Best acoustic guitar for Elliott Smith tone?

[romancandle]

First off I would like to name a few of my acoustic guitars. I own a Seagull S6 Original, Fender CC-60S, Taylor Academy 10, and Guild M-20. My favorite is probably the lowly Fender because it has a nice "crunch" to it. I have been trying to aim for a Elliott Smith type guitar tone and I was wondering if there is any other guitars like the Yamaha FG-180 out there (Elliott used this guitar). I noticed that the Yamaha FG3 and FG5 recently were introduced but they seem a little higher priced than the original FG-180. Are any of you Elliott Smith fans? If so what are your go to acoustic guitars?

Thanks.

Some of my acoustic guitars:
Seagull S6 Original
Fender CC-60S
Taylor Academy 10
Guild M-20

[pagedr]

Why not just buy an FG-180? There are several listed on Reverb currently.

[romancandle]

Originally Posted by pagedr

Why not just buy an FG-180? There are several listed on Reverb currently.

I have owned 2 in the past and they all needed neck resets. I'm not really up to buying unless I can check it out first.

[Rosewood99]

I don't think the guitar was responsible for Elliott Smith's tone. It's the way he played and the way it was produced in the studio after. Just get a guitar that sound good to you.

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I don't think the guitar was responsible for Elliott Smith's tone. It's the way he played and the way it was produced in the studio after. Just get a guitar that sound good to you.

This. Double track those vocals and guitars!

[rumble]

Most Yamaha FG180 and other Yamaha models from that period came with a propensity for needing resets or saddle/ bridge shaving due to initial very low neck angle sets. I own 3 FG180’S . They all sound spot on with that full open dry tone,resonance! They all could use a reset. But they all play nice enough with a set of custom lights 11-52 and a little tweaking of the trus-rod. And most times the JLD bridge doctor can have a positive affect on helping with high action coupled with the other mentioned tweaks

If your on the hunt for a FG180 A few questions asked of the seller would be ,
What’s the action measure at 12fret E1 and E6 ?
How much saddle remains above bridge?
Does the trus-rod function properly in both directions?

There are some alternatives to the early RED LABEL
ALVAREZ from the same time period made a number of models that were all laminate and possessed similar sound/tone quality. There are other makers from that period that get close,Yamaki,Terada,Morris...
For what it’s worth hope this helps. No need to spend more than 250-300. Many bandits out there trying to cash in with extreme $$$ amounts

[romancandle]

Originally Posted by ataylor

This. Double track those vocals and guitars!

Any tips for nailing this?

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by romancandle

Any tips for nailing this?

Book time in a recording studio.

[hairpuller]

There’s so much DIY equipment out there that really allows you to personalize whatever sound you’re going for. Be creative and have fun!!
Btw...I’m also a big Elliott fan!
Scott

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by romancandle

Any tips for nailing this?

I don’t do much double-tracking so I’m not much help. You might try asking about that specific technique in the RECORD subforum here on the AGF. Links to examples of ES tracks you want to emulate would be helpful for the recording wizards that tend to post there.

[romancandle]

Originally Posted by ataylor

I don’t do much double-tracking so I’m not much help. You might try asking about that specific technique in the RECORD subforum here on the AGF. Links to examples of ES tracks you want to emulate would be helpful for the recording wizards that tend to post there.

I'm going to analyze a few of his tracks and see what I can learn.

Back to the guitar besides the Yamaha FG-180 if I'm digging the Fender I might as well stick with it.

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by romancandle

Back to the guitar besides the Yamaha FG-180 if I'm digging the Fender I might as well stick with it.

Yeah, see how it goes. If you decide you want a Yamaha, the FG800 might be the best bang-for-buck guitar I’ve ever played. Give one a try sometime.

[ComesATime]

Originally Posted by romancandle

Any tips for nailing this?

He was extremely consistent with his double-tracking to the point that the takes sound near-identical. Practice a heck of a lot, I suppose!

If you want to try something different, you can go after some of the John Pearse strings he is supposed to have used. He used a Fishman Rare Earth pickup (older silver humbucker-looking model) for plugging in live. In my opinion, I don't know that the FG180 was all that special of a guitar. It was inexpensive. He didn't seem like too much of a gearhead, at least in the earlier days.

Another interesting component is that he was a habitual nail-biter from what I understand. The sound of his fingerpicking is from the flesh of his fingertips, which lends that warmth and roundness.

[GoneTroppo]

You could also look out for similar era but smaller bodied Yamaha's. Those late 60s early 70s Yamaha's do share many great tonal characteristics for the budget minded. The neck reset issue is real though so tread carefully...

[GoneTroppo]

That said I do think you can pull off the Elliott Smith tone on most guitars, it's his playing style that holds the tone.. I was just playing Needle in the Hay today..