New Guitar Suggestions?

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Half the fun of buying a new (or another) guitar, is deciding exactly what you want, what you "need" and what will 2fit" you and your style.

Agreed! Looking around at guitar websites thinking "I can get one of these" is a blast

. . . clipped . . . .If you are drawn to a Martin or a Gibson design but don;t want either brand, then I'd recommend that you consider Collings.

Like Kerbie, I am a convinced Collings fan and have been since my first one in 1999 when I bought my first DS2h - a 12 fret dread with the perfect fretboard width neck profile and sound for me. Since then I've bought four more - three more 12 fret dreads and a 000 plus a Waterloo.

Fit, finish and general presentation is just perfect. I've had Santa Cruz, Bourgeois, H&D, and Martins a plenty and some Gibsons, but my Collings are "the one".
This way you can go to Dread, (12 or 14) "P" 0,00,000 (12), O, (14) OM, and then CJ (Jumbo) SJ (Super Jumbo) C series - (like L-00) etc.,etc.
In fact I think they might actually offer more Martin and Gibson standard designs than Gibson or Martin, plus you can have various wood and trim level options and the standard or the "T" (Traditional) versions which are kinda like the Martin Authentic line.
Also their customer service are second to none.

What's not to love: https://www.collingsguitars.com/acoustic-guitars/

(My only affiliation is that I love the things!)

Yes I'll definitely look at Collings. Isn't that what James Taylor is playing these days? Thanks for the suggestion Silly, and good to "see" you

[mcduffnw]

Originally Posted by Mark Stone

That looks pretty! I liked Guild back in the early 80s late 70s. Do you know if Ren Ferguson is still there? I trust his builds

Ren is no longer with Guild. Fender sold off Guild to Cordoba Guitar Company about 3 years ago, so the new Guilds are being built by Cordoba in Oxnard Ca, right by...or very very close to the Larrivee plant there in Oxnard.

Ren helped do the initial planning and factory set up work with Cordoba, but then choose not to stay with them. Last I heard, Ren was in China helping some Pac Rim guitar company set up a new state of the art guitar making plant.

Cordoba knows what they are doing, you can trust their builds, if you decide you want to go new Guild.

If you feel that your playing style is well suited to Martin, then I would certainly look at D-41, D-42, or D-45. Those upper end 40 series Martins really sound terrific, and they look stunning as well.



duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

[The Bard Rocks]

I'd first do a lot of soul-searching, for the guitar, not your mother (you've no doubt done that already) and first try to determine what kind of sound and body you are looking for. Once you have settled that, you will be in a better position to search intelligently.

For $6 grand, you can get a whale of a good guitar, whether from one of the brands or from most (not quite all) individual luthiers (and Tim McKnight would be a good choice, fine family, fine instruments). You will find if you go the custom route, that luthiers end up feeling like friends due to all the planning that takes place between the two fo you.

If you are the type of person who must hear and play before buying, for that kind of money you can up the ante by buying used. If there are no high end shops nearby, set aside a bit of the inheritance to subsidize a guitar vacation weekend so you can play a large number of them at one of the few shops that specializes in particularly fine instruments.

[emtsteve]

Sorry for the loss of your mother, my Mom passed 2 weeks ago today and it's tough.

As for guitars, I can't speak to the custom route as I have no experience there but certainly many, many choices within your budget. For factory made, I would be looking at Goodall, Bourgeois, and Collings. I would also consider a trip to Gruhn's to play the Sinker mahogany Martins. I have a sinker D-18S 12 fret that needed quite a bit of work due to neglect but now it is back in action and there is "something" there that I haven't heard in other Martins.

I thought the idea of a custom inlay was a great one, and you could do that with any guitar you buy.

Good luck with your search!

[bufflehead]

Sorry for your loss, Mark.

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by mcduffnw

Ren is no longer with Guild. Fender sold off Guild to Cordoba Guitar Company about 3 years ago, so the new Guilds are being built by Cordoba in Oxnard Ca, right by...or very very close to the Larrivee plant there in Oxnard.

Ren helped do the initial planning and factory set up work with Cordoba, but then choose not to stay with them. Last I heard, Ren was in China helping some Pac Rim guitar company set up a new state of the art guitar making plant.

Cordoba knows what they are doing, you can trust their builds, if you decide you want to go new Guild.

If you feel that your playing style is well suited to Martin, then I would certainly look at D-41, D-42, or D-45. Those upper end 40 series Martins really sound terrific, and they look stunning as well.



duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

Thanks for the suggestion duff. I have the feeling that the higher end Martins are very well suited to my style. Also, when people think about their "permanent" guitar, the name Martin seems to roll off the tongue! But I'm thinking I have about 6 or so months to decide before the estate is released, so I have plenty of time to play instruments and think.

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by emtsteve

Sorry for the loss of your mother, my Mom passed 2 weeks ago today and it's tough.

