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  #1  
Old 09-05-2011, 10:57 AM
tjalla tjalla is offline
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Default Most long-term stable high end acoustic

Hi all,

My first post here after lurking for a bit, incredible wealth of information here since I've been on the hunt for a high-end boutique acoustic.

I have 3 Larrivees - a pair of L-03s (one in rosewood and the other mahogany) and a little P-01 which is nice for noodling around the house.

Looking for a high-end acoustic, part of my consideration is long-term stability and overall durability. While the Larrivees will do the typical pub gigs around town - its what I do for a living - I do travel and play shows and would like to have something nice, that I can put on a plane or in the back of a car. Western Australia is pretty dry, but occasionally I play in Singapore and Malaysia which is quite humid.

I'm not after a Rainsong or Composite Acoustic - I'm looking for a good guitar that will travel, not a travel guitar that sounds good. I'm very partial to James Taylor, but I don't think I can stretch to $8-10k even for a used Olson. More like the $5k+ mark.

I'm thinking a McPherson might do well with its graphite reinforced neck, and I've read reports of Santa Cruz being on the light side, as far as construction goes. Seems that Lowdens use a thicker top than what is typical, not sure how this factors in.

I treat my gear well, but I can't spend big on a nice acoustic only to have it stay at home.

Any suggestions, experiences or field reports would be greatly appreciated!
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  #2  
Old 09-05-2011, 11:00 AM
HHP HHP is offline
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For what you are describing, I would not go with a high end acoustic. I'd get a good sounding acoustic that I could replace in 24 hours if necessary.
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Old 09-05-2011, 11:08 AM
HudsDad HudsDad is offline
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This is where Takamine and Yamaha really shine.
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  #4  
Old 09-05-2011, 11:10 AM
tjalla tjalla is offline
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I have those, in my L-03s. And for any given gig or show if anything's too risky I'll take them instead, as I always have.

I'm probably describing the worst case scenario above, and I don't travel out of town on a weekly basis. Just a few times a year.
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Old 09-05-2011, 11:13 AM
earwighoney earwighoney is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HHP View Post
For what you are describing, I would not go with a high end acoustic. I'd get a good sounding acoustic that I could replace in 24 hours if necessary.
+1

To the sounds of it as well, I'd probably go for a cedar/rosewood Taylor if possible (as kind of suggested by ljguitar as a suggestion for the Olson sound on a budget of sorts) as I get the impression they are quite robust guitars for the road and do also sound great.
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Old 09-05-2011, 11:14 AM
Michael T Michael T is offline
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Your Larrivee's are about as close to a boutique as they come, you can pay more but I doubt outside of a commission you'll find a more balanced, tonally accurate, and solid wood guitar. Some may disagree but as a family owned business there is lots of hands on time with the Larrivee, especially the 05/09 and up. Just not 57 flavors of bracing and bling to choose from.
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  #7  
Old 09-05-2011, 11:22 AM
tjalla tjalla is offline
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Perhaps I should rephrase my whole query with, which high-end acoustics are particularly delicate?

I'm not after another Larrivee, Takamine, Yamaha or even Taylor. I've played a bunch, and my L-03s have that range covered, very well.
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Old 09-05-2011, 11:31 AM
AndyFrank AndyFrank is offline
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I don't know what the toughest $5000 is but I think you are describing Larrivee in your first post, so you might already there.
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Old 09-05-2011, 11:42 AM
architype architype is offline
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Go to the Martin Custom Shop on their website and see what you can build for around 5K. You should be able to come close to that as long as you don't go too exotic.
McPhearsons are great guitars...excellent tone...beautiful tone woods, and more exotic than most of the big manufacturers out there.
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Old 09-05-2011, 11:43 AM
semolinapilcher semolinapilcher is offline
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For that price range you could get a very nice Collings. They are built for the long haul, although the bracing on their Winfield model is (by design) more aggressivley light.
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  #11  
Old 09-05-2011, 11:46 AM
tjalla tjalla is offline
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A 9 or 10 series Larrivee has been in the back of my mind, but if I'm in that price bracket I want to consider as many options. While I'm not after bling, Larrivee don't offer many wood alternatives - unless I am mistaken? I don't hear of, say, an L-09 with Engelmann/Cocobolo. I know they've stopped cedar a while back too.
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Old 09-05-2011, 11:55 AM
Ilovetaylors Ilovetaylors is offline
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how about a luthiers guitar?

Charis makes some stable beautiful guitars...
http://www.heartshomeacoustics.com/guitars/Charis/
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Old 09-05-2011, 11:59 AM
tjalla tjalla is offline
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I should also point out that a prime consideration to have a nice guitar for the recording studio, which is why I mentioned the instrument's sound quality comes first and foremost. Amongst all the boutique options, however, an overly delicate instrument will be the first I'd rule out.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Ilovetaylors View Post
how about a luthiers guitar?

Charis makes some stable beautiful guitars...
http://www.heartshomeacoustics.com/guitars/Charis/
A Charis has indeed been at the top of my consideration. However, I haven't read many threads particularly addressing stability. Why do you suggest Charis in particular? The neck design?

Last edited by tjalla; 09-05-2011 at 12:05 PM.
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Old 09-05-2011, 12:03 PM
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drcmusic7 drcmusic7 is offline
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I would highly recommend Charles Hoffman guitars if you're an Olson fan. I owned one for a few years and took it with me on the road all the time. It was like a rock. Charlie was a teacher of sorts to Jim Olson and their guitars do share some similarities. Although, Charlies guitars do have a voice of their own. You can pick one up well with your price range. www.hoffmanguitars.com

Currently, my Batson is my main gig guitar now and it's also like a rock. www.batsonguitars.com Unfortunately, they have such a long line of customers they have stopped taking new orders for a while. You might find one at a dealer of theirs though.A couple kind dealers who support this forum have one or two in stock.

Hope this helps and good luck in your search...

Kindly,
Danny

P.S. Based on your location, have you thought about Laurie Williams guitars? He has a new model in your price range. Amazing instruments...
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  #15  
Old 09-05-2011, 12:04 PM
Brackett Instruments Brackett Instruments is offline
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A properly constructed guitar can be lightly built without being delicate.
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