RESOLVED FOR NOW! Sub $1000 all-solid mahog/spruce 00/000/OM recommendations please!

[wrathfuldeity]

Early 60's Harmony H162...could be worth having some work being invested

[Satellitedog01]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

...and horrible bling-loaded headstocks like one of Liberace's chandeliers!

And that is a fact! :-DDDDD

[Satellitedog01]

Originally Posted by wrathfuldeity

Early 60's Harmony H162...could be worth having some work being invested

Looks likable. Will see how much they go for.

[Satellitedog01]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Sent a PM to Satellitedog01

your inbox is full, couldn't send the reply...

[Satellitedog01]

Just a bump for the second to last post.
This forum is quite the busy bee...

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by Satellitedog01

Yeah, this was among my fall-back plans, but I'd like something a bit more historic looking, like their ROS series all-solids. Unfortunately Thomann don't sell those anymore.

That's too bad. My ROS-10 is shockingly good. I love the fat neck and wide string spacing. Very versatile and affordable too.

I like the tone of Blueridges too, but I don't care for the thinner neck profile.

Is the Alvarez brand available in your neck of the woods? Their Masterworks series are quite good.

Eastman is also a good choice.

Good luck.

[Satellitedog01]

Originally Posted by roylor4

That's too bad. My ROS-10 is shockingly good. I love the fat neck and wide string spacing. Very versatile and affordable too.

I like the tone of Blueridges too, but I don't care for the thinner neck profile.

Is the Alvarez brand available in your neck of the woods? Their Masterworks series are quite good.

Eastman is also a good choice.

Good luck.

Thanks a bunch! There are a number of brands I can get (looking at Cort, Eastman, Yamaha, Guild, Epi Masterbilt, would be nice to snag a Far East built Larson Bros OM) and of course all the expensive ones. Strangely Thomann have a very meager selection of affordable all-solids compared to a couple of years ago. I don't get it...

The RK I'm looking at is actually a ROS-10, so you say it has a wider, beefier neck? Could you please measure the nut width/depth at 1st and 12th frets?

This could be a problem.

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by Satellitedog01

Thanks a bunch! There are a number of brands I can get (looking at Cort, Eastman, Yamaha, Guild, Epi Masterbilt, would be nice to snag a Far East built Larson Bros OM) and of course all the expensive ones. Strangely Thomann have a very meager selection of affordable all-solids compared to a couple of years ago. I don't get it...

The RK I'm looking at is actually a ROS-10, so you say it has a wider, beefier neck? Could you please measure the nut width/depth at 1st and 12th frets?

This could be a problem.

It's a 12 fret guitar, so the heel is at the 12th fret. At the 9th fret, it is approximately 1" from top of fretboard to back of neck. The nut is a true 1.75".

If you don't like fat necks, stay away from the RK line, except for the new EZ tones. Mine is the fattest and fullest neck I have ever played. I like it, but many would not.

[Satellitedog01]

Originally Posted by roylor4

It's a 12 fret guitar, so the heel is at the 12th fret. At the 9th fret, it is approximately 1" from top of fretboard to back of neck. The nut is a true 1.75".

If you don't like fat necks, stay away from the RK line, except for the new EZ tones. Mine is the fattest and fullest neck I have ever played. I like it, but many would not.

Thanks, Roy!

I'll check my Stanford/Furch OM, which also has a beefy neck for comparison. I've gotten used to it, but it would be nice to have a slightly less clublike playground.

[Mahoganymadness]

I would agree with previous posters about the guild OM-140. I recently went looking for a guitar with almost the exact same specs as you want. I played both Eastmans and Guilds, specifically spruce/hog OM's side by side at my local guitar shop with a great selection for hours. I eventually decided on a Guild OM-140, over an Eastman E6OM with nearly identical specs on paper (played several of each model).

For me, the Guild just had that sound that I love about mahogany; A dry, woody tone with controlled overtones, however it also had volume, bass and resonance, similar to a good rosewood guitar.

Another big reason I chose the Guild over the Eastman, was that all of the Guilds had the same consistent, comfortable string spacing at the nut and saddle (important to me on this guitar, as I use it primarily for fingerstyle). Most of the Eastmans had a comfortable string spacing, but some felt a bit crowded and narrowed down for a 1 1/4 nut. This may be fine or even preferable to some, but not for me.

Either way, you should definitely check both of these guitars out before you pull the trigger on anything. There's a reason so many people have suggested these 2 brands, as they fit perfectly for your guitar needs in your price range. Happy hunting

Since many here are also noting the blueridge's in your price range, I want to say I liked their sound, but the neck, string spacing, and all of the excess cheap looking bling decided not to go that route. Again, many like Blueridge guitars so you should definantly try them out next to some comparable Guilds and Eastmans..

