2Barr1

Quite a lot of people look down upon Fender acoustics. That being said, I'm not one of them. I had a Fender CD-110E for 6 years before I got a crazy deal on a Seagull. The Fender actually sounded great, and was a tonne of fun to play. Despite the laminated top it still sounded rich and warm if you had the right strings on it and set it up properly. I thought about selling it after getting my new guitar, but I found myself incapable of doing so, and took down my add from craigslist. I keep it at my gf's house and play whenever I'm there. I would recommend a Fender acoustic any day of the week, but don't take my word for it. Maybe I got lucky.

I tried low-mid end Takamine's before going with the Fender, and they sounded pretty decent as well. Had more sustain than the Fender but didn't sound as good to MY ears. I had also heard about the low end Takamine's having poor necks that would warp and bend. But that could have been nothing more than folklore.

Lastly, Lag, I've never heard of lol I can't help you there.

So, if you absolutely have to buy one of those three guitars, obviously I'd sway in favor of the Fender. But that would just make me biased.
Play them all as much as you can before deciding, there's no rush.

If you're still undecided about what guitar to get, I can make a suggestion. Buy Used. From what I see, your budget is around $250 (I'm going by Canadian/U.S. currency). I know with the F#$@%^@ taxes here in Quebec that's close to 300. With 300 you can find something like a secondhand Seagull S6 or an Alvarez or anything. Just make sure the guitar is in good shape obviously.

Hope this helps! If you have questions just ask, my friend

turk1

Hi guys -

I recently starting playing guitar ~2-3 months ago and have been messing around with a cheap acoustic / classical. Upon hearing how I picked up guitar, a family member have gave me a Yamaha cg171sf that was laying around his house. From what I could tell its a flamenco guitar, and that's basically it.

Would this be a good guitar for a beginner? From what I can tell flamenco's are a little different from a classical, but how much do they really differ? What the quality of this guitar? Any input would be appreciated. Here's a link to said guitar:

[forbidden link]

Thanks!

NeutralFan

There's not a lot of difference between a classical and flamenco guitar. The action on a flamenco is generally lower and the back and sides are often made from cypress or sycamore rather than rosewood or mahogany, which means a slightly treblier, crisper tone. They also often have pickguards, or golpeadors, installed - though judging by Google Images, if this particular one has one, then it is clear.

The lower action is the biggest difference; it can make it easer to play fast passages quickly (as in, amazingly, flamenco), but can sometimes mean fret buzz. It varies from guitar to guitar - try this out and see what you think.

Not really a lot of difference though. A flamenco is really just a particular specification of classical guitar.

That particular model seems to get good rep as a reliable starter guitar, and you can't really go wrong with Yamaha. You may find that the lower action helps you play and progress quickly; on the other hand, you might find it difficult going back to reglar classical or a steel-string. Play around with it and see what you think though - every guitar is different, particularly with acoustics.






And now for my own question:

It might seem weird to ask a question on the back of giving advice, but that's the way it is. I'm looking for as good an acoustic as I can possibly get for -£350. I'm kind of new to actually buying the things and wading through models and stuff though, and unfortunately due to my location it's very difficult to try anything before I buy. So - I'm calling on your help.

(BTW, if you think I should make a thread for this, I will)

I'd like a nice balanced tone, versitality and easy playability. I'm happy to buy used, but new would be easier. I'll happily use eBay or whatever if it offers much better value.

So far, I've been looking at Seagull (Entourage Rustic, S6 Slim - I'd prefer the slimmer neck), Simon and Patrick (whatever I can find cheap) and Alvarez (AD60, RD17, etc.). I'm well aware that there are heaps of other brands out there worth paying attention too though - like the ones at the start of this thread.

What do you guys think? Any specific model and brand recommendations?

Also, spruce or cedar top? I understand that a lot of people prefer the tone of cedar, but spruce seems to have a reputation for loudness and durability, which I would appreciate (I plan to mostly use a pick, if that makes any difference). For that matter, how much should I worry about the woods used for the back and sides?

Sorry for all the noob questions - if you'd rather just point me to a resource I've missed, then that's fine.

Cheers.

Edit: I've just realised that all the guitars I've mentioned are dreadnoughts. I'm not necessarily set on that; for some reason I just mentioned a whole lot of dreadnoughts. I'm perfectly open to other shapes. In fact, that's another question I'd like to ask: what kind of difference does the body shape make to the sound? For instance, what kind of difference is there between the Alvarez AD60 and AF60?

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dannyalcatraz

The Seagull S6 is a quality guitar. Good sound, well built, reasonably priced.

You also mention Simon & Patricks- my take on them is you need to consider all of Godin's acoustic brands. Besides those 2, there are also Art & Luthierie, Norman and LaPatrie.

You mention durability as one of your concerns. Among other guitars, I have owned an Ovation since about 1988, and not only do I think it sounds good, it has weathered every mishap I've been through with it with nary an issue.

