two guitars...the choices, & any suggestions

[kurth]

First I love the forum and thanks for the space. I've been reading it for the last year. I live where it's impossible to play a guitar before I buy it. I've bought 3 guitars this year sight unseen and generally I haven't been pleased. I'm a lowender, retired but free....and refuse to spend more than 5 benjis for a guitar. The Fender CD140sce I bought was ok, but surely not up to the internet raves I read. I was able to get it alot cheaper than stateside however. I just put some elixirs on...let's see if it made a difference.

Anyway...I'm gonna buy two more guitars in the next 6 months....sight unseen for a grand. Reminds me...I laughed at that post about if you have 3 grand would you buy one or two guitars....I woulda bought 6 ! It's a total disaster for buying guitars. I never bought a guitar I didn't play...until now. But it is what it is, and I don't forsee many changes.

First choice is for a short scale ....it's between ( unless someone has a suggestion) a Yamaha CSF1M or an Alvarez AP66ESHB. I'm leaning towards the Yamaha. It comes with a travel case, which I'll need to get it home. Both will have to travel to reach me.

The second choice is for a hollow body electric. I'm going to put a K&k under the floating bridge, so the acoustic properties are important to me. I do that alot for recording. My Yamaha CN525 has 4 inputs ! It's rather amazing what you can do inside a daw these days. Anyways....I'm drawn between a Gretsch G2420 and an Ibanez AF75, mostly because both of these are reasonably available where I live and can arrive to my door. And both seem to be the most chosen in the lowerend.

So any thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated. So far to my ears, the Martin's and Taylor's , speaking of the cheaper short scales don't seem to please me. If you think different, please convince me...thanks/kurth

[A Wolf]

I understand that this is your decision, but truly don’t understand why you plan on getting two $500 guitars instead of one $1000 guitar. I also understand how different the two you are looking at are.

The ~$500 guitars available today (in 2021 $) are almost amazingly good. But at $1000 you can get guitars that are a lot nicer, in terms of sound. Much more likely to be keepers. Is your interest to get to know many different guitars, or to find some lifelong companions?

The Alvarez master instruments are really great for the cost. And I’ve heard good things about Asian Gretsches, but have played some of the Ibanez art cores, and with extra set up, they are really nice (again, for the cost.)

[kurth]

A Wolf....exactly. You answered your own question. I want a decent acoustic shortscale and a hollow body electric...for a grand. I only have a grand liquid, thanks to free money. Lots of other things to also accomplish , not only in music, but in the world. I've been working a getting my recording studio laid out. Where I live, generally material high tech things are at least 50% above US costs, if not double. My present studio is on my third floor and gets alot of street noise, so we've laid ground for my new studio as far away from the street as my land will take me. Everything costs. And it's a lesson I've learned passing thru a number of different diciplines. I was a photographer for the first decade of this millenium. It was so easy to fall into gear acquisition syndrome. You ended up spending all your earnings on new cameras. Not that I have any interest in making money off of music. I don't. The whole scene is....disturbing. And obviously I would really love to go to sweetwater and have them lay out four versions of each guitar I want, and I could chose the best...but it's not gonna happen. I won't even be going to a good store in Texas anytime soon. And if I would get another guitar beyond these two...like a full scale acoustic...it would most likely be a Yamaha Silent...because fundamentally I'm interested in recording, and not playing live. I think that "live' paradigm is over, at least for my lifetime.

So you'd go with the Ibanez over the Gretsch, considering I'm going to put the k&k under the bridge ? Can you please elaborate. thanks for your reply/k

[A Wolf]

Hi Kurth,

I honestly don’t have enough experience with either the Ibanez (have only played on a few, short times with them also (but was impressed)) or the Gretsches, which I haven’t ever even picked up. (But have read good things about.) I’m assuming both will have formed, laminate tops. If they both have wooden floating bridges, it might be a matter of which one has the least amount of hardware on the bridge. (I’m thinking that the trade off would be tighter intonation with more hardware, and more acoustic transfer with less. If they are truly floating, then you could very inexpensively switch to an all wood (plus the lift screws) floating bridge.) Beyond that, I can’t make any suggestions.

Alan

[Shaneh]

The Yamaha has a really short scale similar to a gs mini so be aware that you might find it too cramped.

As for a hollow electric you should also consider this guild

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...-antique-burst

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Someone says $500 guitar and I think Eastman, E1 or E2.

