Guitar Recommendations

Scoot82 · October 2003

I am looking for an electric-acoustic solid top guitar for roughly $300. Anyone have any suggestions/experience? Any info. is greatly appreciated.

mccreadyisgod · October 2003

It's hard to recommend a good guitar with good electronics for $300. Do you want better electronics in a cheaper guitar, or cheaper electronics in a better guitar? Let me look around really quick, see what I find...

How are the Raiders doing? Anyone?

mccreadyisgod · October 2003

Scoot82 · October 2003

cool thanks a lot, i am not as concerned with the electronics as just the overall quality of the wood/craftsmanship of the instrument.

Scoot82 · October 2003

Also, do these guitars have solid tops? Cuz when i look them up they just say spruce top and not solid spruce top. Also, how important is it to have a solid top?

exhausted · October 2003

unless you need to plug in right away. spend the money to get a better non-electric model and put an aftermarket pickup in later.

cutaways don't sound as good as traditional cuts.

and a big honking plastic panel in the side of a guitar never did anyone any good.

get a good guitar. then upgrade with a pickup and offboard electronics later.

mccreadyisgod · October 2003

I doubt any of the models I listed were solid tops (and certainly not solid back or sides, either). Your price range pretty much prevents a solid top guitar. I would recommend a solid top, it will have better tone, and it will age much better than a laminate top. A guitar built with all-solid panels is obviously the best way to go, but a solid top is almost a must. Of course, if you're playing shows right now and need a guitar, and $300 is your budget, get the cheap guitar now and upgrade later. Playing guitar is more important than saving up for super-nice gear.

The Martin and Takamine probably have the best craftsmanship of all. The Ibanez #4 is pretty good, too. I really liked the Martin and the Ibanez #4, both seemed like good guitars to me.

You will want to decide on a body style... dreadnaught, auditorium, wide-body, or jumbo? Standard, or cutaway? Like exhausted said, the cutaways will have less tone than a standard, and the bigger the body, the bigger the sound and tone. Smaller guitars will be brighter, more expressive. Dreadnaughts sound warm and folky, if maybe a tad boxy. And I also agree that the electronics panels (big plastic boxes on the upper side of the guitar) will hurt the natural, unplugged sound of the guitar. So, are you going to play leads or anything else on the upper frets? Get a cutaway. Just going to play standard rhythm, mostly open and barre chords? Get a standard cut. Want a big, warm sound? Get a jumbo. Want a bright, articulate sound? Get an auditorium. Want that standard acoustic tone? Get a dreadnaught.

With acoustic-electrics, the cutaways and on-board electronics panel won't be huge issues. You'll notice them unplugged, but when plugged in, they'll be minimal. I would tend to agree with exhausted, that a great guitar would be good to start with, and the electronics can be added later. Just avoid those pop-in pickups for acoustics, they almost never sound good! Still, in your price range, I'm not sure you'll get a great acoustic anyways, so I would probably just get the electric-acoustic anyways.

exhausted · October 2003

a taylor big baby should be only a hair over $300.

Scoot82 · October 2003

I was just parusing Musiciansfriend and I came across this Washburn solid top for only $150. Does anyone know anything about this guitar:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/search/detail/base_pid/515930/src=3NL3JM

This seems like an awfully good deal for a solid top. thanks.

Pacomc79 · October 2003

looks like a good deal to me. solid top. Schaller tuners. Not bad at all.

exhausted · October 2003

for a decent entry level, the lower washburns aren't bad at all.

Pacomc79 · October 2003

Originally posted by exhausted
for a decent entry level, the lower washburns aren't bad at all.

Derek Trucks plays a Washburn.

exhausted · October 2003

they have a huge range of instruments from the really basic to the really superb.

i used to have a washburn DCE10 (i think that was the number). ok guitar. didn't cost much. heavily lacquered so the tone suffered a bit but it did it's job well.

Pacomc79 · October 2003

Originally posted by exhausted
they have a huge range of instruments from the really basic to the really superb.

i used to have a washburn DCE10 (i think that was the number). ok guitar. didn't cost much. heavily lacquered so the tone suffered a bit but it did it's job well.

they do tend to coat the hell out of the cheaper ones, but usually these are they guitars that spend weeks case less in trunks of cars dorm rooms, all beat to crap and the laquer keeps them toegther. Get it set up for 12's and play the dog crap out of it. 150 bucks for a solid top guitar is a good deal and it gives you the freedom to not worry so much about what happens to it which is nice. I want a backpacker or some other kind of cheap strong parlor guitar to take everywhere.

exhausted · October 2003

Originally posted by Pacomc79
they do tend to coat the hell out of the cheaper ones, but usually these are they guitars that spend weeks case less in trunks of cars dorm rooms, all beat to crap and the laquer keeps them toegther. Get it set up for 12's and play the dog crap out of it. 150 bucks for a solid top guitar is a good deal and it gives you the freedom to not worry so much about what happens to it which is nice. I want a backpacker or some other kind of cheap strong parlor guitar to take everywhere.

so essentially we're saying the same thing.

Pacomc79 · October 2003

Originally posted by exhausted
so essentially we're saying the same thing.

exactly

thisismylastexit · November 2003

personally, i think the stratacoustic and telecoustics for $269 are a major deal

Scoot82 · November 2003

I ended up getting a Dean Exotica FM from a local shop for $330. It goes for $360 at musicians friend so it was a pretty good deal. I really like its looks and sound, and for the money i couldn't pass it up. Thanks for everyones input

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