Thinking of making a serious purchase for an acoustic to last the rest of my days

Don’t care for Taylors at all

Currently thinking Collings OM2H
Tried a lovely Martin D28

Virtually everything else I’ve tried has been lacking

Anything else to consider?

Any help gratefully received

Plum

Well it’s gotta be custom, and if it’s to last a lifetime then how about carbon fibre?

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3adi1DspZRQ[/video]

I bought a nice Norman that I’m really happy with. (A b20CW).

What size?

Jumbo B+ – Really makes the chords come alive.

Edit – Gibson Custom j45 – In cherry red. Coz’ everythings better in red.

PRS float your boat?

Don’t know much about guitars, but Martin Simpson does, and he likes them.

I bought this last year, it’s bloody lovely.
Terry Pack Guitars…

I’ll be luck to last another 20 years as I’m 50 now 😀

Parlour plus size – not jumbo

Custom…….mmmmm Atkins is tempting but I’d rather play something first before I buy

Not sure theres anything at the santacruz/Collings level that a custom build would be intrinsically better than

At the risk of turning the thread into an ace guitarist thread….

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuOInFIobCQ[/video]

whatever Trace uses!

Not the most expensive but I love my Simon & Patrick. Handmade in Canada and just plays and sounds beautifully

Something by Jimmy Moon perhaps?…

http://www.moonguitars.co.uk/

THe Glasgow Rose… a thing of beauty.

I played a takmine a wee while ago, really good guitar.

think it might have been one of these. Bit cheaper than you are looking at! 😆 Then again, I’ve never played a really expensive guitar!

http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Takamine-GF30CE-BLK-FXC-Cutaway-Electro-Acoustic-Guitar-Black/VC4

I have a Simon & Patrick that I bought when I was in Vancouver. It’s alright. Would prefer something from Martin or even a Gibson. Out of curiosity, what is the problem with a Taylor? Their better ranges with interesting tone woods are amazing sounding.

mmmm, nice. And it probably smells of coconuts as well! Why not?

Just buy a Martin D28 or Gibson J45.

Else you’ll just spend the rest of your life wishing you had. To me it’s something they got very right a long time ago.

If I had a significant sum I’d buy a vintage of either of the above and just love it till I died.

I’ve never played a Yamaha acoustic and been dissapointed in it.

I passed up on the opportunity to buy a secondhand Lowden some years ago. This was before they became another “factory” make. I was a fool, it was gorgeous They have now reverted to their original hand made best and cost a lot!

I always thought Taylors lacked that bit of something.

Thank you all for your feedback

Taylors are just too zingy to my ears – Tried a mahogany all round at the weekend and still the same issue

Played a beautiful D28 also on the weekend – second choice right now

PRS – don’t like the neck profiles

Played 3 lowdens – not quite as good as the D28 I played back to back with them and cost quite a bit more

Cheers all

Plum

slowoldman – I had a very similar experience – played a beautiful Guild acoustic. Massive body on it, amazing sound. Didn’t buy it, regretted it ever since.

Taylors tend to mellow with age and get a better tone in the mid-range as they mature but they take a lot of playing and can sound a bit too bright for some to start with.

I agree that a Martin would be the one to pick though.

It’s ridiculous, but I fell in love with a korean silver series squier and a £150 Crafter travel acoustic. I played (er, badly) pretty much everything when I was in the shops but these 2 just felt right immediately even though they cost about as much as the pickups in my old gibson.

Conclusion; this thread is pretty much worthless, play every guitar you can regardless of name or price, get the one you like the most. And don’t get “a” guitar, get the one you played.

Larrivee guitars – I have a parlour (P-03M mahogany), but I’ve had a play on a few in the range, and they are all lovely.

Or keep an eye out for older Japanese Takamines. They aren’t bad guitars these days, but if you can find one from the 70’s or early 80’s in good nick they are brilliant instruments.

I regret not buying a Faith a few years back when I had the spare cash.

As very much an “improving guitarist” (i.e. hopeless) I can’t add much in terms of specific advice but why buy something now with a view it will last forever, your taste, interests and likes may chance so buy what you want now and see how it goes.

Positive of this thread is it reminds me to get mine back in service as it looks longingly at me with its high E string missing.

Conclusion; this thread is pretty much worthless, play every guitar you can regardless of name or price, get the one you like the most. And don’t get “a” guitar, get the one you played.

well done buddy – completely missing the point of discussion

why buy something now with a view it will last forever, your taste, interests and likes may chance so buy what you want now and see how it goes.

I didn’t say forever I said to the end of my days

why buy something now with a view it will last forever

If it’s a really nice acoustic, it will always be ‘relevant’. That’s why I’d go for a D28, fashions come and go but they are just a classic. I can’t see it’d ever be wrong, and I couldn’t see myself selling one if I acquired one (have to make do with my Ovation :-)). I’m not very good at selling guitars either, just sort of add to them 🙂

If I had to buy one electric, for evva and evva I’d go buy a Strat, for the same reason. Personally I really like the so called ‘inferior’ CBS 3 bolt neck ones I’ve played. I don’t actually own a Strat, but as an answer to this question it’s where I’d look.

Ditto to the suggestion of a D28 or J45 – one of these is on my ‘to own hopefully quite soon’ list and from what I’ve played there really isn’t much else that combines the tone (most important) and the overall feel of the guitar (both aesthetically and playability).

I’ve played a Taylor GS which I have to admit sounded great, but Taylors always just feel really clinical – really not sure what it is but they just don’t appeal at all even though they higher series do sound incredible.

