Want a new acoustic, help?!

mezzio

The Force is weak in ^^
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Messages
703
Location
Sun Prairie, WI
i want to get a new acoustic, the cheapo Yamaha I got for completing Guitars for Vets just doesn't make me smile... No piezo system, not real wood, not a cutaway, etc.

Unfortunately what I wanted is no longer available, an SE Custom. The A10's and Alex Lifeson Which are now available in that price range do really do it for me, but I might be able to be persuaded in to one.

I don't do a lot of acoustic work, but do enjoy playing them every now and again, so I really don't know what to look for, I just know what I don't like... Which is pretty much laminated wood. I'd like to keep the cost around or under $3k... I really wish PRS had something in that range.

Can any of you acoustic nuts school me on what I should stay away from?
 
If you shop long and hard from time to time a U.S. Built angelus or tonare grand will pop up for sale under $3k used. It requires a lot of patience and some luck.
 
Be careful with Martin products. Great guitars, but they are approaching unreasonable with some of their models and prices. Considering laminate woods, necks, and richlite and micarta fretboards and bridges are in the 3K price range for some of their models is ridiculous and unreasonable. I am assuming there are some unwitting buyers out there buying off of name only.
 
If you shop long and hard from time to time a U.S. Built angelus or tonare grand will pop up for sale under $3k used. It requires a lot of patience and some luck.

I've been keeping my eyes open for a used Angelus, but the cheapest I had seen was still quite a bit over what I want to spend, lol. I'll keep searching though


I'm not sure id want a Martin, unless it was a much older model, I've played with quite a few new models at different price points $500-15000, and really wasn't impressed with the tone from any of them.

There have been a few Taylor's I've played and liked, but haven't pulled the trigger because I almost feel like I'm paying for bling with their intricate rosettes and inlays.

Maybe I should just wait it out to see if PRS decides to do core style acoustics that'll be priced right around what I'm wanting to pay.
 
Was a lifetime acoustic player before kind of burning out and flipping over to electrics...had tons of mostly Martins which were great but eventually got disillusioned by the company's focus on Harvard-Bizz-School profit-by-numbers Big Corporate direction and switched to Collings. Their build quality is second to none and not ridiculously pricey like many of the smaller boutique brands....then it started to occur to me that I wasn't too keen on their well-known midrange-heavy tone, that I was in fact more of a bassy, muddy Martin guy after all.

Long story short I sold off the Collingses last year and recently bought an 08 Martin HD28V for a couple grand. Stunningly good sounding, excellent build quality. Still hate the CFM IV Martin philosophy of diluting the brand to extinction with guitars from $300 and up, but the fact is they still make some outstanding products.

Then again we are living in something of a new Golden Era of handmade guitar building so you can't really go wrong with any of dozens of great builders. Only difference is, many of them cost upwards of 10k when not so long ago the Martin D45 was considered the holy grail acoustic at the then-unthinkable price of about $6k!
 
Just save a little longer and get a US PRS acoustic when one comes up. I promise, it's worth it.
 
There have been a few Taylor's I've played and liked, but haven't pulled the trigger because I almost feel like I'm paying for bling with their intricate rosettes and inlays.
They have some very good guitars without the bling. They do quite a few roads shows, some with a find your fit (size and materials) that are worth stopping in at if one is in the area.
 
I too have been wanting a nice acoustic guitar. I didn't care for the new Gibson or Martin guitars but I did like Taylor guitars. I want to play a US made prs but I've never seen one.
 
Head over to Spruce Tree Music and play some Larrivee's. They make some really nice guitars at not too outrageous of a price. They usually have a good variety of them in stock.
 
They have some very good guitars without the bling. They do quite a few roads shows, some with a find your fit (size and materials) that are worth stopping in at if one is in the area.

I think there's actually one coming up here soon... Unless I missed it, lol. I was planning on checking it out though.

Head over to Spruce Tree Music and play some Larrivee's. They make some really nice guitars at not too outrageous of a price. They usually have a good variety of them in stock.

Been meaning to head over there, a buddy told me about them, but always forget to stop by when I'm in the area.
 
Head over to Spruce Tree Music and play some Larrivee's. They make some really nice guitars at not too outrageous of a price. They usually have a good variety of them in stock.

