Acoustic for fingerstyle?

BahHumbug

Hmm, I’ve just read @MichaelWatts review of the current Taylor 322ce.  I’ll Clarify my comments, as they refer to the old 322, which is a slightly different beastie.  Different in that I tried a 322 at least 5 years ago.  It had no cutaway or pickup system - just a bare acoustic guitar.  My recollection is that it was all mahogany, but I could be wrong.  The price at the time was £999.  I was very tempted.  The new one costs considerably more!

MichaelWatts

jellyroll said:

MichaelWatts said:

If you liked the Taylor 6 series but you're after a mahogany sound then check out the new 322Ce, I just reviewed it for Guitar, you can read my thoughts here  

Good review Michael. Nice to read a balanced piece, not the regular gush-fest one often comes across. One criticism  - of the photographic editor - since the back and side wood are the unique feature, a photo would have been interesting.

Thank you! That means a lot to me.

Yeah I know what you mean. In this case the Tazzy Blackwood was utterly featureless, so much so that I thought I was dealing with an all-Mahogany guitar to begin with, until I realised I was hearing something else in the mix... I guess they have a finite amount of pics to put on each review. 

MichaelWatts

BahHumbug said:

Hmm, I’ve just read @MichaelWatts review of the current Taylor 322ce.  I’ll Clarify my comments, as they refer to the old 322, which is a slightly different beastie.  Different in that I tried a 322 at least 5 years ago.  It had no cutaway or pickup system - just a bare acoustic guitar.  My recollection is that it was all mahogany, but I could be wrong.  The price at the time was £999.  I was very tempted.  The new one costs considerably more!

Hi there!
Yes, a lot has changed in 5 years! My first decent steel string was a Martin D15 (one of the first in the country) that cost me about £600 back in 1998. That seemed like a monstrous investment at the time... 

ToneControl

VimFuego said:

 
once you get beyond a certain price point (and even below that you can find cracking guitars) you won't buy a duff one, and there are plenty of really good players playing on all manner of sized guitars. 

Sorry, don't agree fully
I've been to high-end classical guitar brokers and shops with loads of high-end acoustics from £3k to £15k
What I've found is that at least 50% of expensive guitars are completely unsuitable for me, and sound poor to my ears

If you pay more than £2.5k you should be guaranteed a great guitar, but you won't know if it works for you until you've tried it. I say should because there are still some duff ones above £3k

VimFuego

ToneControl said:

VimFuego said:

 
once you get beyond a certain price point (and even below that you can find cracking guitars) you won't buy a duff one, and there are plenty of really good players playing on all manner of sized guitars. 

Sorry, don't agree fully
I've been to high-end classical guitar brokers and shops with loads of high-end acoustics from £3k to £15k
What I've found is that at least 50% of expensive guitars are completely unsuitable for me, and sound poor to my ears

If you pay more than £2.5k you should be guaranteed a great guitar, but you won't know if it works for you until you've tried it. I say should because there are still some duff ones above £3k

I think my point really was it's less important to obsess about getting the absolutely perfect guitar, but instead work on technique etc. 

EDIT: but I've seen people flat pick on palour guitars and it sounds great, and I've seen people doing delicate fingerpicking on dreads and super jumbos and it sounds great. 
I do agree that it's possible to buy a duff'n even if you pay a lot (cough gibson, cough) but you should never buy an acoustic blind.

TimmyO

ToneControl said:

VimFuego said:

 
once you get beyond a certain price point (and even below that you can find cracking guitars) you won't buy a duff one, and there are plenty of really good players playing on all manner of sized guitars. 

Sorry, don't agree fully
I've been to high-end classical guitar brokers and shops with loads of high-end acoustics from £3k to £15k
What I've found is that at least 50% of expensive guitars are completely unsuitable for me, and sound poor to my ears

If you pay more than £2.5k you should be guaranteed a great guitar, but you won't know if it works for you until you've tried it. I say should because there are still some duff ones above £3k

Who makes duff 3k guitars? 

VimFuego

when I was looking for my nice acoustic (erm, '05 I think) I really wanted a gibson (ideally a J45 or songwriter thingy) but couldn't find one that was good, and some were downright bad. OK, they weren't £3k, but about £1500, so to sure what that is in modern money. But that was a bad period for gibson I believe. 

