New Acoustic for Live and Recording 1-2.5k

[stiffriff]

Ever try looking at old guitars instead of new? I play nothing but old (er) acoustics because by definition, they're played-in. Ironically new ones in general sound as though they're played-out i.e. they lack depth and color. An old guitar that's been regularly played for years will often sound a lot more vibrant (and louder) than any number of new ones. The wood in an old instrument has become habituated to resonate sympathetically with the strings. In contrast new instruments oftentimes lack punch and sheer loudness which ultimately translates into expressiveness and subtlety in your playing when you want to be. I've more often run into loud guitars (those cannons we all have unexpectedly encountered ) that are old than new ones. What I mean by loud is not the same as boomy like your typical D-guitar but rather sheer volume in low, mid, as well top positions. The size of your guitar doesn't matter as much as how even its playability and volume can be. And as far as judging guitars by brand name, it's not the same as jumping in a new car off some showroom. Guitars are hardly created equal though most of the examples coming off a production line are exactly that. Most of them are consistently mediocre even the priciest ones. You can prove this to yourself by dropping in at your nearest guitar emporium and try every one in the store (be fair now, try to not look at the prices.)and note which ones met the conditions set forth and THEN check out the pricetags. They're all over the map as far as price/performance consistency. Obviously most of them have never played much and they sound it, especially the three and four thousand dollar ones. Yeah, they might have sex appeal with inlays here and inlays wherever, but do they honestly sound good? They might but just as often they don't. This goes for all the lines you mentioned. It's really amazing what the 'zines, NAMMheads, and general bubble-gum marketing brings to this guitar culture. And the manufacturers are quite willing to live with the marketing mythology, the tired invocations of mystique found in their lacquered bits of wood and glue. You wanta real instrument? Try looking in places where most are too lazy or unimaginative to venture. The only caveat though to bear in mind is that you have to be able to play and buy the specific guitar you actually played (again it's not like buying a new car!) regardless of brand. Take a hard look at what Roy Bookbinder plays and collects - I was astonished years back when he put up a 10-yr. old D-41 for sale for a very low price - till I played it. Not that Roy is some prima donna as far as players go but he knew then (what I finally know now) what he was looking for in the guitar he played for his bread and butter. Anyway, in short you really don't have to chew too hard on anything that's here but you should definitely check it out for yourself and don't forget to be critical, not just of the guitar, but also the guy who has to live with it.

[midnightsun]

Originally Posted by stiffriff

Ever try looking at old guitars instead of new? I play nothing but old (er) acoustics because by definition, they're played-in..

Totally agree. If I were starting from scratch and intended to only get a couple of guitars I would go for a used guitar and pick it out based on how it sounds and how it has weathered-- Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Collins, etc. I don't think it really matters what brand. On the other hand is is fun to buy a new guitar knowing that it is going to mature and sound different in years to come. Some mature into a sound I really like and others are so so.

[woomanmoomin]

You would know pretty much where you stood with a new cedar-top for fingerpicking, as the tone on cedar-tops doesn't tend to mature that much. I wouldn't recommend them for heavier techniques, though.

[FFTT]

I just bought a Larrivee P-10 and while I love it, I'm scared to death to hurt it.

The guitar is wonderful, but honestly it's too nice.

My best friends all told me to buy a good used acoustic, but I wanted perfection
and now I think I should have listened to them or gone for an OM-05R

It's one thing to have a special guitar for the studio, but lugging around a high end guitar to gigs is just asking for tragedy.

For recording, I really like the Larrivees across the board, but I'm not all that thrilled with their electronics. Hopefully the new Baggs no cut IMix system is better than the older big square cut out versions.

I think the Taylors are overpriced, but I do like the way they mounted the electronics
on their newest models.

Take your time searching.