Wow, sorry to hear about your Mom!

As for guitars, I can't speak to the custom route as I have no experience there but certainly many, many choices within your budget. For factory made, I would be looking at Goodall, Bourgeois, and Collings. I would also consider a trip to Gruhn's to play the Sinker mahogany Martins. I have a sinker D-18S 12 fret that needed quite a bit of work due to neglect but now it is back in action and there is "something" there that I haven't heard in other Martins.

I thought the idea of a custom inlay was a great one, and you could do that with any guitar you buy.

Oooooh!! Custom inlay sounds cool!

Good luck with your search!

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

I'd first do a lot of soul-searching, for the guitar, not your mother (you've no doubt done that already) and first try to determine what kind of sound and body you are looking for. Once you have settled that, you will be in a better position to search intelligently.

For $6 grand, you can get a whale of a good guitar, whether from one of the brands or from most (not quite all) individual luthiers (and Tim McKnight would be a good choice, fine family, fine instruments). You will find if you go the custom route, that luthiers end up feeling like friends due to all the planning that takes place between the two fo you.

If you are the type of person who must hear and play before buying, for that kind of money you can up the ante by buying used. If there are no high end shops nearby, set aside a bit of the inheritance to subsidize a guitar vacation weekend so you can play a large number of them at one of the few shops that specializes in particularly fine instruments.

Excellent suggestions! I had not thought about used . . . . hmmmmm . . . .

[gmel555]

Hey Mark, Sorry for your loss. I'm 64 and lost my dad (92 yo) 2 months ago. Mom's still with us though. Anyway being that we're about the same age I thought I'd relay the following.

I was always a dred guy (some 000's mixed in) for years. Leaned more toward the Martin sound but also dearly love my '94 Larrivee D which has really nice bass and complexity but a little more focused and "controlled" than a Martin dred. I'm fortunate to not have too many physical issues with shoulders or fingers yet, but do have a few aches and pains, so after reading AGF comments from players of our generation about making age-related "accommodations", this year I went into the market for a smaller body size. One thing led to another and I fell in love with -and purchased- a Bourgeois LDBO model (Adirondack top, 13 fret, 25" scale, 1-23/32" nut). LDBO's are roughly 00 size and the 13 fretter is directly modeled after a circa 1930 Gibson 13-fret Nick Lucas model. You can get 14 fretters too. Bourgeois also produce a true 00 which is getting rave reviews.

I never imagined such tone was possible out of that body size and it's very versatile. I'm told by others that it sounds and projects like the best smaller bodied vintage Gibsons. I also love the neck profile. Anyway it occurred to me that in Church there is already reverb and that something a little more focused/compressed (vs a dred), but with outstanding tone, might work better and since you're a "Gibson guy" an LDBO or 00 might be of interest. Best of luck.

[Glennm]

Music Villa just did a YouTube review of the D18 Sinker with a short scale. Worth a listen! Sounded kinda perfect. Taylor has a new GP 327 model coming out soon. All hog. Looks cool as well. Sorry for your loss.

[Marcus Wong]

Sorry for your loss Mark... for a budget up to 6K you could consider either Jayson Bowerman of Bowerman guitars for a Martin like sound/look. Or John Datlen of Datlen Luthiery for something more modern. And if you need a fancy inlay to commemorate her, we could have Harvey Leach Inlays do that. Hope you're holding up well!

[Arthur Slowhand]

Sorry for your loss, Mark. I'd buy TWO nice guitars with that budget: a rosewood Martin D-28 and a small-bodied guitar, possibly 12-fret, from the English maker, Brook. All the best, Arthur.

[woodbox]

A Martin 40 series, or a Custom Shop model come to my mind.

But I'm a lifelong Martin guy, and thier upper end guitars instantly jump into my radar when talking about a heritage guitar.

That said, I smiled when you mentioned a McKnight.
I've heard only good about them, and a custom build to commemorate a life well lived sounds like something a sensitive builder could get connected to.

Thank you for letting us be a part of your process.
It's gonna be fun to see how this plays for you.

[hat]

I might suggest using a part of that money for a 'guitar trip'. I'm sure after what you've been through you could use a break. Go tour the Martin factory. Take a trip to Nashville, and hit all the guitar shops. Go to Memphis, and see Graceland , maybe even take a guitar building class, or a weekend at Fur Peace Ranch, or Puget Sound guitar Workshop...

[musicman1951]

Sorry for your loss.

In your shoes I'd be looking at Bourgeois, Lowden or a higher end used Lowden - maybe a used Froggy.

I'd take a trip to a store with great stock - from my house that might be The Music Emporium - and I'd explain to a knowledgeable staff member what I generally had in mind. Then I'd spend as much time as it took to play every possibility in the store. You might want to play a few others just to make sure you're not limiting yourself to just one style of guitar.

If I fell in love with a guitar that was a bit above my budget I'd get it anyway. You only go around once.