good acoustic

[jake_xms3_punk]

recommend me a good affordable acoustic. doesn't have to have a pickup (i hate piezo's anyway) but has to sound good and be a good player. any suggestions??

edit: has anyone played any of those dean exotica range? they any good.

 

[Gingrel]

Re: good acoustic

I recommend you check out the Ibanez acoustic range. They have some really nice instruments, especially for the price you pay for them.

 

[blueman335]

Re: good acoustic

Wechter has a nice line of affordable acoustics. The company was started by a luthier (and still run by him). He uses better quality woods & materials than others in those price ranges, and all their acoustics have plek'd frets. I picked up one and really like it. Low action and great tone. Check them out.

 

[Kam]

Re: good acoustic

Yamaha make some very good acoustics and they tend to be some of the best in their price ranges in my experiance. I've tried a few Tanglewoods as well and they've always impressed me with playability and sound.

 

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: good acoustic

Wechter has a nice line of affordable acoustics. The company was started by a luthier (and still run by him). He uses better quality woods & materials than others in those price ranges, and all their acoustics have plek'd frets. I picked up one and really like it. Low action and great tone. Check them out

they might be hard to find in the uk. ill keep looking though.

 

[Chas]

Re: good acoustic

I have played a bunch of the Deans in the $300 to $500 range Koa and the like. They sound good but are kind of bright and missing some warmth for my ears.

 

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: good acoustic

i've played a few yamahas and they have all been pretty good, ill check out the ibanez range ill have to shop around. cheers.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: good acoustic

Blindfold and a billfold. Hit the store.

 

[Seraphial]

Re: good acoustic

recommend me a good affordable acoustic. doesn't have to have a pickup (i hate piezo's anyway) but has to sound good and be a good player. any suggestions??

edit: has anyone played any of those dean exotica range? they any good.

I've got a Tanglewood TW15, natural satin dreadnaught. All solid woods, solidly constructed with a warm, vibrant sound. Very god value for money (http://www.google.co.uk/products?hl=en&q=tanglewood+tw15ns&show=dd&scoring=p) especially in this category. They've gone up a little bit since I bought mine, but when I compared it to similarly priced Taylors (very nice sound but laminted so won't age) & Guilds (similarly priced and constructed but thought the Tanglewood suited me better) the TW15 won out. I also compared it to Crafters (quality up and down), Yamahas (good but a bit too standard) and Ibanez's (where one or two stood out).

Can't comment on Deans, but the one's I played were quite boxy and dull sounding.

 

[ericmeyer4]

Re: good acoustic

Alvarez has some nice stuff.

 

[tc]

Re: good acoustic

Look for the Canadian stuff. Art & Luthierie is the lowest end, yet I've played more than one that made me think it was a killer guitar for the price.

Seagull is great and easy to find, while Norman and Simon & Patrick are harder to find but are much more vintage oriented as far as design goes. They're all great and you'll find something nice, whichever your price range.

I'm a huge believer in LaSiDo stuff.

 

[Chas]

Re: good acoustic

Yamaha make some very good acoustics and they tend to be some of the best in their price ranges in my experiance. I've tried a few Tanglewoods as well and they've always impressed me with playability and sound.

+1 on Yamaha

 

[briggleman]

Re: good acoustic

OK, even I will take a stab at this one

Bang for the buck, you have two good names to look at. Both will run you between $640 to $700 bucks and sound as good as guitars between $1,000 to $1,500.

CARVIN and their Korean/China made Cobalt series (Solid tops, laminated sides and backs) I recommend the C850T. I own it. It holds its own against a lot of guitars and is very easy to play. The setup on these guitars is very low action and no buzzing. ( Rapid Play™ low-action )

http://www.carvinguitars.com/cobalts/

Epiphone Masterbilt 500 series (solid wood everywhere) Do not own, have played. I loved the neck and the sound. I played the DR-500R (solid stika spruce top, solid Rosewood back and sides). This guitar got rave reviews in Guitar Player Mag.

http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=219&CollectionID=15

Now for the real answer....... its your wallet and your ears. Peoples definition of what a good acoustic is ..... like A$$holes.... everyone has one. I have a friend who has an old beat up cheap sea gull guitar.... and he loves it. I hate the sound it makes, but he does not.

Now if you can find a now discontinued Fender Ensenada Series, ESM-10e, now that would be the cat's meow.... hard to find but out there. It was Fenders attempt to go after high end Martin and Taylor buyers. Made for 3 years from 2005 to 2008. All hand made, solid woods, top end electronics, just no buyers for the $1,500 plus price they were asking. People saw Fender and said no. You can pick them up on Ebay for about $500 bucks now.

Just My Little Ole Opinion

Brad

 

[woemoejack]

Re: good acoustic

Art & Luthierie make awesome guitars with awesome electronics (godin). It totally buries the Martins and Taylors I tried out that were 5 times its price tag. Its probably the last acoustic i'll ever buy. If you can find one in the UK try it out.

 

[Aceman]

Re: good acoustic

gotta say Yamaha for maximum bang for the buck in the low range. Never disapointed.

I might look for a Seagull after that.

Ibanez and Dean are not bad choices.

Again - acoustics vary wayyyyyyy more than electric. Ears and hands are everything here, and the more you spend the more you get.

 

[uOpt]

Re: good acoustic

I like the Takamines. Great price/value.

 

[J Moose]

Re: good acoustic

'Ya gotta go out and play 'em.

That's the best way to shop for any guitar but even more so with acoustics.

I've had too many experiences where someone whips out a $300-400 Takamine or Yamaha, or even some old off-brand no-name thing and it literally walks all over a $4000 hand built ride like a Collings or Santa Cruz. That's not always the rule but it is kinda frequent.

Electric guitars can be modified to no end with pickups & the like, but with an acoustic there's nothing to hide behind. Either its there or its not.