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GMC Forum _ GEAR & PRODUCTION _ Buying A New Acoustic

Posted by: Yash Sep 12 2014, 06:44 PM

Hey guys smile.gif biggrin.gif I missed you all !! How is everyone ? I haven't posted in ages. But, I am back and more active than ever ! smile.gif This one's gonna be a long post. Hope you read till the end tongue.gif

I have 1200 Euros (around $1600) at hand biggrin.gif tongue.gif And, I am gonna spend it on my second and third guitars smile.gif So glad. biggrin.gif Finally, I'll have a good weapon to play and shred and make music. biggrin.gif For the electric, I have decided to go for the guitar of my dreams. a Jackson King V. It's a Pro series model with Floyd Rose and EMGs (Gonna make a thread on that). I initially wanted to buy a second electric, but Cosmin said it's better to buy an acoustic first, and he's 100% right, as I wanted to buy the second electric only because I wanted to. A second electric is an overkill tongue.gif (More details in the thread about the Jackson)

Now, on to the topic, I wanna buy an acoustic, and I don't know a thing. I don't know what to look for in one, how should it play, how should it sound. smile.gif I start from zero. But, I wanna buy one that stays with me a long way smile.gif And, I don't want to spend a lot on it. I have no idea whatsoever how much should I be looking to spend ? I have money. But I wanna save it for another electric laugh.gif And later a 12 string because it has a godly effect biggrin.gif Greedy me tongue.gif

So, what to look for ? In terms of playability, I prefer thin necks, so, whenever I pick up an acoustic, I always go - fat neck, fat neck laugh.gif I have stubby fingers I guess sad.gif Not a guitar players fingers ? Tone wise - I don't know. I like the acoustic sound from Metallica's Fade To Black and Led Zeppelin's Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (My Favorite acoustic tone of all time probably) and Tangerine, Megadeth's 13, Iron Maiden's (second most favorite) Dance of Death (live from Death on the Road) Three Days Grace's Never Too Late and Wake Up. Guns N' Roses' Patience (not much though smile.gif )

I think these songs would give you people a little idea of what I like ? Because, I myself don't know what I like laugh.gif But what I know is - I love to write clean moody stuff rolleyes.gif So, I'll need an acoustic

So, let's make the best acoustic guitar buying guide ever ? laugh.gif The materials, construction, neck shapes. Let's include all of it ? biggrin.gif laugh.gif We can do it !! We are GMC biggrin.gif

Posted by: SirJamsalot Sep 12 2014, 09:12 PM

Accoustic guitars all sound and feel different. I would go visit a show room and try as many on as possible before committing to a purchase. Some will have higher action, others lower action (at the 12th fret) - depending on what you want to play, this alone may make or break the deal for you. Also, you need to consider whether you plan to play live with it - if not, you don't need to worry so much about it having a pickup - but the pickup versus mic'd sound in my experience is usually a radically different sound altogether. I personally prefer the sound of a mic'd accoustic - the ovation pickup sound is probably my pet peeve dislike'd sound - Taylor sound better, but as soon as you start looking at Taylor, you've jumped a few figures in baseline price.

I went to guitar center a year ago and played almost every accoustic on the walls - some were 150, others $1,500+ and frankly, the best sounding with the best action for MY taste at the time was a "Seagull" - for about $400 USD after taxes. Threw some exlixers on it which last for months on end and still sound decent to my ear, has been the best accoustic for my taste yet.

But I've never tried a $10,000 dollar guitar before, so I might change my mind when I'm rich.

smile.gif

Posted by: Yash Sep 12 2014, 09:25 PM

QUOTE (SirJamsalot @ Sep 13 2014, 12:12 AM) *
Accoustic guitars all sound and feel different. I would go visit a show room and try as many on as possible before committing to a purchase. Some will have higher action, others lower action (at the 12th fret) - depending on what you want to play, this alone may make or break the deal for you. Also, you need to consider whether you plan to play live with it - if not, you don't need to worry so much about it having a pickup - but the pickup versus mic'd sound in my experience is usually a radically different sound altogether. I personally prefer the sound of a mic'd accoustic - the ovation pickup sound is probably my pet peeve dislike'd sound - Taylor sound better, but as soon as you start looking at Taylor, you've jumped a few figures in baseline price.

I went to guitar center a year ago and played almost every accoustic on the walls - some were 150, others $1,500+ and frankly, the best sounding with the best action for MY taste at the time was a "Seagull" - for about $400 USD after taxes. Threw some exlixers on it which last for months on end and still sound decent to my ear, has been the best accoustic for my taste yet.

