Acoustic Guitars for around $1000

Rich G.

Rich G.

Experienced
Starting to do some acoustic gigs and need (well... would like) a second acoustic guitar. My main one is a Taylor 314CE. What's worth considering out there?
 
I bought a used Guild for around that price and to me it offers a nice thick midrange that compliments the Taylor very well. Mine plays incredibly well too.
 
Stopped at the local music store tonight... Tried a few acoustics on the 'consumer' rack. Didn't like a single one. Went into the 'reserve' humidified room. They had about 20 different Martin/Taylor/Gibson's in there. Martin HD28 won the shootout. Taylor 514CE was in second. 3rd place kind of muddled together. Gibson was blah.

The Martin, however, was way beyond my price point.
 
Shopping for an acoustic guitar is a major undertaking. You have to hear the guitar to know what it sounds/feels like. Even different examples of the same make/model can sound different. And tastes are all over the map, so it's damn near impossible to go on someone's recommendation.

My cap was around $1500, so I chose a used Martin D35 after listening to dozens of guitars. I chose a used D1228 for my 12 string. I also have a Taylor 12 string that I like just as much...apples and oranges. I want to sell one of the 12 strings, but I can never decide which one I "like more". I also tried a Gibson Hummingbird that really sounded great. The Martin D45 sounded fantastic, but was too expensive for my budget.
 
steadystate said:
Shopping for an acoustic guitar is a major undertaking. You have to hear the guitar to know what it sounds/feels like. Even different examples of the same make/model can sound different. And tastes are all over the map, so it's damn near impossible to go on someone's recommendation.
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I totally agree. Just looking for some recommendations on what some might consider "diamonds in the rough". When I picked out my Taylor 314CE it was a whole day ordeal. I drove two hours to some larger stores. I tried every higher end guitar they had. I didn't go in with a budget. I went in with the mindset of picking out the best playing/sounding guitar I could find. I tried other 314's that day (and 914's), but this one stood out. I liked it over everything else I played that day.
 
Agree about variability - especially true for Maple bodies IMO. 618e, my favorite Taylor yet. Not $1k, but maybe with a 314ce trade...
 
I ALMOST pulled the trigger on a Kremona 7 string classical guitar, then a set of Yamaha Recording Custom drums, only to realize that what I REALLY needed at this time was an Axe FX II XL! You KNOW you want one! [emoji2]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Found my 414ce for about 1100 used at GC. I wasn't really looking, and just went along w/ a buddy who's a beginner and was going to pick out a $200 acoustic. Walked into the acoustic room, and picked up this one that was sitting there. Knew instantly I was buying it ;-) It just had the feel and sound that others didn't.
 
Well, I did it. Today is NGD!!!

What did I get?... It's sitting next to me... still in the box off the UPS truck... waiting for it to come up to room temperature before taking it out of the case. You're all going to have to wait with me. ;)

"soon" - Fractal Audio
 
Rich G. said:
Well, I did it. Today is NGD!!!

What did I get?... It's sitting next to me... still in the box off the UPS truck... waiting for it to come up to room temperature before taking it out of the case. You're all going to have to wait with me. ;)

"soon" - Fractal Audio
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....you muuuuutha **********a. :devilish:
 
Don't wait too long, I have been pondering all out global thermonuclear war and my finger poised on the button... SOON!

:lol
 
You may call me crazy (wouldn't be the first), but I bought an Epiphone Advanced Jumbo sunburst for $220.00 without case. It sounds GREAT! And it's very playable too (I slightly adjusted the truss rod and she was good to go).

This piece has my quite expensive Martin Steve Miller limited edition Pegasus 000-C (but with silk & steel strings, which are soft sounding) panned left and the the Epi panned right (with the stock strings, which appear to be some species of medium Phosphor Bronze). Both are recorded with a Mojave MA-300 mic through a Chameleon labs 7602 MkII X-Md preamp, into an apogee rosetta 8, into Samplitude. There's also an electric down the middle. When I solo the 2 acoustic tracks, the Martin has a slightly rounder, bigger bottom. The highs are absurdly similar...

I am just blown out by this guitar. It is full with out being boomy, articulate and sparkling without sounding strident. it's worth many times the purchase price. Granted, it has no on-board amplification, but I am planning on buying its new electrified cousin ($299) too. Sounds great and if someone breaks or steals it, my heart's not broken.


More info: Epiphone AJ220S and AJ220SCEA closer look.aspx

This is the new version which has a cutaway and onboard pup, tuner, preamp.

Sweetwater Epiphone AJ220SCE electric acoustic
 
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Rich G. said:
hahaaa!! Finally opened the case to check it out. It was an agonizing 5 hours.

I got a 2014 Martin D-35! It cost a bit more than I wanted to spend, but after playing a few different models I knew I wasn't going to be happy with anything less.

Here are some pics from the classified ad listing : For Sale: Martin 2014 D-35 [Sold Pending Payment] - The Acoustic Guitar Forum
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I love martins (I own two, one built in 1903), but I gotta say, I hope your quality is better than mine on the newer ones. That 'limited edition Steve Miller Pagasus', while sounding great, needed a bridge re-set. Some friends have had similar problems with Martins bought in since about 2003. I think Martin's quality had really dropped in the last 10 years. Still sound great, but the construction appears less robust. I hope they've turned that around.

Enjoy it. I still think Martins blow Taylors etc. away easily.
 
funny_polymath said:
I love martins (I own two, one built in 1903), but I gotta say, I hope your quality is better than mine on the newer ones. That 'limited edition Steve Miller Pagasus', while sounding great, needed a bridge re-set. Some friends have had similar problems with Martins bought in since about 2003. I think Martin's quality had really dropped in the last 10 years. Still sound great, but the construction appears less robust. I hope they've turned that around.

Enjoy it. I still think Martins blow Taylors etc. away easily.
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So far so good! I looked it over very closely. Visually I can't see any flaws. It's been played as is evident from the slight fret wear, but other than that it is impeccable. As for set up, the B string nut slot depth could stand to be a little bit lower. The action is a little higher than I like, but we'll see how it is once I get some lighter strings on it. The 13's presently on it are a little stiff for my tastes. the Grover tuners feel a little 'grindy'. I've had Grovers on other guitars and they don't feel quite like this. The end screws on the tuners might be a little tight. The neck feels thinner and narrower than my 314CE. That was a little strange to me- I thought it would be a little thicker. Well see though- it could just be my perception because of the heavier strings.
 
long story short-
Was going to spend thousands on a 514ce
played 300 guitars blindfolded-
3 best taylors were 110 210 214ce
bought and tried several of each til i found the best in the world...

So- if you have a 314ce we're already on the same page- BUT my suggestion would be to maybe get another but with a dreadnaught shape instead of the '14 shape-
so you'd want a Taylor that ends in 10
110 210 310

Given its live you'll need an E for electric

BUT see if you can get by WITHOUT the cutaway- the cutaway makes a huge difference on tone

So Try a 110E 210E 310E
and if you have to have to have to have a cutaway- get a 110CE 210CE or 310CE


Not one martin or gibson made the top 10-they sound and play awful

$1000 on a martin gets you glued cardboard and formica- *they call it high pressure laminate- makes it sounds fancy
 
Nice guitar!

Shopping for acoustics can be very time consuming. I spent months many decades ago looking for my first quality guitar. I ended up buying a 93 Taylor 810 and have yet to come across a better sounding dreadnaught. I hope you enjoy your choice as much as I have mine. Keep it humidified! :)
 
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