What to buy? Alvarez, Takamine... etc.?

[Fourbin]

Say I can't afford a Taylor like all you yuppies... what about the higher end Takamines and Alvarezes? I definitely dig the new Takamine EAN with C and E. What do you guys think of these? And the Alvarezes? What other guitars can you suggest in the low $1000 and under range?

Thanks!

[rsimper]

My vote? Used Taylor...You can come across a used 310 for WELL under your 1000 limit here (I hope this is vague enough about prices)

Any other brands you will be sacrificing quality. You want an all solid wood guitar, and the best values in all solid wood are the Taylor 300 series and Tacomas, in my opinion...The Tacoma DM10 is just a touch less than the Tay. 310 new.

The Martin D-1 is not bad, and its roughly the same price as the 310 as well.

Anything else, to me, is just going to be traded in when you come across more money.

Save up that extra few hundred and get what you truly want...you KNOW you will end up upgrading down the road if you sell yourself short, so why waste that money?

[PaulLePine]

I'd look hard at Larrivee's lower end models.

For even less, like $400-500, check out a Seagull

[Cisco]

Fourbin

I have a few of the guitars you mentioned. They are not solid wood. They have laminate (plywood) sides. Even though I paid good money for them and have taken super care of them, they are still only worth half of what I paid. Now don't get me wrong, they are good guitars that sound good and look good. In fact I've played a Takamine EF350smc with really flamey maple all day today. But I agree with Ryan and Paul, buy a used Taylor that will hold it's value, or a Larrivee (I have one), they are great.

Ron

[bnjp]

I've got a Takamine and love it. Mine's an EF341C and I've been playing it for about 7 years now. It's very well built as are most of the JAPANESE Taks. These are the higher end. Be aware that the G series is made in Korea and are not as good.

I think I'd consider the Larrivee if I were in your shoes over Takamine. Any of the 03's and probably some 04's would fit your budget.

You can buy a Tak just like mine from Musician's friend for under $700 and they've upgraded the top to solid cedar. It's now called EF341SC.

Good luck.

[Aruthas]

Let start with the patriotic stuff: Seagull S6 or M6 and Larrivée x03 are sure bets, Larrivée having a nicer tone IMHO. The last non-Taylor guitar I played that made me flip was a Takamine EF261 though. Small guitar, smaller than grand concert, but the tone was incredible. Very responsive guitar, easy to play, around $850 CDN, so you can probably get it for $550 USD. One potential problem: I have seen it for real, but it's not on their web site, so it could be a discontinued model.

[kenliu]

For under a $1000, you should expect to get an all solid wood guitar. The 310 (without electronics or cutaway) can be had in that price range and is an excellent guitar.

The Larrivee D-03 and D-03R (rosewood) are excellent as well. I have a friend who purchased a D-05 for around $1000 at Elderly Music. Note that the 02 and 03 series is their "budget" line and has different features than the 05 and up. Narrower nut width for example (I think).

The Tacomas that others mentioned are great as well.

Ken

[JW]

Go 310 and never look back. JW

[Aruthas]

You know what? JW is right. Buying my 314ce turned out to be an economical move: no guitar I have tried since made me want to buy it (except maybe the 414, but it was close enough to the 314 so I have no intention to change). I tried Martins, Guilds, Takamines, Larrivées, Ovations, Gibsons, other acoustics, lots of electric also, and none of them made my heart race the way the 314 did. You want a one-night stand? Buy a Seagull, and be done with it. You want a friend for life? Go Taylor.

[rsimper]

Friend for life is right...Ive typed my story many times on here about searching for a "beach/beater" guitar, and how I looked at everything under the sun for under 500 dollars, and I just couldnt get away from the fact that it would ONLY serve in that capacity.

That said, I picked up a used (barely) 310 for a great price (check on eBay, youll see that you can get 310s for much less than you might think...) and it truly is a friend for life, and it competes for playing time with my 510 and 410ce that I had...

Do NOT settle, as i said before, because settling only forces you to upgrade. Dont force yourself to upgrade, get something that you can expand on maybe.

My 310 will be with me for life, and at a price that some amplifiers wish they could sell themselves for, it will go down as the deal of a lifetime.

[cpmusic]

I agree that settling is not the best first thing to do, but there are other choices besides Taylor, Larrivee's 03 series among them. Tacoma also makes some very nice all solid-wood guitars for well under the threshold mentioned. Their DM9 and DM10 are basic mahogany dreads that are real powerhouses for very small coin. Same for their EM9 as a mid-size alternative. I'm not suggesting that these guitars are better than their Taylor counterparts, but they have their own attributes and are hardly what I would call beaters.

I haven't been overly impressed with Tacoma's high-end models, but their under-$1,000 models strike me as the low-end guitars that Taylor doesn't make. (I hope that's not heresy! )

[Jim]

You will save a bundle of money if you buy something decent to start since if you buy something less you will eventually wind up trading it in for a huge loss and buying what you should have bought to start with. That means you need to look at all solid wood guitars. Taks, Yammies, Seagulls, lower end Martins, etc. are not all solid woods. Beware of descriptions that say "rosewood sides and back" and the like. If they are solid woods, the brochures will ALWAYS say "solid rosewood sides and back and solid spruce top." Most makers use deceptive wording and if you don't see the word solid next to each type of wood, then that type of wood will be plywood. You can easily stay under $1,000 by looking at used Taylor 300s and new or used Larrivees in their 3 and 5 series (though the 5 series will be right around your upper limit). You can even buy new Larrivee OM-1s (all solid woods - mahogany/sitka spruce/ebony) for around $600.

[M Ross]

Just went through the same thing. I was looking to spend less than a thousand dollars. I checked out several guitars at several different stores.

I eventually narrowed my search down to two guitars the Taylor 310 and the Martin D16GT. After playing several different Taylor 310's and several different Martin D16GT. I liked the Taylor 310 the best.

Then I got extremely lucky and stumbled across a used Taylor 310 at a price way way way lower than my 1000 budget.

I am now the proud owner of my first Taylor guitar. A 2000 Taylor 310. It is a great guitar!!!

[tcb]

A brand new Taylor 310 can be bought under $1000 .
Also, check out the L-01 selling at FQMS for $500. IMO, its a steal for all solid body guitar and sounds great too...
Just as big sounding as 310, if not more...

Anyone tried it..?

[Acoustics4ed]

YUPPIES??????????????????????????????????????????

If ya knew me, you would know that I am far from being a YUPPY!!

What I am, is someone who wanted to buy the highest quality guitar, one that "spoke" to me in such a way that it would leave other guitars in the dirt. What I ended up with, was a Taylor.
Mind you, I could not, and still cant play a single song, (but I am trying) so it was a matter of getting a guitar for myself, not to play on stage, not to flaunt around like a prize, but something I consider more as an hierloom......something of value that I can pass down to my kids, and my kids kids.
I work hard for my money, and at the time, I could have had any guitar in the target price of 2500.......but does getting a Taylor make me a yuppy?? NOT.

Im sorry for blowing off a little steam here folks, and I hope I didnt offend anyone in doing so.

BTW.......I now also own an Ibanez AW100CENT.......ya,,,there are plenty of other guitars out there I could have had for the money spent, BUT, this one spoke to me......could I have found a Taylor 310, 410?? an Alverez or Takoma, Seagull, Martin??? Yes I could have IM sure..........Does the "BRAND NAME" really mean anything???
Or is all about the music they bring into our lives???
you do the math.....................