Flat Top Acoustic to consider within 1000 budget?

[raywongks]

Hello! Which Flat top acoustic Guitar you think is solid built sound good and play well, hmmm... or simply you like or even love within a budget of USD1,000?

Why you will buy this one if you choose this?

Have a nice day!

[tjcurtin1]

Boy - that is opening up a can of worms! There are so many possibilities. It depends a lot on what kind of music you like to play, what body/neck size is comfortable for you, and of course, what kind of sound you have in mind. My first love is my rosewood dreadnought (Tacoma) for it's big, warm sound, but lately I'm loving a little Recording King ROS-06 triple 0 style guitar I got, which is both amazingly easy and a lot of fun to play, with a great sound for traditional fingerstyle blues - and it goes for $300. I am blown away by this little guitar (very comfortable to play on the couch) and can't believe it for the price. But nowadays, for under $1000, you have hundreds of great choices. I'd start by going out and trying lots of guitars - or, as a new player, go with a friend who plays well and have him/her do tryouts for you - you'll hear what you like best, and they can advise on playability pros and cons. Have fun searching!

[raywongks]

(Duplicated post, self-deleted.) : )

[raywongks]

Hello tj, I like warm clear bright sound, is this possible? I am med-big body built early forties new starter.

I would like to learn and practice on this one for the scales, chords, basic guitar technique & be able to play some popular songs.

If I progress well, I plan to get a Gibson 335 for my jazz interest, I don't know how many years I need to get there anyway.

I went to the shop yesterday, the guy are nice so far to demonstrate some models to me. I like the "thicker strings" sound on a 500 dollar Martin. The "thinner strings" sound on a 250 dollar Ibanze is good.

I am also reading many info from the web and also need players and experts like you guys do for input. My guitar playing friends are just too busy these days.

But please do not recommend by my preference, I'd like to know why you like your's of it is under $1,000.

Thanks for reading and input! Nice day!

[Bookkeeper's Son]

Have you considered buying an inexpensive guitar to learn on? That way, you can be learning and playing and at the same time be learning about different guitar brands, models, types, necks, shapes, etc..

Your question simply has no easy answer. And why I like mine is of really no use to you, if you really think about it. I have a Hagstrom (Chinese) grand auditorium that I paid $179 for, and it's great. It's pretty, nice-sounding and easy to play. In my mind, something like it would be absolutely perfect for the first year or so of play. And during that year, you'd be looking at guitars on the web and playing different ones in stores, and by then have a MUCH better idea of what you're looking for in a more expensive instrument.

[marnold***]

My son got a Washburn wd10sce which is a very nice inexpensive flattop. The Washburns come in a variety of tops so you can see (or, more appropriately, hear) which one you like best.

[sunvalleylaw]

I will just answer for me. I like the Martin sound and feel, and like the line of guitars that Martin has new for about a grand plus or minus. You will want to try a few and see which woods you like. The woods the guitar is made with make a difference in tonal quality. i am a rosewood sound guy, others prefer the mahogany sound. Here is a link to the mahogany one: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Martin-C...00-i1148341.gc

Or, you could do what I did and buy used. I got a martin SPD-16TR, which has a bit more bling and originally sold for quite a bit more than a grand. http://www.dreamguitars.com/sold-gui...pd16tr_581077/ I think you can find new ones that will be just fine, or you can keep your eye out for a used D-16, 18, or even 28. The D-28s are a bit more expensive typically, but that is the typical Martin sound I wanted, so I found a blinged up D-16 for less. In answer to your question of why: It has the sound and look I want, and makes me forget about wanting a much more expensive guitar. click on the "Media" tab in the link to my guitar, and it has a recording of what the guitar sounds like in the hands of a much better player than I. http://www.dreamguitars.com/sold-gui...pd16tr_581077/ So that is why. I think you can get that sound out of the new ones that GC sells for a grand also if you play a few.

So play a few, and find one that really speaks to you!

