Guitar Recommendations (v2.0)

Eh, what do you know, my first guitar, a Yamaha FX-335, broke the other day! Probably lasted 15 years or more. Bridge peeled off and really, there's no point in gluing it back. In fact, it already fell off. So I'm moving the pickup and preamp to my dad's old TAKA classical guitar just for the hell of it. I'll probably do a funeral thing in toss the damn thing in a bonfire when I get the chance.

Anyways, I need a new acoustic guitar! I'm already anxious as fuck without an acoustic on hand and I seriously don't want to keep randomly going to my local shop and annoying the owners whenever I go over to try guitars.

Anyways, here are the details: I have a budget topping $750. I'm going for a 000 rather than a D just because a 000 feels so much better in size (I wouldn't be against a 00 either) and, from what I've tested, sounds more to my liking. So far, I've narrowed my choices to two guitars within sight and am able to test:

• Martin 000-RS1
• Ibanez AVC6

I need to go to Hollywood to try out the Ibanez again, but I think I remember it feeling a bit clunkier, but I could be wrong. I tested the RS1 (sepele) against another Martin with a solid sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides, and it sounded a bit sharper. However, after A/B'ing the two, I noticed I liked the bassier sound of the sepele. Also, the sitka wood felt really weak,so I decided against that.

By the way, please excuse me, but guitar woods are not my strong suit.

If you want a reference sound, I really enjoyed the sound of Chris Carraba's Martin from when he demo'd it in a Rig Rundown. I just love that sharp, crisp sound.

I'm sort of not in a hurry because I'm probably going to make my purchase by next month rather than sooner. Have at it!

Three strongest brands for acoustic lovers in OZ are Martin, Maton and Cole Clark.... with Taylor tagging along.

Not sure if they blip on your radar.... or if they are too far out of price range.

get the martin! Ibanez? well lets just say the Ibanez QC facility is not far from my house and the Martin factory is about an hour and change away and having been insdie both places many times, I know which I would buy after having had my Yamaha's bridge peel up (which, by the way, is an easy repair).

generally: crisp, detailed top with a round lowend punch? solid maple top.... bright and ultra jangly, zingy, thumpy? laminate top... warm, detailed mids, subdued treble and rich, smooth bass that you have to dig into to get the ebst tone out of? cedar top... s the sepele top solid or laminate? I though sapele was in the maple family of hardness and brightness because tis quite dense so laminating it would be pretty zingy

but the back, sides, neck, fingerboard and bracing style play into it and different combinations of these variables in different body sizes/shapes will present differently as well.... not to mention that every piece of wood is a lil different

just go play a bunch of martin 000s, try a taylor for reference and maybe try a seagull as well (they use crazy woods that sound great and alternative glues but are fantastic value for dollar and have a lot of sub-dread models).... if you see an used guitars form the 80s and 90s try them. Epiphone USED TO make a great acoustic back in their MIJ days.... OLD yamahas are great and really affordable.... like 80s Yamaha dreadnoughts are killer.

anyway

Ironically, the Martin that I want at the shop has a missing endpin. There isn't even a cover, it's just a small hole!

I'll see if I can try some more guitars within the next few days. Thank you for you guys' advice.

The greatest sounding acoustics I've heard in person were either Taylor or Takamine.

Ironically, the Martin that I want at the shop has a missing endpin. There isn't even a cover, it's just a small hole!

stuff happens in transit or when the idiots at the store are changing strings, I'm sure it had an endpin when it left the plant.... not really a tough fix either

Reading without glasses I thought that said in PRISON.

Well, today was pointless...

I went to Hollywood and I expected a wide array of guitars, but only found a few smaller bodies. I did find a Taylor with a Sitka spruce top, and that peaked my interedt a bit, but eh.

I have even more incentive to get that RS1, now. Maybe I'll try some where else another day.

Reading without glasses I thought that said in PRISON.

wait, all this time I thought Boom used to work as a prison guard so he was demoing guitars in prison.... you mean he just plays them in stores like the rest of us?

I did work in the prison system for a few years, and I DID play a bass for a few minutes once when I was left alone in the instrument locker during a search, but I also play instruments in guitar stores. Three points if you guessed all of it correctly.

yessir, give me 3 points

Dang... I went with prison bitch... aggressive fingering... stops at g string...

More like prison bully, aggressive fingering, stops at B string.