Adventures in guitar shopping -- seeking ideas

[gmel555]

Originally Posted by cmd612

Makes sense. Since you loved the Martin GPC, what about a Martin GPCPA4 Rosewood? (There's a thread here today by someone whose wife bought a used one for well under $1K.)

I also suggest you look at the GPCPA4. There are a number of reviews/demos on youtube. Looks like a great guitar and value.

[Birdbrain]

If you enjoyed everything about the S&P Showcase Mahogany except the lack of bass, I'm wondering what body size it was. I've mostly seen Mahogany used in their Folk sized body. If you can find an S&P Showcase Mini Jumbo (discontinued, but available used), that might be your ticket. I have the Seagull equivalent, an SWS Maritime in spruce/Mahogany. It gives very deep bass that can be felt as well as heard. It's a bigger guitar with a bigger sound than any Folk.

You also might find a Breedlove in Myrtlewood at your top price. Every one of those I've played had exceptional bass...

[gmel555]

Another thought. Larrivee OM-40(Mahogany) and OM-40(R)osewood get a fair amount of love on AGF. They use a newer Larrivee scalloped bracing. Well under $2K. I have 2 Larrys (not OMs) that I love, including a 25 year old D-19 which has held up wonderfully. I think they're some of the best values around.

[B. Adams]

This is just my opinion, but Larivee makes really nice guitars, especially for their cost. I've never owned one, but several of my friends have them and I'm impressed. If I were looking for a nice guitar at a good price, they'd be my first stop.

I have 3 Taylors, 2 614's and a 914, and I love them. That said, there's no way I'd buy a Taylor sight-unseen, as they tend to be too bright for my taste. The ones I own are great, but I've played a ton of them that I didn't like. A 314 can sound better than the 814 hanging next to it, you just never know until you try.

I had a Breedlove AC25/SR+ for years. It was a nice guitar, but I wore out the frets fairly quickly, and I'm not the type of player who wears frets out easily. It didn't really occur to me that this was a real problem until I met an up-and-coming country artist last summer who also played Breedlove. After talking shop with him for a bit, he had the same issue with his guitars. He was endorsed by Breedlove with an agreement to get his guitars at cost, and as a struggling musician he used the imported line rather than the US made guitars. He'd been touring with 2 new guitars for less than a year and the frets were really worn down, and he wasn't super happy about it. He wasn't a heavy handed player either, so I knew how he felt. I don't know if their American guitars are better, but it really soured me on Breedlove. I've heard Taylor uses soft frets too, but if they do, they're nowhere near as soft as those Breedlove frets I had. I seriously doubt I'll ever own another Breedlove. Bedell guitars on the other hand, oh man, you could make the frets out of actual butter and I'd still kill for that sound. I wish I'd bought the last one of those I played. They're a little more than your budget though.

I've played a few Takamine guitars that really impressed me, especially at their price point. Tak doesn't seem to do anything revolutionary, but they build solid guitars made for playing. They're great stage guitars.

Seagull is also worth a look, especially if you want to keep it under $1k. I never liked the narrow headstock design, but that's really the only issue I have with them.

[gitarro]

Or u can check out the for sale forum on agf where there are usually at least a few used luthier made guitars for sale that are within your budget. You could check them out as possible alternatives to the factory made guitars that you have listed.

[IndyHD28]

You can get a good new Martin in this price range. Look at the 15 series. I’d suggest a mahogany topped one for your stated preferences but there are several variations in this series that will allow you find your sweet spot. Skip the used market. You need to go into a shop with several guitars for you to try in person. Buying used is a crap shoot and the seller will not want a return.

[Glennm]

Its already been mentioned, but the Alvarez Masterworks MD60EBG is like $600 but plays and sounds exquisite for that price point. The LR Baggs in that model is ok, but I chose to get the one without factory electronics to add my own choice of element. I didn’t even want to try these guitars but hearing and feeling is believing...I said the same thing about my Takamine 20 years ago. This has a bluegrassy/traditional and familiar flavoring...and herringbone trim to boot!

