Which acoustic?

[weaksauce]

Hello everybody!

I am in the market for a new acoustic guitar and i really need some suggestions as to which ones i should take a look at. I dont really have a lot of knowledge on acoustic guitar so I need your guys' (and gals') help. I was sort of looking at the seagull line of guitars, more specifically the S6+ Folk model. Have any of you had experiences with these? are there any other ones i should go and try out or take a look at? My budget is around 700 CAD or so. This guitar will probably be used mainly to play youth church group kind of stuff, along whit some blues and pop/folk kind of music. Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for the responses!

[zao_89]

When I walk in to the acoustic section of a guitar store, they all look the same. But some catch my eye, like The Silent guitar (http://www.yamaha.ca/content/guitar/products/silentseriesguitars/SLG100S/specifications.jsp).

[jane]

700CAD will get you a pretty nice acoustic ;)

I like Seagulls, Normans, Art & Lutherie and Simon & Patricks... they're all owned by Godin, which is a canadian guitar company. I like the S&Ps most... the necks are all slightly different, and I think S&P has the thinnest neck. They all sound great... solid top guitars for a great price.

[WarrenG]

Funny you should mention the S6 Folk. I was just noodling on one over the weekend. For about half of your budget, you get a pretty nice sounding guitar. The neck was a little blockier then I liked but was easy to get used to. Sounded particularly nice in Dropped-D and DADGAD tunings.

[weaksauce]

Thank you guys for your responses! :) I didnt know that Godin owned all those companies. I will definitely check out those others you guys mentioned! Anybody else have any other suggestions?

[The Nazz Are Blue]

If you see any Blueridge, I recommend you try one. It's my only acoustic, so I don't get the chance to A-B it against many others (at least not since the time I was browsing myself), but you should try one for good measure. I'm pretty sure they offer some good stuff in the 700 range, although they might be tricky to find.

I was in the same boat as you half a year ago! :wave:

[Tarbender]

Another good Canadian guitar builder is Garrison great guitars and very nice prices too. I prefer thier Canadian made guitars but I've heard good things about the Asian ones too.

[weaksauce]

Hello again everybody!

So I went out and tried out a few of the guitars that you guys suggested. The seagull folk was a little too quiet, but played really nice. T played some Canadian Garrisons, but I want to try a different shape of guitar (I've only played Dreadnaughts). Would an OM/Grand Auditorium size be a good place to start? Heres a few that have recently caught my eye:

Alvarez AF60S
http://www.music123.com/Alvarez-AF60S-Acoustic-Guitar-i126118.music


Guild GAD-30
http://www.musician.com/product/Guild-GAD30-Auditorium-Acoustic-Guitar?sku=513141#

What do you guys think?

[lolligagger]

Have you looked at the epiphone masterbuilt series? They are getting rave reviews, and I think they are priced in the range you mentioned. I'm thinking I will check them out at L&M this week. The sunburst caught my attention...

http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=273&CollectionID=15

Wait a moment, you might check this thread...

http://www.guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?p=10598

[BR183]

I have been a Martin guitar guy for years but recently picked up a Seagull Artist folk model. It's a great guitar for the price. Not long after I bought the Artist I stumble across Blueridge guitars when I was out of town on business. I ended up buying a BR-183 that same day. It's an awesome guitar and great value for the money. The BR183 is an OOO body size and to be honest I haven't played any of my other guitars since I bought it over two months ago. I love it!! I recommend you check them out.

[weaksauce]

Thanks lolligagger and BR183 for the advice! I will definitely check out those epiphones...I don't think the guitar stores here in Red Deer carry Blueridge, but next time im in Edmonton or Calgary (hopefully within the next few weeks) I will definitley check those out.

[PaulS]

What do you plan to use your acoustic for, finger style, all out strumming ?
Are you interested in plug in acoustic, home use or stage use ? For fingerstyle the 000 would be a good bet, I have an old Alvarez dreadnought mahogany back and sides with spruce top, great ringing sound, built like a tank. Any of the older guilds are absolutely great although I haven't played any newer ones to compare. If your looking for a plug in stage use acoustic I'd recommend looking at an ovation, not much unplugged but heavenly when plugged in. If I was buying one for personal enjoyment I'd take a look at the S&P lovely guitars. nuff said.

