nsherman2006 Posted May 29, 2004 Report Posted May 29, 2004 Anyone have an opinion on the best acoustic for the price? Thanks. Neal Quote
truerussian558 Posted May 29, 2004 Report Posted May 29, 2004 well you didnt specify your price range. but in the lower price range, yamaha comes to mind, they are cheap (about 200-300 at least their lower proce ranges). thye are good to start learning on , and they are made well, other guitars that i saw for that price either had some flamming flaw or werent as good overall. Quote
nsherman2006 Posted May 29, 2004 Author Report Posted May 29, 2004 thing is, i dont really have a price range. If an acoustic is really worth saving up for(500 bucks) i'll do it. If there's a good one for 200, maybe ill buy quicker. Right now there's a washburn that lists for around 500 on ebay B.I.N for 1oo. What do you guys think? Neal Quote
truerussian558 Posted May 29, 2004 Report Posted May 29, 2004 i wouldnt recomend buying online. you really have to see and feel the instrument to buy it. second off do you already play or do you want to start playing? if you really want to buy one off the internet i would recomend calling/going to a local music shop and asking if they carry that model, and play it, but there are differences in a guitar even if they are the same model. also a good thing to remmeber is to not only look at the price itself. always choose one that sounds the best to you even if it is the cheapest in the whole store Quote
nsherman2006 Posted May 30, 2004 Author Report Posted May 30, 2004 thyanks vankirk, but im a step ahead of you, as i read this before i posted. And yes, i do play, i've been playing for 2 years and am slowly starting to catch on. I like acoustics, but mine is giving me problems, and it's not worth the restoration efforts. I was thinking along the lines of a washburn/takamine/alvarez/yamaha, because i can find models that sell new for around 500 for less than 200 on ebay, and they've all recieved fairly good reviews. Any other suggestions? Neal Quote
truerussian558 Posted May 30, 2004 Report Posted May 30, 2004 just dont just go by reviews, go to a store and check some guitars out and then buy them cheaper online/ebay Quote
GregP Posted May 30, 2004 Report Posted May 30, 2004 I second the Yamaha suggestion. I am a huge fan of their stuff. A friend of mine has been "making do" with a Yamaha acoustic (bought it for $300 CDN) for well over a decade, and even though he's now an incredible guitarist and plays primarily acoustic, he hasn't wanted to get a new one. Au contraire, he is planning to refret the Yamaha!! I personally think he should go a BIT better than his 10-year old budget Yamaha, but it's a testament to his bang-for-the buck that he's gotten out of them. Myself, I got an even cheaper Yamaha for a 'campfire' instrument, and sometimes I choose it over my Guild. That said, I've been very interested in Tanglewood recently. Greg Quote
Nalo1022 Posted May 30, 2004 Report Posted May 30, 2004 i would suggest going to a store and trying stuff out especially the used stuff....i was at guitar center a couple days ago and i played this samick acoustic/electric it was 200 bux adn was really nice sounding for the cash......better then the yamaha acoustics they had for 200......so in summation check out your local store Quote
maxaxenyc Posted May 30, 2004 Report Posted May 30, 2004 I bought an Ibanez acoustic for $100 at a Sam Ash sale (this was seven years ago) and it still plays great, as good as it did the first day I had it. It's also survived all of the different mods i've done to it (Nashville tuning, slide setup, dragging across the floor in a drunken stupor (I guess that isn't a mod, huh?)...). I doubt that all copies of the same model would be just as good, though. I think that a percentage of all cheap guitars come out of the factory in significantly better shape than the rest, so if you have a good eye you can probably spot one of them at a shop that has a bunch of cheapies. Quote
southpaw rocker Posted May 30, 2004 Report Posted May 30, 2004 I 'd suggest a Ibanez PF5. I bought it from MF (although I'll agree it's not smart to buy a guitar you have never played) but I love it. It plays great and the action for an acoustic guitar is really good (but I also put electric strings on it for easier bending. I think the coolest thing about this guitar is that it has abalone inlays on the headstock. I also have to agree with the Yamaha. A Yamaha sojourned inmy posession for about two years. I bought the Ibanez after i gave the Yamaha back. Quote
canuckguitarist Posted May 31, 2004 Report Posted May 31, 2004 My vote goes to Art & Lutherie or Seagull acoustics Quote
Hoser Rob Posted May 31, 2004 Report Posted May 31, 2004 My vote goes to Art & Lutherie or Seagull acoustics Or Simon & Patrick, which are almost exactly like Seagulls (which is what I use) with a slightly narrower nut. All the others mentioned here with the exception of Yamaha remind me of plasticized wood. Quote
DividedByJames Posted June 1, 2004 Report Posted June 1, 2004 Gawd I have posted in forever...my 2 cents If you aren't concerned with wood quality, electronics, or brand name, you can generally get a $99 Epiphone from Guitar Center or Musician's Friend. If quality is a concern then I offer this (same I've told to friends interested in buying): Go with a bookmatched one-piece solid top guitar. Resale wise it is better, and it will age over time. Inexpensive solid tops I have seen in catalogs that have decent resale value are Epiphone AJ200S/PR350S, Ibanez "Artwood", Breedlove Atlas, Fender DG14 (& higher), and Carvin Cobalt to name a few. They can run anywhere from $200 - $600 for the low end ones. I recently picked up a Carvin Cobalt so that my Taylor would stop getting beaten up. They are quality made and Carvin is currently having a sale on them. Call the San Diego store and ask what the special is, don't look online. I think I got my cedar top for $299 +tax but it came with a free gigbag (a very nicely padded case I might add), and since I was local (and bought the high end one first) I got a stand and a cable for free. I think the spruce top was the same price. I have heard of Seagulls (Godin company) and my friend Christopher Dale uses the acoustic electric while my friend Miles from Slightly Stoopid uses the non-electric and uses the soundhole pickups. Both speak highly of them and apparently they are "cheap" money-wise. Quote
litchfield Posted June 1, 2004 Report Posted June 1, 2004 a bookmatched one-piece solid top Ummm....say what?? Quote
truerussian558 Posted June 1, 2004 Report Posted June 1, 2004 isnt bookmatch where th cut it and then glue it together to get a thiner board/wider board and to mirror the grain, if so how can it be 1 piece Quote
frankie Posted June 2, 2004 Report Posted June 2, 2004 The washburn d100 is good for your buck 100. my dad has one (i forgot the specific name) and they are pretty good. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=04...ase_pid/515366/ Quote
krazyderek Posted June 10, 2004 Report Posted June 10, 2004 Taylor's, i really like their low end models, i think it's the baby series? Quote
canuckguitarist Posted June 11, 2004 Report Posted June 11, 2004 Taylor's, i really like their low end models, i think it's the baby series? yea, those are pretty cool. except for the screws sticking out of the fingerboard. Quote
erikbojerik Posted June 11, 2004 Report Posted June 11, 2004 Whatever you get, if you can get an acoustic/electric version with both a piezo AND a little soundhole microphone, you won't regret it. The ability to use (or just blend in) the mic sound really adds a lot to an amplified acoustic sound. Assuming you'll ever plug in, of course. Quote
syxxstring Posted June 11, 2004 Report Posted June 11, 2004 Im really interested in the breedlove atlas series, the normal breedloves are heavenly. Quote
hy_dro66 Posted June 13, 2004 Report Posted June 13, 2004 We are carrying Walden acoustics right now. They sound great and run about 500 to 600 bucks with a nice case. Solid top, scalloped X-Bracing, wood tuner knobs to match the body, fishman piezo with preamp and overall great sound for the price. The issues I've noticed with them right out of the box is they need a setup and the nut is a little unfinished looking. Some of them have developed severe humpitis(hump at the neck/body joint). So we've had to level a bunch of them. However they sound the best of any we carry at our store(dean, ovation, aria, takmine, micheal kelly). Quote
krazyderek Posted June 13, 2004 Report Posted June 13, 2004 Taylor's, i really like their low end models, i think it's the baby series? yea, those are pretty cool. except for the screws sticking out of the fingerboard. although tacky, i thought that was fine, however the finish on those guitars sucked, nothing a bit of 600 grit ans linseed oil couldn't fix though.. Quote
Jester700 Posted June 14, 2004 Report Posted June 14, 2004 Im really interested in the breedlove atlas series, the normal breedloves are heavenly. I got a Breedlove Atlas. $640 for an auditorium sized cutaway, electronics, and solid rosewood back. It ROCKS and is head & shoulders above the Ibanezes I tried. I have a Taylor 412ce also, but I was looking for a smaller-than dread body that also had cutaway and (the hard part) a 1 11/16" nut. Most smaller guitars are now 1 3/4" like my Taylor. There are lots of good midrange asian axes if your needs are more "normal" - Yamahas, Carvin's Cobalts, Samick's Greg Bennett models, as well as LaSiDo's Canadian stuff (Art & Lutherie, Seagull, Simon & Patrick). But the Breedlove was the only one that fit the bill for me. I put $240 extra in it with a PUTW #54 pickup and a LR Baggs onboard preamp, and this puppy SINGS. Anyone want a Taylor 412? Quote
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