Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

[34029324079]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

when you plug in the acoustic, you really hear all the nuances. If 100 people are listening, it is certainly nice to have great tone. Consider the electronics when buying fo' sho'.


psst...taylor rocks but I got an ovation, here is a pic of my baby:

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

when you plug in the acoustic, you really hear all the nuances. If 100 people are listening, it is certainly nice to have great tone. Consider the electronics when buying fo' sho'. psst...taylor rocks but I got an ovation, here is a pic of my baby:

That's the same guitar Godsmack's Sully Erma (sp?) was using. I've heard a lot of good about it.

 

[34029324079]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

^^ya I love it; I heard the acoustic Godsmack and it sounds kinda like that - big huge bass sound, crystal clear, and has great action for shredder types like myself. When you plug it in it sounds best, but for the "shallow bowl" style it has a really full sound and definitely can hang when I jam with others that have the dreadnaught style acoustics at hippie jam seesions I go to.

I wanted something that looks way different and screams "Im not your dads old acoustic!"

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

Simple, to the point and 100% right on! You don't have to be a headstock snob, but fact is that you will have a better chance of finding a keeper if you look in the right area(Martin, Taylor, Tacoma, Alvarez, ect.) And price is not the final factor in tone, one of the best sounding acoustics that I've ever heard wasn't the $5000 Martin, it was the $700 Jumbo Mahogany. Try as many as you can and go with what sounds good to YOUR ears.

Yup, play every acoustic in the store. Whichever sounds and plays the best, Get it!

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

ya know it was weird a few weeks ago when i just happened to find myself in the acoustic room at my local shop.. I just saw an acoustic and picked it up.... not even knowing what brand it was or nothing... i played it for a minute and it was amazing!!! A $1700canadian Yamaha acoustic it was.... the sales guy took it from my hands and gave me a very expensive Martin saying this is much better.. WRONG!!!!! it had no volume on the low strings and just felt dead, neck shape was good awful.... next they gave me something else that was pricey as well and it sucked too.. That Yamaha i had just picked up off the wall to try out for a second was magic... the rest sucked.

My only acoustic is a 70's made in Japan copy of a D28.. By an extremely nice guitar it is!!! But i wish to replace it oneday and i will not shy away from those Yamaha's... not after my experience at the store.

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

ya know it was weird a few weeks ago when i just happened to find myself in the acoustic room at my local shop.. I just saw an acoustic and picked it up.... not even knowing what brand it was or nothing... i played it for a minute and it was amazing!!! A $1700canadian Yamaha acoustic it was.... the sales guy took it from my hands and gave me a very expensive Martin saying this is much better.. WRONG!!!!! it had no volume on the low strings and just felt dead, neck shape was good awful.... next they gave me something else that was pricey as well and it sucked too.. That Yamaha i had just picked up off the wall to try out for a second was magic... the rest sucked.

My only acoustic is a 70's made in Japan copy of a D28.. By an extremely nice guitar it is!!! But i wish to replace it oneday and i will not shy away from those Yamaha's... not after my experience at the store.

That's funny, my buddy has an old 70's Yamaha beater acoustic and I'm always amazed at the fact that it sounds and plays beautifully.

 

[casblah]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

A buddy of mine just bought a Martin D-28 Marquis. It has an Adirondack Spruce top, and it sounds much, much better than his 69' Martin D28... and it's no slouch either. Many of the dealers heralded the Adirondack top over the standard Sitka spruce top. An in my case, after hearing the two, I'd have to agree w/ them. Of course, construction, bracing, and wood selection, all have a part in the equation.

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

For example, my Ovation CS-247. People say maple sucks for a tone wood in an acoustic, and I agree in terms of volume: mine's not as loud unpludded as some of the larger guitars. But it sounds good, even if at a lower volume than the huge guitars.

I've never heard an Ovation sound like anything but a sack of smashed *******s unplugged. To my ears they're not as much loud as plastic sounding, almost like a toy designed to sound like an acoustic guitars.

Plugged in it's 50/50 and usually the blame lies at the foot of the EQ and player.

But then again, I buy acoustics for the sound they make and know the work comes in translating that through a PA. The Ovations I always saw as a different philosophy in that manner by making them for the PA first and then for a natural tone second.

For someone looking for an acoustic I would suggest just going and playing everything. I had an experience a few years ago picking out an acoustic for under $300 with another guitar player. He and I went through EVERYTHING in the place over the course of an evening. We had to of played 75 acoustics of all size, shape and price tags. The big names were more consistent as far as tone and warmth. But what shocked us was that one single $200 Mitchell got damned close to the big boys. Literally, there were a dozen models of that one guitar there and this one was just well above the others.

 

[firebirdVII]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

If you lived close to me (St Paul, MN), I would say go to a store called the Podium. There first floor is full of professional level guitars that are pretty much all keepers and would be a good place to hear the difference between different tonewoods, bracing styles and body shapes. Then again, I'm not sure they would appreciate it too much :laugh2:

There are too many factors to simply write out, I have been lucky enough to have a dad and uncle who were nuts about the good guitars (read insane acoustics). Go out play some, compare seemingly similar gibsons to martins, etc...

 

[Mincer]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

for me, i go with comfort. im not so concerned with the acoustic sound either, since 95% of the professional situaltions will have me playing plugged in. I tend to go for non-traditional sounds too, which wis whay i use a carbon-fiber topped acoustic.

Carbon fiber requires little or no bracing, and is 1/3 the thickness of a wood top. Definately an interesting sound- more hi-fi than a wood acoustic.

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

I've never heard an Ovation sound like anything but a sack of smashed *******s unplugged. <SNIP> But then again, I buy acoustics for the sound they make and know the work comes in translating that through a PA. The Ovations I always saw as a different philosophy in that manner by making them for the PA first and then for a natural tone second.

Well I've used this ovation live on several occasions and I love it. And it has a good sound (not best, but good) unplugged. Ovations usually do sound very good, but this one is one of the few that isn't going to sound as loud. In terms of sound, it sounds good, just not loud.

But in my opinion the needs of a lead singer playing acoustic are different than the needs of someone who's going to play acoustic only. For what it's worth, mine sounds great and is like 5 years old.

 

[leadlix]

Re: Can someone tell me about factors in choosing an acoustic guitar please...

here's someting to think about. have you ever played something in a music store it sound's great ya buy it get out of the store and it sounds like crap?
this happen most commonly with acoustic's if you shop at a Sam Ash' Mar's
or Guitar Center they have all the acoustics in one room! you could take a silertone or a kay series guitar in there and it would sound good. i guess you could say the room has good acoustic (sorry for the pun)