#16
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Try different picks.
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#17
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Wow guy's thanks for all the helpful responses! the basic theme I'm detecting here is that I need to experiment with strings, and improve as a player which is definitely good advice.
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#18
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I would bring the guitar to a good luthier for a set up if you haven't, sometimes that is more important than changing things.
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D28A1941 |
#19
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I'm gonna get flamed for this but you could scallop the braces.....in fact I'll be posting soon about my ej-160e ....I scalloped the braces and I also added two sound ports...made huge difference.....it's a ballzy move though I won't lie. The sound port will for sure improve the sound.
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I believe everything is a miracle |
#20
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Cheap guitars have become a hobby for me. I've figured out I'm a lousy player but I'm pretty good at finding good deals on used guitars, I enjoy the hunt. I play them for a while, make some improvements then sell them at or near what I paid for them. Basically I'm renting them. Out of all the things I've done to the many cheapies I've owned, the one thing that stands out as the best bang for the buck and effort are 80/20 strings. They always seem to wake up dull sounding guitars. They especially sound more lively from behind the guitar, from the player's point of view.
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2007 Eastman AC420B 1968 Espana Nylon 2004 Schneider/StuartMcdonald 000 12 Fret 1999 Martin D1 |
#21
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I'd have to agree w/ Flipguitar.
I learned that lesson years ago when I was studying the violin. I was stumbling through, squeaking and squawking... I thought there was something wrong with my pathetic-sounding violin. Then, someone who really knew how to play picked it up and made it sing. Needless to say, I resolved to practice more. |
#22
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I actually own an Epi AJ220S. I happen to think that they are pretty good guitars, especially considering their price point.
That said, with mine I found that 80/20s really brought some nice tone out of the guitar. I also found that going down a gauge to 11s really seemed to enhance a lot of the tonal qualities that I really like in the guitar. But then again, I am a bare-finger picker and I don't know your playing style so YMMV.
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000 12-fret by Danny Davis, Constructed! Build Thread: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=343091 Ibanez AC240 Yamaha AC1R Epiphone AJ220S "It's folk music so.... you can kind of do what you want." - David Hamburger, Blues Genealogy. |
#23
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Hi,
I'm a big fan of the AJ220s as a starter guitar. I think it's one of the best choices for a beginner at it's price point with potential to be a gigging guitar. If you were buying it hoping to get the poor man's J-45 I think you may have bought the wrong guitar. There are a lot of things that give the J-45 it's signature tone but I believe the short scale length, materials and bracing pattern have the most tonal impact... The AJ220s has a longer/normal scale and really the only thing the AJ220s shares with the J-45 is it's round shoulder shape. I can't think of anything that hasn't been suggested. String choice may help, I would try medium gauge Martin Lifespan PBs. Next month you'll be able to get the Epiphone AJ-45ME ($599). Which has the all solid wood materials and scale length as the Gibson J-45. I have not played one yet, but if you're looking for something very similar to a Gibson J-45 on a budget I think the AJ-45ME could be a great candidate. You could probably get $100 from our AJ-220s on trade towards one.
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Wayne J-45 song of the day archive https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis..._Zmxz51NAwG1UJ My music https://soundcloud.com/waynedeats76 https://www.facebook.com/waynedeatsmusic My guitars Gibson, Martin, Blueridge, Alvarez, Takamine |
#24
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I actually went back to the store where I bough my AJ and played the one they had hanging on the wall. It sounded perfectly alright. I just made the mistake of not playing a few before I dropped my money on one. That just illustrates to me the huge variance that there can be between guitars even of the same brand and model.
