#1165996 - 10/16/12 06:46 AM
ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
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Mintaka
Planeteer
Registered: 12/21/11
Posts: 114
Loc: Limpopo,South Africa
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I am used to an Ibanez Acoustic. But I grew up with it and it seems like I have to replace it. I would use the 'new investment'
of course as accompaniment and rhythm to vocal tracks. I had a look at the Behringer El Toro. What should I look out for on the technical side. I am not a fundi and would like any advice.
Edited by Mintaka (11/09/12 05:16 PM)
Edit Reason: spelling
_________________________
Running for the latest gear makes you a good ... well ... ATHLETE.
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#1166359 - 10/17/12 04:27 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Mintaka]
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gonzo
purveyor of noise
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 08/16/99
Posts: 31707
Loc: SL.UT
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it will boil down to money.
figure out what your 'real' budget is, and begin internet browsing for acoustic guitars in that price range.
get the best you can afford.
it is always best to actually play the instrument you want to purchase.
you need to make a 'road trip' and go to a decent music store with a decent selection, to try as many as possible.
there is no way ANYONE can tell you what to get.....
only your own fingers and ears can do that.
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#1167225 - 10/20/12 02:11 AM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: gonzo]
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flatcat
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 07/11/01
Posts: 30325
Loc: Westborough, MA, USA
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Ibby makes really good guitars - why are you feeling like you need to replace it?
If you don't have a lot of money, I have always liked Seagull guitars, made in Canada. They're very nice instruments.
_________________________
The internet, and the whole technology sector on which it floats, feels like a giant organ for bullshittery—for upscaling human access to speech and for amplifying lies. - Ian Bogost
Professor Truth T. Sweetness says,"Mind your manners!"
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#1170360 - 11/01/12 03:44 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: flatcat]
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Mintaka
Planeteer
Registered: 12/21/11
Posts: 114
Loc: Limpopo,South Africa
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Hi Flatcat
After 30 years with me accompanying groups, etc (and I inherited her after a previous life), she needs be send to a guitar maker for a decent rebuild. There are quite a few scars and a lot of replacements to be done. Believe me, she has earned a rest and a makeover. Even a crack in the sound box. I found someone to do the job for me in SA. I do not wish to install a pick-up on her. Furthermore she is 12 string and as I said being used for accompaniment and of course rythm. One can never have enough different sounding guitars in my genre. As I normally have steel on her, I am thinking of having some nylon strings for a 'softer' touch??? Similar to a chorus guitar. The piano and keyboard are great but I really would like to have a guitar. I have some great guitarist friends with awful sounding gear poppin' in and would like to make an investment here toward some great sound. There are VERY little shops over here and everything is purchased over the net.
I have female piano fingers, so for myself, I would like a somewhat narrower neck. On the Ibanez I use some 'replacement' chords. But believe me, nothing beats her. I love my guitar. But I do have room for more. We all (should) grow in what we do.
Local suppliers are stocked with less than average quality most of the time. I've been hunting for a while and found two similar secondhand Beringers and I wondered why they were sold. Normally musicians are ripped off in SA and I've learnt my lesson over the years.
Seagull Guitars, I'll Google.
Edited by Mintaka (11/01/12 03:55 PM)
_________________________
Running for the latest gear makes you a good ... well ... ATHLETE.
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#1170369 - 11/01/12 04:08 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Mintaka]
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gonzo
purveyor of noise
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 08/16/99
Posts: 31707
Loc: SL.UT
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i have a seagull, as well as my Taylor.
the taylor is WAY more toneful and powerful than the seagull, yet, i like the cedar top on the seagull and prefer it for more delicate work.
it has a slender neck, and shorter scale length than my taylor and is easier to play.
taylor has a newer SMALL body guitar, almost a parlor, that is a wonderful instrument, and a lot of pros are using it to actually record with.
here it is:
GS Mini
http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/gs-mini
not nearly as expensive as the other taylors, but still fully taylor.
i want one.
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#1170388 - 11/01/12 04:45 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: gonzo]
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Mintaka
Planeteer
Registered: 12/21/11
Posts: 114
Loc: Limpopo,South Africa
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Yes. The Taylor in Josh Doyle's Song 'I figured the World out' is the kind of sound I'm looking for. Does not have to be the very best, as long as 'we fit'. I think the Seagull might be the answer. Great. THANKS
_________________________
Running for the latest gear makes you a good ... well ... ATHLETE.
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#1170729 - 11/02/12 03:01 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Mintaka]
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Memphis Monroe
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 05/12/02
Posts: 29683
Loc: Pensacola, FL
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Mirtaka, what is your budget?
Here are some general guitar companies that make excellent acoustics at an excellent price:
Yamaha
Cort……look at the Earth Series
Greg Bennett by Samick
Seagull
Taylor….look at the Big Baby series
Alvarez…can be hit or miss depending on which models you focus on but most are good IME
There are others out there today I’m sure, but these companies are ones I have firsthand experience with—either having owned or at least played them extensively enough to comment on.
