Going unplugged but I've never had a decent accoustic - suggestions..?

Neill

Ok guys, this is the gist, I'm not a beginner, I'm not wonderful either, but I'm competent enough to hold my own in a band and I've even done an odd gig just me and a singer, but mostly electric.  In fact I've never owned a decent accoustic, I've always borrowed one whenever needed. 

Anyway, I'm retired now so I do have quite a lot of spare time and I think it's about time I improved my unplugged playing.  I keep putting this off but I am losing patience waiting for Covid to sod off and let me visit a guitar shop.  So, does anyone have some suggestions for a decent accoustic, or even just a brand, that would be a safe bet?  

I know what you're all thinking, how much money has he got... but TBH I'd rather turn that question round and ask how much would you expect to pay these days bearing in mind that I do know my way around a fretboard and I think I have a good ear for tone. 

 

stickyfiddle

I would always suggest a Martin D18 or D28 as a starting point, then see what you don't like about it and go from there

Lebarque

The best Martin you can afford.

TheBigDipper

Would you have been happy with any of the acoustics you've borrowed? If so, what were they? Might be a good place to start.... 

VimFuego

yeah, can't go wrong with an 18/28 martin. re how much to spend, I'm not up on new prices anymore, but as a ballpark, £1500 to £2000 will get you something really nice. That's not to say you can't get really nice for less, you can, but at that price point, you'd have to put a lot of effort in to buy a duff 'un. 

ICBM

If you want the classic woody, full acoustic guitar sound - Martin.

If you want the modern bright, sparkly acoustic guitar sound - Taylor.

Many other, and cheaper, brands are available...

Don't get built-in electrics unless you *really* need a stage guitar with onboard control. Otherwise, you're always better with a plain acoustic guitar, even if you later want to fit it with a pickup.

Kittyfrisk

What a guitar maker thinks of the new Epiphone Masterbilt Frontier.
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/197014/ngd-epiphone-masterbuilt-frontier#latest

PC008

I would heartily recommend the Yamaha Red Label FS3 or FS5 - beautifully made and sound wonderful.

Gandalph

Some good suggestions so far. I’d also add Eastman to that list, they are bang on for the money. 

KDS

Brook or, not tried one I’d be looking at Eastman. I have a Eastman mandolin and it’s brilliant

camf

A couple of dumb questions to consider. What size are you? Little guys like me can struggle with long scale dreads - biggest guitar I feel comfortable is a short-scale Gibson J45. I find an OM or 000 a better fit. A full scale dread sounds nice but for me it’s not comfortable to play for very long and that’s a deal breaker. Do you sing? Some people find certain guitars fit their voice better. Again Gibson J45 and Hummingbirds and Martin D18s seem especially popular with singers, although lots of singers like OM or 00018s too. But it’s such a personal thing, you have kind of work out what you think might tick your boxes and then dive in. I found buying used gave me the option of selling on and trying something else until I found my true love.... er... loves. 

earwighoney

stickyfiddle said:

I would always suggest a Martin D18 or D28 as a starting point, then see what you don't like about it and go from there

I'd never recommend a dread to anyone as a starting point unless they are on the taller side of things. Playing a dread for a short man like myself is like plucking strings on the other side of a wardrobe.

IMO, I'd always recommend an acoustic depending on the size of the player and their budget.

ICBM

earwighoney said:

I'd never recommend a dread to anyone as a starting point unless they are on the taller side of things. Playing a dread for a short man like myself is like plucking strings on the other side of a wardrobe.

IMO, I'd always recommend an acoustic depending on the size of the player and their budget. 

I'm 5'6" on my tiptoes and I prefer Dreadnoughts to any other style of guitar.

camf

ICBM said:

earwighoney said:

I'd never recommend a dread to anyone as a starting point unless they are on the taller side of things. Playing a dread for a short man like myself is like plucking strings on the other side of a wardrobe.

IMO, I'd always recommend an acoustic depending on the size of the player and their budget. 

I'm 5'6" on my tiptoes and I prefer Dreadnoughts to any other style of guitar.

I was thinking of you when I said “can struggle”, not “do struggle”. I think it helps the er... less tall players to stretch over a Dreadnought if they’re skinny. Short of stature and a big beer belly must be a complicating factor.  

