Recommendations for acoustics

guitarmangler

Hello to you.

Please could you recommend me some acoustic guitars to look at? I am mostly an electric player , with a little bit of classical, but need a steel string acoustic, with some type of pickup, for a run of gigs I’ve got coming up .

My primary concerns are playability, cost and availability.

I’m thinking, sort of, second hand Taylor 214 type of money, around £700ish? Lower would be better.
I don’t care if it’s got a cutaway or not.

All the Taylor’s I’ve ever played have been pretty slick. Had a go on a students gs mini today and that was fine ( although at 6’2” it might look a little small on me). 

I have no idea what’s good, other than the Taylor’s . Thanks in advance.

bertie

for the criteria you've mentioned  -  you cant really do much better that what you've already though of - they (and Yamaha) are pretty much the SM58 of  gigging/band acoustics  (big assumption in there that you want it for "band" type music )

 

woody

personally,i think you can do much better.. eastman, furch, auden, recording king would be some of brands i think you should check out.

bertie

woody said:

personally,i think you can do much better.. eastman, furch, auden, recording king would be some of brands i think you should check out.

Id totally (and normally) agree if it was just "recommend me an acoustic for £700"    but with precise regard to the OP's specific  criteria ;-

Mainly plays electric
plays in a band
wants it for gigging
widely available

- Id disagree 

RickLucas

Takamine?

thomasross20

Larrivee (Only joking)

bertie

thomasross20 said:

Larrivee (Only joking)

have you tried one ?

randomguitarist

Personally I really don't like the taylor pickup system, it never sounds good to me. For the sort of price you are looking at I bought a PRS acoustic. Made to a high standard in China it has all the right bits, ebony board, solid spruce top, slimmish neck and plays really well. The guitar uses a very light bracing system and it's got a good sound plugged in and unplugged. 

mgaw

Taylor.   They have built a brand for people in your position.  I have never owned one but have friends who do, they love em as they do exactly what it says on the tin. So to speak
You can always buy one without their pickup system and install an other brand etc etc

woody

bertie said:

woody said:

personally,i think you can do much better.. eastman, furch, auden, recording king would be some of brands i think you should check out.

Id totally (and normally) agree if it was just "recommend me an acoustic for £700"    but with precise regard to the OP's specific  criteria ;-

Mainly plays electric
plays in a band
wants it for gigging
widely available

- Id disagree 

bertie said:

woody said:

personally,i think you can do much better.. eastman, furch, auden, recording king would be some of brands i think you should check out.

Id totally (and normally) agree if it was just "recommend me an acoustic for £700"    but with precise regard to the OP's specific  criteria ;-

Mainly plays electric
plays in a band
wants it for gigging
widely available

- Id disagree 

Good point.I still think its very worthwhile trying the alternatives though if only for tonal reasons..Only the op can decide on the tonal vs playability factor, assuming the taylor does play better of course.

guitarmangler

Thanks, chaps. I'll add PRS to the guitars I'm looking at. This will be a plugged in through the PA, backing other people type of affair, so I'm not massively worried about tone per say, as I'm not under close scrutiny. Within budget and playability is more important. If it's an earner, I'll invest in something else in the future.  

BigLicks67

Yamaha LL16are LL6 or LS6ARE. I've had a LL6 and LL16 in the past and they were both as playable as my old Taylor 414ce. The Taylor 110ce would make a good gig guitar. Also, a left field choice would be a used Korean made Epiphone EJ200 and stick a LR Baggs M1 in it, I had one back in the day and the one I had was very easy to play, much like an electric.

richman6100

I've played some nice Taylors and some mediocre ones. They do make some great guitars, but there are others who make better 'bang for your buck' models. I'd definitely consider pre-owned Yamaha, Auden and Eastman. Furch too, if you can push your budget a bit.

bertie

Ive been in "normal"  cover bands, and we had choons that needed an acoustic, of all the ones Ive owned (Taylor 614, Brook,  Furch)  its the Taylor Id choose in that scenario

wrinkleygit

To throw another brand in the mix, look out for a mid to late 90’s Takemine in the used market places, great value guitars if you can find one.

Tannin

As always, with acoustics you absolutely, positively have to play the actual instrument. 

You will undoubtedly get a better acoustic  instrument from the likes of Furch for the same money - the 2-series Taylors are competent but uninspiring, and (if new) are overpriced to buggery. Way too much for what is after all just a laminated back and sides guitar not in the same class as any half-decent all-solid instrument.

On the other hand, you are not looking for a great acoustic instrument, you simply want something that will do those gigs for you competently and reliably, and perhaps something which will be easy to adjust to as an electric player. Taylor makes very good sense from this point of view.

Taylor pickups are not very well regarded, but make your own mind up about that. Look also at Furch, Yamaha, Takamine, and anything else that crops up in the price range,. 

stickyfiddle

I don’t love them as pure acoustic guitars but my old Taylor 214 was a great gigging guitar. Mine was an early solid-wood “Non-e” model with a Baggs M1A fitted 

bertie

stickyfiddle said:

I don’t love them as pure acoustic guitars but my old Taylor 214 was a great gigging guitar.  

and that my friend,  is the crux of all that has come before 

 

Cranky

Epiphone “inspired by Gibson” stuff is pretty good, widely available and should be around that budget.

And I like the aforementioned Yamaha recommendations.

For electronics specifically, I think Takamine is known for that specialty 

Stratavarious

Yamaha APX 600 or 700  or an FGX.

Loads of them around,  Reliable gigging guitars.  Try a few to find the keeper.

Some guitars (inc. Yamaha LL/LS) have pickups but no onboard controls.. so you might want to get one you can adjust live or you will need some pedals/floor box.

Pjon

Having played guitars for decades but never been in a band, or gigged, what makes a good gigging guitar? Simply it's sound in the mix of other instruments, or is there more to it?