Good luck,
Chris
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#1173271 - 11/09/12 04:14 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Memphis Monroe]
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Mintaka
Planeteer
Registered: 12/21/11
Posts: 114
Loc: Limpopo,South Africa
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Hallo Gretsch - well , I'll sell my car - but not my house - yet.
I will even do the weird thing called saving to get what I really want. Joshua Bell's violin is worth 29 million ZAR. Won't make that. Yet.
_________________________
Running for the latest gear makes you a good ... well ... ATHLETE.
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#1174585 - 11/14/12 02:53 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Mintaka]
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Memphis Monroe
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 05/12/02
Posts: 29683
Loc: Pensacola, FL
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Hallo Gretsch - well , I'll sell my car - but not my house - yet.
I will even do the weird thing called saving to get what I really want. Joshua Bell's violin is worth 29 million ZAR. Won't make that. Yet.
All the guitars I mentioned are in the $200 to $400 range. I picked up my Taylor Big Baby secondhand in mint condition for $180, which I realize is an absolute steal….Back in the 90s a shop owner accidently sold me the Koa Alvarez brand new for $200 because it had been mislabeled before being shipped….So, I ended up with an upper level Alvarez for the price of their entry level models at the time….I just remember thinking, “this deal is too good to be true,” and in a way it was. : ).
Point is, great deals on any piece of gear can be found IF you know how and where to look and if you're a little patient. I tend to keep my options open. I’ll limit my searches on acoustic guitars, for example, to two or three particular models. That increases my odds of finding something I’m happy with, and as soon as one of those options pops up at a really good price I’m usually on it.
Don’t sell your car, your house, or go into a lot of debt over gear of any type….I would never suggest that…My only intention was to help point you in the right direction regarding quality acoustics at a good price point. These days you can score really nice acoustics for well under $300 if you take a little time and effort to determine what you like and what fits into your budget.
Chris
Edited by Gretsch 6120 (11/14/12 02:57 PM)
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#1180673 - 12/06/12 01:43 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Memphis Monroe]
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Hano
Mr.
Planeteer
Registered: 09/24/99
Posts: 17331
Loc: Belgium - E.U.
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Hi Mintaka,
Lately I have been on the hunt for a replacement guitar
for my old Terada,
on which I have written every song that I ever wrote ..
For a while I found nothing that compared to the warm sound and definition of my Terada guitar,
and I have tried a few of the brands mentioned above.
Not even a Taylor comes close, and they cost 4 times more ...
.. But then the light appeared in my eyes again when I held a brand in my hands
that I hadn't heard of before .. Blue Ridge Guitars .. ??? ..
I haven't purchased it yet, but I will .. pretty soon now. 
More info on Blueridge. I'm into the Contemporary Series ..
Maybe your taste is different, but I do have an acoustic Ibanez guitar too,
which I find a little colder sounding,
but very well built, and it stays very well in tune alike ..
I think that I know how personnal a guitar can feel and sound,
and I hope you will find my tip usefull ..
All my best,
Hano 
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#1180952 - 12/07/12 04:55 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Hano]
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Memphis Monroe
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 05/12/02
Posts: 29683
Loc: Pensacola, FL
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What the Magazines Say
............................................
Play Music: Arguably one of the all-round nicest guitars most of us are ever likely to own (BR 160)
Music Mart: Sounding this good straight out of the box, they'll sound magnificent after a few years playing in...Amazing value for money BR 43 and BR 160 Music Mart (BR43 and BR 160)
Total Guitar: It's official - they do make 'em like they used to...These guitars are the toast of the US Bluegrass circuit, and a million men with funny moustaches can't be wrong. (BG 140)
The BG 140 got an overall score of 5/5, and was awarded 'Best Buy'.
Play Music : It's a real player, this guitar (BG 40)
Guitarist: Blueridge Acoustic Guitars get the balance just right (BR 240)
Guitar & Bass : It's a beauty in both looks and sound (BR 163)
Guitar & Bass : Blueridge is setting a new, higher benchmark of quality for Chinese acoustics
The BR 163 was awarded Gear of the Year, in the Acoustic Guitars under £500 category by Guitar & Bass magazine.
Music Maker : Well below the price of some familiar makes that don't sound half as good (BR 160)
Guitarist: Simply Astonishing value with nothing coming close for that money
Guitar Buyer and Guitarist : give the Blueridge guitars 5/5 on value for money! I guess you knew that, and if you didn't just try your luck, 
A few years ago I was reading all the rave reviews on Blueridge guitars; so, one day I set out to our local Guitar Center to check some out. They were fair playing and sounding guitars for the money, but of the couple I played, none of them knocked my socks off. That’s not to say they’re not good instruments or worth every penny. They very well may be. For whatever reason, that day I just wasn’t impressed.
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#1187254 - 12/29/12 04:11 AM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Memphis Monroe]
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Cornjerker
Planeteer
Registered: 11/16/04
Posts: 5597
Loc: CornvILLe
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It's hard to beat a used -03 series Larrivee guitar. They can be had used for $600 if you're patient. Don't let the prices on this page discourage you. Larrivees, for whatever reason, do not hold their resale value the way Taylor or Martin guitars do. See http://www.larrivee.com/instruments/acoustics/index.php
Another inexpensive yet good quality guitar brand is Eastman. See http://www.eastmanguitars.com/
About saving for the guitar you want - last summer I sold 5 inexpensive guitars to finance the purchase of two great guitars. It was well worth it.