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#25
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Quote:
Many living rooms, or for that matter, most of most homes are fairly dead acoustically. This is from being loaded with padded furniture, wall to wall carpets, and so forth. As silly as it sounds, it's also the reason why people sing in the shower. You can hear, ("monitor"), what you're doing, and the hard walls in the bathroom are fairly reverberant. And who doesn't like reverb? Another thing is strings. We often oversimplify the issue by categorizing strings as "too new", or, "dead". The truth is, "good strings", are just what any given player is willing to tolerate. The truth is, the instant they sound good to you, is the instant they start going bad. They never sound the same, it's simply a "long", (arguably), steady decline. The best advice so far, is to restring the guitar with an 80/20 alloy set. These will brighten things quite a bit. Something else you might try is testing the Epiphone "Dove, and the Epiphone, "EJ-200 CE". Those are both maple bodied, which is natively bright. If they sound "too bright" in the store, that could translate to "just about right" at home. |
#26
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Quote:
As for the post .... You claim you have a low end guitar, with a rather low end sound or tone. Did you see my signature guitar ? According to guitar world patterns my Epiphania DR100 all laminated is BELLOW low end. But I'll tell you what... I felt her, I understand her and I give her some nice treatment and she pays me back with some great moments. This guitar is under U$100,00 in EU and US..... I paid US$300,00 here in Brazil, yeah, that's is our reality. To each his own. Try to put a great deal of soul, feeling and, why not, love, every time you take your guitar. She can feel it. I have seen great guitars sounding poorly, and it wasn't strings or bridges, braces fault. My mom used to tell me when I was a little kid "...Carlos, take care of your toys, otherwise they would be sad and cry at night when you're sleeping..." sounds silly but I have taken this forever. Good luck !
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https://soundcloud.com/delaorden |
#27
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Quote:
I have a luthier/repair shop, and time and time again my customers are amazed how much better their guitar plays AND SOUNDS when it's set up well and the frets are level, nicely crowned, and polished. So find a good tech, one with a good reputation for setups and fret work, and have him fine tune it for you. http://www.treeguitarworks.com/ |
#28
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Quote:
It's set up and plays wonderfully. And I have 80/20 strings on it that has livened it up considerably. But boy howdy, when the Gibson or Martin come out, the difference in volume & tone is VERY evident. I like the Epiphone and enjoy playing it. I even spruced it up by changing the pickguard and adding some fret decals to make it look more like a Gibson. But like an old hound dog, you can spruce it up all you like. But it'll never win a dog show. |
#29
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Quote:
Quote:
With that said, it is very unlikely, that you'll find a laminated top instrument which will have the volume of a solid top of the same general type. Epiphone used to make their EJ-200 SC, (Chinese J-200) with laminated tops, and that was the standard complaint, "it's too quiet for its size". The newer versions have solid tops, which pretty much solves the issue. They do however, still sell an "Artist" model of the EJ-200, which is a pure acoustic, with a laminated top. It's about half the price of the A/E solid top models. What I have failed to grasp in this topic, is how a setup improves tone in an acoustic instrument. The act of lowering the strings, also lowers the string tension, which can affect the tone unfavorably, if overdone. Most advice given beginners, centers around getting the strings LAPWOB, and even restringing with a lighter gauge set. None of that helps the tone, it's simply easier on tender fingers. Now, if you talk to some of the bluegrass guys, they'll tell you they like a fairly high action, and medium strings, and you need that projection and volume, 'cause them durned banjos are pretty loud. So, a newcomer should absolutely have his or her guitar setup. But, it doesn't do much for the tone. |
#30
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In answer to the question I think they can sound pretty good. I had the same guitar for a while complete with upgrades and it performed very well until I fell in love with a Texan and traded. Other recent purchases of mine include Asian guitars at attractive prices but with high grade spruce solid tops and solid back and sides. I find these guitars are excellent cheaper alternatives to so called higher end guitars especially if you buy second hand. I would agree with other posters on the subject of set-up. Crucial for a beginner.
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Guild D50 Bluegrass Special (Tacoma) Cordoba C5 CE Martin Dreadnought Junior D45 Replica in open D Squier Classic Vibe 50s Telecaster Marshall AS50D Amp. Line 6 Amplifi 30 Blackstar HT1R Tube Amp DigiTech JamMan Stereo Looper Pedal |
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Tags |
aj220s, epiphone, gibson, guitar, j45 |
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