GTC

As is illustrated here, individual tastes vary considerably and are influenced by personal playing style, physical attributes and ear. Also, expect your preferences to evolve with time too.

In your budget, it is just as likely that you could end up with a disappointing choice (not necessarily a bad guitar but just not suiting you) as at the lower end of the market. Therefore, if you can, you should try as many as you can before taking the plunge - although the suggestions here should certainly help in focussing on what and where to try.

Being left-handed, it has been virtually impossible for me to go to any one place to try a lot since I returned to playing two years ago. Therefore I have taken a few chances in purchasing blind - and thus ended up with some expensive disappointments and some surprising delights. The journey continues and it has been educational and fun, albeit expensive!

Being right-handed should make it a bit easier.

A guitar can often be transformed by a proper set-up and appropriate string choice.

BahHumbug

I don’t subscribe to the idea that there are necessarily duff guitars......regardless of price range.  Acoustic guitars are individuals.  Human beings are individuals too and tend to have strong opinions which are personal to them.  Hence for any guitar player, there will be guitars which don’t appeal, and there will be those which totally light your fire.
But you have to find the ones that appeal to you, you have to try them, and you have to be patient.
You can’t go around being impressed by a name or a price ticket (I can remember feeling quite disappointed by a £4K+ Bourgeois).  Good looks are only a tiny part of the deal.  But if you play it and it feels alive in your hands, and your ears and brain are going ‘OMFG!!!’, then maybe, just maybe, it’s the one for you.

ToneControl

TimmyO said:

ToneControl said:

VimFuego said:

 
once you get beyond a certain price point (and even below that you can find cracking guitars) you won't buy a duff one, and there are plenty of really good players playing on all manner of sized guitars. 

Sorry, don't agree fully
I've been to high-end classical guitar brokers and shops with loads of high-end acoustics from £3k to £15k
What I've found is that at least 50% of expensive guitars are completely unsuitable for me, and sound poor to my ears

If you pay more than £2.5k you should be guaranteed a great guitar, but you won't know if it works for you until you've tried it. I say should because there are still some duff ones above £3k

Who makes duff 3k guitars? 

Sometimes large factories with old names
Sometimes small workshops having a bad day, or experiments that didn't work out

They're made out of wood, a perfect outcome cannot be guaranteed

CHRISB50

TimmyO said:

ToneControl said:

VimFuego said:

 
once you get beyond a certain price point (and even below that you can find cracking guitars) you won't buy a duff one, and there are plenty of really good players playing on all manner of sized guitars. 

Sorry, don't agree fully
I've been to high-end classical guitar brokers and shops with loads of high-end acoustics from £3k to £15k
What I've found is that at least 50% of expensive guitars are completely unsuitable for me, and sound poor to my ears

If you pay more than £2.5k you should be guaranteed a great guitar, but you won't know if it works for you until you've tried it. I say should because there are still some duff ones above £3k

Who makes duff 3k guitars? 

Gibson, but that's another story...

earwighoney

CHRISB50 said:

TimmyO said:

ToneControl said:

VimFuego said:

 
once you get beyond a certain price point (and even below that you can find cracking guitars) you won't buy a duff one, and there are plenty of really good players playing on all manner of sized guitars. 

Sorry, don't agree fully
I've been to high-end classical guitar brokers and shops with loads of high-end acoustics from £3k to £15k
What I've found is that at least 50% of expensive guitars are completely unsuitable for me, and sound poor to my ears

If you pay more than £2.5k you should be guaranteed a great guitar, but you won't know if it works for you until you've tried it. I say should because there are still some duff ones above £3k

Who makes duff 3k guitars? 

Gibson, but that's another story...

Gibson's acoustics come from a different factory to their acoustics and they don't suffer the same quality control issues as their electric guitars.  

CHRISB50

earwighoney said:

CHRISB50 said:

TimmyO said:

ToneControl said:

VimFuego said:

 
once you get beyond a certain price point (and even below that you can find cracking guitars) you won't buy a duff one, and there are plenty of really good players playing on all manner of sized guitars. 

