I'm in the market for a new or good used acoustic/electric guitar. I have been playing for about 10 years and it seems that over the past year or so, I've really calmed down and started doing more acoustical music than anything.

About 4 years ago, I purchased a used 1996 Gibson Les Paul Studio. I couldn't ask for a better electric guitar. I made my mind up at first to buy a good Gibson acoustic, but for anyone who hasn't viewed their prices lately, 99% of them are $1,500+. I haven't seen one yet, new or used, under $1,250.

My mind is pretty much set with a Takamine. I picked on a few in the music store the other day, and they have a great look and feel. I haven't decided whether I'm going to buy from Musician's Friend or one of the locals. The problem with the local music store is his prices. They're outrageous and he has a reputation of not standing behind what he sells.

If someone could reccomend me a good acoustic/electric guitar, I'd be much appreciative. I mostly make up my own music and play it. It's pretty general stuff. I love a rich tone, with some loudness to it. Also, some depth to the tone doesn't hurt either.

Thanks for any insight .

Nightrain

 

I've got an old Fender Redondo. It's an acoustic that has a head that looks like an electric with the tuners on one side and the strings are fairly close. I have small hands so it works well for me and is good for speed. It's a late 60's early 70's model. I picked it up in Charlotte about 20 years ago at a pawn shop.

I spent about 6 months looking, just going though the shops when I got the urge. Picked up used ones and played a bit. At first I was hung up on brand, but after playing a few hundred I quit that and just went with what felt right. Acoustics are wood so everyone of them's different. Changes in humidity/temp. and how much they are played age them, sometimes for the better - sometimes not.

When I picked up the one I have now, I instantly knew it was the one. It was pretty cheap, too. Think I talked the guy down to $125. I'm not that great a player, but I've had a couple studio guys ask to pick it up in my travels. Most people do a good job with it, but these guys really made it do tricks. I felt bad, but then I just plunk around in the living room. I was told never to get rid of it. I got to play a 1930's Les Paul a few months ago, different sound, same feel. Belonged to some old time country singer and was pasted down through the years, was told the value was at 15 grand - a bit out of my price range.. I put it down quick!

Being close to Nashville, I bet there are a few good ones hidden in the pawn shops. Be patient and look around.

 

Thanks for the advice Howdy. I know what you mean on the brand. I plan on doing plenty of shopping around. If it takes a year, it'll take a year. That's all that I have to say .

I'm no Chet Atkins, Slash, or any other "great" famous player, but I love to play and that's what I do. I just want something that will be there for years to come as long as it's taken care of. I have been told that I take better care of my guitars than anything else, and I'm pretty picky about what I have and how I take care of it.

Thanks again for the advice. Shopping around will give me something to do that will get me out of the house for awhile .

Nightrain

 

I agree with you on your choice of electrics, You cant beat Gibson. I have a 2 year old les paul custom. I have a martin acoustic which in my opinion is the best but pricey. I am in the market for an electric acoustic also and have been shopping around, Personally i think i like the ovation the best.It has a real clean sound and also a built in 3 band eq. Takamine is a good guitar also i just prefer the shallow rounded back of the ovation.

 

An Ovation is nice, but the one that I played in the guitar store the other day had a "snappy" sound to it. I can't really explain it. I love the way that it played and sat, but I just didn't like that tight, snappy tone. Maybe something was wrong with the one that I played??

I went to a guitar store about 30 miles from here today and I picked up this baby. It was nice. I mean VERY nice. The electronics were perfect, with the 3 band eq like you were talking about on the Ovation, and it also played and sounded very well unplugged. The tag on it was $529. It seemed worth that to me.

I'm going back to the store Tuesday and talk some turkey. Probably offer him $500 cash for the guitar and a hardshell case. I'll see what he says .

Nightrain

 

Gibson has two pretty nice guitar styled after the Crazy Horse and Copperhead projects from Trucks! Tv...they were pretty sweet.

 

For me, it's hard to beat a Martin. They've got a lot of newer, more affordable models, and they all have a solid top, that's a priority for good tone. If you want a deeper, bassier tone, look for a Rosewood body, for more emphasis on the treble, then Mahogany might be what you want. I see a DCXE in Musician's Friend going for $699, got a Fishman Pickup. I prefer the look and feel of the Dreadnought body, but I'm not wild about a black guitar. In your price range you can get a solid top, no problem, and probably a solid back but you might have to settle for laminated sides. There are a lot of companies making good products at good prices, you really have to shop around and play a lot of guitars. After a while, you'll find one or two that you keep coming back to. I have a hard time with Ovation, they just sound tonally flat to me, and hard to hold, they seem to want to roll down and lay flat on my lap if I'm sitting down to play. I have a Takamine 12-string that I've had since I was 15 (That's more years than I care to count) and it's a good guitar that's held up well, although it doesn't have a solid top. And I think they still make a good product, they've gotten more original with their designs. They started out as a Martin copy. And if you find a guitar that you really like but it doesn't have a pickup, you can get a good pickup and have it installed or install it yourself. I have a Tru-tone on my Martin and really like it, it sounds like I'm playing into a mic, or I can adjust the tone for different effects. I like a true acoustic tone, so I feel that was a good choice for me. Good luck with the hunt, and don't rush into anything unless you find a killer deal on a guitar that you know right off is "The One". -TD

