The Best?
 

I need a new guitar. Steel string, will be played in a bluegrass setting as well as a contemporary christian setting, and be used for solo fingerstyle pieces.

If my cap is $2,000, what is my best choice?

what about $5,000?

What about $10,000


I am looking for opinions. be as subjective as you want. include all brands: martin, taylor, lowden, olson, schenk, anything that you can think of.

Sorry, there is no "best" for me and my opinions that is a guaranteed "best" for you.

P.S. Your "include all brands short list" includes only guitars that I would define as "absolutely not the best". I know this was just for example, but those names don't inspire me. Well, except for Olson.

I would say a dread from Martin, SCGS, Bourgeois, H&D, Collings, Gibson... I would buy used., 1 3/4 nut, mahogany. Explore cocobolo and other woods with your extra grand-;)

Well, if only you'd asked about $10,500!

Ha! I know the feeling. if only i had $10,500....

I was just looking for custom builders. I am not new to the guitar world, but I am new to the "buying a custom guitar" world. Never done that before.

There's something about not playing it before you buy it that scares me...

anyway, maybe i need to change my Topic. what's your favorite custom builder/custom model?

For my money...

2k: shop hard for a used Santa Cruz D-12
5k: custom order from one of the many awesome builders in that price range...for me that would be John Osthoff or Matt Mustapick
10: Order 2 guitars from the 5k list above...

Chris

I think you have very different answers depending on what you are spending. You also have a very complicating situation with bluegrass and fingerstyle. For 2k, you are pretty much in one guitar and so I think you get a Martin D-28, D-35 or HD-28 or HD-35. For 5k, I think you get the same as 2k, plus a nice 3k used handbuilt guitar from the AGF classified suited for fingerstyle. When you get to the 10k range, that becomes a little tough. Because you are almost in an Olson, which I obviously think is an amazing guitar but not a bluegrass guitar. I think at 10k you think about stretching it a bit and try and get a nice Martin dread D-28/35, hd-28/35 and get a used Olson. You are pretty much set for life.

Come on, Bruce! Build him a guitar for $10,000! Cut the guy some slack, will you? ;)

I would talk with Glen DeRusha ( one of our members) and have him build you one. I have one of his customs and hands down its the best playing and sounding acoustic I have ever played.
http://www.greenmountainguitars.com/index1.html

Great guy to deal with !