Sorry, don't agree fully
I've been to high-end classical guitar brokers and shops with loads of high-end acoustics from £3k to £15k
What I've found is that at least 50% of expensive guitars are completely unsuitable for me, and sound poor to my ears

If you pay more than £2.5k you should be guaranteed a great guitar, but you won't know if it works for you until you've tried it. I say should because there are still some duff ones above £3k

Who makes duff 3k guitars? 

Gibson, but that's another story...

Gibson's acoustics come from a different factory to their acoustics and they don't suffer the same quality control issues as their electric guitars.  

He never said acoustics /pedantry.

Where as you did twice!

TimmyO

CHRISB50 said:

earwighoney said:

CHRISB50 said:

TimmyO said:

ToneControl said:

VimFuego said:

 
once you get beyond a certain price point (and even below that you can find cracking guitars) you won't buy a duff one, and there are plenty of really good players playing on all manner of sized guitars. 

Sorry, don't agree fully
I've been to high-end classical guitar brokers and shops with loads of high-end acoustics from £3k to £15k
What I've found is that at least 50% of expensive guitars are completely unsuitable for me, and sound poor to my ears

If you pay more than £2.5k you should be guaranteed a great guitar, but you won't know if it works for you until you've tried it. I say should because there are still some duff ones above £3k

Who makes duff 3k guitars? 

Gibson, but that's another story...

Gibson's acoustics come from a different factory to their acoustics and they don't suffer the same quality control issues as their electric guitars.  

He never said acoustics /pedantry.

Where as you did twice!

this whole thread is in the acoustic section! 

TimmyO

TimmyO said:

CHRISB50 said:

earwighoney said:

CHRISB50 said:

TimmyO said:

ToneControl said:

VimFuego said:

 
once you get beyond a certain price point (and even below that you can find cracking guitars) you won't buy a duff one, and there are plenty of really good players playing on all manner of sized guitars. 

Sorry, don't agree fully
I've been to high-end classical guitar brokers and shops with loads of high-end acoustics from £3k to £15k
What I've found is that at least 50% of expensive guitars are completely unsuitable for me, and sound poor to my ears

If you pay more than £2.5k you should be guaranteed a great guitar, but you won't know if it works for you until you've tried it. I say should because there are still some duff ones above £3k

Who makes duff 3k guitars? 

Gibson, but that's another story...

Gibson's acoustics come from a different factory to their acoustics and they don't suffer the same quality control issues as their electric guitars.  

He never said acoustics /pedantry.

Where as you did twice!

this whole thread is in the acoustic section! 

and is titled 'acoustic...' 

stickyfiddle

Martin is my go-to, but almost anything in that price range can work, but I'd very much like to try an Atkin or 3 as they seem to be getting praise from all sides these days.

I'd go 00 shape, maybe even 12-fret but that's probably because I already have an HD28, so would edge further from that than if buying an "only guitar". 

The Gibson Dove I used to have was also a really good fingerpicker actually. Really bright compared to a mahogany Martin, but a fantastic guitar in its own right. Conversely, I've never found a J45 I really liked. 

CHRISB50

TimmyO said:

TimmyO said:

CHRISB50 said:

earwighoney said:

CHRISB50 said:

TimmyO said:

ToneControl said:

VimFuego said:

 
once you get beyond a certain price point (and even below that you can find cracking guitars) you won't buy a duff one, and there are plenty of really good players playing on all manner of sized guitars. 

Sorry, don't agree fully
I've been to high-end classical guitar brokers and shops with loads of high-end acoustics from £3k to £15k
What I've found is that at least 50% of expensive guitars are completely unsuitable for me, and sound poor to my ears

If you pay more than £2.5k you should be guaranteed a great guitar, but you won't know if it works for you until you've tried it. I say should because there are still some duff ones above £3k

Who makes duff 3k guitars? 

Gibson, but that's another story...

Gibson's acoustics come from a different factory to their acoustics and they don't suffer the same quality control issues as their electric guitars.  

He never said acoustics /pedantry.

Where as you did twice!

this whole thread is in the acoustic section! 

and is titled 'acoustic...' 

I'm sure I'll get over it!

TimmyO

CHRISB50 said:

I'm sure I'll get over it!

I don't think I will! <tends to wounds> 

CHRISB50

TimmyO said:

CHRISB50 said:

I'm sure I'll get over it!

I don't think I will! <tends to wounds>