Which Acoustic guitar do you see the most in the studio???

[saikit_2003]

What is the standard Acoustic guitar do you see the most in the studio???

[elambo]

Originally Posted by saikit_2003

Which Acoustic guitar do you see the most in the studio???
what model of taylor and martin's are good?

Those are very different questions - I'll answer the first one... If there's such a thing as a standard, or most popular, it's probably a Martin D-28 or D-18.

[ozraves]

Gibson J-45 seems to be present in studios and on sessions.

Taylor 612CE maybe should get mentioned as well.

[TheRigaletto]

gonna have to go with the martin

[Acoustic Cloud]

Originally Posted by saikit_2003

What is the standard Acoustic guitar do you see the most in the studio???

Do you mean a studios backline, or what people bring?

[six_wax]

can I spin the thread this way...

what's a trusty, works-for-most-things-in-the-hands-of-a-decent-player acoustic that records well and doesn't cost a boatload?

[wwittman]

Rosewood sided J-45

[chrispick]

Originally Posted by six_wax

can I spin the thread this way...

what's a trusty, works-for-most-things-in-the-hands-of-a-decent-player acoustic that records well and doesn't cost a boatload?

I just picked up a Gibson Songwriter that I'm really digging. Full without being boomy. Bright without being metally. Good controlled sound. Goes for under 2Gs new. For what it's worth.

[headwerkn]

Would be hard to go past a Martin. I never quite understood the hype until I played a friends, god it was a beautiful guitar to play and listen to. Made my Yamaha sound like a plank. I think I'll have to borrow it off him for sessions now :-p

[saikit_2003]

Originally Posted by six_wax

can I spin the thread this way...

what's a trusty, works-for-most-things-in-the-hands-of-a-decent-player acoustic that records well and doesn't cost a boatload?

that's exactly what I want to ask....thanks

However, unfortunately i don't have a big budget to afford a expensive martin ot taylor. Is the low-end martin still sound good?

what i am looking for is something about $1000. Mostly using for recording.
Now, i have a ovation...and it sounds 10000% crap.....the 5th and 6th strings sounds booooomy.

Plz give me some suggestion (around $1000) about martin and taylor...

[AnthonyV]

I have a Martin DM. It was about $700 new. I've recorded tons of stuff with it and it always sounds great. I tried it out in the shop against about 50 other more expensive guitars and it held up really well.

[Gaston69]

I got a Landola JC-855 with a Fishman transducer (handmade in Finland), it's bright and with solid bass, and is very easy to play, lot's of volume. Amplified it has a great usefull tone. In one word a great guitar.
The price I payed was 600,-Euros but this was because the owner of the shop was getting divorced and was closing down his business. Prices I have seen on the are about 1200,- Euros

http://www.landolaguitars.co.uk/jumbo.htm

[Gaston69]

If you are interested hoe the Landola sounds I have had in the past 2 songs uploaded with miked and also using it's pick up.

Try to find on gearslutz
Moondance (using it's pick up)
Clausetland (miked with Neumann & AKG C391B)

Gaston

[tINY]

The older (late 70's to early 80's) Takamine copies of Martins were pretty good.

You could probably pick one up used for under $600....





-tINY

[DeeDrive]

I picked up a 1973 Guild D-40 which is the best acoustics I've ever heard/played. I played a TON of guitars at Guitar Center, and most new guitars suck in general. All the $3000 taylors and martins couldn't stand up to the D-40. I will admit though, it's hard to tell since all those guitars are strung with garbage Elixir strings making them all sound tinny and harsh.

Try to look for an older acoustic, they're so much better than all the new $$$ stuff thats out there. I've heard very few Martins I REALLY liked, and those that I liked were not hanging on the wall at GC.

[stevep]

Martin guitars have the best sound of any acoustic i have recorded.




no work from me to get a good sound


.

[sloanfiske]

try any 000 size guitar. try martins, taylors, et al. they generally sound great

i've had a taylor that i swear by. still wish i never sold my d35 though

[Pohaku]

I think that smaller body guitars are somewhat easier to record. Not as boomy as D or Jumbo size guitars -- especially Martins. Gibson J (J-45, J-50, etc.) body guitars also seem to record pretty well because they aren't as bass heavy as Martins. This is not to say that a D-28 or D-18 won't record well, but I find it a bit more work to get them to sound right. I have a 1961 Martin 0-18 that records great and I like the way my Gibson 1966 B-25 records as well. I do have a 1966 J-45 and a 1965 D-28, but find I choose the smaller guitars more frequently. Playing out is another matter of course.

[Acoustic Cloud]

I think the Tacoma acoustics are the best on the planet. I repair all the guitars at our store, and own a 99 Tacoma DR-20. It sounds like the older Martins, like a D 30 series I think it is, from the 70s-80s. Great top end, and bass that hits you in the chest. Not to mention, purdy as well!

The newer Martins, at least the ones I have worked on, arent anything like the older ones. I have even worked on some pre-war Martin small body (like a parlour) with no truss rod, that sounded like big fried butter, and LOUD!! (Truss rods are the biggest robber of "tone" on an acoustic instrument, we have to have them, but they are detrimental to the sound)

I have had people here with Taylors, Alvarez, Martins, and most of them use my Tacoma... I even tracked a single for a guy that had a jumbo Alvarez and a Chief Tacoma... the chief schmoked the Alvarez on the mic.