Sorry.. Second edit on this already.. I was just looking at all previous suggestions, and how so many suggested an E6OM, and it reminded me how certain I was that I was buying that Eastman after so many raving reviews. I find this all changes when you actually play the guitars... I went in to the store thinking I was buying an Eastman, then the Guid OM-140 caught my ear, and it was all over without even knowing about the Guild before walking into the store. So bottom line.. play as many guitars as possible side by side, this makes it easy to know which guitar's coming home with you.

[Long Road Home]

I just bought a used Eastman E6OM-Limited, which will be delivered early next week. I always thought I was a rosewood guy until I received my walnut/lutz Halcyon OM and I discovered the "dry side of guitar life". I'm looking forward to pushing a little further out along that scale. I may even sell the Breedlove OM and be rosewood-less.

@Mahoganymadness. I tried the Guild OM-140 as well and made the opposite choice. Further proof (as if we need it) of YMMV.

[Basalt Beach]

A low cost option is the Ibanez AC240. I have played them many times at GC (Guitar Center) and IMO they one of the few guitars which offer the best bang for the buck. Best of luck to you on whatever you decide.

http://www.ibanez.com/products/u_ag_...=17&color=CL01

[L20A]

Originally Posted by rwmct

The Guild OM-140 is right up there with any of them in this price range.

This is worthy looking at.

[Satellitedog01]

Originally Posted by Mahoganymadness

I would agree with previous posters about the guild OM-140. I recently went looking for a guitar with almost the exact same specs as you want. I played both Eastmans and Guilds, specifically spruce/hog OM's side by side at my local guitar shop with a great selection for hours. I eventually decided on a Guild OM-140, over an Eastman E6OM with nearly identical specs on paper (played several of each model).

For me, the Guild just had that sound that I love about mahogany; A dry, woody tone with controlled overtones, however it also had volume, bass and resonance, similar to a good rosewood guitar.

Another big reason I chose the Guild over the Eastman, was that all of the Guilds had the same consistent, comfortable string spacing at the nut and saddle (important to me on this guitar, as I use it primarily for fingerstyle). Most of the Eastmans had a comfortable string spacing, but some felt a bit crowded and narrowed down for a 1 1/4 nut. This may be fine or even preferable to some, but not for me.

Either way, you should definitely check both of these guitars out before you pull the trigger on anything. There's a reason so many people have suggested these 2 brands, as they fit perfectly for your guitar needs in your price range. Happy hunting

Since many here are also noting the blueridge's in your price range, I want to say I liked their sound, but the neck, string spacing, and all of the excess cheap looking bling decided not to go that route. Again, many like Blueridge guitars so you should definantly try them out next to some comparable Guilds and Eastmans..

Sorry.. Second edit on this already.. I was just looking at all previous suggestions, and how so many suggested an E6OM, and it reminded me how certain I was that I was buying that Eastman after so many raving reviews. I find this all changes when you actually play the guitars... I went in to the store thinking I was buying an Eastman, then the Guid OM-140 caught my ear, and it was all over without even knowing about the Guild before walking into the store. So bottom line.. play as many guitars as possible side by side, this makes it easy to know which guitar's coming home with you.

Well, I usually have to travel a bit for auditioning affordable all-solids, over to Austria or Germany. The one store that is an acoustic specialist around here deals in high-end stuff, and there are occasional sightings of lower budget a-s instruments in all the other music stores. Eastman is unfortunately not carried stocked anywhere.

Anyway I will try to take a trip to Berlin or at least Vienna (unless I just buy the RK ROS-10 as it is the cheapest fitting option so far, and this is a luxury expense, so I should reasonably keep it as low as possible), and try a number of acoustics before buying any.

Also, I loved the Guild GAD M-120, but wouldn't have jumped for the spruce-mahog GAD 000/OM. I wonder how the current Westerly 140 compares.
The GAD was nice, but the similar Blueridge in the same shop was in a different league both sound and playability wise, and also looked nicer (minus the headstock). I ended up not buying the Blueridge because I found the Furch/Stanford (Furch/Checz made) OM for the same price used. But the M-120 I tried, blew me away.

Anyway, I usually do try a number of guitars before buying.

[Satellitedog01]

I took some measurements of the neck on the Stanford
nut width 45mm
neck depth at 1st fret 20 mm / 13/16 inch
neck depth at 12th fret around 30 mm (didn't find the calipers) or 1 3/16 inches

I don't want anything battier than that.