As an outside bet, the only acoustic I’ve personally played to come close to the D28/J45 is a Yamaha LL36 – absolutely stunningly good. I was hugely impressed; Yamaha are very underated for ‘serious’ guitars. The rest of the LL range is amazing as well depending on price you want to pay.

Brassneck – I concur

I don’t think any of these have been mentioned yet…

Taran

Brook

Fylde

I A/B’d a D18 & D-28 and preferred the D-18 but didn’t buy either, got a Taran on order 🙂

plumber – Member

well done buddy – completely missing the point of discussion

How so? Asking for alternatives is pretty much useless, looking for alternatives is worthwhile. If anyone suggests a guitar you couldn’t have tried in the flesh then it’s no help. And for this sort of decision, if you can try it in the flesh you already should have.

At the risk of turning the thread into an ace guitarist thread

Heh.. I get that kind of thing ^^^ in my head every time someone’s phone rings. Can last for days.

£150 Crafter travel acoustic

Whilst you lot are here – I’ve wanted a travel guitar for ages..

Being as it’s singletrackworld, I’m going to suggest what I’ve got as it’s clearly the best, so…

I’ve got a lovely Art & Luthrie Folk Cedar – size-wise, the body is pretty much the same size and shape as a classical. I generally dislike dreadnoughts, and find Jumbos a bit bottom heavy and boomy. This just sounds nice and balanced, and the cedar top makes it a bit less toppy than your typical spruce-topped acoustic. I’ve had it around 10 years or so and whilst the finish is looking a little tatty in places – hey, it’s been played quite a lot – it just seems to get better with every set of strings.

Art & Luthrie are part of the Godin group (see also Simon & Patrick, Seagull, Norman). Not a common brand over here – the group seem to have piled their efforts into Simon & Patrick in the UK. Art & Luthrie seem to – or certainly used to anyway – cater for the slightly more oddball end of the market where it isn’t all about a big brash spruce-topped dreadnought. Just my two penneth.

I passed up on the opportunity to buy a secondhand Lowden some years ago

my wife bought me a new Lowden 010 as an engagement gift before we got married back when they were still made in Bangor. It’s a bit like having a really high end bike – you know that you are unlikely to ever use it as it was meant to be but it is incredible to own. Even the simplest chords sound beautiful

Good luck in finding something. The good news is they will last a lot longer than a bike and going round playing lots of guitars is half the fun 🙂

brassneck – Member

why buy something now with a view it will last forever

If it’s a really nice acoustic, it will always be ‘relevant’.

But….there’s possibly a point at which your guitar, regardless of how great becomes “just your guitar”.

I went to guitar guitar with up to £600 to spend and walked out with an epiphone ej 200 at only £300….this was after trying about 10 closer to my original price and found the cheaper epi the best sounding to me and the comfiest!(even though its huge). If looking at 1500 to 2000 might be worth trying a few around the 1000 point just in case??

Martin D18 or D28
Gibson J45 or J50
Guild D50 or D55

No cutaways as acoustics with cutaways suck!

At a lower price point I went into a shop in the US with $500, tried a load, and bought one at $350. The difference in quality seemed to vary more with individual instruments than the price.

Seagull, since they were mentioned above.

I’m still looking for my next acoustic. Finding an electric is no problem because most manufacturers produce a modern C neck that’s about 42mm at the nut with medium jumbo frets. Acoustics often have fatter necks, a rosewood fretboard (I prefer maple) and small frets. Another problem in shops is that the guitars invariably have heavy strings on to make them sound better but they are horrible to play if you bend and do pull offs.

I tried some acoustics recently:

D28 nice folky sound but the neck is fatter than my Teles with frets that feel like they have been borrowed from a 100e guitar.

3 x Yamahas (the expensive ones with the passive pickups) the necks all fatter than I like but the dreadnought sounded very nice. One to try again.

A few Lags, none pleased my ears

Some obscure American brands (sorry Google isn’t helping), one 600e dreadnought pleased enough for me to want to go back and try it with my amp one day.

129e Black Fender – a real WTF moment. The neck felt good apart from sticky varnish that would require a bit of wire wool. Sounded OK in absolute terms and astonishing for the cash. The more expensive ones with a pre-amp were less convincing.

Current guitars are an Epiphone ej 200CE bk (see stevemuzzy above) which required work on the bridge and frrets to make it playable but has a neck that feels like a Les Paul. It beats all of the above for playability in my hands and sounds nicely Oassis. An old Sigma Martin: the neck is a fat V, the frets are too low/worn and the pre-amp hums; sounds nice unplugged, plays lousy, I should bin it.

Spend some time trying, take your own amp, ignore the brand names, ignore the price tags and buy the one that’s really easy to play and sounds the way you want. Get the salesman to play it so you can hear it from the front too.

Faith mercury eclipse parlour scoop was my last purchase

If any of you players get the chance, have a play on any of the furch.
Went to buy a Martin, didn’t.

I had a decent Taylor and flogged it and bought a Martin. The Martin sounds like what I want an acoustic guitar to sound like…the Taylor sounded like what I don’t want an acoustic guitar to sound like.

I have a Collings electric, and if the OP played a Martin and liked it, I would not assume the better build quality of the Collings will mean it’s a guitar you like more. I’ve only played a few Collings acoustics, but TBH, I just prefer Martins.

I’d also echo what Educator said…it’s very useful to get another player to play different options for you.