[Fret-O'File]

I don't know much about hollow bodies but if I wanted to spend $500 on an acoustic I would pick up an Eastman E2-OM or a used E6-OM

[kurth]

Shaneh...I want a short scale. Used to own the original yamaha apxt..gave it to my niece. I've got short fingers and i really stretch doing scales. But that's why I'm looking at the alvarez, besides it's slotted headstock, it's got another 1/2inch. The guild looks pretty but it doesn't have a floating bridge. I wish i could get a godin...but it's going above budget.
Fret O'File...the eastman looks very nice and I've bookmarked it in case biden wants to send me some more free money. I wasn't aware eastman made guitars in that bracket. Sadly it doesn't have electronics, but it is pretty.
AWolf....yes i'm certain that both the gretsch and the Ibanez are laminated on all sides. Of course that doesn't mean acoustically one is not superior to the other. thanks for the suggestions ....keep m comin/k

[Kycatzrock]

Eastman E-2OM.

[EZYPIKINS]

Regardless of how much you spend. Save some $$$ for a setup.

Even $200. guitars can be made to play well.

Could be the difference between whether you play daily or not.

[RoyBoy]

In your price range, you definitely need to go used and I'd vote Eastman as others have. Definitely the biggest bang for your buck and they've seriously upped their game in recent years.

For an electric, I think a used Epi dot 335 or 339 maybe your best bet. Gretsches are great but I doubt you'll find one in your price range.

In terms of cash outlay, in my foray into dreadnaught bluegrass guitars, I opted for an Eastman instead of the HD-28 it was copied from. My rationale was that my level of talent, skill, and dedication didn't warrant a $3000 guitar. I've since let go of three ~$1000 guitars and have bought a $3000 guitar. What I've found is that the better instrument changes the way you play and facilitates you doing things that are impossible or at least a struggle on a cheaper guitar. Not to mention the inspiration factor.

It's sick that we have to pay so much for a real quality instrument, I'm sure it leaves some real talented players on the fringe, but that's the reality of 2021.

Best wishes to you in your recording endeavors!

[Oldguy64]

I’ve always found parlor guitars to have a “boxy” sound.
But if your choices, I’m an Alvarez guy through and through.
Also, a new Alvarez should come with a case.

On the Electric, I’m intrigued as to how you intend to Mount a K&K.
Both of the guitars you mentioned have decent pickups. And if you put your selector in the middle, you can get a very sweet clean tone, that is more acoustic than electric.

[kurth]

Oldguy64....K&K make a pickup that sits below the feet of a floating bridge. It has it's own jack. It's a transducer piezo, like the mini except with only two transducers. You get a different result from using piezos with something like bluecat's re-guitar, than mag's. I record as many different signals out to separate channels as possible into my daw, including obviously the mag pickups of the guitar, into either logic or mixcraft, and then mix in post. And I don't believe the AP66ESHB comes with a case , sadly, but I like the slotted headstock and the additional 24" scale over the yamaha's 23 1/2.

RoyBoy ...the cheap eastman E's are on my futures list. I wasn't aware they had a model for 600. Gretsch g2420....about 500 where I live, alittle cheaper at Sweetwater. Not sure I agree that a better guitar definitely makes a better player. Sure it helps some all depending on the player and the guitar. But one thing I learned as a photographer....spending thousands of dollars on a better camera never made someone a better photographer. It just made them poorer.

EZYPIKINS....yes very important. I'm an ex techy so I've done things like make new bone saddles and nuts and basic setups. But absolutely, if it's reasonable, I'd got for it, just to experiment and see if they did a better job than I could.

Kycatzrock...I've definitely taken notice....and more importantly while looking at eastman, I saw the affordable ACTG1 that I wasn't aware. Anybody have any experience with that 23 1/2" scale guitar?
thanks again/k

[koolimy]

I have no idea regarding a short scale, cheap acoustic guitar but I liked a Washburn J3 I played a while back, both acoustically and electrically. I'm not sure if they still make them anymore so used may be the only option, which may not be really helpful for you in your area. I think the acoustic sound of a $500 electric hollowbody is really gonna be a crapshoot though, you'll have to get lucky.

[SecondCity]

I'll add another vote for Eastman. I bought a used Eastman--a Grand Auditorium--around your price range several years ago. All I have to say is that it was a bonkers value. I'm not claiming its the best acoustic I've ever played, but I have to increase the price range by a multiplier to beat it. Really excellent value brand.