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Strings Acoustic guitar

Moz

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North of Liskeard, Cornwall,UK
A ittle while ago I bought an electric guitar and am getting on with it slowly and up to a point, surely, although I am also trying to learn piano at the same time so prgress is slow. Now the summer months are here I want to keep an acoustic guitar in my outhouse in the garden so I can pick up an play without any messing about so I want a nice shiny new acoustic guitar...

...oh dear. Buying an electric guitar was easy and I bought it on line -- a Yamaha Pacifica -- it fits me, is easy to play and good quality but acoustic guitars are another dimension entirely. Shape, size, strings, body material, top wood, neck width, arrgh!

I have watched numerous vids on Youtube and am a bit nearer but now I need actual advice from actual people who have gone through the process of buying an acoustic. The one question I have is...how the hell did you decide which one you wanted without spending days and days in a guitar shop?
 
Probably not what you want to hear but when I went to get my acoustic I just set myself a budget and trawled around music stores trying everything that fit within and some a little over my predetermined budget,
Yamaha are good middle of the road, I’ve previously had a couple of decent Washburn’s, if you’re into semi acoustic then I can personally vouch for epiphone swingster royale or epiphone sorento which is very similar to the swingster but has a slimline body, they both have the most beautifully shaped necks imo, budget and time are your only constraints. Everyone who’s played will have a different opinion so best thing to do is try a few, when you play the right one you’ll know. Happy hunting
 
It doesn't actually matter that much. You're pretty unlikely to get a real duffer these days.
 
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My tips are:
- go to a specialised guitar shop rather than a generic music store. They'll have a wider range of models and better advice to help you choose a couple of guitars to try and compare within your price range
- the biggest difference between guitars isn't in the wood but in the size and shape. Try out different 'sizes and shapes' of the same brand (see links below) just to get a feel for how they feel (too big, too small, OK), how they sound (bass, mid-tones, brightness) and what's important to you; it doesn't matter whether you're considering buying these brand/models
- my guess is that if you're just playing for yourself then 'volume/projection' doesn't matter so much so a smaller guitar might be fine. The 'sound' is very personal.
- when you've decided on a 'size and shape' that's right for you, ask to try out 4-5 brands in the same general price range
- I agree with @tatooandy67 that when you play on 4-5 comparable guitars in the same general price range, you'll find the one that feels and sounds 'right' (or at least 'best')
- you might also ask the shop about prices and production/adjustment methods. I bought a classical guitar more than 10 years ago and discovered that there were basically 3 categories: 'Factory produced and shipped' (the cheapest). 'Factory produced and manually tested and adjusted if necessary' (a bit more expensive) and 'manually produced' (expensive). The 'manually produced' were way out my price range but I liked the idea that someone had listened to how my guitar sounded and made fine adjustments where necessary before shipping. These guitars are a bit more expensive than the 'factory produced and shipped' category but I'm just noting the categories.

When all said and done, the 'production category', 'size and shape' and 'wood' don't make much difference. If the feel and sound of a guitar are good (or best) within your price range, that's the one for you. IMHO choosing an instrument is mostly about feeling good about the instrument (feel/sound) and your choice.

Useful links (explaining Shapes/Woods/Sounds):
Different types of Acoustic Guitar
Types of Acoustic Guitar
 
With accoustics, you have a lot more things to watch. They all sound different, very different. Wood makes or breaks the sound. Accuracy and quality of the internal bracing can kill one guitar, while an identical model sounds great. Many cheaper ones have plywood tops which kills the sound. Strings have a big effect as well, it's easy to spend a fortune finding the right strings, just like mouthpieces on a sax. Old strings will also kill the sound before breaking.

Don't keep one in the outhouse, either. They're much more susceptible to damp and cold than a sax.

Suggest you set a budget, consider used, saves a lot. Then get someone competent to check/play any you want. Make sure it's someone who's style/sound is where you want to be.
 
If you really must keep it in an outhouse you could consider a carbon fibre instrument. They aren't cheap but they are very loud.
 
The last 10 years or so I have been playing a Yamaha FG720S acoustic guitar - solid spruce top, nato (a type of south-east asian mahogany) back and sides and rosewood neck. Excellent inexpensive guitar. The reason why I bought it - on special with a hard case. Here's a demo...


A couple of years ago Yamaha discontinued the 700 series and replaced it with the FG 800 series - here's a review


One of the members of a guitar forum I belong to purchased a Yamaha FG820 12 string acoustic guitar and was very impressed with it - thought it was better than some of the other Yamaha acoustic guitars he owned and he thought those were very good. Also check out Crafter brand acoustic guitars - South Korean company , popular in NZ with hobbyists as well as semi-pro and pro musicians.

Good luck,

Greg S.
 
Just looking through my old posts and realised I never did reply to this thread or thank everyone for their assistance. I did buy an acoustic guitar in the end (and no, I don't keep it in the outhouse). I bought a Taylor 110e Dreadnought. It was second hand and I got nearly three hundred quid off the new price and it was only owned by the original buyer for about four months. It has no marks, no wear visible at all, perfect condition and it came with a nice gig bag. While the shop guy was doing the paperwork I was asking him about people who go into the shop, have a look round, try a few guitars and then go buy it on line; something I just won't do. He realised I was sympathetic to the shopkeepers plight and knocked another thirty quid off the price, result.

I have come on all right with the guitar in general and while I will never be a Jimi Hendrix it serves to put down some chords to play the sax to (ending sentence with a pronoun ugh).
 
Nice guitar Taylor make wonderful instruments...forget about Hendrix - one was enough...

Greg S.
 

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