Acoustic guitar recommendations?

sjt269

sjt269

sjt269

Associate
Joined
11 Dec 2004
Posts
1,979
Hey all,

As a graduation present to myself, and with money I was given for my 21st last September, I'm looking to fill a gap in my guitar collection with a nice acoustic guitar. Budget is around £400, though I'm looking at everything from £300 to £500 and a few a little outwith that.

The only real requirements I have is that it be a small body, OOO or OM kind of size, definitely not a dreadnought, preferably only natural wood finishes, and I'm judging them on acoustic properties only (since I couldn't care less about electrics I'm unlikely to use). Outwith those, I'm willing to take just about any recommendations. I'd love an all-solid one if possible, but there aren't too many in this price range. My current shortlist is:

  • Guild GAD M-120 - all solid, mahogany body, 24.5" scale (which seems to be slightly short for an acoustic?) and looks to have that elusive 'character' that I like in an instrument. This is top of my list, but I haven't been able to play one yet, though hopefully I'll rectify that next week.
  • Ibanez AC3000NT - an odd choice of manufacturer for an acoustic, perhaps, but it's all-solid and ticks all the boxes. I guess the cheap price is because they're not known for acoustic excellence, though Guitar Buyer magazine seemed to like the dreadnought sister to this one. Again, haven't managed to track one down to play yet.
  • Breedlove Passport OM/MMe - similar in spec to the Guild, this one I have played, and I quite liked it. It did seem to fall slightly on the wrong line of 'warm' though, making it a little dull sounding for chord strumming, but it had a lovely sound for fingerpicking. This is probably my favourite sounding one I've played so far, purely because the fingerpicking sounded so good. Maybe new strings or a plectrum would have brought out a little more brightness to it too.
  • Breedlove Passport, model unknown - not entirely sure of the model I played, though I've linked to my best guess, but I liked this one a lot. Brighter than the mahogany one without being too jangly, and quirky looks that really appeal to me. I'm not sure the one I played was £600 (as I linked to), but this was a really nice instrument that I wish I'd spent more time with.
  • Freshman FOP3ON - the one in the link is second hand (I actually played this exact instrument), but it costs quite a bit more new. Very snappy sound, chords sounded great but it didn't sound quite as sweet as the Breedloves to my ears. The guitar felt really nice in hand though, its shape and size were perfect, and it did sound like it had a bit more sparkle to it than the others.
  • Taylor 214 - out of my price range, but I couldn't see a cheaper Taylor that wasn't a dreadnought or a Mini/Baby model. I found this one too bright for my tastes and didn't play it for too long.
  • Martin 000X1AE - made from weird composite laminate material, which I find offputting, and I didn't much like the looks of the composite neck/sides or the sound of it, it just seemed to be lacking somehow. But is this prejudice talking, and would I have said this if I hadn't known it wasn't real wood? The model I played was slightly different to this one, but broadly similar.
  • Walden G2070 - I've heard good things about these, and plan to take a trip to Glasgow next week to try this and the Guild if the shop has them both in store.

I also still haven't properly looked at Seagull (funny headstocks though), Simon and Patrick, Sigma, Faith (mostly out of my price range), Yamaha, Takamine or Tanglewood. So, given my rather broad brief and lack of knowledge of this particular market, does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks,
Steven
 
It's been a while since I've been "into" guitars, but i thought that yamaha were king in the mid range price sector? With Martin and Taylor etc you are just paying for the name without much in terms of build quality or sound as they are mass produced in China on a budget.
 
I'd have either of the Breedlove ones if I could afford it. I think they're brilliant guitars for the money. Freshman guitars are also quite good. Out of the selection those are the three I'd choose from.
 
I would also check out Seagull and Yamaha in that price range.

I've been playing Yamaha for years and am a big fan. Tried out Seagull last time I was in London and I would have bought one there and then if I had the money.
 
Go to a guitar shop to play a load - ignore the model specifics and whatnot and just look for what feels right and sounds right. You really can't choose acoustic guitars over the internet. :)
 
p0ss3s3d said:
Go to a guitar shop to play a load - ignore the model specifics and whatnot and just look for what feels right and sounds right. You really can't choose acoustic guitars over the internet. :)
Click to expand...

Given the detailed descriptions of the ones I've played already and the ones I plan on playing, I thought it was fairly apparent that that's what I'm doing. :p I'd never drop £400+ on a guitar without playing it first, but I'm looking to learn from other peoples' experiences and get recommendations from people who know more than I do. :)

Woody__ said:
I'd have either of the Breedlove ones if I could afford it. I think they're brilliant guitars for the money. Freshman guitars are also quite good. Out of the selection those are the three I'd choose from.
Click to expand...

Thanks; I am having a strong leaning towards the two Breedloves, wish I knew the model of the non-mahogany one I played. I see you're in Glasgow, are you familiar with Merchant City Music? I'm hoping to take a trip to Glasgow next week to see if they have the Guild or the Walden in stock. I've e-mailed them about it, so if they have them or can get them in then I'll go give them a try.


Bennie-Mac said:
It's been a while since I've been "into" guitars, but i thought that yamaha were king in the mid range price sector? With Martin and Taylor etc you are just paying for the name without much in terms of build quality or sound as they are mass produced in China on a budget.
Click to expand...

Yamaha seem well regarded as a solid choice, but I haven't heard anything about them that's making me think they're a real contender. I didn't get a chance to try them yet, but hopefully I will soon, I'll be back to GuitarGuitar in Edinburgh on Fri to pick up two electrics that I put in for a setup and I'll give the Yamahas a try. I wasn't impressed by the Martin or Taylor that I tried, though the Taylor seemed pretty solidly put together and played nicely. I just didn't like the sound all that much. The composite construction of the Martin puts me off, particularly when I get get an all-solid guitar for £100 cheaper.
 
I heard back from Merchant City Music; they have the M-120 on order, should be arriving 'imminently' and the Walden in stock, so I'll maybe take a trip through there on Monday or Tuesday for a browse. They also recommended some models by Faith and Freshman that I should try out while I'm there, though I suspect the Faiths will be a little pricy.
 
Guitars aren't electronics - two guitars of the same model can sound and play very different.

Make your decision when you have tried them, not just based on model codes.
 
Dazzy said:
Guitars aren't electronics - two guitars of the same model can sound and play very different.

Make your decision when you have tried them, not just based on model codes.
Click to expand...

sjt269 said:
Given the detailed descriptions of the ones I've played already and the ones I plan on playing, I thought it was fairly apparent that that's what I'm doing. :p I'd never drop £400+ on a guitar without playing it first, but I'm looking to learn from other peoples' experiences and get recommendations from people who know more than I do. :)
Click to expand...


Thanks Dazzy, but it's still sensible to seek out the opinions of others with more experience and to get an idea of where to look and what to look for. I'm aware that in the end it comes down to me and the instrument. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom