Members Bout5 Posted September 1, 2014 Members Share Posted September 1, 2014 Hello everyone, my name is Bastien, I'm new to this forum but have been playing for about 10 yrs now.I want to buy an electro-acoustic guitar, but I don't have that much money right now. So I've narrowed down my research to two models: - Epiphone PR-5E (Alpine White)- Yamaha APX500ii (White edition) I've read a lot of tests and watched a lot of videos, but I can't decide. I found both guitars at around 250$ each. Estetically I like the Epiphone better, but I want to buy the best one. If you're able to answer fast, it would be nice because one of these is sold on ebay and the auctions stop on 09/03. I hope you answer soon, anyway it was already nice of you to take the time to read this post. Bastien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted September 2, 2014 Members Share Posted September 2, 2014 Personally, I'd say neither. Both are all laminated, you want a solid top if you can afford one. The Yamaha is a "thinline" which means it won't sound very good unplugged. The Epiphone doesn't look much thicker but I can't find specs for it. You don't necessarily need a huge guitar but you do need a certain amount of air inside it to produce decent sound. I checked eBay for a guitar that might be better for you and found this Yamaha FSX700SC, $249.99 BIN OBO with a hard case: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-FSX700SC-Electric-Acoustic-Guitar-in-Hard-Case-137175-1-/151375090775?pt=Guitar&hash=item233ea89457. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted September 2, 2014 Members Share Posted September 2, 2014 What DeepEnd says. I really don't have any experience with either, but both seem heavily biased to the electric side. Personally I'm a big believer in buying the best acoustic you can and adding the electronics later unless you can play it and plug in to a similar rig as yours. I'm also a big believer in playing any guitar before you buy it - you may not get the best deal but you'll get the right guitar. Having said that, tell us a little more about how you play - do you need access to those upper frets, what percent of the time will it be plugged in, what kind of playing technique do you use (strum, flat pick, finger pick, lead solo, etc. And before I forget my manners, welcome to HGAC - we'll try to help you find the right guitar but we need to know more about you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bout5 Posted September 2, 2014 Author Members Share Posted September 2, 2014 Thank you for your welcome and for your answers! And to give you mine: I, too, believe in playing a guitar before buying it, but the thing is I went to the USA to study and so I do not have a car, or the money to take a train "just" to try the instrument. Normally I would always play the guitar before buying it, but in this case, I can't. And about my playing, because I arrived only 2 weeks ago, I will mostly play on my own. I like playing a wide variety of songs, which means that I'll finger/flat pick as much as I'll strum. I do need those upper frets because I plan on improving my solo technique which means having access to upper frets. Which is why I went for a cutaway. As of right now, I do not own an amp, so it won't be plugged at all until I buy one. On an other side, I really like the "looks" of those two; that might be why I was more inclined to choose them. I know it does not have any use in terms of sound, but I do like having a guitar that I both like to play and to watch. To Deepend: I tried to check out the link you gave me but ebay says that I can't access because "It has been blocked due to legal restrictions in some countries". Anyway, thanks again for your answers and for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted September 2, 2014 Members Share Posted September 2, 2014 As Freeman said, welcome to the Forum. Sorry the link didn't work. Possibly your Internet access is showing your original country of origin as being outside the US. Try simply searching for "Yamaha FSX700SC" and see what happens. I tried it and that listing was the first one. Don't worry too much about when a particular listing ends. There will be another guitar. I've made that mistake before myself.Where are you studying? Most cities and towns with colleges have music stores. If you're near a member of the Forum, I'm sure he or she would be willing to take you to a place where you can try different guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bout5 Posted September 2, 2014 Author Members Share Posted September 2, 2014 Ok thx for the advice! I'll keep you updated on what I'll do. I'm studying in Carbondal, Southern Illinois, the city has a music shop but a small one and it didn't have a lot in my prices! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted September 2, 2014 Members Share Posted September 2, 2014 Unfortunately, Carbondale is over 100 miles (more than 160 km) from me so I can't help directly. I found two music stores in Carbondale but Core Music didn't have much in terms of used instruments and they don't list their new inventory; Mike's Music doesn't list their inventory on their web site at all. Which store did you visit? I also found two pawn shops in Carbondale, Midwest Cash and Si Pawn. One of those might also be a possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members panhandler Posted September 2, 2014 Members Share Posted September 2, 2014 Urgent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bout5 Posted September 3, 2014 Author Members Share Posted September 3, 2014 As I said before, I have an ebay deal that expires tomorrow, that is why it was "Urgent".I haven't seen those stores I will check them out. Thank you for your help again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted September 3, 2014 Members Share Posted September 3, 2014 As I said before' date=' I have an ebay deal that expires tomorrow, that is why it was "Urgent". I haven't seen those stores I will check them out. Thank you for your help again.[/quote'] As I said before, there will be another deal. Maybe not as good but there will always be another deal. Don't be in a hurry. It's not life or death so it's not that urgent. Besides, as you said, there are local stores where you can actually play a guitar first that you haven't checked out yet. Try them before you buy something on eBay. If they don't have anything, eBay will still be there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bout5 Posted September 3, 2014 Author Members Share Posted September 3, 2014 Yeah I know, I was just explaining to GW348 my use of the Urgent word. I put quotation marks because it is not really that urgent!And you're right, I won't buy online something that I cannot try or at least return easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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