But I've never tried a $10,000 dollar guitar before, so I might change my mind when I'm rich.

smile.gif


True smile.gif I know i want lower action tongue.gif Thanks for clearing one doubt, Sirjamsalot smile.gif And, I don't know. I might play live with it now and then, I don't know. I've never played out of my bedroom yet. sad.gif So, I don't know. I guess, I might will play live at college thingies. Do a few acoustic versions of heavy metal songs laugh.gif So, how do you judge what sound do you want ? smile.gif Given my musical taste (the song list), I think I like the bright chimey ones ? What else should I look for ? Oh, and I also realized, strings play a HUGE part. I put D'addario's on my cheap acoustic and it sounded 10 times better than it did. But, strings can be experimented with smile.gif

Posted by: Lester Sep 12 2014, 09:58 PM

I own a Taylor 110CE and I absolutely love it..'But I can't really compare it to other acoustic guitars.
In terms of feel and playability: I also own a Yamaha SLG130NW (nylon string) which is much more like an electric guitar. They also come in steel string versions, but these guitars are quite hard to come by (in Erope at least)

I also know that many of my friends play Ovation guitars, I think they are fairly easy to play as well, although it has been a while since I played one...just try it first smile.gif

Posted by: Spock Sep 13 2014, 08:50 AM

The best acoustic I had was a Tacoma, it cost me about $700 when I purchased it in the mid 90s. Man I miss that guitar. It had a cut away at the neck and the wood used for the guitar was so light, it almost felt like balsa wood. It had no finish on it, maybe some sort of wood sealer, and it smelled like pepper. The guitar played and felt so good.

Mine looked like this - except it didn't have pegs to hold the strings in. From what I understand, Fender purchased Tacoma, so they are probably much different now, but if you get a chance to locate one that looks like this, give it a feel and see what you think. If the guitar is the same weight as a regular acoustic, that would not be the right one, the one I'm talking about is noticeably lighter than a regular acoustic of the same size...




Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 13 2014, 04:24 PM

Hey Yash smile.gif I own a Yamaha FG 365 S acoustic made in 1979. I bought it from a friend who took it from eBay. I had no clue how it would be, but of course, I was going to test it first and buy it only if I liked it smile.gif It had a fairly comfortable neck, not too thick not too thin, the looks - INCREDIBLE - judging by its age and the tone... my God biggrin.gif That's what made me get it.

I for one have decided to adapt to an instrument if I like the tone smile.gif Us humans, we are on the top of the evolutionary chain and we should be able to adapt to pretty much anything we want - correct? Well, not taking things to an extreme, I liked the guitar enough to jump over the fairly thick neck and I got it. Guess what - I got accustomed to it and I love it just the way it is smile.gif

Now, as the guys said - you need to go out there and try models - buying something on a hunch or on someone else's ideas, is NOT a good idea smile.gif You can watch a review and get an idea about a device, but trying it to see if it fits YOU, is the way to do things properly.

Posted by: Yash Sep 13 2014, 07:08 PM

Hi guys smile.gif I had a visit to the music store today. I tried them all smile.gif My favorite was a Fender CD-60CE. I played it. Sounded better than the others and was more comfortable than anything else in the market smile.gif And, the sound was pretty good as well. Since I don't have many options, I'll probably go for it.

QUOTE (Lester @ Sep 13 2014, 12:58 AM) *
I own a Taylor 110CE and I absolutely love it..'But I can't really compare it to other acoustic guitars.
In terms of feel and playability: I also own a Yamaha SLG130NW (nylon string) which is much more like an electric guitar. They also come in steel string versions, but these guitars are quite hard to come by (in Erope at least)

I also know that many of my friends play Ovation guitars, I think they are fairly easy to play as well, although it has been a while since I played one...just try it first smile.gif


Man, trust me, I so wanted to try an Ovation, but there are none available sad.gif sad.gif sad.gif I guess there's a shop or two more in the town, I'll check out smile.gif

QUOTE (Spock @ Sep 13 2014, 11:50 AM) *
The best acoustic I had was a Tacoma, it cost me about $700 when I purchased it in the mid 90s. Man I miss that guitar. It had a cut away at the neck and the wood used for the guitar was so light, it almost felt like balsa wood. It had no finish on it, maybe some sort of wood sealer, and it smelled like pepper. The guitar played and felt so good.

