Long-time player - first serious purchase. Advice please!

[Jamolay]

Originally Posted by *Sundance*

EDIT: Just seen an ex-display Yamaha LS16 ARE available here for £600 which is tempting. I'm not sure this would be my ultimate dream guitar (maybe I'd be surprised though) but seems like a great deal. Only concern is I've read that the nut width and string spacing are slightly narrower than the average 45mm nut guitar. My main problem with my current dreadnought (Simon & Patrick SP6) is the lack of room on the fretboard when fingerpicking. Should this be a concern?

Remember, you are buying your dream guitar. I would think it better to find a guitar you love than buying a “great deal”, unless it is also the guitar you love. You have said it all yourself. Don’t settle for less!

[deg123]

Originally Posted by blakey

My 1 pence.
I played an Auden Jumbo a couple of months go and thought it was OK. Played very nice but thought the tone was a bit indistinct.

Had a Road series Martin for a while but the Richlite always felt clunky to me.

To my ears the Furches sound a bit like the Audens and lack bollocks.

I am heartily going to recommend an Eastman. They totally blew me away after taking a gamble on one sight unseen.
They just ooze build quality (I have a E1ss Ltd). For 1k you could pick up something pretty spectacular from their range I'm sure.

Obviously everyone's taste and preferences are different, but I had the opposite experience. I ended up buying an Auden Chester after having played a lot of different Eastman guitars. The Eastman Guitars are great, but the Auden was just so much better to me than all the other guitars I tried. After almost a year it just continues to improve.

Richard's Guitars had recommended the Auden after a Furch I originally ordered was unavailable. So if they are similar I'd have no hesitation in recommending a Furch.

Sundance, I may have suggested this in an earlier post, but one option is to order the Furch and Dowina from Richard's, play them side by side and then return one (or both if they don't impress)

[davidd]

Originally Posted by *Sundance*

Thanks for all the replies. There are so many options and I appreciate the advice.

I haven't completely ruled out spruce tops, and this does open up a lot more choice of guitars. It's difficult when some advise to avoid the big brands at my budget level and others say go for it. I had a look at Martins around £1k and they all seem to be laminate back & sides which puts me off them. Yes, I'd love to own a Martin, but maybe that is just because of the brand name, and I can't help feeling that a hand-made all solid Furch would be a better choice. Also, I really want to love this guitar as it will probably be the most I ever spend on an instrument!

Having said that, I am drawn towards the Yamahas. I like the understated looks and they are the first spruce tops which have sounded mellow to my ears. Maybe it's the ARE treatment they use. I particularly like the FS3/FS5 red labels (although these seem hard to find in the UK) but am also interested in the LS16. So, I'm adding these to my shortlist. I'm also less inclined towards the Dowina now simply because it feels more of a risk to go with a relatively unknown brand.

I do have another question about setups...I was keen to buy from Richard's Guitars because I believe they are meticulous in doing a proper setup before shipping their guitars. I don't have anywhere local where I can get this done and I'm not confident of doing it myself. However, I want to consider other guitars which are sold at other retailers in the UK, some of which may be larger, less personal, businesses. Can anyone advise how other UK retailers are for doing setups?

EDIT: Just seen an ex-display Yamaha LS16 ARE available here for £600 which is tempting. I'm not sure this would be my ultimate dream guitar (maybe I'd be surprised though) but seems like a great deal. Only concern is I've read that the nut width and string spacing are slightly narrower than the average 45mm nut guitar. My main problem with my current dreadnought (Simon & Patrick SP6) is the lack of room on the fretboard when fingerpicking. Should this be a concern?

I have numerous guitars with 1 3/4" nuts. The LS16 is about 1/32" smaller. I would not have even noticed unless I had measured. IMO the neck and string spacing on the LS16 is the best of all my acoustics and I'm primarily a finger picker with fairly stubby fingers. Don't let anybody tell you that you would be settling for less if you get one. They are top notch in every respect, better than my Martin or Gibson acoustics for workmanship and detail. There really isn't such a thing as a "dream guitar" but my LS16 does put a smile on my face.