Neill

I'm very thankful for all these helpful comments, I know it's unlikely I'll get it right first time but I'm certainly better informed already than I was this morning.

Th size thing does concern me a bit, I am quite small and must admit I had ruled out dreadnoughts, but I am also skinny so who knows...   

It's very frustrating not being able to try different types but Scotland looks like being locked down for some time yet and I'm not going anywhere until we can get rid of these wretched masks.

Any other thoughts will be gratefully received!

meltedbuzzbox

000 martin

blueskunk

Don’t get a Dreadnought ! Unless you try before you buy and it fits you. I made that mistake a few times. I now would only buy a smaller body acoustic. I do have an old Japanese Dreadnought but got it cheap so it’s all good. 

Basher

If you are buying online, I'd suggest an all-solid woods "OM" or "OOO" model as the ideal starter.

It'll do everything well - singer/songwriter strumming, flatpicking, fingerpicking etc. It's big enough to not look like a toy but smaller than a dread for comfort and couch-friendliness. The 14 fret join allows higher fret access without the abomination that is a cutaway on an acoustic.

Personally, I'd avoid Martin unless you can play them in person. Also, I think you can get a lot more guitar for less money and it doesn't sound like you're dead set on any brand.

My suggestion would be an Eastman E10M. Have never played one but I just picked up a small, 12-fret mahogany OO model and it's great. A friend did have an Eastman OM and it was a cracker. I got mine used from an Eastman fan who owns load of them. He uses Project Music in Exeter as the boss sets them up to his specification, which happens to match mine (low action and light strings!). This model is a 24.9" scale length which I think technically makes it more of a OOO model by Martin standards as the OM is is supposed to have the longer, 25.5" scale. I have a 25.6" scale OM and it feels a lot tighter to play than the shorter scale Eastman which feels lovely and easy to me without any obvious tonal loss. This one is Sapele back and sides (similar to mahogany) which I like (still miss my Larrivee OM3) and am starting to prefer over the more "hi-fi" rosewood sound.

Eastman page: https://www.eastmanguitars.com/e1om
Project music page: https://www.projectmusic.net/eastman-e1-om-with-gigbag-24403-p.asp

DavidR

You pay a premium for Martins. And Taylors. Gibsons and Fenders still patchy in terms of quality but some good instruments.

If you read enough internet comment you will be pushed towards American guitars because a lot of comment and opinion is from the US but don't dismiss Asian producers especially if you're looking in the £1,000'ish rather than £2-3,000 range. People that side of the world have been making stringed instruments for an awfully long time and are good at it. Yamaha and Eastman have already been mentioned. For Yamaha I would suggest the FG5 (dreadnought) or FS5 (OM size - smaller and more comfortable to hold if you're small, but less base). Or FG3 or FS3 which are cheaper but very similar instruments - supposedly because made in China rather than at Hamamatsu, Japan (although FG5 and FS5 possibly just finished in Hamamatsu!). In fact their entire FG range is worth a look at  and has been a lot of acoustic players first love since the 60's/70's. Also Eastman who are innovative and make some very fine guitars. e.g. Eastman remain the only mass producer to experiment with double tops in acoustics, something none of the US mass producers have bothered much with. Make a comparison between the Eastman E20D and a Martin D28 as an exercise. You won't be looking at a vastly different instrument. Depends on your budget and if you're keen on a 'name'.

P.S. Don't bother paying for bling on acoustics. Unless you like it. But it markedly increases the amount of dosh you'll part with and won't provide better tone or comfort.

These are all personal opinions of course. Have fun.

stickyfiddle

This exactly why I said “then see what you don't like about it and go from there”... meaning if you find dreads too big then you can go to an OM or Taylor “14” shape, or whatever. But I was also thinking from a sound perspective - to my ears a D28 is the first sound I imagine when I think of “acoustic guitar”.

Personally I don’t tend to like big electrics but I’m fine on larger bodied acoustics (I’m 6 foot with reasonably in-proportion limbs!). Noel Gallagher is about 5’8” and has spent a career playing dreadnoughts and J200s. You just have to find what works for you.

Teyeplayer

If money is no object: Brook
Mass produced premium: Martin or Gibson (higher end models rather than budget ranges), Larivee are also worth a look.
Best kept secret: Auden
Great tone on a budget: Eastman