Acoustic Guitar

Sandycheeks

Sandycheeks

Sandycheeks

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30 Oct 2013
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Half decided to sell my Epiphone LP and my pretty nice Crafter acoustic and put a bit of cash towards also and budget around £600 for a good acoustic as I don't really play my LP much and have an old battered squire strat that I can plug in if the urge for howling Pink Floyd gets too much.
Been looking around online and narrowed it down to Yamaha LL6, LS6, CPX 500, APX 500 or Seagull S6 (note mostly Yamaha).
Sat in Frailers in Runcorn today as it's 5mins from work (worked here for 10 years now and never been in there) and tried about a dozen guitars out and found that the sound and feel from the APX 500iii is amazing.
I went in there expecting to fall in love with the LL6 but side by side I thought the sound was very similar but the APX had a better feel to it.
I don't gig and I don't really ever plug in so could do without the electro part of the acoustic and thought at this price range I would get more for my money with a non electro acoustic.
I haven't bought one yet...just opted for some new strings to try and put me off buying another guitar.
Dilemma now, as I love guitars and have them in the living room is - Do I just buy another and add to my small collection or sell current guitars and get something more expensive.
 
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** I know pretty nice Crafter acoustic is not something you would generally hear in the same sentence but it just is a pretty nice guitar...( its a SJC 390-EQ).
 
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I always think its better to have fewer great guitars that you love than lots of average guitars that you merely like.

Unless the guitar you are holding on to have some sentimental or historical value.
 
I have a Seagull S6 Folk. It has been with me for over a decade now and although it had been through the wars with its previous owner, it has always been a pleasure to pick up and play.
The newer versions of the S6's are a little different from the old one I have; some of the materials have changed, but they remain beautiful guitars. Mine needs some new frets now, but the tone of the guitar is nice and bright with a strong midrange and it is loud in comparison to quite a few other instruments I looked at at the time of its acquisition.

Bottom line - Seagull make some very nice guitars for the money. Maybe not in the premium range like Taylor or Martin guitars, but for ~ £500 for the instrument they are well worth the money imo.
I also own a Taylor semi-acoustic, but I still play the Seagull several times a week.
I don't have any experience with Crafter guitars - I've never considered them, but that's mainly for aesthetic reasons.
 
jumpy said:
I have a Seagull S6 Folk. It has been with me for over a decade now and although it had been through the wars with its previous owner, it has always been a pleasure to pick up and play.
The newer versions of the S6's are a little different from the old one I have; some of the materials have changed, but they remain beautiful guitars. Mine needs some new frets now, but the tone of the guitar is nice and bright with a strong midrange and it is loud in comparison to quite a few other instruments I looked at at the time of its acquisition.

Bottom line - Seagull make some very nice guitars for the money. Maybe not in the premium range like Taylor or Martin guitars, but for ~ £500 for the instrument they are well worth the money imo.
I also own a Taylor semi-acoustic, but I still play the Seagull several times a week.
I don't have any experience with Crafter guitars - I've never considered them, but that's mainly for aesthetic reasons.
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My brother in law has a Seagull, not sure the exact model but in the same £500 price bracket. He went to Chicago Music Exchange and spent 2 hours in their acoustic room playing guitar after guitar, from $5k Martin to entry level Taylor and Gibson etc etc. He settled on the Seagull.

It's a wonderful store, they let you play every guitar on display, they even have a 1956 Les Paul Goldtop.

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I have too many other toys to consider spending a lot on a guitar that only ever gets played in the house.
My point was that I could afford to get the Apx 500iii and keep the others but would need to sell the others to get something more expensive.
I tried quite a few and found the £275.00 APX had the best sound/feel in guitars upto £500....Obviously subjective !
I tried a Seagull S6 and didn't like it at all. The FG 700S is quite nice also.
I have not got the budget for a really good guitar like a Martin or Taylor or Larrivee but one day I will if I sell some other stuff.
I heard good things about the Sigma guitars but was unimpressed after a trial.

My guitars are left out in the living room as a kind of encouragement should the kids want to pick them up, If I bought a £1800 Martin etc.. it would be under lock and key !
 
