what guitar - acoustic folk/blues
Discussion
hello all.
i'm a non player, looking to start again from scratch. i did have a wonderful gretsch archtop for a few months last year before some chavvy bugger burgled my house, but i digress.
i'm looking for something to learn to play folk & blues on - fingerstyle and slide mainly. i want something with a small body that is easy to play and which is a decent instrument in its own right. one thing that always stopped me from learning prior to the gretsch was cheap instruments i tired off quickly.
budgetwise i'm none too sure. i could afford £2-300 immediately on either a new or secondhand acoustic, but could also spend double that if i wait a month.
looking for a non-cutaway acoustic that has vintage looks, preferably with a sunburst or aged finish. think stella harmony but well made
any suggestions?
i had a dabble with one of these at the weekend, nice at the price but didn't grab me:
http://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/products/acoust...
i also like the look of the epiphone el-00 but have heard tales of woeful quality of this reissue:
http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=76&a...
are recording king guitars any good?
there's also a company whose name escapes me, who make acoustics in the style of the old stella harmony range, but with far superior construction. anyone know it?
i'm a non player, looking to start again from scratch. i did have a wonderful gretsch archtop for a few months last year before some chavvy bugger burgled my house, but i digress.
i'm looking for something to learn to play folk & blues on - fingerstyle and slide mainly. i want something with a small body that is easy to play and which is a decent instrument in its own right. one thing that always stopped me from learning prior to the gretsch was cheap instruments i tired off quickly.
budgetwise i'm none too sure. i could afford £2-300 immediately on either a new or secondhand acoustic, but could also spend double that if i wait a month.
looking for a non-cutaway acoustic that has vintage looks, preferably with a sunburst or aged finish. think stella harmony but well made
any suggestions?
i had a dabble with one of these at the weekend, nice at the price but didn't grab me:
http://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/products/acoust...
i also like the look of the epiphone el-00 but have heard tales of woeful quality of this reissue:
http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=76&a...
are recording king guitars any good?
there's also a company whose name escapes me, who make acoustics in the style of the old stella harmony range, but with far superior construction. anyone know it?
if the colour's not a huge issue, then Taylor have some small bodied models:
http://www.taylorguitars.com/Guitars/Baby-Taylor/B...
http://www.taylorguitars.com/Guitars/Baby-Taylor/B...
You can get a Martin around £600!
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/little-martin/...
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/little-martin/...
Edited by audidoody on Thursday 16th September 22:04
Have a look at the first post on the 'look at our guitars' thread.
Mine was specifically built to cut through at folk sessions as it has a pretty bright sound thanks to the Maple back and sides and Spruce top. It is also a great size. Mine uses some pretty nice materials - IIRC it cost around £3k 7/8 years ago - but with they can come cheaper.
Really nice guys that make them, they're all hand made and I still have a great relationship with them after all this time.
oh - forgot to mention that it is one of the best acoustics I have played. The dynamics of the guitar are fantastic, one of those ones that makes you play better, looks stunning, hit a simple chord and the harmonics just keep developing with great sustain.
http://www.oakwoodinstruments.co.uk/four/guitars/g... - mine is based on the 'Zephyr' range
Mine was specifically built to cut through at folk sessions as it has a pretty bright sound thanks to the Maple back and sides and Spruce top. It is also a great size. Mine uses some pretty nice materials - IIRC it cost around £3k 7/8 years ago - but with they can come cheaper.
Really nice guys that make them, they're all hand made and I still have a great relationship with them after all this time.
oh - forgot to mention that it is one of the best acoustics I have played. The dynamics of the guitar are fantastic, one of those ones that makes you play better, looks stunning, hit a simple chord and the harmonics just keep developing with great sustain.
http://www.oakwoodinstruments.co.uk/four/guitars/g... - mine is based on the 'Zephyr' range
very nice guitars i agree, but i think much too good for a beginner.
that martin looks good but i'm confused - is it a 3/4 guitar with a shortened scale length? the small body guitars i'm looking at [0 or 00 sized] all have 12frets to the body [which is what i want] but this has 14 but still looks small.
that martin looks good but i'm confused - is it a 3/4 guitar with a shortened scale length? the small body guitars i'm looking at [0 or 00 sized] all have 12frets to the body [which is what i want] but this has 14 but still looks small.
I thought your budget said £2-3,000 - sorry about that.
I just want to dispel what you said about being too good. The more you want to pick up a guitar and play it, the better you will get. The worst mistake beginners make is buying something that is a pig to play, sounds crap and it ends up gathering dust in a cupboard somewhere.
If you think that playing is something that you really want to get into, then buy the best you possibly can - good thing about quality guitars is that they generally hold their value so if after a while it really isn't going anywhere, you'll probably only lose the value (or less) of the cheaper option anyway.
I just want to dispel what you said about being too good. The more you want to pick up a guitar and play it, the better you will get. The worst mistake beginners make is buying something that is a pig to play, sounds crap and it ends up gathering dust in a cupboard somewhere.
