So, I'll always be a Vela evangelist, however....

[Alnus Rubra]

Hope you still stay here @Aahzz you’ll be sadly missed if you aren’t.

 

[ELF]

Do check out some Oregon made Breedloves. I think they're consistantly great sounding/great playing acoustics.

The Concerto is the same depth as a dreadnaught.

See if you can find one to play.

I prefer the Concert which is like a Grand Auditorium.

I recently tried out a used Breedlove Oregon Concert at a GC near me. I wanted to love it, but in my opinion that particular guitar sounded somehow muted. It lacked “life” if you know what I mean. On the other hand, I tried out a new Yamaha AC5R that was on their wall, and was amazed at the build quality and sound for such an inexpensive guitar. If I didn’t already own a Yairi Masterworks FYM70CE then I might have bought that Yamaha.

 

[Lewguitar]

I recently tried out a used Breedlove Oregon Concert at a GC near me. I wanted to love it, but in my opinion that particular guitar sounded somehow muted. It lacked “life” if you know what I mean. On the other hand, I tried out a new Yamaha AC5R that was on their wall, and was amazed at the build quality and sound for such an inexpensive guitar. If I didn’t already own a Yairi Masterworks FYM70CE then I might have bought that Yamaha.

To each his own. I have three Breedlove Oregon Concerts and one Oregon Concerto. Each is kept in a different tuning.

Best playing, best sounding acoustic guitars I've ever owned.

https://imgur.com/G0NKFOp

 

[Aahzz]

Hope you still stay here @Aahzz you’ll be sadly missed if you aren’t.

Thanks for that

I still have to stay and tell people they need to buy Velas

 

[ELF]

To each his own. I have three Breedlove Oregon Concerts and one Oregon Concerto. Each is kept in a different tuning.

Best playing, best sounding acoustic guitars I've ever owned.

https://imgur.com/G0NKFOp

Exactly! Which is why I qualified my statement with “…that particular guitar…”

 

[László]

Best playing, best sounding acoustic guitars I've ever owned.

If they weren't, you probably wouldn't have bought three of 'em.

 

[Lewguitar]

If they weren't, you probably wouldn't have bought three of 'em.

These guitars inspire me. They're so resonant in the ways that I want to hear that everytime I pick one up and play for a while I get new song ideas.

 

[vchizzle]

Ah, acoustics. I’ve been trying to replace my inexpensive D-03 Larrivee with walnut back and sides for a few years. I don’t play it much, with the fretboard having a pretty flat radius, it’s not very comfortable for me. I’ve tried $3-9k guitars, I just can’t find one I like the sound of as much.

 

[László]

These guitars inspire me. They're so resonant in the ways that I want to hear that everytime I pick one up and play for a while I get new song ideas.

I've gotten that feeling with certain guitars, amps, pianos, or even synths. Their sound inspires me to create. I understand what you mean.

My current lineup has inspired lots of musical ideas.

 

[László]

I’ve tried $3-9k guitars, I just can’t find one I like the sound of as much.

Really, that's a great thing.

I ordered my maple PS acoustic with the wider, fingerstyle neck option. It's felt a little bit too wide for my hands ever since nerve issues surfaced on my fretting hand. Ordinarily I'd just sell it, I've certainly gotten my money's worth since 2013. But it's the best sounding acoustic I've ever owned, and I've had some good ones.

The tone is perfect for me. I figure it's worth the extra effort, and when I pull it out to play on a more frequent basis, my hands get more used to it. Not that I pull it out enough. Playing it can be a bit of a chore because I'm remiss, but at least it's a great sounding chore!

 

[Lewguitar]

As I'm aging and increasingly realize my gigging days are likely behind me, I'm spending most of my time with an acoustic. I doubt I'll sell my Mira, as it was the electric I was most certain to keep in my recent purge. The CiJ Tele was close.

But perhaps oddly, I sold my highest end acoustic, a Collings OM1, and decided to keep my old sapele Martin 000-15. It's darker tone and lower volume work better for me. The Collings was fantastic, but its volume and zing were a bit much in a small room.

I tried a D-15 back then but don't remember much about it other than being more certain a 000/OM was better for me.

Ever tried a Larrivee? Way back when I was shopping for my first nice acoustic, a Larrivee L-03 was a near tossup with the Martin.

As an aside, I stopped by a shop a couple months ago and tried some new acoustics, including Taylors, Martins, Yamahas, and a Gibson J-45 which I expected to love. But none of them were tempting. I sat down, looked over the wall, wondering why I felt so cold with them. Noticed a used Alvarez Dread on a stand next to me, played it, and liked it far better than the others I tried, even with old strings.

I'm kind of the same way. In the same boat.

I still love to rock out and play the blues but the hours I put in on the acoustic guitar far out number the hours I put in playing electric.

At this point in my life, I'm a better acoustic guitarist than an electric guitarist.

The acoustic guitar is beautiful. Makes beautiful, natural, organic and healing sound.

The electric? Not so much.

People are often annoyed by the sound. Tell you to turn down, etc.