+1 on the Larrivees. Picked one up almost 20 years ago when I thought for sure I was going to buy a Martin D-28. Never regretted it. Gorgeous tone from the get-go.
 
i want to get a new acoustic, the cheapo Yamaha I got for completing Guitars for Vets just doesn't make me smile... No piezo system, not real wood, not a cutaway, etc.

Unfortunately what I wanted is no longer available, an SE Custom. The A10's and Alex Lifeson Which are now available in that price range do really do it for me, but I might be able to be persuaded in to one.

I don't do a lot of acoustic work, but do enjoy playing them every now and again, so I really don't know what to look for, I just know what I don't like... Which is pretty much laminated wood. I'd like to keep the cost around or under $3k... I really wish PRS had something in that range.

Can any of you acoustic nuts school me on what I should stay away from?

I actually have an SE Angelus Custom and I would highly recommend it. When I compared it to the Standard, the Custom just sounded a lot more lively and full to my ears. They pop up used on Guitar Center from time to time. Easily the best acoustic that I've found for <$1000.

After playing the SE Alex Lifeson the other day, I really like the look and feel of it but it just doesn't sound as full to me. And I'm not a fan of the hidden controls in the sound hole, however, that's just personal preference. I've never played an A10 so I can't really compare.
 
I like my A10E. It has a warmer sound than my Tacoma D9 (pre-Fender era), but both have a great sound to my ears, especially for the 600-700 range. Plenty of volume and clarity when finger picking. The Tacoma is strictly acoustic though, so I don't know how it would sound amplified. Might put a pickup in it one day, though. Any recommendations out there?
 
i want to get a new acoustic, the cheapo Yamaha I got for completing Guitars for Vets just doesn't make me smile... No piezo system, not real wood, not a cutaway, etc.

Unfortunately what I wanted is no longer available, an SE Custom. The A10's and Alex Lifeson Which are now available in that price range do really do it for me, but I might be able to be persuaded in to one.

used.guitarcenter.com

just type used prs in the search. they do have a few used SE Angelus customs.
 
As well as the larivee there are collings and Santa Cruz. Collings are a fine guitar played by many professional guitarists. Some mainly singer types also like Gibson acoustics as it seems their voicing and volume are well suited to vocalists.

A good old second hand acoustic can be a great instrument. My second most expensive guitar was at least third hand bought from guitagal in tx and was bought over the Internet since here in Australia there just isn't the quantity or range that there is in the USA. I also own a Collings and could recommend them. They are pretty much the acoustic equivalent of a prs
 
I have a Seagull and I love it. I get lots of compliments on the tone. You should try out a Seagull before you make a decision.
 
I recently picked up a Taylor 714CE that I absolutely love. It has rosewood sides and back and cedar top. I believe the neck is mahogany. It's a LARGE guitar and sounds very deep. The neck plays great and I couldn't be happier. Mine was an '08 that I got a pretty good deal on since it was hanging on the wall for so long. I believe the current 714CE's have a more traditional spruce top.
 
I don't play much acoustic but I bought an Angelus standard, let me tell you I have more fun with that guitar than any of my others,the sound and playability is outstanding,I would check one out.
 
Well as of now, There are 2 Taylors I've been looking for locally to try out, the 616CE and the 816CE. Cant say for sure they're what I want, but they sound good on paper, lol. I'll be heading out of state next weekend, and will probably hit up a couple shops along the way. I still haven't made it to Spruce Tree, but there's another shop I was told to hit up as well.

I was hoping to hit up the PRS factory and other east coast shops, but I ran out of time, and just can't wait for a Tuesday to come around, so we're just doing NC then heading up to my dads, instead of looping around along the coast like I wanted :( . When we get to MI, I'm gonna go check out Elderly Instruments to see what they have to play around with.

Why can't acoustics be as easy as electrics, lol.



The first night of our trip we're staying in Louisville, maybe drive over to Waverly Hills, get some food, and find a nice guitar shop. Anyone have any Ideas? After that we'll be in the Mountains of NC, driving the Tail of the Dragon again, and some other roads, but after that we're gonna head over to Sanford and visit my grandparents, so I'll have stops in a few big cities (charlotte, raleigh, etc) where I could look as well. After we visit them, we're gonna back track to Nashville, where I'm gonna assume will be pretty easy to find some music shops.
 
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