ok I'm new so this topic has allready come around probably ..sorry but $1000 guitar?

[randy white]

1st of all I have been a country player for 35 yrs but am just crazy about flatpikn acoustic and it seems to suit me..Martin is making the mmv and the custom d for around $1000..also might find an old guild for that..blueridge is not out of the ? either.

I don't care about looks or brand name really but tone and volume is everything.I have been getting my feet wet at some local BG jams and my Ibanez just don't cut it. Any suggestions would help for a 1000 guitar also looking for a decent store here in central il with a good variety to test drive ...thnx in advance..Randy White aka Larry Bill

[Dave Engel]

Hi Randy,

The $1K Martin's in my opinion are going to be a dissapointment to you if you've played the $2.5K models. They're making a $1K Martin so you can have a guitar that says "Martin" on it. For under 2K the Takamini would get my vote.


Dave

[Paul]

I have to disagree to a point. I own 2 custom D's. 1 Mahogany and 1 Rosewood. Are they a d28 or a d18? No. But they both have plenty of tone and both are cannons. You can not find a louder acoustic guitar out there. That is the primary reason I purchased them. They hold their own in the jams and blend really well with other instruments in a live recording situation yet they punch up when you need them to. Solid spruce tops, solid wood back and sides not laminate.

I suggest ignore the name on the headstock and ignore the price tag if you got the scratch and just play anything and everything and let your ears and fingers make the decision for you. Then you can't go wrong.

[Stefan Jadefjord]

I would look for used Martin D-16GT. The D-16GT has solid spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, scalloped hybrid X bracing. It is loud and sounds great!

[Kerry Krishna]

Young Randy, on one of the other Forums I am on, this shootout was won by the Larrivee dreadnaught. It is a bit more than 1k though. Around $1200, but the general consensus is that there is not another guitar built in America that packs more bang for the buck. Next bump up is around $1800. Nothing even close for this price actually. I have played maybe a dozen in three different cities. I would be proud to own and play any of these 12 guitars. I have played a ton of Martins in the last ten years, and still have not found a single one that is up to the mojo/playability/sound on any of the vintage ones. And the thousand buck ones all seem to be complete crap, at least all the ones I have played heard. If I any more info along these lines, PM me here OK Buddy? I'd be glad to help....... Kerry K

[Matt Haden]

Blueridge sounds great but feels very narrow necked (Small string spacing and nut width) See if you can dig up a used d-18 for 1600 or so. I've seen a few floating around. I went through this effort myself recently and just can not find a way around putting out the 2.5k for a Martin D-21 special or a D-28. Played the Guilds, Recording King RD-227 and the D-16s. The Eastman 7 series guitars are fantastic though for around 800 or so. I actually almost bought one but wasn't really in love with the finish.

Good luck!

[YooperMichigan]

I'd Say Larrivee ... D3 (or better yet for me) the Rosewood version. Again a bit more than 1K but ... from what I have played ... best guitar for the money. I've seen them used in local shops under 1K and in good shape!!

[Kerry Krishna]

There was a Larrivee D3 went week before last on EBAY for $565.00!!! Wowie Wowerson!

[randy white]

ok it's between a LAR do3 or an Eastman..the Lar has sapelle back and sides while the EAST man I think is rosewood or mah If anyone was going to buy used unseen or played on Ebay which would you gamble on ?

[Paul]

Definately the Eastman! I lust after one of these myself and for the money you get all solid woods ebony fretboards and bridges and they come really close to that old Martin sound. If that is what you are looking for.

[Ron Warren]

I just bought a brand new Takamine TAN16C for $1285.00 it came with a hardshell case and it kicks butt. The cool tube is awesome when you need to plug in and the solid spruce top and rosewood back and sides make it jump! I tried every guitar in the 1k to 2k price range(they had) and loved this one the most. My son was in the other room and when he heard this guitar he told his sister that it was the one I would buy he was right! I love it!

[Vince Forcier]

If anyone was going to buy used unseen or played on Ebay which would you gamble on ?

If you are saying that you can personally try the e-bay guitar before bidding, than I would do that.

I think that buying any acoustic guitar without playing it is a bad idea. The bottom line with manufactured guitars (and that is what we are talking about here) is that the difference between so-so, outstanding, and a flat-out dog is an accident of manufacture. Some manufacturers can increase the odds with more consistent manufacturing technique (and a willingness to burn the dogs for heat), but unless you have an expert luthier picking the wood, and interacting with that wood throughout the building process, the final outcome is an accident. You would be surprised how many factories in the countries of our Asian trading partners have NO ONE there every day who knows what a fine acoustic should even sound like (at least Martin certainly has that). They are delivering to a specification set by an American importer who visits twice a year, or has a consultant in asia that visits once a month. They check the action, check for string buzz, look for finish flaws, look for noticeable errors in workmanship, and then ship it.

Even high priced American builders know of these accidents and rely on the fact that truly discerning customers will try 50 guitars to find "the one", and the other 49 will go to people who don't know any better and just want a M.... or T... . Even at the low end (I bought my son a $350 solid topped Washburn) I had the store bring out every one they had (4 of them), and we played them all. Was it a great guitar, no, but we chose the "accident" that was better than the others. You could hear the difference.

Go into every music store you see, play every guitar they have in your price range and higher, learn to tell the difference (it is an aquired skill). FWIW, I actually like the lower priced Martin line, like with all Martins however, you have to try 10 to find 1 really good one. What will truly astound you is how many expensive (2000 and up) guitars are just so-so in sound. I have heard HD28s that sounded worse than a $1000 Martin in the same store. Again, it is an accident of manufacture. The best HD28 will be awesome.

My 2 cents, a dime with inflation.

[randy white]

one last thought the new Yamaha ll16 anybody like these?