[ezra1]

I was able to get a Bedell 64 Dreadnought for 2k and got to play a few of them.
The more I play it the more she opens up.
They are really good guitars.

[nightchef]

Wow, thanks for the plethora of good suggestions, everybody. (And keep 'em comin'!)

[nightchef]

Further adventures....

Since my first post I've been to two small local music stores that carry some good circa-$1K guitars. At Store #1, I tried:

Guild D150 CE. $1099. Spruce/rosewood dread. Some nice things to say for this. Playability very good, and the sound was well balanced with full bottom and nice bright-but-not-brittle highs. My only hesitation is that there was something a little funky about the intonation, or something. I couldn't figure out how to tune it so that the chords didn't sound a little squirrelly. Like a chorus that has good voices and hits all the notes, but doesn't quite blend. It felt like the kind of problem that might be specific to this instrument, so I'd be curious to try another of the same model.

Seagull Maritime SWS in cutaway dread ($979) and Concert Hall ($899) models. Spruce/mahogany. I liked both of these. The smaller one had a very lively response, but the sound was a bit low-amplitude. Not surprising given the size, I guess. Playability good, though I'd probably get the action lowered just a tiny bit (and of course a tiny bit of the liveliness might get lost there).

The dread was a conundrum. Very nice to play, and the sound was warm and musical, but a little muffled -- it was like the notes were dying a shade too fast, almost like an emergency brake on the sound. It was a fairly subtle issue, and it might have just been that the strings needed changing--they did look and feel a bit past their prime.

At store #2:

Breedlove Stage CE Exotic Cocobolo ($1199) and Myrtlewood ($999). Meh. I found the top end on the cocobolo model unbearably zingy--almost like a smoother form of string buzz. The myrtlewood was better, and kind of an interesting contender. A dry, plainspoken kind of sound, but not lacking in richness. Sort of....Amish. A distinct personality, but not quite my cuppa--I want something a bit more sonorous. Playability on both was good, not great.

Yamaha LL16 and LS6. Both spruce/rosewood, LL16 all solid ($799), LS6 laminate B&S ($499). I had high hopes for the LL16, which it did not live up to. Plays beautifully, intonation fine, and the sound is respectably large and open. But there's something vaguely sterile about it. What came out of my fingers had low-end content, but not warmth. It had high-end content, but not sparkle. (If any of that makes sense.)

I actually kind of liked the LS6 better; the sound was nothing special, and it needed a setup, but it was OK for what it was. It reminded me a lot of a Madeira I owned in college -- a perfectly respectable guitar if you didn't ask too much of it.

Eastman E10OM (Adirondack spruce/mahogany, $1,120). Now we're talkin'. This had some of that lively response I felt in the smaller Seagull Maritime, but with a bigger, richer, more nuanced sound, and it was a joy to play. Clearly a potential keeper. No electronics, though, so final cost will be more like $1,300. (I also tried an E20OM, and it was nice, but I liked the E10OM better and it's $200 cheaper, so that's an easy call.)

Definitely going to mark the Eastman and Seagulls down for further investigation. The Guild might be a contender too, if I can find a different example. I've now tried three Yamahas and haven't liked any of them, so I think I'm going to let go of that brand.

This is fun. Time-consuming, but fun.

[Bunny64]

Originally Posted by nightchef

Further adventures....

Since my first post I've been to two small local music stores that carry some good circa-$1K guitars. At Store #1, I tried:

Guild D150 CE. $1099. Spruce/rosewood dread. Some nice things to say for this. Playability very good, and the sound was well balanced with full bottom and nice bright-but-not-brittle highs. My only hesitation is that there was something a little funky about the intonation, or something. I couldn't figure out how to tune it so that the chords didn't sound a little squirrelly. Like a chorus that has good voices and hits all the notes, but doesn't quite blend. It felt like the kind of problem that might be specific to this instrument, so I'd be curious to try another of the same model.