Mine looked like this - except it didn't have pegs to hold the strings in. From what I understand, Fender purchased Tacoma, so they are probably much different now, but if you get a chance to locate one that looks like this, give it a feel and see what you think. If the guitar is the same weight as a regular acoustic, that would not be the right one, the one I'm talking about is noticeably lighter than a regular acoustic of the same size...





Smelled like pepper ? Then did you sneeze all the time ? laugh.gif Jokes aside, that thing looks stunning. Too bad it had to go away. And, I don't have really that kind of budget sad.gif Plus, there's no variety around my place. It's a small town sad.gif

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Sep 13 2014, 07:24 PM) *
Hey Yash smile.gif I own a Yamaha FG 365 S acoustic made in 1979. I bought it from a friend who took it from eBay. I had no clue how it would be, but of course, I was going to test it first and buy it only if I liked it smile.gif It had a fairly comfortable neck, not too thick not too thin, the looks - INCREDIBLE - judging by its age and the tone... my God biggrin.gif That's what made me get it.

I for one have decided to adapt to an instrument if I like the tone smile.gif Us humans, we are on the top of the evolutionary chain and we should be able to adapt to pretty much anything we want - correct? Well, not taking things to an extreme, I liked the guitar enough to jump over the fairly thick neck and I got it. Guess what - I got accustomed to it and I love it just the way it is smile.gif

Now, as the guys said - you need to go out there and try models - buying something on a hunch or on someone else's ideas, is NOT a good idea smile.gif You can watch a review and get an idea about a device, but trying it to see if it fits YOU, is the way to do things properly.


I did try out ! And, I loved that Fender more than any other guitar. But, I just wish I would have tried other brands. All they had there was Fender, Yamaha, and Ibanez. smile.gif The Yamaha's were the low end ones without the electronics. sad.gif And there was an Epiphone 12 stringer. Didn't really like it dry.gif I have heard and played better 12 stringers smile.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 15 2014, 07:51 AM

Hey little buddy smile.gif If the Fender CD-60CE is the one you liked and there's no other better option in the near future or around you in any way, go for that one. Waiting for something to fall out of the sky is not that much of a good approach and you'll just be frustrated because you want to play.

There's a time and a place for everything usually, so, I think you should go for this one, if you can't go see anything else in the next month or so smile.gif

Posted by: SirJamsalot Sep 16 2014, 06:32 PM

QUOTE (Yash @ Sep 13 2014, 11:08 AM) *
Hi guys smile.gif I had a visit to the music store today. I tried them all smile.gif My favorite was a Fender CD-60CE. I played it. Sounded better than the others and was more comfortable than anything else in the market smile.gif And, the sound was pretty good as well. Since I don't have many options, I'll probably go for it.

Man, trust me, I so wanted to try an Ovation, but there are none available sad.gif sad.gif sad.gif I guess there's a shop or two more in the town, I'll check out smile.gif


Great! I'm glad you went and tried a few on - it really is the best thing to do. The fender looks like a really nice guitar.
As for wanting an ovation, but not having one available to try out - I know you might be gritting your teeth anxiously to just buy the Fender, but you said you wanted a really bright sound - and although Ovations aren't my personal favorite, they do meet that criteria, so if you can wait a little longer and get to a store, you might one day be able to say "man, i'm glad I waited!". smile.gif who knows, right?

But the Ovation has a very distinct sound from all other acoustic I've played, so I would highly recommend trying it "plugged in" prior to settling on that particular guitar. I'm sure the Fender sounds great plugged in too, so you won't go wrong with that purchase I'm sure.

Patience usually pays off, so good luck!

Chris!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 17 2014, 08:18 AM

I for one am not a fan of the Ovation guitar, as they feel a bit too electric, for my taste smile.gif I like Yamaha and Taylor - but as Jams said, try them out and make a decision based on facts, not suggestions from the outside wink.gif Please keep us updated on the outcome, mate!

Posted by: SirJamsalot Sep 17 2014, 05:50 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Sep 17 2014, 12:18 AM) *
I for one am not a fan of the Ovation guitar, as they feel a bit too electric, for my taste smile.gif I like Yamaha and Taylor - but as Jams said, try them out and make a decision based on facts, not suggestions from the outside wink.gif Please keep us updated on the outcome, mate!


doesn't take but a single strum on an ovation and I'm like "someone just strummed an ovation". haha smile.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 18 2014, 07:22 AM

I think I can recognize one too smile.gif I am curious about what our little friend will get, in the end smile.gif What's your favorite acoustic, Jams?

