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Old 06-27-2020, 05:33 AM
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Originally Posted by Earl49 View Post
I don't really know how to respond. They both sound like..... very nice guitars. It's not like I can put in pink noise and get an EQ curve as an output. Everyone hears and plays a little differently with their own mental image of what an acoustic guitar should sound like.

Emerald is good about accepting returns from stock with a one-week trial period. You will have to absorb some of the outbound shipping and all of the return shipping to Ireland, so figure about $200 invested in a test drive - if you return. Something similar could be arranged with Elderly Instruments or LA Guitar Sales if they happen to have a JM-1000. I know that both have a trial period too and are good to work with.
Earl has provided some excellent information; but in the end, it's what he said above, "Everyone hears and plays a little differently with their own mental image of what an acoustic guitar should sound like." In fact, that sentence should probably preface every response to any questions asking for guitar recommendations. You, the OP, seems to have some pretty specific idea as to what tones he's looking for, and I'm not sure that any second or third party adjectives are going to be necessarily accurate for your ears. Although I've never done it, Earl's idea about actually ordering and auditioning the respective models (while being prepared to pay some shipping costs) may be the best bet.

My X30 is very boomy, and the difference between it and the X20 I previously owned is huge. I won't say it's too boomy, but I believe it begs the player to strum with a light touch. My ears found the X20 to be rather muted, and FWIW the X30 far outbooms the Martin HD28 I previously owned. I've never owned or played a jumbo Rainsong so I can't compare to that model...
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Last edited by RP; 06-27-2020 at 08:28 AM.
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