• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

any guitar players here?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Nylon strings give a rich tone. Its one of those things that's hard to explain.

Kind of like, the difference between skim milk and whole milk. While 2% still tastes like milk, the texture is weak. Whole milk has that rich texture.

Listen to Randy Rhoads "Dee". I believe he did that song in the studio on a classical. As opposed to Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" which is on a steel string acoustic.
 
Upvote 0
bump

I've been slowly teaching myself guitar and am now in the market for an upgrade. I bought some crappy starter guitar+amp combo to practice around on, but now I want something a little nicer/better sounding. I'm still in the advanced beginner/intermediate stage, so I'm not looking to spend a fortune on it.

I'm thinking I'd like a nice acoustic, so I was looking for any suggestions from any of you with knowledge and experience of guitars. Any help is appreciated.
 
Upvote 0
Alvarez makes some pretty great acoustic guitars for very reasonable prices.

I'd recommend something like this.. (there are plenty of Alvarez guitars in that price range and cheaper, but I'd stay over $300 - you really get what you pay for with guitars, for the most part).

Buy Alvarez RD210C Regent Cutaway Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar | 6 String Acoustic-Electric Guitars | Musician's Friend

I consider that price pretty reasonable for a nice acoustic. Pick yourself up a humidifier if you get an acoustic. They're like $8 and will save your guitar's life in the fall/winter.

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Planet-Waves-Body-Guard-Humidifier?sku=420552
 
Upvote 0
The timing of this thread bump coincides nicely with something I've been thinking about for a few months now, finally picking up and learning the guitar. Being a musician (I play alto sax) I know good instruments don't come cheap and I've decided I'll be springing the $500 for a Fender Standard (Mexican) Strat...but not until late April/early May. I've played around with the HSS and standard SSS pickup configuration and think I like the SSS config better, but they don't make that with the Lake Placid Blue finish which I've fallen in love with. So now I've got to decide if I really like the HSS configuration. I've also played a few Epi Les Pauls and loved them, but they're Ultras and $150 more than the Strats, putting them out of my price range.

For the amp I played around on a Marshall 15W with FX that put out an amazing sound with both the Strats and the LPs, so I decided to go with the 15W without the FX since its $50 less, and I think I would rather have all effects controlled before hitting the amp. Plus I think it would be a good idea for me to learn without the distraction of trying to tweak the sound a lot (I dabble with sound design and such, so I would definitely be distracted, lol) and then go after the effects once I have good control and understanding of my instrument.

The hard part is going to be holding myself back from buying until April/May (I'm looking and playing now because I am going to buy from Sweetwater, but I leave for Orlando in two weeks, so I need to make my decision before I leave). I can't wait to start learning a new instrument after almost 11 years of just playing one. Should also help my music theory knowledge (or lack thereof).
 
Upvote 0
I totally agree with Numby on the Alvarez. I bought a RD20S off Craig's List for $175, and I couldn't be happier with it. I've played $500-1000 guitars that impressed me less. Easy playing, extremely well made, and the sound is very nice. I've played guitars that put it to shame, but they were mostly $1500+ Martins. The concept of "sounds $1300 better" doesn't exist in my world.

The important thing about acoustics is to make sure the top is solid wood, it's usually mentioned in the specs if you look up a model on musiciansfriend.com, or a similar site. Older laminated top Yamahas have a good rep, though. The quality of Asian made instruments has improved dramatically over the last few years. Japanese and Korean made are better than Chinese, but most of the bigger American companies run tight operations overseas, then have the finishing work done in the States. Yamaha and Seagull also make some very nice (if unspectacular) acoustics for reasonable prices.

I'd start by going to the biggest music store near you and play a bunch of different makes to see what grabs you. Play a few that are out of your price range, just to see what a top quality guitar sounds/feels like. When you find a couple models you like, look them up on Harmony Central? - The #1 Online Community For Musicians in the user reviews. The bigger online retailers (Guitar Center, etc.) usually have reviews as well. I would pay more attention to reliability than anything else, any structural problems with an acoustic guitar will be a pain in the ass. Definitely check out your local Craig's List, there's a lot of people selling off guitars to pay the bills. Take your time, and you might catch a great deal.

Once you get the guitar, be aware that strings and picks will have a huge effect on the sound. I've used Martin SP strings on different guitars, and it made them all sound better; plus they last long. The harder the pick, the more sound you'll get.

If you have any specific questions, post them or PM me. Good luck!

EDIT: after looking at the link posted by Numby, I should mention that "select spruce (or other wood) top" is code for laminated (AKA plywood). If it's a solid top, it will be clearly stated. Not that laminate tops are bad, but generally the tone is a bit flat, and they won't improve with age, as much as a solid top.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
I've been playing since I was 9 years old and one thing I've learned over the years is to never buy a guitar without holding it, playing and making sure I'm comfortable with it. One of the best (acoustic) guitars I ever bought was for $20 at yard sale, it felt good in my hands and had an incredible sound.
 
Upvote 0
generaladm;1642484; said:
EDIT: after looking at the link posted by Numby, I should mention that "select spruce (or other wood) top" is code for laminated (AKA plywood). If it's a solid top, it will be clearly stated. Not that laminate tops are bad, but generally the tone is a bit flat, and they won't improve with age, as much as a solid top.
Click to expand...

Good call.
 
Upvote 0
I've got this Martin 000x1, $500. Steel string acoustic. Beautiful sounding steel string guitar. Easy to play setup. Martin quality but not fancy. Gorgeous tone. And very well thought of as a auditorium size guitar(smaller than a dreadnought with excellent projection and excellent(typical Martin) setup. Steel string guitars are tougher on the fingers than nylon, but the sound is worth the suffering till you get calluses. Very highly recommended!
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Acoustic+Guitar/product/Martin/000X1/10/1


By the way I'm going to see Leo Kottke, Sunday at the Taos Community Auditorium! He's a guitar genius! :biggrin:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fKo6aYe4Jg"]YouTube- Leo Kottke Home & Away Revisited DVD[/ame]
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
Guitars

I havent played in a while, at least since my Goya rangemaster electric left my possession. I do like the semi hollow body elecs.

I was also partial to the Gretsch guitars way back then. Maybe I should take it up again?
 
Upvote 0
I didn't read the thread, but for you iPhone users pay the $10 and get Guitar toolkit. It is a better tuner than most stand alone ones and I use the metronome, etc. for my drumkit too. Best. App. Ever.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top