Need serious help!!!!!

[pjbelsch]

Hey guys,
I am receiving a hefty Christmas bonus (hooray) and I want to add to my collection. I've had martins, taylors, Breedloves etc. I currently use a Breedlove premier auditorium mahogany. Just a stunning guitar for the price. Actually sold my D-18 for it. Anyways. I am looking at getting a smaller body guitar either a 000 or a Breedlove concert body. I am looking a 000-28 or a premier concert rosewood. Anyone have any experience with these guys? Any comparisons? I am going to have to drive at least 4 hours to the closest shop that carries both but if anyone has any other recommendations please feel free to let me know. I'm working around the 2000 range. My buddy is a Martin dealer and can get me the 000 for a lot less than what it's ticketed. I'm also debating saying screw it and getting a d-28. I lead worship at my church and do a lot of fingerpicking and strumming if style is a question. Hope I covered everything.

Thanks,
Peter

[Brucebubs]

Private message (pm) sent.

[aknow]

Originally Posted by pjbelsch

Hey guys,
I am receiving a hefty Christmas bonus (hooray) and I want to add to my collection. I've had martins, taylors, Breedloves etc. I currently use a Breedlove premier auditorium mahogany. Just a stunning guitar for the price. Actually sold my D-18 for it. Anyways. I am looking at getting a smaller body guitar either a 000 or a Breedlove concert body. I am looking a 000-28 or a premier concert rosewood. Anyone have any experience with these guys? Any comparisons? I am going to have to drive at least 4 hours to the closest shop that carries both but if anyone has any other recommendations please feel free to let me know. I'm working around the 2000 range. My buddy is a Martin dealer and can get me the 000 for a lot less than what it's ticketed. I'm also debating saying screw it and getting a d-28. I lead worship at my church and do a lot of fingerpicking and strumming if style is a question. Hope I covered everything.

Thanks,
Peter

Breedlove Oregon concert, the 25th anniversary ce model, is worth trying out.

[Nyghthawk]

The Martin OM-21 would be a good choice. I am GASing for the SWOMGT but that one is several hundred under your budget. Either way, nice to get a big bonus to gift yourself!

[Gasworker]

My favourite guitar is a Halcyon. I think the wait list is atlease a year.

[Rosewood99]

What an emergency!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by pjbelsch

...My buddy is a Martin dealer and can get me the 000 for a lot less than what it's ticketed. I'm also debating saying screw it and getting a D-28. I lead worship at my church and do a lot of fingerpicking and strumming if style is a question...

If you can get a 000-28/D-28 around the $2K range or less it's a no-brainer IMO - you simply can't go wrong with a rosewood Martin, under any circumstances. That said, speaking as a 50-year church musician/hired-gun P&W-team guitarist (also bassist/banjoist/vocalist)/occasional worship leader, I'd have to ask what your total instrumental forces are; although you switch back and forth between strumming and fingerstyle, the number/type of other instruments and your specific role will determine which would be the better choice. If it's just you and another guitarist sharing a couple of microphones, you'll need to fill a good deal more sonic space than if you're working with bass, drums, multiple keyboards, and a full choir - in guitar talk, think "big box" in the former case, "small box" in the latter (one reason Taylor -12's and -14's have become such a favorite in church-music circles is that a smaller-bodied guitar will cut through a thick mix better than most - but not all - dreads and jumbos) - and you'll want to choose accordingly...

"Praise Him with stringed instruments..." - Psalm 150, TLB

[pjbelsch]

Thanks for the input. I am super loyal to breedlove however i did have a 25th anniversary concert and didnt care for the tone of the myrtle wood back and sides. I also hate satin finishes. I was thinking if i can get a martin for 2000 or less its basically a steal especially brand new. my band is me leading on acoustic, drums, bass, second acoustic guitar(although not a strong player) and 2 singers myself and a female. no keys unfortunately. my reasoning is i love the d28 but think it feels to big. but i love the 000 but im afraid of not projecting enough.

[ohYew812]

Originally Posted by pjbelsch

...I currently use a Breedlove premier auditorium mahogany... Actually sold my D-18 for

I got nothing.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by pjbelsch

...my band is me leading on acoustic, drums, bass, second acoustic guitar (although not a strong player) and 2 singers, myself and a female. No keys unfortunately. My reasoning is I love the D-28 but think it feels too big. I love the 000 but I'm afraid of not projecting enough.

IME you'd want to go with a large-bodied guitar - especially if the other guitarist is not a strong player - since you'll be responsible for just about all of the harmonic underpinnings outside the bass register. Since your bud can get you Martins on the cheap, find out what he can do for you on a J- or M-body instrument; although at 16" they're both wider than a dread, the tight-waisted body sits/hangs differently, and many players find them easier to handle. Not to complicate matters but rather to provide a point of reference, my own praise-band guitar of choice is a Rainsong JM1000 17" jumbo (or the matching - and discontinued - JM3000 12-string): the big body gives me the depth and volume I need for chord work, the carbon-fiber construction provides clarity and quick response for fingerstyle, it's no harder to negotiate than a dread, and it weighs four pounds give or take on the strap - real handy if you're standing through most (or all) of the service. BTW these can be had for around $2K new if you shop around; you might want to send a PM to Ted @ LA Guitar Sales (one of the AGF sponsors, and highly recommended) if you're interested, since he not only deals extensively in Rainsongs but provides special discounts to AGF members...

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

IME you'd want to go with a large-bodied guitar - especially if the other guitarist is not a strong player - since you'll be responsible for just about all of the harmonic underpinnings outside the bass register. Since your bud can get you Martins on the cheap, find out what he can do for you on a J- or M-body instrument; although at 16" they're both wider than a dread, the tight-waisted body sits/hangs differently, and many players find them easier to handle.

Pretty much exactly what I suggested in the (unanswered/ignored?) pm I sent the op in post #2.

[tippy5]

If your band plays decent size stages, where the drums and other players get mic'd, I would look into 000 size as a preferable rhythm size plugged in.

Play with lowish volume. Play in perfect time. Adjust your output level about the loudness of the high hat.

Ensemble rhythm guitar parts typically need less dynamic range than small groups or solo guitar. Meaning a 000 size is an easier fit amplified. Or an 00.

Also better for recording. They also look aesthetically better than OM to Jumbo's on a crowded stage.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by tippy5

...Ensemble rhythm guitar parts typically need less dynamic range than small groups or solo guitar. Meaning a 000 size is an easier fit amplified. Or an 00...They also look aesthetically better than OM to Jumbo's on a crowded stage.

The OP seems to be carrying most of the melodic/harmonic responsibility - reread posts #1 and #8 - so I'd tend to think he's going to need as much dynamic range as he can get. Having been in a couple similar situations myself with smaller congregations, the "house sound" is going to be at least as much pure acoustic as amplified - and given the fact that he's also playing occasional solo fingerstyle guitar with his four-member group, IME he's going to need something tonally "bigger" than your typical 000/OM, much less a 00; as far as looks are concerned, that's strictly a matter of personal taste - and to date I've never been summoned to a pastor's/council president's office because my Rainsong jumbo was too large for his sanctuary...

[pjbelsch]

i think i am actually going to go with the 000-28, main reason is i have the big booming mahogany breedlove already so i dont need it so much. our house sound is good enough where i can plug in and punch it with a boost pedal if needed. i should correct. i sold my taylor for the breedlove not the martin. i do miss my d-18 but am more than satisfied with the breedlove. i am anxious to get a sweet little guitar with a stellar voice and i think the 000-28 may be worth the money espcially since i can get it for 2100

[ddown]

http://www.elderly.com/instruments/a...-with-case.htm

This should work Breedlove Masterclass Brazilian Rosewood