What's a Good "Singer Songwriter" Acoustic Guitar?

[Marshal]

 

If you could play my Goodall? You would never be satisfied with anything less, "ever." So it's best you don't think of this, ever again... I want you to have joy from your instrument. God knows I get a lot of joy from mine? Wait!? Are we talking about the same thing?

 

 

Goodalls are lovely. Lots of sustain. Lots of overtone. Almost like built-in reverb. Had me one. Sold it about 5 years ago. I've gone back to earthy sounding instruments with shorter decay and punchier nasally sound. Have more personality for my percussive punctuational playing.

[Pitar]

I have the Goodall (RCJC). T'ain't fer everthang. Seriously nice guitar but it does have spruce/rosewood. The Breedlove I have has cedar/rosewood. Two distinct sounds/moods/nuances. Had Martins. Also nice guitars but we're talking in the dreadnaught line-up mostly. I play concerts and orchestras and Martin gets edged out by others in those styles/sizes. It's all about what happens along the way; the changing skills, ears, tastes, comfort, and the open-mindedness to accept something that better suits those changes.

 

When it comes to writing sometimes a simple sounding little box is all that's needed to render with. The developing song will set the tone for the sound needed from the guitar.

[blue2blue]

Who needs a guitar or other instrument?

 

I wrote one of my favorite (if not necessarily that great) songs while I was riding my motorcycle home from work for lunch one day. I came up with the lyrics and the music in my head as I sliced through traffic (it was a very long time ago and I no longer ride, after a two month stint in the hospital after an oblivious driver t-boned me on surface streets, so no need to lecture me ), got home, plugged in my electric guitar, recorded a quick version into my trusty boombox, grabbed a sandwich and my favorite beverage of choice (I no longer drink, either, so we can spare the lunchtime drinking lecture, too ) and shot back up the freeway to work.

[eddieboston2]

Play whatever inspires you to play more. If it sounds good to you, and it feels good under your fingers, you'll spend more time playing it, and the more time you spend playing the better you'll get and the better your songs will be.

 

A variety is good, too. Who knows what new inspiration will await you when you play the same old chords but get a completely new tone from them?

[blue2blue]

You bet... I like shaking things up -- but I also like coming 'home' to the guitars closest to my heart.

 

On the change-up front, I have a 3/4 size beater classical I bought at Sam Ash for $50 (my 'trunk' guitar -- it was replacing a copy of the same guitar I'd bought some years before that was only $40 but that got banged around so much I broke the neck almost off -- just held on by the black-painted fretboard -- and glued it on once but the second time it was a non-starter, so I popped for another... Recently I restrung it as a ukulele tuned 4 string instrument (a wee dead space at the top edge of the fretboard never hurt anyone) and really enjoyed the switch up. (I use a capo with it up high if I really want that tinky, trebly uke sound).

[Matximus]

Who needs a guitar or other instrument? I wrote one of my favorite (if not necessarily that great) songs while I was riding my motorcycle home from work for lunch one day. I came up with the lyrics and the music in my head as I sliced through traffic (it was a very long time ago and I no longer ride, after a two month stint in the hospital after an oblivious driver t-boned me on surface streets, so no need to lecture me ), got home, plugged in my electric guitar, recorded a quick version into my trusty boombox, grabbed a sandwich and my favorite beverage of choice (I no longer drink, either, so we can spare the lunchtime drinking lecture, too ) and shot back up the freeway to work.

 

I agree with this - I think a lot of people lose cite of the fact that singing, playing and performing has very little to do with the instrument and almost everything to do with the personality of the person creating the music.

 

A talented person with charisma can do something engaging with a kazoo, washboard and wooden spoon. A talented person that's as charismatic as wooden spoon can be a total bore, even if they have sick chops and $3,000 Martin.

 

The person the person the person is the instrument.

[LeonardScaper]

 

The person the person the person is the instrument.

 

 

The person and their instrument become the instrument.

