I bought one of these about 30 years ago when I was a student. I haven’t played it for many years, preferring my electric guitars. Been thinking I want a half decent acoustic around the house, so wondering if the S&P fits the bill. I can’t say I love it but with some new strings, and lowering the action, could it be an ok guitar? Is it a good guitar I wonder? Not even sure what gauge strings to put on it. I’ve got GAS for an acoustic but for once I’m trying to make myself do the right thing and make do with what I’ve got! I realise I haven’t really asked a specific question here! But if anyone has any opinions or advice? Thanks.
Comments
Perfectly adequate workmanlike instruments, usually with solid tops - some spruce, some cedar - and cherrywood back and sides as far as I recall.
How light are your strings on your electric guitars? If you're used to 9's, I'd try a 10 - 48 set on the S&P, just to get used to playing it again; then maybe later go up to 11's or 12's.
It's like a 30-years-on NGD!
so i’d say give it a good go, experiment with strings to suit your style of playing, and you might get a great guitar from it, as well as a load of memories from when you started out
You can get kits
e.g. lemon oil and a duster and a little micromesh abrasive cloth for the frets
The cedar ones have a 'soft' old-guitar type of tone to them - I don't normally like cedar as much as spruce, but with these it seems to work better, the spruce ones sound a bit flat by comparison. The cedar ones work better for fairly gentle playing styles than loud chord bashing in my experience.
I would clean it up, string it with probably 10s or 11s, get the action down if it needs it, and it should be a pretty nice home guitar.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
My father-in-law has an SP6 Cedar, really nice guitar. But as mentioned the top marks very easily.
Cedar is warm with nice mid range. Better to keep decent strings on them to keep some brightness.
I have the 'Pro Mahogany' which has survived quite a lot of use and abuse over 20 years. It's definitely a step up in tone and I've struggled to replace it to be honest.
Strings though, I think, well certainly the pro version sounds best with 12's or 13's, I don't think 10's would be really be getting that big dread body moving enough. The Cedar is a little more sensitive I suppose.