted February 27, 2006 Members Posted February 27, 2006 Originally posted by soundchaser59 I dont know what the prices are these days, but..... Takamine is made under the Ovation umbrella, so it might serve you just as well to get an Ovation instead.... unless you want the all wood sound. But the common motive for wanting an acoustic electric is to cut thru better on stage, and the Ovations were designed specifically for that purpose..... They're both distributed in the US by Kaman. As far as I know, that's all they share in common. Takamine actually began as a completely independent company in 1962. Kaman didn't get off the ground (pun intended because the guitar was designed by aerospace engineers) until 1964. Takamine History Kaman/Ovation History OT: Hmm, according to this: the engineers spend all their time trying to figure out how to remove vibration. To build a guitar, you spend your time trying to figure out how to put vibration in. Do you think they found a solution to that problem?
Members Cldplytkmn Posted February 27, 2006 Members Posted February 27, 2006 $350 acoustic guitar + $150 pickup/preamp or DI = good times. example (just illustrative):Seagull S6 ($300ish) + K&K Pure Western pickup ($80) + K&K Pure preamp ($80) = a very well respected guitar, a (IMO) top of the line pickup, and a preamp.
Members DenverDave Posted February 27, 2006 Members Posted February 27, 2006 For playing live, Taks are a great guitar. Seagull makes some nice acoustic/electrics too. Also in that price range there are some Alvarez that are very nice. for Taks - the EG530SSC, EG523SC and the EG334SC are all very nice guitars. The suggest above about installing a pickup in a stand alone guitar is good, but unless you know hoe to do that yourself, and are comfortable drilling a hole in the end of your guitar, add another $100.00 to $125.00 for installation. I did install a Fishman Rare earth soundhole pickup in a Lowden (drilled/reamed out the endpin). it was nervewracking, but I managed OK and it turned out great (I really liked the Rare earth pup too). I did play a Taylor 110 yesterday that I did like for it's price range, but getting a pup in it will probably run your budget past the $500.00 mark pretty quick... Ovations --- errrr...well, I'm not a fan of the Ovation tone. You either like it or don't. When they came out in the 70's they were a big thing since really no one else made a 'stage' guitar made to be played plugged in. Lot's of makers do that now, and most sound better than Ovations (IMHO of course....).
Members TikiPalooza11 Posted February 28, 2006 Author Members Posted February 28, 2006 Originally posted by DenverDave For playing live, Taks are a great guitar. Seagull makes some nice acoustic/electrics too. Also in that price range there are some Alvarez that are very nice. for Taks - the EG530SSC, EG523SC and the EG334SC are all very nice guitars.The suggest above about installing a pickup in a stand alone guitar is good, but unless you know hoe to do that yourself, and are comfortable drilling a hole in the end of your guitar, add another $100.00 to $125.00 for installation. I did install a Fishman Rare earth soundhole pickup in a Lowden (drilled/reamed out the endpin). it was nervewracking, but I managed OK and it turned out great (I really liked the Rare earth pup too).I did play a Taylor 110 yesterday that I did like for it's price range, but getting a pup in it will probably run your budget past the $500.00 mark pretty quick...Ovations --- errrr...well, I'm not a fan of the Ovation tone. You either like it or don't. When they came out in the 70's they were a big thing since really no one else made a 'stage' guitar made to be played plugged in. Lot's of makers do that now, and most sound better than Ovations (IMHO of course....). Have you played the 530SSC? If so, could you tell me what you thought? I'm leaning towards a Tak because trading in at the local music store seems like the only way to get something for my amp and the store credit seems like it would go best towards a Tak - which they are an authorized dealer of. Also, do you think the Tak would fit well in the classical position (I'm not very big)? - Thanks.
Members hockey_musician Posted March 1, 2006 Members Posted March 1, 2006 ive played the tak 530ssc i was impressed with it at one store and unimpressed at anopther.... all in all im in the same market as you./...i also am looking at takamines..the 530ssc is my choice as well
Members TikiPalooza11 Posted March 3, 2006 Author Members Posted March 3, 2006 Now I'm thinking regular acoustic would be the way to go. I've heard that recording acoustic-electric doesn't have that pure acoustic sound which I love. I already have an SM57 Beta so I think I'm all set in that department (am I?) My current acoustic (a starter Johnson) isn't loud enough to get a nice full sound without turning up the gain a lot on the recorder which causes feedback. However, it is the loudest acoustic I've ever heard (I've only ever played acoustic-electrics besides the Johnson) so I'm not sure what techniques there are for recording acoustic. What are all your opinions on this and what are your guitar suggestions? Thanks a lot! P.S. - keep in mind that I want something that will fit fairly comfortably in classical position (and I"m not that big).
Members Greg Bogoshian Posted March 5, 2006 Members Posted March 5, 2006 What I have generally found is that Takamines are really good gigging guitars as they play a bit overbraced. In that way, they are not as susceptible to feedback. They do seem to lack a bit in the acoustic projection and balance. The Carvin Cobalts seem to have the best balance of acoustic projection and balanced tone while still being able to handle the riggors of gigging. Acoustically, they seem to fall somewhere between Larrivee and Taylor. They are very rich in tone and amplify beautifully. I have used my C980 for the last 4.5 years and it never disappoints and I enjoy playing and hearing it as much now as I did 4.5 years ago.
Members carguy Posted March 6, 2006 Members Posted March 6, 2006 FWIW, I have a Tak EG530 SSC. I love it. Great unplugged tone and projection. My experience with it plugged in is limited, but it seems OK.
Members Beachbum Posted March 6, 2006 Members Posted March 6, 2006 I own two Takamines. I see them onstage at a lot of professional band shows. I don't think a person could go wrong with a Takamine. Just my opinion.
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