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NeutralFan

Thanks. Yeah, I've been looking at Norman and A&L - ATM it's a case of popping those names into eBay and seeing what crops up. Aren't La Patrie solely classical? I don't see any steel-strings on their website, anyway.

I thought about Ovation too, but from what I know and have heard I would struggle to get as good an unplugged sound as a regular acoustic at this price point. That's why I haven't bothered looking at electros - at this price point, I'd rather spend my money on unplugged tone than pickups and stuff.

Saw a really good offer earlier actually for a like-new Norman fitted with a Fishman pickup. My search may be close to an end.

Edit: Just bought a nice Simon & Patrick SP6 on the cheap on eBay. Yay for me.

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naufalmukhsin

hey guys! i'm new here! i'm using a taylor 114e guitar and has been using it a lot for stage playing and some home recording with mic condenser. im thinking to buy a high end guitar for stage pluged guitar and a good guitar for recording with condenser mic, iwas thinking buying a martin gpcpa aura+ which have the fishman f1 aura+ pickup, but im also thinking buying a martin guitar that has no electric like the m36, d 35, or j40 and then install the a l.r bags anthem pickup, which do you guys prefer?

please help me out! i use a lot for strumming and a little bit of finger-style and i also like to play in the tune DADGAD on rare occasional

JaidynM

I'm an intermediate guitar player who's looking for a decent acoustic guitar that will last me a while for under $300. If it goes over though, that's fine. I'm also looking for it to have an inbuilt tuner if possible, I'm not sure if that's limited to acoustic/electrics though so please correct me if I'm wrong. If it doesn't have one though, once again that's fine too.

I'm not too experienced when it comes to guitar shopping having only ever owned one guitar but from what I've read brands such as Gibson, Ibanez, Martin, Fender, Yamaha, Epiphone etc. make good guitars so I'd prefer it to be from a reputable brand.

I was told to look on Gumtree for second hand guitars and in my research I've found a few guitars that look decent; what would you recommend?


Ibanez PF60-SCE

Takamine Acoustic D Series

Fender Malibu

Yamaha FG 700MS

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

NeutralFan

Sorry, don't have time to give you a detailed reply. I'd seriously recommend checking out the Godin brands though (Seagull, S&P, A&L, Norman, etc.). Recently got a Simon and Patrick SP6 through eBay for £150. Absolutely love it.

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dannyalcatraz

I'll echo that- I still haven't seen a bad Godin product, and sometimes, its difficult to tell the low-end and high-end Godin acoustics apart just looking at their build quality...

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ThisIsCountry

I HIGHLY recommend buying the Fender T-Bucket 300 Ce, Acoustic-Electric guitar. It has great sound, and the price is perfect for intermediate or beginner players. It has a great look as well, an I have had a phenomenal time playing on this beloved instrument. The price range is around 300$, and you get very good sound for the money. Good luck to all beginners on finding your perfect guitar!

music_siren26

Does anyone have any input on Luna Guitars?

More specifically, what say you about the Luna Henna Oasis, both the Spruce and Cedar models?

Will the wood make a difference in the guitar's sound, feel, and life( how long will it last)?

Thank you everyone, I hope your day is kickass!

SageMusic

Hi all -

To answer a question above, La Patrie is only classical. It used to be that Seagull was the Steel String Brand, and La Patrie the Nylon String Brand, and they were owned by the same parent company. I think LaPatrie was sold and is now part of Godin, so they are now separate companies. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me. Either way, I have been happy with their guitars for the price.

I had a student with a Luna guitar, and I was not impressed at all. It needed a lot of work right out of the box, and the sound was poor, on top of being difficult to play. I got the impression they spent more on developing their marketing and the look of the guitar than its playability or sound.

However, because all individual pieces of wood have their own tonal characteristics, you can get a wide variation of quality in production guitars, even on the same model. Since I've only see one Luna, I wouldn't take my comments to mean that they are all that way.

I think that is what makes Larivee and Yamaha and Seagull great companies - they have managed to get a relatively good amount of consistency, so you know what you are going to get. You might find a really impressive Luna, if they are less consistent.

You should follow the advice of many others here and actually go play the specific guitar in question. That should give you a better answer. Definitely don't buy online without having heard or played the instrument. But yeah, the spruce and cedar materials will give you quite different sounds. The spruce will likely have a more clear, projecting, and focused sound. The cedar will likely have a more mellow, overtone rich, and full sound. The woods won't affect the feel of the instrument, or the life.

If you take care of any well-built guitar, clean it, humidify it, maintain it and make repairs, etc - you should get 50 years out of it. I can' make any recommendations on a Luna, because I am unsure of their quality.

Hope that helps!

dannyalcatraz

Godin makes guitars under its own brand, plus Richmond, Seagull, Art & Lutherie, Norman, Simon & Patrick, and La Patrie.

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