I'm primarily an electric player, but I really want to get another acoustic guitar. My first and only one through all my years of playing was a First Act MG-412. That should tell you about my experience. I really like how I can express myself through an amp, but living in an apartment I can only play amplified certain hours of the day. I remember what it was like to be able to sit around with an acoustic and play, there's nothing more intimate than that. Just you and the guitar. For whatever reason, I gave the First Act to someone else. It's been only recently that I really remembered how much writing I did with an acoustic. If it sounds good on that, it's gonna sound good plugged in was my thought.

Anyway, when a guitar says it's got laminated mahogany sides, what does that mean exactly? And how susceptible are acoustics to changes in seasons? I only have a Lucida LG-540 Classical right now and it's cheap and has done alright.

I have a list I'm going to look at, but I'd like some opinions on which ones may be better than others. I'm going to try to get back into playing live and I figure acoustic gigs are easy to come by and I need to start somewhere.

I've been looking at these in particular:
Fender CD100
Yamaha FG720SL
Washburn D10SLH
Fender CD140S
Fender Sonoran SCE

I think those are about it. If you guys can suggest others I can find left handed, I'll look into those too. Thanks for the help everyone.

What kind of price range are you looking at? Do electronics matter to you?

I think the best bang for your buck is the Epiphone Masterbuilt series. They play and sound amazing and are available in a variety of body sizes (folk, jumbo, dreadnought). You can also get most of them equipped with electronics, if memory serves me correctly.

Money is somewhat no object, I'm going to have in the neighborhood of $1900 I think (if my math and other factors are right). The only other guitar I'll be buying then is a Standard Strat and I'm fitting that with a few upgrades, so I've got about $1200 or so left over. Electronics aren't really that important, I can do without.

I think the Epi Masterbuilt series guitars are pretty good guitars for the money too (Masterbuilt series only). Of course they cost more than the guitars you listed above, but are probably worth it. Of those you listed above I'd narrow it down to the Yamaha FG720SL or the Fender Sonoran SCE.

Mahogany laminated sides means that a cheaper wood was used with just a mahogany veneer over the it, mostly for cosmetic purposes. However the sides are of much less importance to the tone of a guitar than the top-wood, and both of those are solid spruce top-woods. (I think the Washburn has a solid top too, but I'm not big fan of Washburns. A couple of my friends who have bought Washburns started having structural issues within months.)

One thing to keep in mind (if with or without electronics is of no importance to you) is that if you have two guitars that are the same price and one has electronics and one does not, since no money went into the cost of electronics during manufacturing of one of them, more money was probably spent on woods and construction on that one than on the other one that has electronics.

I've had the same 250 dollar Washburn acoustic since I began playing and it is one of the best guitars I've ever played. Store owners who've played it said if it had a different title on the head, they'd be selling it for considerably more than that. It does extremely well with seasons, works well with many, many different tunings (I change tunings regularly and deeply) and it is very faithful. Don't discount cheaper models until you've played them.

Alvarez, Alvarez, Alvarez!

Taylor... they are the real industry movers in the last few years..

Honestly I'm not a huge fan of most Taylor acoustics. They don't have the fullness of a Gibson or a Martin to me. That being said, I do want to own a T5 and one of their solidbodies.

Simon and Patrick make great guitars for the money, I love my CW Woodland Spruce to death and for 600 it is amazing. Since you like playing electric as well, the Godin A series are fantastic guitars as well, although more expensive but they play inbetween a solid body electric and an acoustic.

All my Taylors make my Gibson Custom Shop Limited Edition J185 sound rather "dull" but they are all 600 series or above.

A T5 is a better hybrid for acoustic music than electric. Although it work for some electric, I find that it produces too thin of a tone.

I am actually pining for a T3-B. I still have a T5 and I am debating on whether to trade it in for the T3-B. I rarely use the T5...it's either too "boomy" or not thick enough.

*shudder* I hate the way even high end Taylors feel.

I have yet to play a T3, but I'd love to get my hands around one. I love the T5 and the solid body series that they do. The necks a smooth, the action is nice and the tone is awesome. The few times I've gotten to play a T5, I didn't really get to let it stretch it's legs, but it'll be a while before I can even think about thinking about trying to afford one (a Mesa Mark V has to come first ).



Ditto that on all their acoustics. They just don't feel "right" to me.

That's perfectly fine w/ me. I have yet to hear anything bad about them from people who have played and heard them But then when your best guitar is a $250 Washburn, I can understand where you are coming from.

From a performance POV, I have noticed that Taylors are starting to dominate the stage in many venues both in the acoustic and electric arena.

Eesh, that came off as so arrogant. I guarantee you if you played the guitar you would notice how good it is. It's impossible to miss the quality. It's warm, has perfect action, and can sound deliciously bright with the right strings.

You expect any less from me? LOL

The thing is, I owned a Washburn D15....it was my first real steel string guitar. It sounds great when there is no other guitar around to compare it to, but sounds pretty "dead" when put up against an Ovation Elite (which is the guitar I got to replace the Washburn). This was all before I revised my collection and switched to Taylors for my acoustic interests.

You like ovation. This conversation has already been won by me.

An expensive (or even an inexpensive) guitar is like an expensive pair of boots or a nice set of golf clubs or a high end fishing rod or a (insert random hobby item here). What works for one person isn't going to work for another. I don't like how Taylors acoustics feel. I love how Gibson acoustics feel. Even the tone of the guitar is subjective. I feel like Taylors lack the low end bass punch of a good Gibson jumbo. Someone else might feel differently. Point is, it's all subjective.

That sums it up.

Everyone should play as many guitars as they can before they settle on the one they buy. (1) It should feel good...neck width, action, i.e. the entire setup should fit the player. (2) It should sound good to the owner. Some of us (myself included) prefer strong bass tones while others may prefer a little more treble twang. Even within manufacturers, there are subtle differences in the tonality due to the moisture content in the woods used, the precise shape of the tone bars, the neck materials and the strings. If at all possible, try the guitar with medium and heavy gauge strings to bring out the best of the tonal qualities. (3) It's like buying an automobile. Try it out, leave it alone for a few days, play alternatives, then come back. If it still feels and sounds right...buy it.

Good luck.

Jim

P.S. Consider adding to your collection. And by all means, keep the cheapies. They will make great slide guitars when the action becomes unplayable. By adding to your collection over time, you can switch to get a broad range of sounds. For example, I've got a Gibson J45 that gives me a great thumping bass for blues, a Martin D18 that is great overall, and a Taylor 900 series that has pretty good on-board electronics and a little "twangier" than the Martin or Gibson. But with these three guitars, I can find the tone I'm looking for most of the time.

Same with electrics...I love my Telecaster but sometimes I have to play the LP to get the blues sound I'm looking for.

I like their necks....I no longer like Ovation. Got rid of them all.

I totally agree. Construction design keeps me from getting a Martin. Other than that, I do like the tone of a broken in/opened up Martin, but they are hard to find. Maybe that is why Dan Tyminski plays w/ his Vintage Martin a lot, but I cannot afford those guitars.

Guild GAD-30's are very nice guitars, all solid wood, reliable tuners, nice action straight out of the factory, mine doesn't have a cut away (I don't find I need one) but I think you can get them with cutaways. Godin 5th Avenues are also very good guitars, especially if you're looking for something with a bit of a different look.