[weaksauce]

Im mainly gonna be using for fingerpicking/light strumming. Nothing too heavy, im gonna be playing a lot of softer christian and secular songs. Im not too worried about finding one with a plug in, because i could always just mic it up. Besides, I could always add an onboard pickup/preamp later. So what kind of tone would i expect to find (in general) with a 000/OM or similar sized guitar, in comparison to say a dreadnaught? Louder? Quieter? Warm or Bright? Balanced, or overly bassy/trebly? Thanks!

[Fenderhss]

Hi Weaksauce,

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you right now.

You should seriously give

Guild GAD-50 a try. Its $715 without electronics and 800 something with. Its solid wood too! but the only catch is that it is made in China. But boy! who cares if it sounds good! and the craftsmanship seems decent.

Also, you might want to give Taylor 110 a try. The guitar sounds absolutely gorgeous. Although it is only a solid spruce top with lamenated sides but rest asured the sound is SWEET! The action is a little bit higher than the higher end Taylors but you can get that set up.

So my suggestion is go for the GUILD GAD-50 or TAYLOR 110

good luck!!!

[Benee Wafers]

I second Fenderhss nomination of the Guild GAD series.
Personally own a GAD40C, check out its specs.Beautiful guitar, slim neck, solid tone woods, cutaway, really really nice sound, good projection and not overly loud or boomy.
Get a good luthier and have a pro set up done ( basically on any new guitar you buy) and you will be very happy with that guitar.
Believe me you can drive yourself nuts with the makes and models and woods ad infinitum so like everybody recommends...only by playing them will you find the right guitar for you.And don't rule out pre owned ( o.k. second hand) guitars if you have assistance from someone who knows acoustics.For the money you're willing to spend you can get a major upgrade.
General rule is Americans still know how to make great acoustic guitars but they are more expensive.
Benee Wafers

[elindso]

I saw some used Larivees for around $800. On the net

They are nice guitars.

[ne1roc]

I have a Seagull S6 and I love it. I highly recommend Seagull or Simon Patrick. I almost bought a 12 string Simon Patrick that sounded beautiful. For $450.00 for a Seagull or Simon Patrick, you can't go wrong. They sound way better then many $1200.00 - $1500.00 guitars that I've tried!

That being said, I just received my Carvin 980T acoustic last Friday and I am in heaven!!! I visited the Carvin FActory in San Diego 3 weeks ago and let me tell you, all their guitars are gems! For anyone not familiar, check them out at www.carvin.com

[weaksauce]

Hey everybody!

Its been a while since Ive been on here! Hows everybody? Anyways, instead of buying an acoustic I went and bought a Shecter PT Blackjack :tongue: but now that I have my electric guitar GAS overwith im back to looking for an acoustic. I did try out that Guild GAD-50 and was REALLY impressed by it...I'm thinking about just going and getting that, but i really want to try out an epiphone masterbilt DR-500R first before I go and buy. I think I have narrowed it down to those two. Thank you guys for all your suggestions and well wishes! :wave:

[hfisher3380]

I recently went through a similar search with a relatively similar price range in mind - however after much research and playing it became clear to me that for a few hundred more I could get a whole lot more guitar - and I ended up with a Larrivee D-03R. For your playing preferences their L or O bodies may be preferable. If you find a used one that would drop it into your intended price range and IMO it is in a different class from the Godin lines - while still being Canadian. Don't get me wrong - those Seagull guitars are great for the money...but the Larrivees are true high end solid wood guitars for not a lot more, as long as you don't need fancy gloss finishes, abalone inlays etc (these are also available on Larrivees but that will get you closer to the $2K range).

:DevilGuitar: :rockon2: :DevilGuitar:

[david henman]

...i highly recommend the canadian made guitars. i have a garrison, and have played many godin acoustics.

-dh

[fireball26er]

i personally like the seagulls myself howver look at some of the normans as well they tend to have a full bodied sound (and yes i am aware they are owned by the same company). most importantly just try alot of guitars because they are going to sound different. The seagulls however are very nice and tend to hold up really well overtime.