Our worship leader at church ordered the first "lefty" DR 35 I think it is, from a new "Fender Owned" Tacoma, which took 7 months to get. Luckily, Fender didnt jack this acquisition up, and its an amazing sounding guitar.

Taylors are made very very well, and much attention to detail. Some of them sound nicely balanced also, but most of them lack nads, pure and simple.

This is coming from a purely "mic'd only" point of view, not the transducer soundage. Most of them are killer plugged in.

Garrison is another brand we carry, very nice sound, and for the money, I would rather ahve one, than a Taylor......Nice fiberglass bracing systems, from Canada.

[saikit_2003]

Brothers, would you give me idea about what the differences between a standard size acoustic guitar and a jumbo body (on the recording view, mic)

[mikehattem]

If you can - go with the Gibson J-45 Rosewood... Its an ubelievable guitar that records very well easily. If you're looking to spend less, I can tell you that the best guitar I've played for under 1000$ (and I LIVE at Guitar Center) are the new Epiphone (yes, Epiphone) MASTERBILT SERIES... All solid wood (top, back, and sides) which is almost unheard of for under 1000$... They have standard Dreadnought models, Advanced Jumbo (slope shouldered like the J-45), and smaller body fingerstyle... They come with mahogany or rosewood backs and sides - My favorite was the AJ-500R - beautiful too. Now I'm gonna have to take a ride over to GC.

Mike

[drmmrboy]

Originally Posted by saikit_2003

Which Acoustic guitar do you see the most in the studio???

Mine. Cause it's sittin there for anyone to pick up.
It's a cheap old Yammy. Sounds real good some days.

My partner has a Larrivee. I don't know what model, but the thing sounds great. Those are the two I see the most..

[ozraves]

Originally Posted by saikit_2003

Brothers, would you give me idea about what the differences between a standard size acoustic guitar and a jumbo body (on the recording view, mic)

I think smaller guitars seem more balanced.

Yet, anymore, I just don't really care. A good guitarist can milk a good guitar for so many sounds you just reach a pont where you just shut up and hit record rather than pondering jumbo versus parlor or tube versus solid state or condenser versus dynamic versus ribbon.

[big country]

Martin D-28 is the most copyied guitar.
Im pretty shure it was the first X braced guitar
that made it to production.
the ultamite folk guitar.
I think the DM sounds great for
recording maybe better than some
of the nicer martins.
they dont put all that much
finish on it. if it only had
solid back and sides.

[Jim vanBergen]

Martin D28 and Guild D40 & D55 models I often see that are in the right price range and have good tone, qualty build and playable action.

Problem with ANY guitar is no matter what people say, they all sound different for various reasons. Ultimately, you have to go play them and find what you really want since a 'floor model' guitar is USELESS. Last bought acoustic: I intended to buy another Martin and ended up with my first Guild...purely on tone and playability. Guys LOVE playing that guitar, even the Guild-haters (I used to be one.) Still love my 2 Martins, my Taylor and Ovation...but the Guild is the first port of call, though my guitar teacher has 2 D'Aquistos (Sp?) I'd give my left nut for!

[Sounds Great]

Originally Posted by Pohaku

I think that smaller body guitars are somewhat easier to record. Not as boomy as D or Jumbo size guitars -- especially Martins. Gibson J (J-45, J-50, etc.) body guitars also seem to record pretty well because they aren't as bass heavy as Martins. This is not to say that a D-28 or D-18 won't record well, but I find it a bit more work to get them to sound right. I have a 1961 Martin 0-18 that records great and I like the way my Gibson 1966 B-25 records as well. I do have a 1966 J-45 and a 1965 D-28, but find I choose the smaller guitars more frequently. Playing out is another matter of course.

Agreed. I owned a Martin M38 (fairly narrow and small body) and it was like no other acoustic I've recorded. The only thing better than how well it recorded was how easily it played.

Sadly I needed the cash more than the guitar. (over 2 grand used).

[Dot]

Originally Posted by saikit_2003

What is the standard Acoustic guitar do you see the most in the studio???

In the 100 or so studios I've been in over the years, the most prevalent acoustic gtr that I saw was the ubiquitous $100 Yammy. And they did get used. Martins, Gibsons and Guilds were common. Takamine guitars were common in the studios I was in in Europe.

I'd say if you want to find a good guitar: take as much $ as you can spend on one, and go to a shop and play all the guitars in and around your price range. Take home the one that feels and sounds the best to you.

[Kiwiburger]

I agree that small body acoustic guitars seem to work well. I've had great results with a small cheap Fender acoustic a singer brought with her.

Most Ovations are fairly shallow bowls and designed for live use with those shocking piezos. However - the original Ovations were deep bowl, non-electric and were designed for acoustic sound firstly. Many early 70's acts used Ovations - Cat Stevens, McCartney & Wings, Bread, some of the hugely famous country cats I believe. Mic'd up of course.

I have a deep bowl Ovation that was their top of the line, and it records great for thin washy strummy stuff in a dense mix.

[Don Hearl]

In my opinion the best Martin sound for under $1000 is the Blueridge. Pick up a BR-140 with mahogany back and sides, replace saddle and bridge pins with bone and you'll have a guitar for less than $600, that is an incredible balanced guitar. If you like the rosewood thing, go with a BR-160.

don

[songman]

Originally Posted by DeeDrive

I will admit though, it's hard to tell since all those guitars are strung with garbage Elixir strings making them all sound tinny and harsh.

Hi Deedrive, So which strings do you think are good, say on a dreadnaught?