[Aimelie]

Originally Posted by *Sundance*

EDIT: Just seen an ex-display Yamaha LS16 ARE available here for £600 which is tempting. I'm not sure this would be my ultimate dream guitar (maybe I'd be surprised though) but seems like a great deal. Only concern is I've read that the nut width and string spacing are slightly narrower than the average 45mm nut guitar. My main problem with my current dreadnought (Simon & Patrick SP6) is the lack of room on the fretboard when fingerpicking. Should this be a concern?

I happened to play an LS16 ARE on the occasion of auditioning several Furch guitars—honestly (and imho), the Furch’s were clearly a step above. The Yamaha is a good, honest guitar with a very nice action right off the shelf, but felt more heavily built to me and just had an air of “big factory” guitar. It was fine, though (build quality quite good, too)—but not in the same league, even, of the Furch Blue’s I tried.

Entirely subjective opinion (just like all the others posted here), I know. But, there you go.

[blakey]

https://furchguitars.com/en/features/furch-cnr-system/

I wouldn't go anywhere near a neck system like that.

[Jamolay]

Originally Posted by blakey

https://furchguitars.com/en/features/furch-cnr-system/

I wouldn't go anywhere near a neck system like that.

Why not? Any specific concerns?

[blakey]

Originally Posted by Jamolay

Why not? Any specific concerns?

It looks like Dr. Frankenstein turned his hand to luthiery.

[El Cheapo]

What a remote place you live in! I bet it's beautiful there, but I have to believe the weather might be dreadful at times. Like you, I am primarily a fingerstyle player. I have short, stubby fingers and I love guitars with 1 3/4 inch nuts widths. The first good guitar I ever bought was a Martin OM1. In fact, this guitar lends itself so readily to fingerstyle playing it's the reason I became good at it. I've had it long enough that it's had a chance to open up, and I must say it sounds quite good. If you lived near me I would lend it to you so you could try it out, but alas, I live near Carlisle Pennsylvania, USA. If you could find a used one I would definitely recommend it to you, as it has solid wood construction (Spruce over Sapele).

Another good instrument for fingerstyle is the Martin Dreadnought Jr. The 1 3/4 inch nut width works well for fingerstyle, as does the dreadnought sound. String spacing is a little tighter than on the OM1, but it's easy to get used to. In fact, this guitar quickly became my favorite because it does everything I need and I can plug it in if necessary.

Both of these guitars should be available, and if you pick one up used it should be priced well within your budget. Happy hunting!

[*Sundance*]

Originally Posted by Aimelie

I happened to play an LS16 ARE on the occasion of auditioning several Furch guitars—honestly (and imho), the Furch’s were clearly a step above. The Yamaha is a good, honest guitar with a very nice action right off the shelf, but felt more heavily built to me and just had an air of “big factory” guitar. It was fine, though (build quality quite good, too)—but not in the same league, even, of the Furch Blue’s I tried.

Entirely subjective opinion (just like all the others posted here), I know. But, there you go.

Thanks Aimelie, and to everyone else who has provided such helpful advice.

I decided to widen my options a bit and look at some of the excellent suggestions given on here, including some of the bigger brands such as Martin, Taylor and Yamaha. Putting spruce tops in my considerations has meant much more choice to think about and, considering my current guitar is cedar, I felt that perhaps spruce would be a better option for a second guitar, as long as I was satisfied with its sound and overall quality.

I also had to look at availability. Many of the guitars I like simply aren't in stock anywhere in the UK so that limited things a bit. Also, although my budget is around £1k, I'm not looking to spend more than I need. I loved the idea of the Martin Dreadnought Jr but just wasn't quite sure about going for a smaller sized guitar. Unfortunately I couldn't find any Martin OM-1s anywhere in the UK.