[sunvalleylaw]

One other thing, here is a link to the one that MF and GC had that was rosewood back and sides for a grand. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...coustic-guitar GC still has this one: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Martin-D...33-i1171362.gc Longtime member Tone2theBone got one a couple years ago and loved it. If you like the rosewood sound, and can find a good used one, I bet you would like it. But again, everyone likes a different sound. Mahogany guitars are less "scooped" and bassy in their sound, being a bit more balanced overall. Think D-18 vs. the rosewood D-28. So again, try some out and see what you like.


Here is Tone's thread when he bought his: http://www.thefret.net/showthread.ph...ghlight=Martin

I do support your getting a good acoustic even if you are starting out. The difference between a couple hundred dollar acoustic, and one that is more like 800-1000 can big significant, and of course there is the used market. And for me, I am not ashamed to say that I like that Martin sound. YMMV!.

[Tig***]

There are some great choices in the sub $1000 range out there. Perhaps too many. When I've shopped for under $500 acoustics, the Guild guitars between $550 and $950 were awesome, but just out of reach. Take a quick look at some of them that my local shop has: http://www.dannyd.com/guild-1/

My other suggestion comes after I bought a Talor GS Mini. This little $500 guitar has a big, clear and very warm sound to it and is the easiest to play acoustic I've ever touched. If you have a Taylor dealer nearby, try the GS Mini out. I love mine so much I'd consider buying another Taylor, which for some reason, I never had an interest in before.
Check out the below $1000 models Sweetwater has:
http://www.sweetwater.com/c600--6_St...MDAwMDA5Il19fQ

[ronbo]

Just some of the REALLY great guitars that can be found under $1K...You'll get plenty of folks pushing the Martin/Gibson/Taylor lines, but I think their higher priced models are where these companies excel..

Here are some of the mfg's I've played in the last year that are noteworthy and really giving the big guys a run for their money:

Recording King - Most are very nice and you can get all-solid wood, Ebony fretboard and bridge and Adi-top for under $1K...I have had 3 very nice examples, still have 1. They're really into vintage designs also...
Eastman - better builds and woods than RK, but the nice ones are approaching $1K (~$800 used) - I have 1 and another on order, very good quality.
Blueridge - Well built, nice woods, very reliable, Don't own one...yet! Have played about 15 of them and they are a great value and player.
The Epi Masterbuilts (AJ, DR and EF) - All very nice although I think you can only find the DR Dreadnaughts new now, but plenty of AJ's and EF's in the used market now.
PRS has some nice models, the Angelus is getting some great reviews
Aria, Alvarez-Yairi, Higher priced Yamaha's (FG series in particular) are all good names to look for...
A new company called Teton is putting out some exceptional, mostly laminate back/side models that play and sound fantastic, even a couple with Cedar tops (very sweet sounding), you'll never guess they're laminates!
Tanglewood out of the UK are making some awesome sounding models
Good old Washburn is still at it!
Guild's GAD series have been pretty good players, at least the few I've tried

These are just the ones I've played, I'm sure there are more....good to live in these times with so many options!

[Duffy]

Yamaha A1M or A1R. I have a LJX6. Sensor type not piezo pickups on these.
https://www.manisguitarshop.com/pub/...tidijK5304.jpg

[Eric***]

Give this thread a read, specifically the post I linked to.

[markb]

Give this thread a read, specifically the post I linked to.

Hey, I wrote that!

I haven't found any more brands to add. But there is a lot of nice new stuff out there. Those Yamaha A series look good especially the no piezo bit. Me? I just have my J45 and it does everything I could want from an acoustic guitar. It did take a back seat to a nice (and cheaper model) Blueridge for a while which was insanely good for a laminated body.

[kidsmoke*]

If I'm not mistaken, the original poster is an absolute beginner guitarist, and the pragmatist in me just can't encourage him to spend more than a couple hundred bucks on his very first guitar. Ok...lets say a few hundred bucks...