Seagull Maritime SWS in cutaway dread ($979) and Concert Hall ($899) models. Spruce/mahogany. I liked both of these. The smaller one had a very lively response, but the sound was a bit low-amplitude. Not surprising given the size, I guess. Playability good, though I'd probably get the action lowered just a tiny bit (and of course a tiny bit of the liveliness might get lost there).

The dread was a conundrum. Very nice to play, and the sound was warm and musical, but a little muffled -- it was like the notes were dying a shade too fast, almost like an emergency brake on the sound. It was a fairly subtle issue, and it might have just been that the strings needed changing--they did look and feel a bit past their prime.

At store #2:

Breedlove Stage CE Exotic Cocobolo ($1199) and Myrtlewood ($999). Meh. I found the top end on the cocobolo model unbearably zingy--almost like a smoother form of string buzz. The myrtlewood was better, and kind of an interesting contender. A dry, plainspoken kind of sound, but not lacking in richness. Sort of....Amish. A distinct personality, but not quite my cuppa--I want something a bit more sonorous. Playability on both was good, not great.

Yamaha LL16 and LS6. Both spruce/rosewood, LL16 all solid ($799), LS6 laminate B&S ($499). I had high hopes for the LL16, which it did not live up to. Plays beautifully, intonation fine, and the sound is respectably large and open. But there's something vaguely sterile about it. What came out of my fingers had low-end content, but not warmth. It had high-end content, but not sparkle. (If any of that makes sense.)

I actually kind of liked the LS6 better; the sound was nothing special, and it needed a setup, but it was OK for what it was. It reminded me a lot of a Madeira I owned in college -- a perfectly respectable guitar if you didn't ask too much of it.

Eastman E10OM (Adirondack spruce/mahogany, $1,120). Now we're talkin'. This had some of that lively response I felt in the smaller Seagull Maritime, but with a bigger, richer, more nuanced sound, and it was a joy to play. Clearly a potential keeper. No electronics, though, so final cost will be more like $1,300. (I also tried an E20OM, and it was nice, but I liked the E10OM better and it's $200 cheaper, so that's an easy call.)

Definitely going to mark the Eastman and Seagulls down for further investigation. The Guild might be a contender too, if I can find a different example. I've now tried three Yamahas and haven't liked any of them, so I think I'm going to let go of that brand.

This is fun. Time-consuming, but fun.

Sounds like your having a ball. Think its true to say that you have realised its not always the brand but the actual guitar. They are all unique. Will look forward to seeing your eventual choice. Enjoying your thread.

[LadysSolo]

Originally Posted by gmel555

Another thought. Larrivee OM-40(Mahogany) and OM-40(R)osewood get a fair amount of love on AGF. They use a newer Larrivee scalloped bracing. Well under $2K. I have 2 Larrys (not OMs) that I love, including a 25 year old D-19 which has held up wonderfully. I think they're some of the best values around.

I was going to suggest a Larrivee also - Very balanced sound IMHO, and very good value for the money. I own a Larrivee parlor, which is likely not what you are looking for, but I think it sounds near perfect (only because nothing is truly perfect.)

[nightchef]

Well, I went back to the store with the Eastman E10OM and liked it even better the second time, so I took the plunge. Had a long bonding session with it last night and it sure feels like a keeper. I don't know if I've ever played a guitar that made a sound this rich and lively that was so easy to play. I think it's going to record like a dream.

Now just have to decide on a pickup for it.

Thanks for the supportive & informative commentary, folks. Much appreciated.

[Bunny64]

Wonderful. Good luck with it.

[Triumph1050]

Should still try some Takamines. theyre built solid for life on the road. theyre great plugged in on stage, and right in your price range wheel house.
I can't keep track of their model numbering system so Im not much help there

*Oh... just saw your last post...enjoy the Eastman.