So, after much deliberation, and trawling through dozens of youtube videos, forum posts, online shops etc, I have decided to pull the trigger on a B-stock Yamaha LS16 for a great price of around £600. I did strongly consider Aimelie's advice regarding the Furch being a step above, but I felt that the extra cost for the Furch was just too much to justify.

I've ended up going for something quite different from my original thoughts -the Yamaha is a spruce top, made in China and dark tint (thought I'd always want a natural colour). But, I've read many good things about it, heard some great sound samples and love the look of the guitar. I believe in the quality of Yamaha's instruments and think that I'll be very happy with it. Can't wait to try it out!

Thanks again for all your help.

[Aimelie]

Let me be the first to congratulate you on a rock solid choice. The LS16 will be sure to bring you lots and lots of joy and at a price that really can’t be beat!

I’m happy for you and hope to hear how it is once you have it in hand.

[*Sundance*]

Originally Posted by Aimelie

Let me be the first to congratulate you on a rock solid choice. The LS16 will be sure to bring you lots and lots of joy and at a price that really can’t be beat!

I’m happy for you and hope to hear how it is once you have it in hand.

Thanks Aimelie!

Hopefully it will arrive next week (despite my remote location). Unfortunately I will only be able to have a quick look at it before my wife packs it away for two months until my 50th birthday. She insists I'm only allowed to test it once before then!

Going to be a long wait...

[El Cheapo]

I don't think you can go wrong with Yamaha. I had an FG700 and it sounded surprisingly good. I would have kept it but I couldn't get on with the skinny nut width. The specs on the LS16, especially the 1 3/4 inch nut, would seem to indicate it would be much more comfortable to play. Looking forward to hearing your opinions on it!

[Aimelie]

Originally Posted by *Sundance*

Thanks Aimelie!

Hopefully it will arrive next week (despite my remote location). Unfortunately I will only be able to have a quick look at it before my wife packs it away for two months until my 50th birthday. She insists I'm only allowed to test it once before then!

Going to be a long wait...

Egads! She sounds so strict.

In this case, I shall have a Walker’s Shortbread with my afternoon tea today, in her honor, and in hopes she might have mercy on your poor guitarist’s soul.

[*Sundance*]

Well, bad news...

Got a call from the retailer today saying they couldn't sell me the B-stock LS16 because it failed a quality check prior to shipping!

I chatted with the sales guy about general availability of Yamahas in the UK and he said most models are not available for a few months. Would have to wait a while for a brand new LS16 which would be around £800, which doesn't seem so great a deal to me.

Also asked him about the red label Yamahas (which look great but I had figured they were a bit too pricey) and he offered me a discount on the FS5 or FSX5 which might be available within weeks.

Now really tempted towards the FSX5 but at £1100 it's way more than the £600 I was planning on paying for the LS16. Still close to my original budget of £1k though. Or, I go back to my original thoughts and look at the Furch Blue range?

So, apologies for coming back for more advice, but I'm kind of back to square one again. Which sounds like the better deal: a Furch Blue or Yamaha FSX5 at around £1k? Or should I consider other options again, such as Martin and Taylor? To be honest I find their ranges quite confusing and I'm not sure how great they are at this price range. e.g. the Martin X series with HPL back & sides. Are these going to sound worse than an all-solid Yamaha or Furch?

[stillsteven]

Originally Posted by *Sundance*

So, apologies for coming back for more advice, but I'm kind of back to square one again. Which sounds like the better deal: a Furch Blue or Yamaha FSX5 at around £1k? Or should I consider other options again, such as Martin and Taylor? To be honest I find their ranges quite confusing and I'm not sure how great they are at this price range. e.g. the Martin X series with HPL back & sides. Are these going to sound worse than an all-solid Yamaha or Furch?

I have nothing against Martin's HPL or Taylor's layered wood in fact I still own my Taylor 110, but I would seriously consider all solid Yamaha, Furch, Eastman, etc. I'm guessing you're somewhere in Europe? I saw a lot of players on that side of the world playing Faith guitars. From my understanding they use all solid wood on their instruments. Maybe it's worth looking at. https://www.faithguitars.com/