| Author | Message | ||
     Psychomom Citizen Username: Psychomom Post Number: 569 Registered: 5-2005  |
I have a Seagull, love the sound but A. the jack is always coming loose and sending a crackling static sound at the most inopportune times and B. the battery is a pain in the neck to change, hard to reach, have to take strings off, hard to snap in and out of the holder. So I saw Guitar Center was advertising some of the low end Martins for $500-700 Does anybody have any pros or cons on the Martins or recommendation for similar priced instruments? | ||
| martin leys Citizen Username: Martin_leys Post Number: 5 Registered: 6-2005 |
I have a nylon string Alvarez that I think is good - I got it at Millburn Music - worth a look I think | ||
| Jay Citizen Username: Jaymon Post Number: 1253 Registered: 10-2004  |
What sort of music do you play and what are you attempting to do? If most of what you play is acoustic, maybe you should just get a good pickup installed. If you are playing electric stuff, maybe you want a hollow body one like a Gibson? I've never played one, but Ibanez makes a few good ones as well - Bob Weir swears by them. My recomendation is to take a trip out to Mandolin Brothers and see what they think. (This was not a plug for them in any way) | ||
| Psychomom Citizen Username: Psychomom Post Number: 583 Registered: 5-2005 |
I play in a contempory Praise and Worship type band in our church. Music ranges from some loud rocky numbers to soft meditative ballads, all acoustic. I currently own an electric acoustic so getting a pickup is not the issue. I electrify so that it can fill the hall, church room is quite large and all the guitars are plugged into the sound system and EQ'd by the sound guy. I don't like the sound of nylon strings on the type of music we play...it's ok for the soft stuff but I like a brighter sound when we are doing more uptempo pieces. Where is Mandolin Brothers? | ||
| dano Citizen Username: Dano Post Number: 251 Registered: 5-2001 |
Staten Island | ||
| Jay Citizen Username: Jaymon Post Number: 1256 Registered: 10-2004 |
Nylon strings? Huh? There are many acoustic steel string guitars out there with the electronics set up for you already. Rock on! OMG, did I just say that??? | ||
| Ukealalio Citizen Username: Ukealalio Post Number: 2605 Registered: 6-2003 |
Mandolin Bros. is about the best string instrument dealer in the country, however this is if you're looking for a high end instrument. For a medium range acoustic /electric, you may want to check out Takamine, they are imported from Asia but are very popular with a lot of professionals. If you want to go high end, try a Taylor with a 3 pick up blender (too bright for my taste but some people love em) or a Wechter with the 3 pick up blender system. | ||
| martin leys Citizen Username: Martin_leys Post Number: 6 Registered: 6-2005 |
The only way to find out is to play a few - I like my Alvaraez becuase it speaks to me - great tone and response on the instrument, whereas I find Takamine and Yamaha to be dead but as you know only you can know the right instrument for you. The guitar player in the local group Madison has a blond Washburn hollow body semi-accoustic which cost him around $200 new which he loves, so if your are thinking about the hollow body route that instrument is worth considering also. | ||
| Duncan Supporter Username: Duncanrogers Post Number: 6912 Registered: 12-2001  |
For what you describe you could be well served by the Ibanez hollowbody. I have one and it can shread on the one hand and I can fingerpick on the other. Yes Mandolin Brothers is the shrine, but for something like you are looking for I don't think you need to go to SI to find the guitar you need. | ||
| Soda Supporter Username: Soda Post Number: 4135 Registered: 5-2001  |
 -s. | ||
| leslie Citizen Username: Leslie Post Number: 8 Registered: 3-2003 |
I have a Takamine and it sounds beautiful. The sound is full and bright when plugged in or unplugged. Leslie | ||
| Chasm Citizen Username: Chasm Post Number: 345 Registered: 6-2001  |
I have 2 Ovations - one deep bowl, and one shallow. I love them both, and they sound great. Some people can't get used to the round back however (it does take some getting used to, but now it's second nature). I have used the Ovations in live settings, and they sound fantastic, very natural. Also, the shallow bowl is very comfortable. I also have a Yamaha electri-classical guitar (not bad) and my current favorite a Fender steel body resonator. I am now looking at all-wood guitars, and I think the Martins are quite nice in the 500-700 price range. The seem to sound great from day one (no reason they shouldn't!) The Takamine's I've tried did not impress me. | ||