 

[Broseph]

Smart decision. Buying another one down the road should be a breeze unless it’s a limited edition vela.

 

[Daryl Jones]

I can see your decision Aahzz, I have a buddy/neighbor that only plays acoustics, has really no desire for electrics at all. And he has some killer guitars. Myles Goodwin from April Wine has gone full acoustic recently, and he's really excited about his upcoming projects.
I agree with Lewguitar above, I'm a far better acoustic player than I am electric, and solo/by myself stuff on acoustic needs no backup (even if its just a drumbox to fill in with an electric) to sound complete or entertain a small or large group of friends.
I only have a very small circle of player friends that I will get together and jam with, most of the local guitarists and drummers are too full of their "professionalism" and ego to work on anything other than their own personal likes (be it metal, country or whatever) to step outside their zone and try anything they don't like or want to play. I call it fear of the unknown or the fear of showing up their flaws but that's just me. I know I have many flaws so I take it as a learning step and jump right into the deep end of the pool.
My best guitar friend is a former gigging pro that can put all these characters to shame in a heartbeat, and he can't be arsed with their attitudes either. But he's happy with my comparatively feeble attempts to keep up with him so I really enjoy playing along side him. And I think he gets a kick out of spurring me along. If he wants to include li'l ole me in his generosity, I'm all in. Plus I've somehow managed to bring him into the PRS fold. He's always been a die-hard LP fan but he actually likes my two SE's in spite of them being a lower end machine than his precious LP Custom was. He always grabbed my Custom 24 for a spin every time we jam and always says he likes the feel of it. And he adores my Hollowbody! He sold his LP and bought a superb condition McCarty S2 Thinline that is quite simply the nicest electric guitar I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Which coming from me doesn't really count, but if he says it's better than his LP, I will just go with that.
But I digress and ramble, I wish you nothing but good fortune Aahzz, enjoy your new venture. And good to know you will be keeping a weather eye on us. Lord knows some of us need sage guidance!!!

 

[gemyneye]

I saw their website video, and the innovations seem great. I haven't tried one. I do see that he uses a carbon fiber truss system, something I have experience with and like very much. The video made me want to check them out!

I have a carbon fiber truss rod system in my PRS PS acoustic, and had one previously in the Artist model PRS acoustic I had. I get along with the carbon fiber for any number of reasons, but the most important one is that the guitars seem to ring more and sound more 'woody' with the carbon fiber than they do with metal truss rods vibrating in a neck. Plus the stability is fantastic.

I also had a Modulus bass with a carbon fiber neck, and it sounded truly wonderful. I made a big mistake selling it.

I see they make a completely carbon fiber guitar. That's the kind of thing I could keep handy in the studio without worrying about the effects of heat and humidity changes. Interesting!

I have considered getting one of the carbon fiber ones, but I'm sitting comfortably with what I have and am very pleased. I love my MG 3.5.

 

[frankencat]

Try a Martin D-18 Retro or V series if you can find one. Really great sounding guitars. I have an OM-28V that is just amazing.

 

[László]

There are a lot of great acoustic guitar suggestions in this thread. Everyone's perspective is different, so it makes sense to try a lot of options.

That's the beauty of a well-stocked guitar shop where you can try out the individual instruments and see which ones bring the magic - something each of us will define in our own way based upon how our unique brains interpret sound.

What I buy works for me, but doesn't work for plenty of others. Most of what others buy is great for them, but doesn't work for me.

Is there a best guitar? Sure. For me. Yours will probably be different. Try 'em all!

 

[indigoblu]

Hi, I'm a newbie to these boards -- and only been playing about a year -- and have a question about the PRS acoustic electrics (specifically the A50, if that matters). Do they stay in tune? Is not having the built-in tuner an issue? I'm in a hot/humid area and concerned that tuning is going to be an issue going from inside AC/outside heat. It's the one issue that is holding me back from a purchase. I love the guitar otherwise. Any guidance will be appreciated.

 

[Aahzz]

Hi, I'm a newbie to these boards -- and only been playing about a year -- and have a question about the PRS acoustic electrics (specifically the A50, if that matters). Do they stay in tune? Is not having the built-in tuner an issue? I'm in a hot/humid area and concerned that tuning is going to be an issue going from inside AC/outside heat. It's the one issue that is holding me back from a purchase. I love the guitar otherwise. Any guidance will be appreciated.

They're well made and use good tuners - they're as stable as any acoustic guitar I've ever owned, and they play and sound great. I'd recommend getting a clip-on headstock tuner, as any guitar is going to have some tuning swings with sudden temp/humidity changes.

 

[indigoblu]

They're well made and use good tuners - they're as stable as any acoustic guitar I've ever owned, and they play and sound great. I'd recommend getting a clip-on headstock tuner, as any guitar is going to have some tuning swings with sudden temp/humidity changes.

OK thanks. I'm used to having the tuner built in with the acoustic elec I have now so I'm a bit spoiled with the convenience of it. But I do love the PRS sound. I guess it's minor issue in the grand scheme of things.