If you think that playing is something that you really want to get into, then buy the best you possibly can - good thing about quality guitars is that they generally hold their value so if after a while it really isn't going anywhere, you'll probably only lose the value (or less) of the cheaper option anyway.
i agree with that. i had a cheap and nasty telecaster copy that buzzed like a swarm of bees and wouldn't stay in tune, and after that a very good looking but woefully conditioned 1950's framus archtop. i then bought the gretsch and had professionally set-up, and bought a tweed fender blues jr to go with it.
certainly the quality of the instrument and set-up made me want to practice more, but as mentioned it was only with me a few months before it was stolen.
i think £500 is my top limit at the moment, but would prefer sub £300 as there are too many other calls on my finances at present! i don't mind second hand or even vintage.
if it makes any difference, my guitar heros are mississipi fred mcdowell and elmore james. i would want a non-electro acoustic which can be amplified a la elmore james at a later date.
certainly the quality of the instrument and set-up made me want to practice more, but as mentioned it was only with me a few months before it was stolen.
i think £500 is my top limit at the moment, but would prefer sub £300 as there are too many other calls on my finances at present! i don't mind second hand or even vintage.
if it makes any difference, my guitar heros are mississipi fred mcdowell and elmore james. i would want a non-electro acoustic which can be amplified a la elmore james at a later date.
The guitar make "Vintage" is considered to offer excellent quality.
http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintageacoustic.html
take a look.
The V300 series (at less than £200) won Guitar Magazine's best acoustic under £1000 award.
http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintageacoustic.html
take a look.
The V300 series (at less than £200) won Guitar Magazine's best acoustic under £1000 award.
Edited by Stonebridge on Friday 17th September 10:34
shirt said:
are recording king guitars any good?
I had a go on one of these at the Bluegrass festival a couple of weeks ago. For a 250 quid guitar I was surprised how nice it felt and how good it sounded....but I still think my James Patrick Eggle Saluda cutaway is the dog's danglies...
spent my lunch hr browsing. i'm erring towards the epi el-00 for a few reasons - it looks great, is £200, and gets a 9/10 review on harmony central.
eta:
make that a tossup between the epi and this one [the one i was looking for originally, made to early gibson specs]
http://www.theloar.com/LH-200-VS.html
eta:
make that a tossup between the epi and this one [the one i was looking for originally, made to early gibson specs]
http://www.theloar.com/LH-200-VS.html
Edited by shirt on Friday 17th September 14:20
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/big-baby/7079 - Taylor Big Baby - £350, you won't be able to touch the quality of it for anything around that price. Only downside is that it has no electronics so it depends whether you plan on plugging in, otherwise you'll need to buy a pick up for it. Take a look at one
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/72921 - If you're looking to spend a bit more (around 500 you mentioned above) look at a Taylor 114e. You're able to plug it in and it looks alot better than a big baby as the big baby is a "stripped bare" acoustic. I'd personally recommend the 114 as I played them and it's alot easier having a built in pick up, plus they look nicer. I play an 814ce myself and have an expensive Martin to go with it but it's not as good as the Taylor. That's my 2p coming from a complete guitar nerd.
Edit: Completely missed the above about being plugged in, looks like the big baby is for you but it is alot easier to buy one with a pick up in and usually the sound is better from a pick up already in the guitar then one added on later.
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/72921 - If you're looking to spend a bit more (around 500 you mentioned above) look at a Taylor 114e. You're able to plug it in and it looks alot better than a big baby as the big baby is a "stripped bare" acoustic. I'd personally recommend the 114 as I played them and it's alot easier having a built in pick up, plus they look nicer. I play an 814ce myself and have an expensive Martin to go with it but it's not as good as the Taylor. That's my 2p coming from a complete guitar nerd.
Edit: Completely missed the above about being plugged in, looks like the big baby is for you but it is alot easier to buy one with a pick up in and usually the sound is better from a pick up already in the guitar then one added on later.
Edited by obscene on Friday 17th September 23:45
obscene said:
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/big-baby/7079 - Taylor Big Baby - £350, you won't be able to touch the quality of it for anything around that price. Only downside is that it has no electronics so it depends whether you plan on plugging in, otherwise you'll need to buy a pick up for it. Take a look at one
love a good vindication, me!Pothole said:
obscene said:
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/big-baby/7079 - Taylor Big Baby - £350, you won't be able to touch the quality of it for anything around that price. Only downside is that it has no electronics so it depends whether you plan on plugging in, otherwise you'll need to buy a pick up for it. Take a look at one
love a good vindication, me!
hmmm. i've been using youtube for reviews & playing styles, and i think i am erring towards the epiphone. this is why [albeit with swapped nut & saddle]:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THmmfFQDYSc&fea...
pretty much nails the sound/style i am after and all for 200 quid list. i still like the loar but cannot find a uk retailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THmmfFQDYSc&fea...
pretty much nails the sound/style i am after and all for 200 quid list. i still like the loar but cannot find a uk retailer.
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