Glenn F

Best thing for n00bs to do is go shopping with an experienced player. Look: I learned on an Aria 12 string strung for 6, using extra-light gauge strings. Not the easiest neck for a beginner, and the action and intonation were mediocre at best. It didn't stop me from learning. I doubt a Zager would've made my journey any more pleasant. I loved that guitar and played it from Rocky Raccoon to Purple Haze 4 years later. Granted, a decently setup guitar will be better for the beginner, but if the will is there, smewhat irrelevant.

That's a shame. I seem to remember a long time ago something about cancer.

Yeah. My collecting days are over, and I'm selling off 4 of my guitars. This was a hard one. The Eastman was gorgeous,but it wasn't comfortable for me. I tried out at least 4 others, settled on a Martin D-16GT, but the Micarta started to bug me. So, end of last August, I bought the Guild and the Martin is still up for sale. Hope everyone got through the last 15 months ok. I bought the Guild after a preliminary cancer Dx, and then an op and 7 months of chemo and radiation. So, that's shifted my focus away from 'he who has the most toys at death wins' game, and going with the guitars I actually gravitate toward and play more. When the gits are sold, I'll be down to a relatively sane 13. at the peak of my insanity, I had around 28. I think. I lost count.

Had a Swede Deluxe. I didn't like the thinness of the neck and the artificial fretboard. By the time I sold it a few years later, the pup switch was buggered.

Doubtful. This is a Stanford Thinline 30. I bought the 35AV, which had humbuckers instead. Great guitar. I have an Inspired By John Lennon Casino, and have been curious as to how the Thinline 30 would compare. https://www.session.de/produkt/stanford-cr-thinline-30-vintage-blonde/

I ended up with a Guild F-40E. Great guitar, mediocre saddle pup.

Of all my guitars, I'd choose this one: it's a Stanford Crossroads Thinline 35AV. Bought it in April. Best semi I've ever played.

Oh yeah, I'm finally making progress with Travispicking,my bane. I can play Dear Prudence and Julia correctly now. When I get it right, I feel the same euphoria I felt when I began learning 46.5 years ago. In improvising around with that technique, I see the vast potential to open up my playing exponentially. The first tips I received for doing this type of picking came from you guys.

I expect the PP has gone down, under Dendy, et al. I looked in a couple of times, and it wasn't the complete {censored}storm it once was. My favourite part of HCAG for the last number of years has been watching Freeman's builds. There is where I keep learning stuff, and it's always a pleasure to watch the instrument develop from pieces of wood to beautiful i.nstruments. It's science, but it's magic. Anyway, though all these years, I have learned valuable information, shared and enjoyed a bit of music. Another great aspect is VOM1T, though I've rarely participated. I hope to do this in the future, but due to health issues, will have to wait. This place always struck me, with one or two fussbucket exceptions, as very friendly. This forum was my main hang until the 'upgrades' hit the fan. The Guild is a superb guitar. Great lows, more pronounced mids than a Martin, nice highs, great neck, pretty much flawless out if the box. Didn't even need a setup. That's rare, for me. Drop 'D' rattles the bones, and this guitar goes to 11. I would highly reccomend anyone looking for a spruce/ hog large body guitar, to check them out. The spruce's grain is very tight, the workmanship as good as I've seen, better than some Martins that habe passed through my hands. And I think, for the US prices I've seen, a steal

Is this the 5 minute argument, or the whole ½ hour? 1) I spend a lot less time online than I used to. Serious health issues can put things in perspective, like that. 2) The incompetent format changing was a turn off for many people, including me. As was the 'find user reviews' game. 3) Thanks to the gurus here like Freeman, I have a good basic knowledge of acoustic guitars, and how to look for fundamental issues. This knowledge has served me well, over the years. 4) welcoming newbies is simply being welcoming. Doesn't need any explanation. 5) The PP is for people with too much time on their hands, and too much bile in their souls. I rarely posted there. I found it toxic and depressing. 6) BTW, I bought a Guild F-40 jumbo in August. I give it 10/10. I don't do NGDs anymore, though.

It's absurd.

Tuning stability. First thing I'll do is tune 'er up and play some cowboy chords, then arpeggios, then a few runs. From that, I have the tones, playability and intonation variables accounted tor. From there, if pleased, I'll check out the body's integrity and aesthetics, and go deeper by checking the frets, action and intonation at the nut and 12th fret. So, first sound, second what needs done, and third, structural integrity, and then a deeper pass. If I love the tone and I can determine that a proper setup will get me where I want, and there's no issue with the guitar, I keep it..... The instrument's voice has to speak to me. If not, everything else is irrelevant. Until I sell it for another, and go through the same lunacy again.

I have one of the all solid Supranatura series. I paid €300 for it, and I think it was a steal. Cedar/Hog. I don't see the Supranatura series too often on eBay classifieds.

Never impressed me.

My D-28 was bought new for €2, 150 in 2014. It's mint and somewhat opened up. I reckon I could easily make back what I paid for it, and maybe a bit more. They go for almost €3,000 new, currently.