Members ~Abstract~ Posted November 21, 2012 Members Share Posted November 21, 2012 I'd suggest you start with guitars that have a solid top and go from there. There are some sweet sounding guitars coming out of China these days, don't let the country of origin scare you off. This is very good advice. Solid top is important. I've also heard guitars with ply tops which sounded better than crappy solid tops. Again, I really think the tone of the individual guitar is most important. If the strings are old and dead and corroded...ask the shop to change them if you think you like the tones. If they don't want to, go to another shop and don't look back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Killjoy Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 find a used Larrivee, they don't have a high resale value for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Miter Gauge Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 find a used Larrivee, they don't have a high resale value for some reason. Larrivee makes some nice guitars. I don't see too many of them on the used market around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OverDriven Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 http://www.seagullguitars.com/ Also, I have a Breedlove that was about $600 and plays better than some electrics. It's my recording workhorse, and everyone that plays it always comes away surprised by the action and playability. My favorite acoustic I own is my Martin Dreadnaught though. Around $1000 and sounds HUGE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members skinsscalper Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 Play as many as possible.Don't play ANY above your price range.Don't look at the name on the headstock. Find one which speaks to you. {censored}ing THIS! I went into the acoustic room in a GC once. Played every {censored}ing guitar in the room (many of the same model) and ALL of them sounded different. As stated before, buy the one that speaks to YOU. At the end of the day the one I would have picked was a cheap Takamine (roughly around $460) over every other guitar in the room (many of which were 1k+). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sfarfsky Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 whatever u get be sure to string it with elixirs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OverDriven Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 whatever u get be sure to string it with elixirs Yes. Nanoweb in particular. They sound incredible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members skinsscalper Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 Yes. Nanoweb in particular. They sound incredible. Agreed. Avoid the Polyweb like the {censored}ing plague, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zeppelin Rules Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 The thing I find with a lot of import guitars is that they have really thick poly finishes. The Epiphones, Eastmans and Blueridges are especially guilty of this. It doesn't matter as much with an electric, but for an acoustic guitar, it's going to kill all your sound. I'm going to echo what everyone else has said with Seagull. They sound great and they're super affordable, not to mention, North American made. Just don't let the silly headstock throw you off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 If you need to plug in get a used pro level Tak. Great electronics and solid top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ke2 Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 This. When I did this I ended up with an all-solid wood MIC Ibanez and I preferred it over the more well known and expensive brands I tried. It's been a fantastic acoustic for many years now.I ended up with one of these Solid spruce and mahogany.Fishman blender system onboard.Sound lovely, many a sound engineer has raised his eyebrows. Also sounds very crisp and sweet acoustically.Cort was/is behind this one. They made the exact same guitar as a Cort PW360. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members colejustesen Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 I played so many guitars when I chose my acoustic, and honestly for the price I was liking it a lot more than some of the mid priced Taylor and Martin guitars. I played a lot; Seagull, Breedlove, Taylor, Martin, Guild, Larivee, Takamine, Alvarez, Yamaha, etc. You name it I probably tried it. My price range was right around the $1K mark, and I ended up getting an awesome acoustic for less than that. I tried the Epiphone Masterbuilt [since they were all solid woods], but I just didn't jive with the tone. I ultimately ended up getting a Yamaha guitar. I didn't get the F or FG models that are typically available at Guitar Center [which are pretty good in their own right]. I got one of their handcrafted models in the LL series, specifically the LL16. It is all solid rosewood back and sides with a solid spruce top. This guitar sounds so incredible and I got it for $800. I know this is out of your range, but they make a model just below this model [the LL6] which has a solid spruce top and laminate sides that sounds incredible as well. I want to say that it is around the $550 mark, but you might be able to find it cheaper. I highly recommend that you find a dealer of Yamaha instruments that stocks the L models [whether it is the LL, LS, or LJ] Also, these are strictly acoustic, so if you are looking for built in electronics; I would look into their LX models or the A series [these play great, but don't sound as nice as the L series IMO] or another guitar company. I put a K&K Sound Pure Mini in my LL16 and it sings beautifully when plugged in! TL;DR - Check out the L or A series from Yamaha! Cole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members colejustesen Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 I also played a newer Fender acoustic one day... The shop I was in was looking into buying some from their Fender rep when I walked in. The rep asked me to check out and tell me what I thought of it. It was a CD-320AS model [which has all solid woods for back, sides, and top; as well as a bone nut and saddle] and I honestly loved the way it sounded. I could have easily bought that guitar, had I not already fell in love with my Yamaha. I believe you can get it right at $500, and I totally feel that it could probably sell for more than that! Cole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gt_jumper Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 washburn make amazing acoustics for the budget end of the market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sheik_Yerbouti Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 I have a Seagull that I would put up against anything under $1000 and they are right in your price range. The cedar top sounds amazing. It's big, warm and loud as hell. Sounds great plugged in too. Of all the guitars I've owned both acoustic and electric this is the one that has never left my collection.http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/seagull-s6-original-q1-acoustic-electric-guitarhttp://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/seagull-coastline-series-s6-slim-cutaway-dreadnought-qi-acoustic-electric-guitarI have the cutaway version This. Seriously, for the money, these guitars are very, VERY hard to touch. Takamine and Yamaha also make a surprisingly good-sounding low-dough acoustic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 I was pretty impressed with this little bugger. Electronics are good and and suprisingly sweet acoustic tone, loud for its size. I liked it well enough to buy it, but I don't have the space for another acoustic. Fender Malibu SCE Also played a couple of the dred sized Sonorans, but was not as impressed acoustically speaking Id like to try the Kingman, a little more expensive, but I've yet to see one in a shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PurpleTrails Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 I'd avoid the low end Martins, even though I have a couple of higher end models and love them. At your price point I'll echo what a lot of people have said: you can't go wrong with a seagull...or an epi masterbuilt...or a yamaha...or maybe a takamini 330 if you like a darker tone...or a breedlove, though the ones that I've liked are a little above $500. You really need to play a bunch and find one that you like the sound of and feels right in your hands. Do make sure you get one with at least a solid top, though, as it will age better. One more thing to consider: a pro setup on an acoustic can be really important, as some of them come stock with pretty high action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jesse G Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 Check out the Epiphone Masterbuilts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Miter Gauge Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 Check this out. http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-WAS-WD760SW-LISTAll solid wood which is unheard of in this price range and they sound great (I played one and checked it out thoroughly). You can even get the easy payment plan if you want. I don't need another acoustic but I'm going to snag one of these anyway, it is too nice of a guitar to pass up at this price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kerouac Posted November 22, 2012 Members Share Posted November 22, 2012 Avoid Martin. Think Yamaha and Seagull, as others have said, but play every guitar in your price range that the shop has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members primeholy Posted November 23, 2012 Members Share Posted November 23, 2012 I got a Seagull about 6 months ago. Pretty decent for the price. There are some nice Yamahas for the money too. If money hadnt been an issue, I wouldve went with a Taylor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ovid9 Posted November 23, 2012 Members Share Posted November 23, 2012 I want a nice acoustic so bad. Time to go try some out and drool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rockguitar2000 Posted November 23, 2012 Members Share Posted November 23, 2012 I have a Tak EAN40C bought used at GC 5 years ago. Sounds pretty good for the deal I got, paid $400 with hard case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members whataracket Posted November 23, 2012 Members Share Posted November 23, 2012 I was shopping for a guitar in the Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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