Hunting for an acoustic...

[Bear]

Okay. My current guitar has gone to shit. Granted, I've treated like so because I'm not incredibly fond of it. But I'm in the market for a new acoustic and would like some feedback.

I have $400 bucks to spend. This is quite an investment for me--as silly as that may sound to some. But for some guitars in this range, what are some decent ones? I've been eyeballing the Epiphone EJ-200 (the knock-off of the Gibson j-200), but since there are no Gibson dealers within five hours of here, I have no way to try them out. Has anyone played one? Worth the money? I've also spotted some marked down Takamines, Washburns and Martins at Music123.com. But there are very music stores in town, and the ones nearby only carry Ibanez (which I don't like) and Fender (Which I'm also not too crazy about).

And I'm buying this predominantly for recording. I'm not sure if it's the laminated guitars that do it, but I think I prefer a more "woody" sound over something more "airy." Also, too much bass--to the point will it will make my condensers boom--is not a good thing, and I'm not crazy about overly bright guitars.

As you can probably tell, I don't know jack shit about guitars. I've always played whatever the hell I had. So any input you might have will be much appreciated.

[evan]

I own an extremely cheap -- $150 when I got it, $100 now -- Epiphone PR-100. It's actually not a bad-sounding guitar, especially for it's price. But since you have significantly more than that, I'd recommend Seagull guitars. I've never owned one, but I've fooled with them in the store and found them to be quite nice -- they're hand-built (Canadian), cheap (I've read that you can get one for as little as $250-$400), and sound great. Here's a few reviews of their guitars (more at Epinions, Harmony Central), and a list of dealers in Florida (they don't sell them online, apparently).

Boy, after doing all that research, I want to get me one...

[DeafinONEear]

Yeah, Seagulls are a great value when you are looking for new stuff, though in that price range the pickins are slim. I would really consider used guitars....

Jacksonville, huh? There's got to be some kind of wacky used music shop somewhere around there.

Oh, if you ever come across a Kiso Suzuki guitar, *snatch it up!*. They usually go for only $100 or so because they were made in Japan in the 50's-70's and there's some racial bias thing going on, but *EVERY* freakin one of these things that I pick up has some kind of magic to it and they are all incredible! I got mine at Fatdawg in Berkeley (go here) and they had a couple last time I was there. Be warned though-- Larry has rubbed a few the wrong way, so be forwarned. In fact, I had some service done on my suzuki there and it took waaaaay to long, but the result was excellent. But they have a great selection there, tons of under-priced, oddball stuff, and you can keep trying out new guitars in the mail until you find one you like.

[DeafinONEear]

Oh, and the solid-top Harmony's from the 60's are also a steal.... you can usually get these for about $2-300. The Sovereign's are what you want... you can find some here: http://www.fatdawg.com/newstock.html

[stillafool]

I've played a couple of seagulls that are really nice -- played like more expensive guitars. Definitely avoid Fender acoustics -- I've never played a good one. Ibanez acoustics are generally pretty bad -- they (like the fenders) play like guitars you get at Costco. I actually bought a korean ephiphone for $150 several years ago that was a pretty nice guitar -- intonated really well, action was pretty low; I regret having sold it. There's a guitar that's very cheap -- I can't remember the name, they sell them up at artichoke music in Portland (I think they have a website); they make them in Canada, and sell them for a couple hundred bucks; I played a few and was pretty impressed. You can get an older Yamaha used that's a pretty decent guitar -- my uncle owns a dreadnought that plays kind of like a martin; some of the newer ones are pretty nice, too. Takamine's are pretty good, the new ones under 6 or 7 hundred dollars aren't that great; all the good one's I played were around 7 hundred. I'd personally recommend a used Yamaha dreadnought, a used seagull, or that Canadian guitar they sell at artichoke music.

[stillafool]

P.S., I've been to subway guitars, and played some of the Harmony's, and some of them aren't too bad. Be forewarned, alot of the stuff that fatdawg sells is not original -- the Harmony's he sells are built from parts he says he bought from the original factory -- they aren't Harmony's from the 60s.

[stillafool]

I went to artichoke music's website -- I guess the guitar is called a laSiDo or something like that. It's manufactured by the same company that makes seagulls (godin) in Quebec. I'd recommend either these or the seagulls over the Harmony's or any of the other guitars.

[bobbydj]

I've got a Canadian accoustic too - at least I think it's Canadian. It's a Norman - a ST-40. Does that mean anything to anyone? Well, it's a bit of a handful, but it's definitely not too bright. Might be a bit proximityish - I could use some omnis really. So yeah - Norman. Maybe check that name out too. I'm not sure how much they retail at but this one was about ?200 2nd hand 6-7 years ago.

[Dot]

Bear, a lot of acoustics in that price range are crappy. I do think Takamine does a good job with under-$400 acoustics. I'd particulalry recommend the GS-330S at about $279 - which leaves some money in your budget for a case. Really nice flat finish on that guitar with a solid cedar top.

I tried shitloads of acoustics and ended up getting one for my sister. It plays great and records really well.

http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/D ... 0S-01.html

BTW, I think the Taylor Big Baby runs just under $400. Plays and sounds like a pretty serious guitar. http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/mo ... gbaby.html

[Catoogie]

A good friend of mine said that The Blue Ridge acoustics by Sigma a REALLY good and supposed to be very cheap.

[inverseroom]

Search for "Yamaki" on eBay. These Japanese guitars from the 70's are fantastic. Try for a "Folk" or "Deluxe Folk." You'll pay $200 and will have a lovely, completely-opened up guitar that sounds like a Martin from that era.

[bedbug]

A good friend of mine said that The Blue Ridge acoustics by Sigma a REALLY good and supposed to be very cheap.

I've got a Sigma that I like a lot

[Allcalm]

I'm moving to Jacksonville next week, how's that for small world.
I have a Seagull which I bought in Jax (I grew up there but i've been gone for six years). I love my guitar, i spent $300 on it with case and b/c its got a real top (as oppose to a laminated one) it sounds better with age. My friend got a Martin DX for I think $600, now his Martin sounds better than my guitar, very noticeable. I would trot down to George's on 3rd Street (if it's still there) and try a bunch out. If not you could always go to Orlando, its only a couple hours away, this is a big investment. Do yourself a favor and take some time and find a good one.
-Z

[the velour fog]

I would advise against getting an acoustic off e-bay. i am a total ebay junkie, but acoustic guitars sound so different, even amoungst the same line. you try out two or three different sigmas, and they all have a slightly different sound. don't get suckered by a name. my first acoustic, which will remain anonymous (although it has a plastic rounded back *cringe*) i got it basically on name alone. there were musicians i liked that played them, so i thought...yes that's for me. two months later i regretted it, but still ended up holding on to it, because i was unable to find anything else. go to different stores, and not just the big names, but every store in your town that carries acoustics, just go start making the rounds. i was showing up every sat. at all the pawn shops, just trying out different guitars. i'm sure all the employees hated me. playing them is the best way to find out what you're looking for. finally...i found the one i wanted. showed up one day, and there was an early 70's epiphone hanging on the wall. made in japan, pretty beat...but i loved the sound. got it for $180. i think they were glad to sell it to me, cause that meant i wouldn't be hanging around all the time. until of course i need a new amp.

[aurelialuz]

my friend has an EJ-200, he's had it for about eight years. not only was it stiff when he got it, it hasn't changed in the slightest. they're okay sounding, sorta plastic-y and the bass gets out of control if you're strumming hard. i'd avoid em.

i'd vote seagull personally.

alex