Buying a guitar (1 Viewer)

[Carlo_M]

Gotta be careful with the "acoustic electric" term as well. Sometimes [not always] it refers to a kind of hybrid, not a solid body electric, but not a fully hollow acoustic either. I've tried a few (can't remember the names) but was never happy with them. If you're going for the electric sound, buy an electric, if you want an acoustic, buy an acoustic with pickups installed (or have them installed) and watch out for these hybrids.

If it looks like an acoustic (i.e. 4"+ deep) with pickups then you should be fine with that kind of acoustic electric. But the one that I played was just a bit thicker than an electric, was clearly hollow (or had some parts of it that were hollow) but didn't have a center soundhole that most acoustics have. It was a hybrid of sorts, and I did not like the sound I got from it...not as full as a real acoustic w/ good pickups.

BTW - I'm no means an expert, but I recently had a UST/AST (undersaddle transducer + acoustic saddle transducer) installed in my Lakewood M32. There is a battery box inside the guitar now (just a bit bigger than the 9V it uses) and the endpin was replaced with the one that has the electronics in it. For the life of my I cannot hear the difference when I'm not plugged in (i.e. I don't think it has changed the acoustic properties of the guitar) but the luthier who installed it did a magnificent job! My guitar amplified sounds better than a lot of the out-of-the-box acoustic electrics that Taylor, Martin and others make. Really take time to research and find a good luthier if you're going to have pickups installed in your acoustic.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

I've tried a few (can't remember the names) but was never happy with them.

Don't know much about them, but my buddy played what he called a "hybrid". It was an Ovation and had the traditional flat wooden front, but a round (maybe a polymer instead of wood?) back and a small soundhole.

 

[MarkMel]

Ovations sound great but I always had the problem of them sliding out from under me due to the curved back. This was a long while ago and maybe they put a flatter profile on the bottom since then.

 

[Tim Hoover]

Carlo - exactly what brand and model pickup did you have installed? I'm still undecided on the sound of my Taylor 414ce w/ Expression system running into a Baggs Paracoustic DI. I'd like to look into some good-quality alternatives...

 

[Carlo_M]

B-Band A2.2 preamp + B-Band's AST & UST. Find a good luthier who cares about sound and you won't be disappointed. Taylor 314CE and 414CEs were the ones I compared mine to (and preferred it to them), along with the lower end Martins (meaning sub $2500 but more than $1400 MSRP).

Plugging into a Genz-Benz Shenandoah 100 and loving it! My pickup setup gets close to the SJLMGOL dream [Sounds Just Like My Guitar Only Louder]--which I honestly think is truly unattainable for a piezo style pickup--but this comes damned close!

 

[JonZ]

My friend just bought this to solve the problem of switching between 2 different acoustic when we play.

It sounds great.He brought back a Takamine 12 string which we were really disappointed in. It didnt sound as good as the Ovation, my brothers Martin or even the cheaper Taylors or Fender 12 strings models they already had.

http://www.guitartrader.com/bigimage...%26subsecid%3D


And for the guys who want to amplify your acoustic guitar,my brother just picked up SWRs California Blonde Acoustic Amp and it sounds amazing. Before that hed been playing thru a electric guitar amp. A world of difference. That amp is highly recommended.
http://www.zzounds.com/item--SWRCALIBL

 

[Carlo_M]

Playing any Stairway to Heaven with that beast?

As for the Cali Blonde, I nearly bought that before going with the Genz Benz Shenandoah. I went with the GB because the sound was so damned close (they were slightly different sounding but I couldn't definitively say which one I preferred) and the sticker price was lower on the GB so I went that route. But yes, I don't think you'll go wrong with a Cali Blonde if you buy one, it sounded great as I remember.

Definitely do not play your acoustic out of an electric guitar amp...you'll get ~50% of the sound quality out of that setup (or less depending on the quality of the amp).