[Dingoist]

A good song writer's guitar, is the guitar that the songwriter is using to write songs. I know, cheeky. But it doesn't matter what brand it is, as long as it works for you.

 

Myself, I have 3. An 21-year Washburn D25, a martin mahagony 12-string, and an '83 JV Start ('62 reissue). Each have their roles.

[MusicalSchizo]

My good songwriter guitar is a Larrivee C-03. It's got a surprisingly full sound for a cutaway (especially one with a repaired crack on it), it complements my voice well, is easy to play, and inspires me to write. I used to write with a Washburn D17CE that was shiny and red, but that one aged poorly (it probably never sounded very good in the first place). One of my favorite cheap guitars I ever had access to was a Simon & Patrick SP6 Cedar (made by the same people who make Seagull guitars). That was their bottom-of-the-line, satin-finish deal, and it was one of the nicest and most consistent-sounding acoustics I ever played. It had a solid top and was just a delight to play. It was my brother's, and I still wish I had picked one up for myself.

 

Although I do love that Larrivee...

Brian V.

[LeonardScaper]

Play whatever inspires you to play more. If it sounds good to you, and it feels good under your fingers, you'll spend more time playing it, and the more time you spend playing the better you'll get and the better your songs will be.

 

[Mark Blackburn]

I love this thread! Like many of you 'fellow guitarists,' if I won the lottery, I

[Marshal]

On the Chet Atkins front: I often remember a quote about Chet. After a performance somewhere once, somebody came up to him and said, "Wow that guitar of yours sure sounds great!" And Chet looked down at his guitar sitting there by itself on the guitar stand and said, "How's it sound now?"

 

I remember that quote whenever (very few times) somebody tells me my guitar sounds really good. I just smile and remember Chet's quote. I'm not bold enough (or good enough) to repeat it, but it makes me grin just the same. "Thank you."

[Mark Blackburn]

I love it! "'Wow that guitar of yours sure sounds great!' And Chet looked down at his guitar sitting there by itself on the guitar stand and said, 'How's it sound now?'"

 

That's one I'll treasure! It reminds me though of an another anecdote Chet shared --- after taking his first Caribbean cruise . . . during which he'd spotted a guitar, "not a very good one," he said, and as he was playing it, another passenger happened by; he paused long enough to listen to this "stranger playing a strange guitar," and without waiting for Chet to look up (in order to see his face, and perhaps recognize who he was addressing) the man said: "You're no Chet Atkins . . . but you play pretty good!"

[xraylemur]

I'm a heck of a loud singer so my martin DC-1E is barely loud enough unplugged sometimes. So I try and plug in and use mics whenever possible. But if you're really loud as well looking back I might have gone with an orchestra sized guitar maybe saved up for a nice Guild. But I do like that my guitar isn't a ridiculously nice instrument with perfect wood grains and what not so I don't feel that bad beating it up.

[prolog]

Ah well that's not an issue for me. I need something that is loud enough to compete with my voice Though, strangely enough, I DO have a small bodied acoustic (Tanglewood Sundance all mahogany) that's my go-to guitar. It's not quite as loud as my Martin but there's not much in it and it has much nicer tone.

 

I have the exact same guitar. I thought all mahogany was a strange choice when I went to play it, but it beat out every other guitar I compared it against. A really sweet, full tone.

[blue2blue]

I love it! "'Wow that guitar of yours sure sounds great!' And Chet looked down at his guitar sitting there by itself on the guitar stand and said, 'How's it sound now?'" That's one I'll treasure! It reminds me though of an another anecdote Chet shared --- after taking his first Caribbean cruise . . . during which he'd spotted a guitar, "not a very good one," he said, and as he was playing it, another passenger happened by; he paused long enough to listen to this "stranger playing a strange guitar," and without waiting for Chet to look up (in order to see his face, and perhaps recognize who he was addressing) the man said: "You're no Chet Atkins . . . but you play pretty good!"

 

 

With regard to all mahogany guitars, I've never owned one, but I've played a couple I really liked, they had a distinctive sound. And I loved the look.