Topic: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

Hi, Gotta really old Yamaha FG-410, acoustic, bit tinny and bashed around. Can't afford a Maton,Taylor etc. Any advice on a mid range acoustic. Love the sort of tone Keith Urban gets.
Cheers

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

Um... try Takamine or Martinez . Also,  Fender make some fairly cheap acoustic.

And Keith Urban is awesome.

"Where you begin doesn't matter. Your willingness to start is what counts."
Without music life would be a mistake.
Country music is three chords and the truth.
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Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

I use Vintage guitars by John Hornby Skewes

http://www.jhs.co.uk/vintageelectric.html

My fave is the V300 Mahogany at just over £200.  Great for blues, folk and country.  Put a set of Dean Markley Goldphos on and be amazed at the bass this little baby kicks out!

4 (edited by naolslager 2011-09-02 10:57:56)

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

pakace,
Are you in the U.S.? If so, your choices are many. What is a "midprice" price for you? (For me this means $500-1000.)

For now, my first suggestion is to get a solid top guitar. I believe the Yamaha you have is all laminate construction. There is nothing wrong with this but a solid top might yield the sound you are looking for. And, on the used market, these can be purchased for around $150, sometime even lower.

Do you want/need electronics, i.e. do you expect to plug into an amp, etc?
dj

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

Get rid of your old strings.  New strings = new life many times.  Get rid of the .10s that Yamaha ships with.  Forget about them.  They sound tinny on anything.  Put .11's on that Yamaha, either D'Addario Silk & Steel ($8) or Elixir nanowebs ($15).  Put on a Tusq saddle ($11), and if you can afford someone else to install it a Tusq nut too.  Replace the string pins with some bone or brass ($20).   This is all stuff you can do at home and the most challenging part is sanding down the bridge.  For $40 bucks or so you'll have a sound coming out of that Yamaha you never expected. 

If you don't want to do that, then try Seagull, Alvarez, Takamine, Michael Kelly, Blueridge, Ovation and anything else you can get your hands on.  And don't completely discount Taylor and Martin.  Taylor has the 110 and Martin has the X series with a solid wood top in about the same price range as some of these other brands. 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

Thanks for really helpful responses. Im in Australia and i think because of taxes etc, we pay heaps more for new guitars than U.S.
I think fender and ibanez bring out guitar /amp packages that may be worth a try.
One thing i'll definately be getting is a hardcase. Nothing worse than sittin on a plane watchin the baggage guys throw ur guitar around like a football.
G,day to all.

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

Remember to get an in-guitar humidifier too.  They run about $20 in the states.  Having your guitar properly humid inside makes a big difference in its tone. 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

pakkace wrote:

Thanks for really helpful responses. Im in Australia and i think because of taxes etc, we pay heaps more for new guitars than U.S.
I think fender and ibanez bring out guitar /amp packages that may be worth a try.
One thing i'll definately be getting is a hardcase. Nothing worse than sittin on a plane watchin the baggage guys throw ur guitar around like a football.
G,day to all.

Don't  buy a package deal.  Buy the best solid top guitar you can afford then move on to accessories such as amp.  A cheap amp will not inspire your play.  I like Alvarez, Washburn and Takamine in the mid range costs.  The Takamine though is a narrower neck than the others and that may help you decide.  Again, solid top and don't be afraid to buy used.  Just check that there are no issues such as fret wear, cracks.  An older guitar with new strings will be just as nice as a new one.

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

Welcome pakkace and let us know what you come up with. We're always interested in new purchases.  If you tell us what your price range might be, we might be able to give you some better advice.

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I have finally found happiness in my life.  Guitars, singing, beer and camping.  And they all intertwine wonderfully.

10 (edited by dino48 2011-09-03 16:33:38)

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

I have had good playing experiance with my yamaha guitar,for an acoustic I would chose something by Takamine. for electric You can get some great deals on fender strats made in mexico,or T he Epiphone's are good,the epiphone dot is a great  guitar for the money! I recommend going to a music store and trying out guitars hands on ,you will know if it feels good and what it sounds like.I do not buy a guitar online,you never know you might come up with something cheaply priced so try alot of them.

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

I agree with Acoustic about the Washburns. They have amazingly low action, combined with a thin neck. Very playable, and excellent sound, and priced reasonably. They look good, too!

Hank's prosepctive gutiar player said: "Mr Williams, I'm not sure I can play for you, the onliest chords I know are C D & G"
Hank repleis, after a short pause: "Well, what else is there?"

