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  #1  
Old 02-16-2017, 06:57 AM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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Default Best sounding plugged in acoustic?

None of my guitars have electronics and occasionally I get the opportunity to play out with others. So, I've got the itch to get a guitar with on-board electronics. I want something that I won't be sobbing if it gets a scratch. For my planned use, unplugged sound quality is secondary; mostly matters how it sounds plugged in. What are some good "plugged in" choices in the $1k - $2k range?
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Old 02-16-2017, 07:14 AM
terryj47 terryj47 is offline
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I wouldn't cry if a $2K guitar got banged up. But I'd certainly be mad at myself.
Yamaha A3 series guitars are great plugged in. They are being closed out. I paid $900 for an AC3R with nice hard shell case. I had an A1M but had to give up on dreads due to shoulder pain. Also nice at $600 with HSC. Check the big online stores for close outs. I think Sweetwater had them for considerably less.
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Old 02-16-2017, 07:17 AM
jp2558 jp2558 is offline
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Try a Takamine.
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Old 02-16-2017, 07:35 AM
rokdog49 rokdog49 is offline
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I would suggest Taylor's stuff.
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Old 02-16-2017, 07:54 AM
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As a full-time working musician I've tried many different options and for the wide variety of genres, dynamics, venues, and volumes I employ; I've found that Takamine's MIJ models to work best for me in combination with the two Loudbox Performers I use in tandem...the Cooltube system is warm, phat & beautiful sounding. Easy to dial in, few ever feedback issues that are easily remedied. They are plug n play, rugged, comfortable and the five I've owned came setup stage ready perfect, and yes the MIJ Taks do sound lovely unplugged, using HHG, scalloped bracing & dovetail joints which I prefer.

I also use my D18 with a Baggs M80 for certain venues, a different sound and very nice for finger picking in my more mellow venues.

Btw...I've purchased 3 Taks from our AGF sponsor Pacific Guitar Sales, Jerry has a very nice inventory and is wonderful gentleman to do business with!

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Old 02-16-2017, 08:28 AM
roylor4 roylor4 is offline
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+1 on Pro level Taks.
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Old 02-16-2017, 08:30 AM
pandaroo pandaroo is offline
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Another vote for Takamine in that price range
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Old 02-16-2017, 08:31 AM
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crwheat@sbcglob crwheat@sbcglob is offline
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Redundancy...Takamine Pro Series.
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Old 02-16-2017, 08:34 AM
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Why not just add a pick-up to A guitar you already have, to give you good sound whether plugged-in or not? There are a lot of great minimally evasive options out there these days, and you'd save a lot of cash...
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Old 02-16-2017, 08:35 AM
DHillshafer DHillshafer is offline
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My acoustic duo partner plays a Takamine Pro Series with cool tube pre-amp. It sounds really good electrified; even if I'm not a fan of the Tak neck and unplugged tone - you have to respect what that guitar does well.
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Old 02-16-2017, 08:40 AM
amyFB amyFB is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drplayer View Post
Why not just add a pick-up to guitar you already have, to give you good sound whether plugged-in or not? There are a lot of great minimally evasive options out there these days, and you'd save a lot of cash...
^^^ This is sure a low cost approach to moving into 'plugged in sound'.
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Old 02-16-2017, 08:43 AM
rmyAddison rmyAddison is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quickstep192 View Post
None of my guitars have electronics and occasionally I get the opportunity to play out with others. So, I've got the itch to get a guitar with on-board electronics. I want something that I won't be sobbing if it gets a scratch. For my planned use, unplugged sound quality is secondary; mostly matters how it sounds plugged in. What are some good "plugged in" choices in the $1k - $2k range?
You have guitars you like, "occasionally" you play with others, why spend $1-2K on a once in a while guitar?

Add removable electronics to one of your guitars, seriously. I've gigged with very expensive instruments for decades, they show no more wear than the guitars I leave home. Outside of weather (temperature/rain) and truly rowdy bars, play your best to sound your best.

Do you leave you car home because it might get parking lot dings?

When I was a heavy gigging musician I had dedicated acoustic electrics, but they were still $4K instruments, not to save my other guitars, they were tools for a purpose.

To answer the question I prefer Martin Auras and Taks both over Taylor acoustic electrics, but I would try some of the great removable electronics on one of your existing guitars first, my .02..........
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Old 02-16-2017, 08:58 AM
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So far, I like my Pono amplified the best of my three. It has a Fishman Infinity Matrix and I run it through an LR Baggs Para DI and a Boss RV6 for just a touch of reverb. I definitely like it better than the sound of my Larrivee with a K&K mini. My Martin is currently at the shop getting a Fishman installed so I may be changing favorites soon.
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Old 02-16-2017, 09:10 AM
Rudy4 Rudy4 is offline
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Good plugged in tone can't happen unless a guitar sounds good before it's plugged in.

Find a guitar that meets your expectations acoustically and add a K&K Mini transducer.

I've put these in 4 acoustics with great results each time. You DO need to route them to a preamp, using a high quality low capacitance cable to obtain the best sound quality. One of the nice things about a non-active K&K Mini installation is it basically changes nothing with the exception of the end pin jack. With no batteries and no electronics to go obsolete you can forget it's there until you wish to use it with sound reinforcement.
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Old 02-16-2017, 09:35 AM
Ghostpicker Ghostpicker is offline
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I've got a Martin D28 and a Taylor 816, neither sound as good plugged in as my cheap Takamine G-series. But then again, unplugged the Takamine sounds thin and weak and the other two... spectacular.
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