Guitars... Another expensive hobby - Page 2

*Deletes previous post*

Forgot to mention classical guitars.

At your budget, that could mean almost anything. I'm pretty limited with names in that respect as I've tried a bunch and loved a bunch when it comes to non-standard companies like Fender, etc. It really depends on your ear.

One of the classical guitars I have around the 500 range is a "silent" Yahama I bought for traveling: http://www.music123.com/Yamaha-SLG100N-Silent-Nylon-String-Guitar-511080-i1146649.Music123?cm_mmc=$(channel)$-_-Yamaha-_-Classical%20and%20Nylon%20Guitars-_-Yamaha%20SLG100N%20Silent%20Nylon%20String%20Guitar&source=ZWFRWXX&mr:trackingCode=9FD62809-C0D8-DC11-AA92-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA


FANTASTIC for traveling since the top of the body comes off so that you only have half a guitar silhouette to carry around in a bag. Once plugged in with your headphones you get a very nice, solid sound the built-in reverb on it is quite nice. I like being able to take that around, use it to record, and know that portability and my surroundings do not need to play a factor.

^My dad bought one of those for his yearly backpacking vacation, and he loves it.
If you plan on getting a classical, I'd back this rec. up.

Brian-

It sounds like you pretty well know what you're looking for, except for an actual brand. I'd say just go to a few stores and try out a bunch of different brands.


You'll be able to know after a few trips of trying out guitars which of them fits into your exact needs, and then people like tiecollector or Who could easily tell you if the one you're looking at is a good pick or not based on its price, maintenance, value, etc.

Oh I'm no guru about guitars. Quite the contrary. Everything I learned about them was from listening to my friends talk. I can play some scales and punk songs, that is about it... and probably not even that anymore.

I can't stand Ovations myself. I will never know why they're so popular, except that many of them are relatively cheap.

Per your desire for the standard dreadnought, I will once again reiterate Larrivee and Tacoma as excellent values for your money, especially at your price point. I would stick to U.S.-made if possible.

I'll also mention Harmony-central.com as a good overall resource for guitar information.

Interesting, I owned a Tacoma dreadnought several years ago (it was stolen from my car ) that they apparently don't make anymore. Too bad, because it was a fairly bassy acoustic guitar that sounds right up your alley. I can't comment on what appears to be their mainstay model these days (the ones with the unique soundhole). Here is Larrivee's California dealer page. They have one location in San Diego. If you like the Martin DM, forget the Harmony-central reviews. They are commenting on their experiences on average, which probably were either "It's a Martin. It has to be good!", or "It's a Martin. It must be overrated!". You'll find that with a lot of the reviews for the bigger name makes. The DM is a pretty solid starter acoustic. I felt I could do better with Larrivee for the money, but I prefer a brighter tone, which is what you'll find with most Larrivees. Martins are typically much deeper and more subdued, a little warmer. And anyway, if you go to a large guitar store and try 10-20 guitars and like one noticeably more than the rest, I highly doubt you'd be unhappy leaving the store with that one. Obviously, keep trying as many as you can. And don't forget to ask the to put new strings on (and be particular about which ones) before you buy, because that can significantly alter a guitars sound. Older strings will give a duller, less bright tone every time, so don't be fooled into buying a guitar with those attributes without making sure it's not the ridiculously old strings on nearly every guitar shop guitar that's doing it. Different gauges can have an effect too, depending on what comes stock on the instrument.

That's the tear-dropped Tacoma but the ones I've played have the standard soundhole. My old roommate got his Tacoma off ebay. Musician's Friend carries it and since MF is the online agent of GC, it figures GC would carry, too. Perhaps even Sam Ash a mile down on Sunset would carry it. GC at Sunset will have prices, whether they're competitive or not will be up to you. I'd visit them with the idea that they have what I'm looking for (basically) and I'm wiling to go back. The reason being that you should be able to go in there and say to a clerk (OR ASST MANAGER, PREFERABLY), "I need to buy a guitar before I leave in three weeks." Narrow down what you like between two or three guitars from 500-800. Don't be afraid to write down the models and tell the guy helping you that you want to price check before buying. This will insure that either a) he'll try to swing you a deal right then or that b) maybe you can find a better deal online. You can always come back the next day (or in a few hours) and say that you did your research, you found it for $650 and not $900, and if they could price match since you know you wouldn't have to deal with shipping. As you can tell, I've done this once or twice. Asist managers are good since they're usually the "kings" on the floor when the manager is away (which in my experience has been a good portion of the time) and you'll usually have less hassles with them. The asist manager I knew from the GC in Pasadena was in charge of the vintage/used selection and was constantly trying to broker deals with people and dropping a few hundred off sticker. The used selection at GC Sunset can be pretty pricey but they can have good deals, too. Another thing to keep in mind is that they keep their inventory, regardless of location, up on the network. So if you're looking for a used Tacoma at $600 they might be able to track one for you at another location. They do this because they can get the sale profit even if they don't work for that other store. And btw, Thom used/uses a Yamaha.

AND takamine.

Definitely go for a solid-top guitar. A bit more expensive than a laminate, but it will sound better with age. I haven't kept up to date with the current crop of acoustics, but that's just because I'm very happy with my Seagull: I bought it years back when I thought I could be the next Michael Hedges. It's one of their middle-of-the-line models. No frills, good quality materials and workmanship overall. I also have a couple of hollow and semi-hollow Ibanez Artcores for jazz.

*sigh* Pretty close, I had a DM10 exactly like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/MINT-TACOMA-DM-1...QQcmdZViewItem

If you had the chance to play it first, I would say that would be an excellent bet for you, but I would hardly ever recommend buying an acoustic guitar sight unseen (and unplayed).