Posted by: SirJamsalot Sep 19 2014, 07:10 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Sep 17 2014, 11:22 PM) *
I think I can recognize one too smile.gif I am curious about what our little friend will get, in the end smile.gif What's your favorite acoustic, Jams?


Favorite? I've only had 3 different makes ~ Washburn, Fender and my current acoustic is a Seagull entourage. I think the Seagul is my favorite in terms of playability - it has a very reasonable action for my playing style, and the sound of new strings is a healthy rich grind.


http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/seagull-entourage-grand-acoustic-guitar?source=3WWRWXGP&gclid=CjwKEAjwqO-gBRCEyp2Fufm0lBASJAAZrX-5czXbT2wHkZlHSWHwluu6TsR3uggo7Ecla2HII3E6dRoCP9Dw_wcB&kwid=productads-plaid^83572759947-sku^H75841000001000@ADL4MF-adType^PLA-device^c-adid^53736456387

The only downside is that it needs to be mic'd for live shows, so I haven't played it on stage yet - but it's a really wonderful "sit down on the couch and play" guitar! smile.gif

Chris!

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 20 2014, 03:21 PM

I know Seagull guitars are great, but my only experience with one occurred around 2006 when I tried playing on one belonging to a friend and that had an enormous string gauge and action - at least for that moment in time. After that, the nicest one I got my hands on, by far, was this one:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Violins-Hybrid-Picking/

Gibson Songwriter Deluxe

Posted by: Yash Sep 20 2014, 04:58 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Sep 15 2014, 10:51 AM) *
Hey little buddy smile.gif If the Fender CD-60CE is the one you liked and there's no other better option in the near future or around you in any way, go for that one. Waiting for something to fall out of the sky is not that much of a good approach and you'll just be frustrated because you want to play.

There's a time and a place for everything usually, so, I think you should go for this one, if you can't go see anything else in the next month or so smile.gif


I used most of my money up on the Jackson laugh.gif My parents didn't give me all of it at once. They only gave me enough for the Jackson. I'll have to ask them to transfer again. I have around 280 EUR/$360 left smile.gif But, I can boost it up as I save money. And, I just want to try a little bit more. I have a question though smile.gif Should I look for an electric acoustic or just a plain acoustic ? smile.gif Without the electronics ? I can't decide and I don't really know about the future. I might have to gig, or I might not. I am trying to get a band together smile.gif


QUOTE (SirJamsalot @ Sep 16 2014, 09:32 PM) *
Great! I'm glad you went and tried a few on - it really is the best thing to do. The fender looks like a really nice guitar.
As for wanting an ovation, but not having one available to try out - I know you might be gritting your teeth anxiously to just buy the Fender, but you said you wanted a really bright sound - and although Ovations aren't my personal favorite, they do meet that criteria, so if you can wait a little longer and get to a store, you might one day be able to say "man, i'm glad I waited!". smile.gif who knows, right?

But the Ovation has a very distinct sound from all other acoustic I've played, so I would highly recommend trying it "plugged in" prior to settling on that particular guitar. I'm sure the Fender sounds great plugged in too, so you won't go wrong with that purchase I'm sure.

Patience usually pays off, so good luck!

Chris!


Yes smile.gif I guess I love a bright sound smile.gif And, I'll just have to try an Ovation to see if I like one. I'll just have to try hunt one down in this small town.

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Sep 17 2014, 11:18 AM) *
I for one am not a fan of the Ovation guitar, as they feel a bit too electric, for my taste smile.gif I like Yamaha and Taylor - but as Jams said, try them out and make a decision based on facts, not suggestions from the outside wink.gif Please keep us updated on the outcome, mate!


What do you mean by ''too electric'' ?? smile.gif smile.gif It sounds like an electric guitar on a clean tone ? By the way, an unrelated question - what do you think of piezos ? smile.gif Do they sound very acoustic ? smile.gif Like the real thing ?

QUOTE (SirJamsalot @ Sep 17 2014, 08:50 PM) *
doesn't take but a single strum on an ovation and I'm like "someone just strummed an ovation". haha smile.gif


laugh.gif I think same goes for EMG pickups ?

Posted by: tonymiro Sep 21 2014, 10:48 AM

This may sound a little counter intutive but when you try and acoustic, particularly if you may use it when playing live, take a friend with you. Acoustics sound very different for the person playing it compared to an audience.

I've played and owned a few acoustics over the years but the one that I still have is a Lowden similar to this one http://www.lowdenguitars.com/guitar-range-stage . I've had it for about 20 years but have lent it to my daughter who is learning to play.

