so, i thought i wanted an sg '61.....

seanw1010

but, suddenly i want a new acoustic. why you ask? because, today, after not playing it for a while, i opened my case, and the entire top was warped. the bad part is its not under any warrenty. so, i guess i need a new acoustic. i thinik i will go for a good one so i will not have to upgrade(my other acoustic was cheap anyway, wanted to upgrade soon). ive been looking over the internet, and i like a few:
the gibson songwriter
takamine ef360sc
martin d-18
martin 000-28
martin d-28(tho way too expensive for me:(
taylor 412 ce
taylor 410 ce
takamine ENV360S

as tou can see by the prices i will be saving for a while:(
anyone have any other suggestions ive over looked?

Novawind

A '61 RI would have cost you $1500 USD or more so just think of it as a minor setback. You don't necessarily have to spend that much on an acoustic, unless you want to for some reason.

casper leblanc

Guild D25. Great guitars and you can snag them in excellent vintage condition from eBay for about $700 tops.

ianvomsaal

Dude, just save and get a Taylor - you won't be disappointed.
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

ps, don't leave any guitar in a car or the heat will warp it (that also goes for leaving it any place hot, wet, etc).

seanw1010

ianvomsaal wrote:

Dude, just save and get a Taylor - you won't be disappointed.
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

ps, don't leave any guitar in a car or the heat will warp it (that also goes for leaving it any place hot, wet, etc).

yea, i really love the sound of Taylor's, but i heard they had a craPPy warrenty or something. true?

ianvomsaal

Warrantee issues, No way - They gave me my 814BCE Taylor back in '99 and I've never had any problems with it, or the warranty (not that I've ever had to use the warranty).
I wore through the frets in 2004, and they were right on it (they even took me into a back room in the factory, sat me down and talked with me a bit about how the guitar's held up, my needs, likes and dislikes - they even replaced the nut 3 different times while I waited (until I was satisfied with the play and feel), and it only cost me $140 for the re-fret and set-up.

One of my students bought a new 314CE in a box and the electronics weren't working - He shipped it to them and they shipped it back fixed within the week (with a letter of apology), all free of charge.
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

seanw1010

ianvomsaal wrote:

Warrantee issues, No way - They gave me my 814BCE Taylor back in '99 and I've never had any problems with it, or the warranty (not that I've ever had to use the warranty).
I wore through the frets in 2004, and they were right on it (they even took me into a back room in the factory, sat me down and talked with me a bit about how the guitar's held up, my needs, likes and dislikes - they even replaced the nut 3 different times while I waited (until I was satisfied with the play and feel), and it only cost me $140 for the re-fret and set-up.

One of my students bought a new 314CE in a box and the electronics weren't working - He shipped it to them and they shipped it back fixed within the week (with a letter of apology), all free of charge.
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

cool, any taylor's ypou like in partictular(i love the sound of rosewood, but who doesnt):)

keeponrockin

ianvomsaal wrote:

Warrantee issues, No way - They gave me my 814BCE Taylor back in '99 and I've never had any problems with it, or the warranty (not that I've ever had to use the warranty).
I wore through the frets in 2004, and they were right on it (they even took me into a back room in the factory, sat me down and talked with me a bit about how the guitar's held up, my needs, likes and dislikes - they even replaced the nut 3 different times while I waited (until I was satisfied with the play and feel), and it only cost me $140 for the re-fret and set-up.

One of my students bought a new 314CE in a box and the electronics weren't working - He shipped it to them and they shipped it back fixed within the week (with a letter of apology), all free of charge.
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

I'm lookin at the 314CE for my 'eventually' guitar.

exhausted

try a few if you can. the last 314CE i came across was very disappointing.

TheLuckyOnes

acoustics are way more touchy per individual instrument, even within the same model. (314 vs another 314 for instance)
Pick up every guitar in the room before you buy.

I demoed a few acoustics the other day, for the first time in a long while (my acoustic has been out on loan for almost a year now). still the same order in my mind.

Martin = Tops in Tone (and vibe too, personal opinion)
Taylor = Best Playability and most "together" electric setup/tone
Gibson = most overrated, specially for the price

check out some cheaper brands too. their really are some decent models under a grand. oh yeah and +1 on the Guild, (love their electrics even more!) tho they can be hard to find in great shape.

g'luck

ianvomsaal

Even though I'm a Taylor nut I don't recommend the Taylor 314 - I've never liked ANY guitar made out of Mahogany (no exceptions) - Mahogany just seems to have a flabby thuddy overly bass(y) sound without any definition or articulation. I'd recommend stepping it up to at least a 4-series with Ovangkol back and sides (Ovangkol has somewhat similar tonal characteristics to Rosewood - which is my favorite tone wood).

I'm not a fan of Martin or Gibson Acoustics (IMO Martin and Gibson guitars are completely overrated - many of Martins guitars aren't even using solid wood anymore (that very expensive CEO model isn't solid wood, it's laminate). And Gibson's acoustic quality has just gone down the shitter, take a look at any of their acoustic and you'll see all kinds of finish flaws and questionable workmanship).
Okay, here's a decent tonal example of what I'm talking about with Martin - I just set up my friends 1966 Martin D35 (these guitars were made with a Spruce top and Brazilian Rosewood back and sides - a combination which I completely adore - Same wood that's on my Taylor). I was never more underwhelmed in my life. This guitar had the same thuddy, flabby sounds that every other Martin I've ever played had - something that I was not expecting from Brazilian Rosewood (which came off sounding more like mahogany than anything else). My experience with Martin is that they just sound very unnatural and overly bass(y) - try finger-picking with one and forget it, all the articulation is lost.

Anyhow, if looking to get a Taylor, I'd say to start with Taylor's 4-series and work your way up (the higher the better).
Goodall makes a great acoustic, Collings and Froggy Bottom, as well. Now lets head to some lower ends - Larrivee and Breedlove make a few that sound and play fairly decent, same thing for a few Alvarez Yairi's, and there are even a few Guilds aren't too bad (just remember that Guild is now owned by Fender, and Fender makes some of the worst sounding and playing acoustics on the market). Just rememebr to play everything you're looking to purchase.
Anyhow, there's my two-cents - cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

seanw1010

ok, tried the 810, fucking expensive, but well worth it
BEST DREDNAUGHT I EVER PLAYED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i really want iit, but its so expensive