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#1187530 - 12/31/12 02:21 AM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Cornjerker]
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flatcat
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 07/11/01
Posts: 30325
Loc: Westborough, MA, USA
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If you can find a Larrivee for less than a grand, that is hands down the best guitar mentioned in this thread and a great deal.
_________________________
The internet, and the whole technology sector on which it floats, feels like a giant organ for bullshittery—for upscaling human access to speech and for amplifying lies. - Ian Bogost
Professor Truth T. Sweetness says,"Mind your manners!"
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#1188090 - 01/02/13 04:28 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: flatcat]
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Memphis Monroe
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 05/12/02
Posts: 29683
Loc: Pensacola, FL
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Eastman’s are very fine guitars. They are manufactured with quality woods and even handcrafted. They slay the competition of Martin’s and Taylor’s in terms of value, but they’re made in China. That’s why they’re significantly less expensive.
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#1188890 - 01/05/13 12:45 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Memphis Monroe]
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flatcat
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 07/11/01
Posts: 30325
Loc: Westborough, MA, USA
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While I'm sure Eastman guitars are good value, if you can get a Larrivee for less than a grand, that is about the very best guitar you can buy for that money. Larrivee guitars are in a whole other league than the stuff from China. They are incredibly well made, among the very best of the non-luthier-made mass market guitars. Plus they're not made in China. They're either made at the factory in California or in their original home base up in Vancouver BC. Hands down, I promise you they will smoke anything coming from the far east. Really, really fine instruments. I have loved every single one I've ever played.
You can also get used Taylor 410-series guitars for 6 bills if you look and if you like that sound (I don't). You can sometimes, if you're really lucky, get a 70's era Martin for that money, but you'd have to be pretty lucky.
I got lucky.
_________________________
The internet, and the whole technology sector on which it floats, feels like a giant organ for bullshittery—for upscaling human access to speech and for amplifying lies. - Ian Bogost
Professor Truth T. Sweetness says,"Mind your manners!"
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#1189367 - 01/07/13 07:04 PM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: flatcat]
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Memphis Monroe
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 05/12/02
Posts: 29683
Loc: Pensacola, FL
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While I'm sure Eastman guitars are good value, if you can get a Larrivee for less than a grand, that is about the very best guitar you can buy for that money. Larrivee guitars are in a whole other league than the stuff from China. They are incredibly well made, among the very best of the non-luthier-made mass market guitars. Plus they're not made in China. They're either made at the factory in California or in their original home base up in Vancouver BC. Hands down, I promise you they will smoke anything coming from the far east. Really, really fine instruments. I have loved every single one I've ever played. You can also get used Taylor 410-series guitars for 6 bills if you look and if you like that sound (I don't). You can sometimes, if you're really lucky, get a 70's era Martin for that money, but you'd have to be pretty lucky. I got lucky.
Larrivees are nice guitars…no doubt…but let’s put it this way: If you haven’t played an Eastman you just don’t know. Seriously, I would not believe they’re as nice as they are and at that price point had I not seen and played them in person. The craftsmanship and quality is topnotch. And yes, they’re made in china. Many of their guitars are handcrafted in China (handcrafted). They absolutely beat the pants off Martins and Taylors in terms of sound, craftsmanship, and overall value. These aren’t “sort of nice imports.” They’re everything the big dogs claim to be (great sounding woods, top of the line hardware, and just great quality all the way around) but at a fraction of the price. That said, they’re not cheap either---just less expensive than their U.S. counterparts.
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#1271435 - 01/11/14 12:55 AM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Memphis Monroe]
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Slabraton
Planeteer
Registered: 12/16/12
Posts: 16566
Loc: California
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You mentioned putting nylon strings on a 12 string. Don't do it. It's always a mistake to put nylon strings on one made for steel and on a 12 it's a very bad idea.
You haven't mentioned what sort of music you play. Dreadnaughts sound great but have too much bottom for recording. If you have to buy online, I would go with a Yamaha. Make sure you get one with a built in pickup and eq for added versatility. Being able to plug in an acoustic guitar makes a world of difference.
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#1272100 - 01/15/14 03:32 AM
Re: ACOUSTIC GUITAR - please advise
[Re: Slabraton]
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flatcat
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 07/11/01
Posts: 30325
Loc: Westborough, MA, USA
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I recently bought a Martin 000-1 from about 2000 here in Japan for about $750. It's like this one here:
http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/0001.htm
Check out ishibashi.co.jp and select their U-Box. Those are their used instruments. Not everything is a great deal, but there are a LOT of very nice lightly used instruments here in Japan, and they will ship them to the U.S.
_________________________
The internet, and the whole technology sector on which it floats, feels like a giant organ for bullshittery—for upscaling human access to speech and for amplifying lies. - Ian Bogost
Professor Truth T. Sweetness says,"Mind your manners!"
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