Posted by: Yash Sep 21 2014, 07:10 PM

QUOTE (tonymiro @ Sep 21 2014, 01:48 PM) *
This may sound a little counter intutive but when you try and acoustic, particularly if you may use it when playing live, take a friend with you. Acoustics sound very different for the person playing it compared to an audience.

I've played and owned a few acoustics over the years but the one that I still have is a Lowden similar to this one http://www.lowdenguitars.com/guitar-range-stage . I've had it for about 20 years but have lent it to my daughter who is learning to play.


Since none of my friends play guitar, I have to take a non-player with me smile.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 21 2014, 09:24 PM

I don't know if a non player will help, mate sad.gif Anyway, when I meant that the sound is too thin somehow, for my taste, like the clean sound of an electric guitar, instead of the spaciness provided by the resonance chamber of a big acoustic.

But then again, our tastes may vary, so go get the one you like - as I said, you might be more in advantage with one that can be plugged as we discussed in your thread wink.gif

Posted by: Yash Sep 22 2014, 04:54 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Sep 22 2014, 12:24 AM) *
I don't know if a non player will help, mate sad.gif Anyway, when I meant that the sound is too thin somehow, for my taste, like the clean sound of an electric guitar, instead of the spaciness provided by the resonance chamber of a big acoustic.

But then again, our tastes may vary, so go get the one you like - as I said, you might be more in advantage with one that can be plugged as we discussed in your thread wink.gif


Oh, OK. Spaciness is the word smile.gif Well, I'll have to find a friend who plays then. Though I don't know if he's gonna come with me.

Posted by: SirJamsalot Sep 22 2014, 05:51 PM

QUOTE (Yash @ Sep 22 2014, 08:54 AM) *
Oh, OK. Spaciness is the word smile.gif Well, I'll have to find a friend who plays then. Though I don't know if he's gonna come with me.


It's true that the actual sound of an acoustic is different relative to where your ear is to the sound-hole. Much like an amp - if your amp is on the floor, it will sound more boomy/bassy than if it's at ear-level.

The important point to keep in mind, is that YOU have to like the sound of the guitar while your playing it, because the sound of the guitar you hear is what inspires your creativity while you're playing - which I'm sure you know - mood plays a huge role in ability/creativity.

If you plug in your acoustic, you won't have to worry about bringing a friend - just situate yourself in front of the speakers. if you play unplugged, don't worry about it. EQ is good for post-production if you really need it - but the sound as you play needs to tickle your ear immediately.

Cheers!

Posted by: Yash Sep 22 2014, 08:02 PM

True. The sound inspires my creativity. But, more importantly, it's the mood smile.gif And, so, the bottomline from my reading of this thread is - get one with the best tone. Playability is not THAT important. But it's important. Right ? smile.gif Woods - don't care what's in there. smile.gif What about durability ? And longevity ?

Posted by: SirJamsalot Sep 22 2014, 08:27 PM

QUOTE (Yash @ Sep 22 2014, 12:02 PM) *
True. The sound inspires my creativity. But, more importantly, it's the mood smile.gif And, so, the bottomline from my reading of this thread is - get one with the best tone. Playability is not THAT important. But it's important. Right ? smile.gif Woods - don't care what's in there. smile.gif What about durability ? And longevity ?


Play-ability and tone are your friend. I've found that if I struggle with barring a major chord on the 12th fret, then it's not playable for me in that the action will prevent me from doing other things I like to be able to do.

Durability all depends on how you treat your accoustic - remember the rule of the thumb - 45-55% humidity for your accoustic because the inside wood is NOT sealed. Type of wood is irrelevant as long as you keep it in a decent humidity range - how it sounds and plays is what you care about (and this is subjective).

Get yourself something like this
http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/tools/test-measurement/meters-refractometers/humidity-seeker-thermo-hygrometer-pen-pth8707?infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=CjwKEAjwkf-gBRCd-b2m2aOo0EQSJABMeQDka5R6y9YTMAC89awXLq13S3BO_KR4Fgg0er5k4nfWMBoC2jHw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I know this seems strange or "overboard" to some - and it may seem strange because you personally, likely, don't know of anyone in your immediate circles who actually keep their accoustic in a controlled room, but let's get past the cynicism and ask ourselves the simple question - is wood wood, no matter what form it is in? Does wood expand and shrink with humidity? Well, caring for your instrument is a big part of musicianship, if you consider your instrument your craft's tool smile.gif

All IMO ~ people, but take care of your instruments and they will take care of you! This will take care of your question of longevity, more than anything else you do.

Chris!

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