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

I am partial to yamaha myself and my daughter is partial to her Ibanez.Why dont you try out everything the music store has to offer in your price range,and decide for yourself.Nobody has to play it but you.Also dont worry about what it says on the headstock.If you like it,then it is a great guitar.

Enjoy Every Sandwich
Nothing In Moderation  -- Live Fast. Love Hard. Die Young And Leave A Beautiful Corpse. -- Buy It Today. Cry About It Tomorrow.

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

Hi Pakkace, welcome aboard. Many great suggestions above. In your search for

  that ultra weapon to bedazzle the world with your musical expressions consider

  a Crafter. My latest weapon of choice. Price is good. Quality, tone, and playability

  nice. I am very pleased with my TO35EQ/N.    Good luck!     Mike

Our intuitions serve us well

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

Determine your budget, then go play as many guitars in that price range as you can find.  One of them will speak to you.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

jerome.oneil wrote:

Determine your budget, then go play as many guitars in that price range as you can find.  One of them will speak to you.

NUFF SAID!!!!!!!! Best advice I've heard.

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

recegntly played a morgan monroe acoustic made in china at a local shop that was really nice.  it played warm when easy on the pick and it really cut when picked hard.   about 400.00   unusual for most guitars i have played.. also concur with playing as many as you can. I have a wf mitchell md100 thats about 10 years old that i really like and put out only 200 for it.  Have played other mitchell md100s and they don t measure up to my old one. I wouldn t trade mine for a Martin or a taylor... but thats just my personal taste in the sound from the guitar.   no two acoustics ever sound exactly the same to me and i have played some bad sounding $1000.00+ guitars.   You ll know when the right lady is on your lap and singing to you....   good luck and good pickin

may your strings sing you a light on those cold dark lonely nights
the only two things in life that make it worth living
guitars that tune good and strings that sing

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

Washburn D10. Best money I ever spent.I put some medium lights on and the tone and sustain is brill. I had an old Boston before that and it sounds like a centurion tank compared to the Washburn.
Cheers. John.

18 (edited by Greatbigdave 2011-11-10 13:21:23)

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

I did the same as you last weekend! Went into the shop with cash so I couldn't over spend and played everything I could afford. Ended up with a Breedlove Atlas. It is absolutely wonderful. I can thoroughly recomend them.

"We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own." (Ben Sweetland)

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

Greatbigdave wrote:

I did the same as you last weekend! Went into the shop with cash so I couldn't over spend and played everything I could afford. Ended up with a Breedlove Atlas. It is absolutely wonderful. I can thoroughly recomend them.

Great choice.

I love my Atlas.  Their customer service is top shelf, too.

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BBkOYPJaiiU/S7F-zs5J0TI/AAAAAAAAC6M/0fGkiea5NNE/s720/DSC_3171-37.jpg

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

You are obviously a man of great taste!!
Have to say, the tone is up there with any guitar I've heard in any price range and the build quality is superb.
Very happy bunny!

"We cannot hold a torch to light another's path without brightening our own." (Ben Sweetland)

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

guitar center has a martin d 16 gt for 999.  medium price. lifetime investment

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

memphismusician wrote:

guitar center has a martin d 16 gt for 999.  medium price. lifetime investment

$999 is medium priced? I guess it depends on who's budget your dealing with but for me that's expensive.

Keep Rockin!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

I like the basement walls Jerome.  I used to have my basement painted to look as if it were the bottom of a pool - blue with the wavy lines all over it.  Then it got flooded.  When the damage was repaired and the basement remodeled, I told my wife we should paint piles of money and gold coins on the walls. 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

HI  this was a decission I had to make to , allready owning  a Tanglewood Strat .  I wanted to play Dylan , Cohen and this  time of year play carols and stuff .
A friend of mine had bought an acoustic, but never got to play so I  bought it from her .
It is a EAST COAST 6 STRING , and they ae available  secondhand around £60 cant recommend it enough try  Ebay.

Just to mention if anyone is thinking of buying , Blues Guitar  Unleased -----go for it

Regards
Mel Majors

Wakefield / west  Yorkshire

Re: Wanna buy midpriced acoustic! Any advice.

Personally, I'd avoid cheap Fender acoustics. Cheap and nasty. I tried a Breadlove in one of our local guitar shops. I plugged it into a Marshal accoustic amp. It sounded lovely. I'm not too keen on the look of it but it's a great guitar to play.

Steve Fairclough works with Breedlove guitars. He does exhibitions and guitar fairs etc, for them. He has his own brand of guitars, "Fairclough" priced between about £200 to £400 depending on model. They are a ery nice range of guitars for their price.

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They're really saying, "I love you"
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