 

Takamine are again making some good guitars . They went into a slump for about 15 years but have done a serious upgrade now to the quality of their new line .

Have the Nashville Edition , spruce top here now on loan and it is top drawer ,
comparable to my Martin D-35 custom but like you said quite costly .

As someone suggested the hock shops can still produce a good deal now and again and one can sometimes still find a Gibson J-45 in good shape for well under a grand . Nice rich full bodied guitar .

At present I would trade any of my accoustics for a "Laravie"but that is a trade I'm not likley to run across any time soon .

And just a note ... Les Paul had not been alive long enough in the 30's to yet have a guitar named after him . I think 1959 was the first and they looked like the S G model does now for the first 2 or 3 years .

 

The Les Paul I plunked with wasn't all that pretty, they got a lot better looking. It was unplugged, I felt fortunate just to hold the thing. Les gave it to a guy before WWII, his widow still has it. ( There's plenty of family members waiting in line, I hope they don't Ebay it when the time comes.)


http://www.aarpmagazine.org/lifestyl...g-lespaul.html

 

i love a les paul, i have a 1971 gibson les paul xr-1, it has a out of phaze switch for the humbuckers, gives a really nice sound. i perfer if you want to save a little to go for the 335 style made by epiphone. my brother has one and it plays just as well as any actual 335 i have ever played. i do overall perfer Gretch Hollow body electrics, but the last one i played was well over 5 large. there is no reason why you shouldnt be able to find a decent hollow body for under a grand. if you live near nashville i would send you to grunes, they are on broadway right downtown about two blocks from the stadium , they are the best anywhere and stand behind everythng, but take your visa card cause they dont take american express.. in iowa i would send you to west music in iowa city. lot of good friends there. dont forget to look in the pawn shops, there are guitars there too. i shop in las vegas pawn shops all the time

 

www.musiciansfriend.com
they have pretty decent prices.... I have a Lotus A/E that I bought about 6 years ago, had to lower the bridge almost 5mm to be able to play bar chords, but it sounds good.

 

Thanks again for your reccomendations fellas.

TigerDan;

I saw the guitar at Musician's Friend that you're talking about. I actually thought about buying it, but I decided that I would look a bit more before I decided what to go with. I did write it down on my list of interests though .

JerryGougeon;

The Takamine EG523SC that I played was a REALLY nice guitar. It had a solid spruce top and flamed maple back and sides. It is a Jumbo, so it's fairly big, but it fits me well. Oh, and the tone... All that I can say is... Wow!

I know this sounds like puppy love or something, but I really think that's the one for me.

Howdy;

I'm sure that there are plenty of family memebers waiting in line for that guitar. If they have any idea about it, they durn well should be. The Paul's started looking really good in the late 50's if I recall correctly. I used to be up on the Les Paul history, but I don't know what happened to all of that... lol.

fordloverf2501970;

Thanks for the reccomendations on the guitar shops. I am going to be driving a relative to Vanderbilt on Wednesday and I might just cruise over there and have a look at that shop.

pfogle;

You've got that right on Musician's Friend. They have to be one of the best when it comes to prices. I used to order from them all of the time, but in past years, I've gotten to where I like to go look and play before I buy. But, don't get me wrong... If they have some kind of rock-bottom blowout sale, I'm one of the first ones in line .

Thanks again for all of the help. I'll keep ya'll posted on what I find in the upcoming week.

Nightrain

 

http://www.gruhn.com/

take your money with you, you never know what he has on sale
this is the elite place to buy guitars, all the big stars shop here.
he has stuff for everyone though and in most price ranges
check out the website

 

After all this discussion yesterday, I looked through my latest Musicians Friend a little more thoroughly and impulsively decided to buy a new mandolin, it's a cheapee which you can get away with a little easier on a mando than a guitar due to the small body size, but I've always wanted an F-style mando. So I logged on to the MF site and ordered it, should have it in a few days. I love the interenet! -TD

 

MF threw on a deal a few months ago where they sold a Rogue RD-100 Dreadnought Acoustic and a Rogue Mandolin for less than $100.

That really seemed like a good deal.

Nightrain