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Sandycheeks said:
I have too many other toys to consider spending a lot on a guitar that only ever gets played in the house.
My point was that I could afford to get the Apx 500iii and keep the others but would need to sell the others to get something more expensive.
I tried quite a few and found the £275.00 APX had the best sound/feel in guitars upto £500....Obviously subjective !
I tried a Seagull S6 and didn't like it at all. The FG 700S is quite nice also.
I have not got the budget for a really good guitar like a Martin or Taylor or Larrivee but one day I will if I sell some other stuff.
I heard good things about the Sigma guitars but was unimpressed after a trial.

My guitars are left out in the living room as a kind of encouragement should the kids want to pick them up, If I bought a £1800 Martin etc.. it would be under lock and key !
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All depends on what you want out of a guitar.

Mine only ever come out of their cases when I play them, then they go back to safety :p

Guitars are like people - they begin to show you personality over time. I guess my Seagull is a much loved companion, but the Taylor is still quite shy after 14 months of ownership.

I've just cleaned and re-strung the S6 today - little bit of boiled linseed oil on the fretboard - wipe on & wipe off, and a general tidy up. I even hoovered the inside of the case and gave the outside a good wipe down. Not so shiny shiny as the Taylor, there's a good few knocks and dings, but it feels almost brand new again ....almost :o
 
For acoustics, it's best to leave them in the case as they react most strongly to humidity compare to electric. Especially in the winter with the radiators on, drying clothes on them for example can cause the humidity to spike, which is not a good thing.
 
Raymond Lin said:
For acoustics, it's best to leave them in the case as they react most strongly to humidity compare to electric. Especially in the winter with the radiators on, drying clothes on them for example can cause the humidity to spike, which is not a good thing.
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Yes I agree but if I put them away I wouldn't play half as often - out of sight out of mind.

What I want out of a guitar - a nice sound and less painful fingers :p

I am in no great rush to buy and will keep visiting the shop to try them all before deciding.

Have any of you played the APX series...what are your thoughts ?
 
Okay slight change to thread...
If you had up to £600 to spend on an acoustic guitar, what would you buy and why ?

I'm kind of hoping that someone mentions a guitar I hadn't thought of.
 
I personally think Yamaha make some really nice guitars - I've owned an LA-8 for years and it is such a nice guitar to play (was around £500). All I'm saying is don't discount it as a brand.

Seagull make great guitars, I would quite like to get one someday but really don’t have a need. Either that or a Taylor.

A good friend of mine really rates Breedlove guitars which his particular model reminds me of Ovation or certain Crafter. It is nice to play and sounds great but certain models really don’t do anything for me aesthetically.

I owned a Crafter for many years and although it was a nice guitar it was really only good to play through a PA as it simply didn't have a deep enough body to be of use in an unplugged situation. Their necks are known to be thin and have nice fast fretboards - nice guitar to play but really didn't suit my needs.

Best bet with any kind of guitar purchase is to try as many as you can. Some people go out and see a Fender acoustic and buy it based on the name when actually they are pretty poor (IMO) even compared to a mid-range Yamaha. Try all sorts in and around your budget - even giving some slightly more expensive guitars a go as well as second hand ones as it can be a matter of a few more ££ and you get much more for your money.

Lastly, if you're getting painful fingers then I suggest this could be one of a few issues:

- Incorrect finger/hand/arm positioning. I used to get a lot of repetitive strain on my wrist when playing until I started playing standing up. That along with learning how to play ‘proper’ chords without always having to barre really helped.

- Wrong gauge strings – having heavy gauge strings on an acoustic tends to be harder work on your fingers as logically more pressure has to be applied compared to lighter ones (I use D’Addario EXP12 0.13 and really suit my guitar)

- Try to improve your grip strength – I unintentionally discovered I was able to play for much longer without finger pain when I was going to the gym and did free weights. I’m not suggesting joining a gym just to strengthen your fingers but at the end of the day improving muscle strength and flexibility is important. Best way here is to just practice a lot and that will strengthen grip and finger speed.

- The guitar may actually need to be setup. Most common issues with new mass produced guitars is that the action of the strings is far too high meaning more pressure is required to execute a clean sounding chord/note. Taking the guitar to get setup by a luthier/guitar tech will really help and can transform a guitar – they should also be able to recommend the correct strings for your guitar. I’m about to have my Yamaha done but had my Strat sorted a few years back and it was a revelation!
 
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