Hunting for a lower-cost rosewood b&s dread

[Ralph124C41]

Originally Posted by macmanmatty

Here you go! all solid wood rosewood dreadnought guild. Guild makes great guitars even in China. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Guild-gad-5...IAAOSw6MxasC4f

Thanks but i've owned two Guilds and I don't want another one.

I had a D-55 built in the '70s. Nice sounding guitar but a thick top and so it had very little volume at all. I took it to a luthier and a couple guitar shop guys and they said everything was fine it just wasn't loud.

I had a Guild D-25M that sounded little mush. All mids and bass and no treble at all.

And remind you these are American-made all solid-wood guitars, too.

[Ralph124C41]

Originally Posted by RussL30

Here’s a few I could think of in your price range that might be good buys.

Eastman E8D
Alvarez MD60
Guild GAD 50 or D150
Martin Custom D15 special https://reverb.com/item/29329099-mar...stom-d-15-2004
Blueridge ( not sure of the model, maybe BR240 or
Something similar)

I've already cited the Eastman and I think the Alvarez (although it also has the wider nut width which I don't care for). I don't want Guild as I explained in another post. The Blueridge would likely be out of my price range as the cheaper BR160 would just fit.

Now I think you for your inclusion of the Martin Custom D15, another model I didn't know existed. That would certainly work for me. I am aware of the standard D15M but I don't want a mahogany-topped guitar.

But ... i would have to be careful when ordering as that model is also called the Martin Custom D15 Rosewood. The general Martin Custom D-15 has mahogany back and sides AFAIK.

As I read this I have been playing one of my Alvarezes and I have to say I really prefer a guitar with the narrow 1 11/16-inch nut width. I guess I have smallish hands or shorter fingers than most.

[jspe]

HIGHLY RECOMMEND Yamaha LL16...

[Ralph124C41]

Originally Posted by jspe

HIGHLY RECOMMEND Yamaha LL16...

I will pass. It's a jumbo and I want a dread. And it has AFAIK an Englemann spruce top. I want either a Sitka or if somehow I can get one, an Adirondack top guitar.

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by Ralph124C41

I will pass. It's a jumbo and I want a dread. And it has AFAIK an Englemann spruce top. I want either a Sitka or if somehow I can get one, an Adirondack top guitar.

It’s a modified dread. There is a another model in the same range I believe that is classed as a truer jumbo...

Cheers

[maxtheaxe]

I would definitely look for a nice used Larrivee -03 series. I see them all the time on Reverb within your budget.

Failing that, I'd look at the Yamaha LL series, with the caveat that you might need to replace saddle, nut and tuners, unless they've recently started putting better quality components on their MIC guitars. Apart from these items, they're quite nice, especially for the price.

[Ralph124C41]

Originally Posted by maxtheaxe

I would definitely look for a nice used Larrivee -03 series. I see them all the time on Reverb within your budget.

Failing that, I'd look at the Yamaha LL series, with the caveat that you might need to replace saddle, nut and tuners, unless they've recently started putting better quality components on their MIC guitars. Apart from these items, they're quite nice, especially for the price.

AFAIK all of the LL series have Englemann tops which I don't really want. And as I said I know absolutely nothing about the Larrivee so I'm reluctant to buy something I know nothing about unless there is one or several I can try out locally. I haven't investigated that brand so I don't know what's around me.

[JBCROTTY]

Yamaha LL16R - nut width will work for you and its a great guitar well under your budget.

[Ralph124C41]

Folks several of you have recommended the Yamaha LL16 or similar guitars in that series. I do not want a guitar with an Englemann top. In fact I really don't want any Yamahas. I have owned three of them and they just didn't do it for me at all.

[warfrat73]

It seems like you might need to be a bit more selective about this.

What rosewood dreads have you played that you like? Just picking out any old rosewood dread that you happen to be able to afford seems unlikely to give you what you're looking for... there is no one "rosewood dread" tone.

A Martin D-28 a Taylor 810, a Gibson AJ, and a Guild D-55 (among many others) all are rosewood dreads, and all have their own voice... the same thing holds true in the lower price range.

What's the tone in your head?

[Ralph124C41]

Originally Posted by warfrat73

It seems like you might need to be a bit more selective about this.

What rosewood dreads have you played that you like? Just picking out any old rosewood dread that you happen to be able to afford seems unlikely to give you what you're looking for... there is no one "rosewood dread" tone.

A Martin D-28 a Taylor 810, a Gibson AJ, and a Guild D-55 (among many others) all are rosewood dreads, and all have their own voice... the same thing holds true in the lower price range.

What's the tone in your head?

I've played all of those and I owned a D-55. I would say, as I explained elsewhere, it's more toward a Martin-type sound. I would say the taylor sound is what I am not after. It may be because for many years I played bass in classic rock bands so I've always tended to like heightened bass response and warm tones.

[L20A]

An Eastman E-20D would be a nice fit.
Sounds and looks as good as guitars that are 3 times the money.

[Ralph124C41]

Originally Posted by L20A

An Eastman E-20D would be a nice fit.
Sounds and looks as good as guitars that are 3 times the money.

In my first post I mistakenly called it the D20 but I said it would be a great fit but I didn't think I could afford even a used one. However I've found some in my price range so I should go to that shop about an hour's drive away to test drive a new model. If I can get past that wider nut width I think it would be a swell guitar for me.

[Oldguy64]

For my fiftieth birthday I bought an Alvarez MD70ce.
You would prefer the non-cutaway I assume.
I love my MD70CE.
It’s an amazing guitar and it was well under your threshold.

If you are willing to look for something a bit rarer, consider an Alvarez PD85S.
Solid Spruce top, solid rosewood back, laminate rosewood sides.

Takamine’s EF360 can be had close to your price point on the used market and it is a fairly faithful reproduction of a D28.

[BoneDigger]

Of the ones you listed, the Blueridge would be at the top of my list. Someone mentioned the Eastman and it too is a nice guitar and worth considering. You may also want to consider the Recording King RD-328.