| LazyDog Citizen Username: Lazydog Post Number: 373 Registered: 6-2005  |
you might want to take a look at elderly.com, they frequently have good quality used guitars. | ||
| Veritas Ultimo Citizen Username: Veritas_ultimo Post Number: 53 Registered: 12-2005 |
Guitar Center has a good selection and you can pretty much try any guitar under $3,000.00 with no one bothering you. Mandolin Brothers is a very interesting place to go but you do not need to go to Staten Island to get a guitar. Be aware that most of the lower priced Martin guitars sound fine but have the satin finish on the body instead of gloss (for manufacturing cost reasons).If you are using the electric output, then this finish can sometimes cause noise from the instrument rubbing against you. If you try Guitar Center and are still looking, there is the Carvin.com option. American manufacturer Carvin sells via the internet and catalog. Its "Cobalt" series are made in Asia to its specs with the upper range guitars (still under $700.00) coming with $200+ built in Fishman systems (including tuner). Carvin is a legitimate company in business with the same owners since the late '50's. If you don't like it you can ship it back.(I think I saw the guitarist who went from Big Train to Emotional Rex uses some Carvin equipment for his high saturation sound.) The "testimonial" section on the Cobalts usualy includes comments from Church Group members who also play outside of services. | ||
| Bailey Citizen Username: Baileymac Post Number: 451 Registered: 3-2005 |
My son has a carvin acoustic/electric, nice guitar. He also has a carvin 6-string electric bass, mahogany body, brass components, really beautiful. Timothy B Schmidt, the bass player for The Eagles, uses Carvin. I have other friends that also love carvin. The only problem is of course, that you have to order online or through it's catalog, so you can't get that immediate satisfaction of going, buying, bringing it home. | ||
| Joe R. Citizen Username: Ragnatela Post Number: 565 Registered: 6-2004 |
I have a Taylor 710 (straight acoustic) and I have demoed the "affordable" Martins and Taylors. In my opinion, these cheaper versions of the great guitars are severely compromised. I think you'll do better with Ibanez, Takamine or Ovation. Do not buy by name brand. Most of us have preconceptions about instruments based on the rep of the manufacturer. Clear your head, go to a store and play every guitar you can get your hands on for as long as you like. The Guitar center is great for this, with a separate room in the back to demo in. Plug it into a good acoustic amp, and have fun. Buying is almost anticlimactic. Shopping is fun. | ||
| Psychomom Citizen Username: Psychomom Post Number: 718 Registered: 5-2005 |
I didn't buy by name brand the last time...I loved the Seagull and bought it...but for the reasons on my first post I am having second thoughts...that's why I thought maybe I should go with the tried and true name brands. I have heard that the low end Martins are not as good as the high end.... But I like your comment about shopping and buying! | ||
| Leny Citizen Username: Leny Post Number: 53 Registered: 2-2005 |
I just did an acoustic guitar search for a friend, and he started in the 500-700 range, and wound up getting a Gibson Songwriter ... ~$1,700. i thought it was a silly acceleration becasue 1) he's not a very good guitar player, and 2) we played alot of good guitars along the way. So, here are my findings ... you have to ask pointedly if the guitar is all wood (i.e. no laminate). most people will respond with - it's an all-spruce top (or something like that). further, however, i found the the 500-700 range was tough to find all wood ... i think you can get a takamine in the higher points of that range, and, in my humble opinion, i think they sound great. brands that are often over-looked are alvarez (as mentioned earlier), and blue ridge. i thought the blue ridge guitars sounded amazing, and the detailing was downright cool ... but it was more like $1,000. this process really opened my eyes because i play a gibson j-150 (~$2,400), and i couldn't believe how nice some of the guitars we played sounded. good luck with the search ... |
