Guitar Decision: Quality vs Value

[roylor4]

Are you itching for a Mahogany topped guitar because of the way they LOOK or the way they SOUND?

They have a very different tone than Spruce & Cedar topped guitars. I love Hog-tops but they ain't for everyone.

As far as Martin having superior tone to Taylor - they are different and "better" depends on the players style and ears.

I'm inclined to agree with Steve - if you don't know what to look for buying used you could get stuck with a guitar with problems.

Do NOT discount comfort or the feel of the neck in your hand. Feel is a very important consideration along with tone & playability.

Good luck in your search.

[muscmp]

only you can make that decision. as with everything on the agf, it is all subjective. play them all and take the one home that sings to you AND you can afford.

play music!

[Deerpig]

Thank you all so much for your input, I really appreciate it.

I went to the local guitar store and was able to play dozens of guitars, which really helped with my decision. My overall favorite was a J-45, but that was waaay out of my price range. J-45 aside, my favorites were all mahogany topped. They all had a deep tone that appealed to me, while the spruce tops felt too 'chipper' for my taste. Much to my surprise, my favorite sounding hog top ended up being the DRS1, which I eventually decided to buy, and have absolutely loved since.

[ManyMartinMan]

Congratulations on your purchase. No NGD posting? No photos? Didn't happen. We need to see the guitar and your evaluation.

[The Growler]

I can't get past the thread title. "Quality vs. Value"

Isn't quality part of value perception?

[JohnW63]

Good luck with your new instrument.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Deerpig

Hey,

I started playing acoustic guitar a year ago when I bought a $160 Oscar Schmidt OG2SM. Turns out, I really enjoy playing guitar and want to buy something higher quality that I can enjoy playing for years to come.

I've found three guitars that I really like the looks of. The Martin drs1, the Martin d-15, and the Taylor 320e-seb. The drs1 is about $650, d-15 is about $1400, and the 320e-seb is about $1300. Aesthetically, my favorite is the Taylor, but I've heard a lot about Martin having superior sound. Ideally, I would like to spend no more than $1000, which makes me gravitate towards the drs1.

What are your opinions? Is the drs1 good enough to last for years to come, or would it be worth saving up more money to buy something more expensive?

Well I typed up this great advice, but you bought your Martin already. Congrats on the new guitar, enjoy it! I have a Gibson J-45, they are great. Save up. It always good to have guitars from different makers for a variety.

[merlin666]

Quality and value are only loosely related. As has been stated many times before if you aim for value then buy used. One third to half of the new price is for warranty and the privilege to buy from authorized dealer. That is gone as soon as it's out of the store. What has not been mentioned yet is that value and big three brands are also contradictory. There is a substantial headstock name premium associated with Martin Taylor and Gibson. If you want good bang for the buck then avoid those three.

[Napman41]

You can probably get a brand new Martin D-15 for less than $1100.00. Check out the forum sponsors.

[musicman1951]

Congratulations on your new guitar. It's no doubt a quantum leap from your first guitar and I suggest you now try to avoid GAS and play it for a number of years.

[Kayper]

Originally Posted by Deerpig

Hey,

I started playing acoustic guitar a year ago when I bought a $160 Oscar Schmidt OG2SM. Turns out, I really enjoy playing guitar and want to buy something higher quality that I can enjoy playing for years to come.

I've found three guitars that I really like the looks of. The Martin drs1, the Martin d-15, and the Taylor 320e-seb. The drs1 is about $650, d-15 is about $1400, and the 320e-seb is about $1300. Aesthetically, my favorite is the Taylor, but I've heard a lot about Martin having superior sound. Ideally, I would like to spend no more than $1000, which makes me gravitate towards the drs1.

What are your opinions? Is the drs1 good enough to last for years to come, or would it be worth saving up more money to buy something more expensive?

Find a place where you can play each of those guitars for at least 20 mins straight. It will start to become apparent which one you enjoy playing. Then look used, and when you find the used one, play IT for 20 mins straight to make SURE you like the tone. Each and every guitar will have a different tone.

And don't worry about only going big name brand. Try some Alvarez, Ibanez, Breelove, other brands. I cannot say ENOUGH good things about Yamaha's acoustic line. Their folk ($199) is next on my save-to-buy list.

[Greg Rappleye]

Originally Posted by Todd Yates

I'm not sure what guitar would be best for you, but you should be aware that you can buy Martins below the advertised prices. Martin has an MAP policy that limits how low the price can be advertised. I'd think you could get the D-15 for around $1,200 or so.

What Todd said.

Give Jon Garon a call at My Favorite Guitars. He's an AGF sponsor and will work with you.

Good luck!



Greg Rappleye

[RP]

Originally Posted by muscmp

only you can make that decision. as with everything on the agf, it is all subjective. play them all and take the one home that sings to you AND you can afford.

play music!

Couldn't have said it better...

[backdoc]

Originally Posted by Deerpig

Thank you all so much for your input, I really appreciate it.

I went to the local guitar store and was able to play dozens of guitars, which really helped with my decision. My overall favorite was a J-45, but that was waaay out of my price range. J-45 aside, my favorites were all mahogany topped. They all had a deep tone that appealed to me, while the spruce tops felt too 'chipper' for my taste. Much to my surprise, my favorite sounding hog top ended up being the DRS1, which I eventually decided to buy, and have absolutely loved since.

Congratulations on the new guitar! I just bought a new to me OM-15M and an all hog guitar sounds incredibly different to a spruce top, but it is a lovely, sweet tone. That DRS1 looks like an incredibly good value for the price. Make sure and read up on humidification and all solid wood guitars so that it lasts you a lifetime.

[Deerpig]

Here are a few pictures of the guitar in question: