1st nice guitar

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Whistler

…Thoughts?

Hi Whistler…
I've played for nearly 57 years now, and my guitar acquiring process is to save the $$$ to pay cash-n-carry, and not sell out short. If the guitar didn't tick off all my boxes, I kept looking. Once I bought one, I either kept or sold the one I was currently playing.

I played guitars until one captured my heart to the point I could not stand to walk away without it. Then I struck the best deal I could and brought it home.

This served me well till I commissioned my first hand-built guitar (an Olson) and the process was still the same. Actually I sold my 17 yr old D-28 to help pay for it and played a cheap Jasmine till the Olson was completed. By the time James had it built, we had it paid for, and it's now 27 yrs old and is still my main guitar.

The Jasmine went to one of our 4 sons who loved to play guitar (he was a bassist & it served him well).

Not saying what you should do - just sharing my story.

[Whistler]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Whistler…
I've played for nearly 57 years now, and my guitar acquiring process is to save the $$$ to pay cash-n-carry, and not sell out short. If the guitar didn't tick off all my boxes, I kept looking. Once I bought one, I either kept or sold the one I was currently playing.

I played guitars until one captured my heart to the point I could not stand to walk away without it. Then I struck the best deal I could and brought it home.

This served me well till I commissioned my first hand-built guitar (an Olson) and the process was still the same. Actually I sold my 17 yr old D-28 to help pay for it and played a cheap Jasmine till the Olson was completed. By the time James had it built, we had it paid for, and it's now 27 yrs old and is still my main guitar.

The Jasmine went to one of our 4 sons who loved to play guitar (he was a bassist & it served him well).

Not saying what you should do - just sharing my story.

Thanks for the advice! I’ve been saving for three years for this purchase. I am a huge James Taylor fan so I know about Olson guitars. It would take me a really long time to save that much! I plan to keep my 000x for campfires and such. I wouldn’t get much for it anyway.

[Whistler]

Originally Posted by Eryc74

For what it's worth - I was a finger style player for nearly 30 years before finally learning to use a pick.

So I get the appeal of the tones of the high notes you are talking about too.

A good dreadnought will get better highs than you are used to even with finger style and I bet you will find the bass a warm and welcome surprise.

It might even lead you to wanting to learn to strum with a pick a bit.

A good dread will open you to playing things you never knew you could play. All new guitars do really.

I try not be contrarian at all - I just suspect you would grow as a play by trying a bigger guitar out. Sticking with my vote fore a good used Martin D-18, D-28, or better yet and HD-28V.

They are easy to resell too if you have buyers remorse, but I bet once you get that thing home and play it in a quite room alone - there will no looking back.

I have an OM and I love it. I have a OO too. The scale of the OO is fantastic and it genuinely is finger style guitar. I would never try to tell you otherwise.

And when I want to go back to my finger style roots - I pick up the OO and I'm always amazed how playing other guitar help me grow as player when I get back to my roots.

I do love those bass notes! Such a tough decision! I do like the comfort of playing the 000 size also. I do some flat picking but it’s a bit frustrating for me because I’m much more accurate with my fingers. I’m definitely starting to understand why people have so many guitars.

[Eryc74]

Originally Posted by Whistler

I do love those bass notes! Such a tough decision! I do like the comfort of playing the 000 size also. I do some flat picking but it’s a bit frustrating for me because I’m much more accurate with my fingers. I’m definitely starting to understand why people have so many guitars.

It took me a solid year of fumbling about with a pick some during each practice session to really grab it.

Even now I'm still learning. But it was worth it. You will grab it faster than you think once you get used to holding a pick in a way that works for you.

And for me, it made me a better finger style player too. I learned to look at my limitations and found I learn to adapt to other ways of playing more quickly.

And that bass! Nothing like it once you learn to work with it particularly with a guitar that has good highs too.

I think my Martins do that best. My Bourgeois are more piano like and balanced.