 

[Tim Hoover]

Thanks for the info on your pickup system, Carlo. When I find employment and actually have disposable income I'll check the equipment out.

As for an amp, I don't need one! I usually go straight into the PA through my Paracoustic DI. I do like SWR gear though - I have a Workingman's 15 bass amp from them, which is absolutely superb.

 

[TheoGB]

Pedantically I would refer to an acoustic guitar that has a guitar jack output as an 'electro-acoustic'. An acoustic electric might suggest an electric guitar with f-holes and a semi-acoustic body such as a Gibson ES-335.

I have an acoustic of the curved back variety and it does slide away. I wouldn't have called it a 'hybrid' however. I think there are 'solid body' acoustic guitars and I believe Thom Yorke used to use them on the OK Computer tour for the acoustic tracks. I've never really seen these, though so it could all have been lies!

In general I find the cheaper electro acoustics will have flat bridge piezo pickups which tend to lack bass frequencies. This is 'good' for recording with a full band as generally these are the frequencies which will be ring out most strongly but on their own they sound a bit rubbish. That said, when I record my acoustic I just use a condensor microphone and it has a beautiful sound.

 

[teapot2001]

I got my Seagull S6 on Monday.

I'm having trouble fingering the G chord correctly, with the 2nd finger on the 5th string of 2nd fret, the 3rd finger on the 6th string of 3rd fret, and the 4th finger on the 1st string of 3rd fret. I don't think my fingers are long enough for this. Does it matter much which fingers I use to press on the strings? Because I can easily finger this chord in another manner easily.

~T

 

[James~P]

You'll want to use that fingering. Your fingers are long enough, just experiment with how you're angling your wrist and knuckles/etc.



Chords are always very awkward at first, but you'll get used to them. Its important to use the proper fingering.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Congratulations! Great choice.

And if your guitar came with "light" gague strings, try "Extra Light". That makes it easier to play, too. But the Light guage strings sound nicer.

 

[Dan Mc]

G is a chord you can play several ways...I always found it easier to play using my index finger on the 5th string. But learn the right way too. It really depends on what key you're playing in. If I'm playing in G then I like to add the 2nd string/3rd fret note because I like the sound better, and you can go right to the C2 for a different sound. But if your playing in the key of C, go back to the right way. The important thing it just to play, you'll find tricks and things to do differently all the time, don't be afraid to experiment. I seem to play A about 4 different ways, depending on the song. Good luck.

 

[teapot2001]

I just can't do the correct fingering for G. The 3rd finger interferes with the 4th string, no matter all the different ways I've tried. I'm just going to use fingers 1, 2, 3 for 2, 3, 4 respectively.

~T

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Thi - my "G" sugggestion:

As you begin, play the G any way you can. The important thing is to start playing and get comfortable with the sounds of different chords, their progression in your favorite tunes and building up your finger strength. Start having fun !!!

Just keep in mind that Perfect Practice makes Perfect, and that bad habits are very hard to break. There are definite times your current G fingering is appropriate, and other times the "original" way is better.

Once you've built up your agility, just make sure you practice them both !

 

[LarryDavenport]

Get a Strat. I think they are a lot easier to laern on and you can run scales while lounging on the couch watching TV. It's easier on the fingers too.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Actually, regarding the Strat suggestion, if you are going electric, the shorter scale length found on Gibsons, and many other guitars, is easier to play. Tuning them is another story.

 

[LarryDavenport]

Except you can still get a good used Fender Strat for a couple hundred or a Gibson for 5 times that. Also, I find the action is a bit higher on the Gibsons and it hurts my fingers (but I'm a pussy).

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Epiphones (built by Gibson) are in the same price range as the Mexi strats, and have the same scale length (as do many other brands) as Gibsons. I haven't found a significant difference in the factory action on either major brands, and it can of course be adjusted to personal taste. I have rarely had to adjust for action. Intonation is another matter.

 

[teapot2001]

Is it more common to learn on light or extra-light strings?

~T