I started playing in my mid 30's at a point when I could have spent a little money on a guitar. I knew NOTHING about guitars and bought an old ALvarez off of a coworker for $100. I needed a neck reset and the action was ridiculous above the 5th fret, but I didn't even realize any of this initially. Turns out that 100.00 was sound investment. I started lessons and played that guitar for a year. At that time it was apparent I was gonna stick with it and I went to have the guitar looked at because I was wanting to move up the neck etc....I was told in no uncertain terms that given the condition/value...even a set of strings was an extravagance for this guitar...that set me off in search of a new, serious instrument....now here's the rub...

I went shopping with a frame of reference. I understood action. I understood neck comfort. I had a "baseline" for sound. I could now play maple/mahogany/rosewood and put it in context of what I was playing for myself, and make an informed decision.

We've narrowed it down to only a couple hundred models of guitars with our recommendations, and odds are the first one he gets will be fine, but...

I dunno, if money is no object, go for it, I suppose. Had I been handed a D-28 by my co worker all those years ago, I'd probably still be playing it.

My suggestion is to find a Washburn or a Breedlove or an Epi masterbuilt on craigslist for 400.00 or less...take a friend to look at it who can check the neck angle and the frets and look for a twisted neck etc....and play that for a year or two. When you know you'll be sticking with it, find a shop at some point when you yourself are a bit of a player and spend an hour moving from guitar to guitar, and find the one the makes you pause and smile and repeat again and again and again...note the materials etc and then when the time comes, you know what type of guitar suits you.

To me it's kind of like saying to a 10 yr old..."son, when you're ready, marry a size 2 blonde". Size 2 blondes are wonderful. No doubt, but maybe not for everyone. You gotta date. find out what works for you. Forgive the analogy but I think you get what I mean.

[Duffy]

I played some nice APX models that were very compact, not cheap either.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...lectric-guitar
[IMG]http://origin-static.musiciansfriend...02_black_V.jpg[/IMG]

[Bookkeeper's Son]

But....but...but.....Tio, guitar forums aren't about pragmatism; they're about buying stuff.

I cannot count how many times I've seen people give up on learning how to play guitar, and in absolutely none of those cases was the guitar itself the reason. The ones who went on invariably purchased other guitars, whether it was for better ones or different ones. Would you tell someone who wanted to take up skiing to go out and buy equipment, or would you tell them to rent it for the first x times in order to find out if it was something that might be worth investing equipment money in? Same with any proposed hobby - start out slow and go from there. I'd really hate to see someone buy a $1000 guitar, only to be stuck with it later because it didn't pan out.

Like Tio, I started learning on a major POS (in hindsight, of course), in my case, a borrowed guitar. When I was ready, I got something better. Today's player is way luckier than I was in the 60s - we had the choice of junk Harmonies and Kays vs expensive pro-grade instruments. Now there are so many inexpensive good-playing guitars to choose from; it's a lot easier and a lot less risky for a beginner.

[raywongks]

Hello all! : )

Finally, I decided to go with a easier budget one. I pick this one up on my way home today, a Washburn WD7, 200 dollar, it sound okay. Started working with a guiding book, started on the 1st, 2nd string, just BCDEFG notes. The 10,000 hours clock started now. It is fun!

Have a nice day everyone!

[Eric***]

If I'm not mistaken, the original poster is an absolute beginner guitarist, and the pragmatist in me just can't encourage him to spend more than a couple hundred bucks on his very first guitar. Ok...lets say a few hundred bucks...

This is all reasonable and nicely articulated. But as BS says, it's not too common to take that measured approach when it comes to guitar forums. I swear I've tried to give similar advice before and have actually been reprimanded for it.

More than anything though, I think a lot of people don't want to bother with the journey. They like the image of playing guitar and don't care about the details of how different woods sound in an acoustic. People buy what they want.

I hope the OP takes your advice and buys something under $300 to start. Getting a solid guitar is an important part of learning, but I'd want to know what I wanted before I shelled out the cash.

Update: looks like I was writing this while the OP was updating. That seems like it will serve you well while you get oriented.

[raywongks]

Hello Eric, yes I am updating, I am happy with my purchase and couldn't wait to practice more!

Thank you all for the input and yes, a good basic solid one is a nice starter!