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Switching Guitars, Buying a new Acoustic Guitar
Hello Friends,
I have been playing for years with my classical guitar and since I started TAC last year I have continued with my classical guitar, Now I like to buy an acoustic guitar.
We are living in Buenos Aires these days, I would love your advice, on how I should pick my new guitar, and what I should be looking for in an acoustic guitar.
Also, I understand Martin is a great guitar but I don’t think the price will be possible for us now. So let me know please what a good guitar is and how to pick it.
Much thanks
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16 Replies
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@sahardellamorady ,I had a Martin D-28 and it was way to big for me. I could play it, but it wasn’t comfortable. So be aware your new guitar should fit your size, fit your hands. Check out the Acoustic Tuesdays, Tony does a lot of reviews. He recently had one on Guild Acoustic, but he has had them on Epiphone, Gibson, Taylor, etc. Let me add…. There is nothing wrong with having an extra guitar. Why not just keep your classical? I bought my guitars from a store that gave a 45 day return policy (guitar-center). If you don’t love it, take it back. If you don’t mind my recommendation…. Taylor GS-Mini, not real expensive and a nice size. Hope you have fun with your search.,
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Thank you Cadgirl!
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Take a look at the Martin 15 and 16 series. I have a 000-16 and it’s incredible, the 15 gets rave reviews as well.
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Hi @sahardellamorady , Buenos Aires sure is a long way from Germany. Have you been able to find a music store in Buenos Aires? If so, you should see what they have available, (most importantly) what feels right in your hands, and how does it sound. I don’t know of any guitar manufacturers in South America, but if you can find a music store that sells guitars, go there and hold the guitars that interest you in your own hands. Experience for yourself how they feel in your hands, how well (or easy) they are to play, and what type of sound they make.
Best of luck!
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My posts seem to be going into cyberspace here on TAC and don’t know why, but here’s another go.
I recommend the Taylor Academy 12 (or 12e) to make the transition. If you are looking for solid wood guitars, I recommend the Recording King Series 11 or Breedlove Organic Series.
Good luck in your search!
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@Michelle-PSL , I was on the post and saw you for a split second and then you were gone? I think they are doing updates again. anything can happen. 🙂
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Hi @sahardellamorady , you did not indicate your price range. That is needed to give guidance. In the absence of price range…..I found this clip of Tony P. reviewing 5 best guitars under 500.00. Also check out the whole web page, it is a treasure trove of information and has other reviews/best of under 1000.00 etc. The link is below. Have fun in your search. I find the searching nearly as fun as the buying.
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@jumpinjeff , your right. If you don’t know what price range it’s hard to actually give recommendation.
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@Cadgirl , so much out there: knowing where to look narrows the search. I like @Michelle-PSL ‘s recommendations but hard to know if they are applicable without $ range.
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As others have noted, there are so many variables involved with this choice. What size of guitar are you comfortable playing, what price range can you afford, etc. Personally I struggle to play a full size (dreadnaught) guitar, so I own a folk size Seagull (Canadian made, not sure if they are sold in Argentina) and a Taylor GS Mini, both of which I love and highly recommend. They both sell for well under $1000 US, and sound incredibly rich for their size and modest price range. Good luck on your hunt – as Jumpin Jeff says, the search is almost as much fun as the actual purchase😆
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There are many great guitars that have solid wood tops and produce excellent sound in modest price ranges. I checked out a lot of best guitars under $1,000 lists when I was looking. I found a Guild that sounded great (comparable to guitars twice it’s price in the reviews and what I found in playing it side by side with those guitars at a local music shop). I still have it. It is a dreadnought though, so a large guitar.
Next I wanted a smaller guitar. So I was looking in the concert (o) and grand concert (oo) size, to auditorium (ooo) and grand auditorium size (om or oooo). While originally trying a Martin, Taylor, Breedlove, and Guild; I ended up with a Washburn with a solid Mahogany top (for an equal price to the Breedlove and Guild, but a lot less than the Martin and Taylor). Great sounding to my ear. I didn’t even have that on my radar. It may be just that individual guitar, but I have had it for 8 months now and find it my go to guitar.
I am not saying you should get one of the models I mentioned or have bought. It is just such individual thing for fit and comfort in playing, sound, price, appearance, what you want in a guitar; that if you can, explore. Find what fits you.
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This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by Philb.
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Thank you I will reflect on your message and everyone has been so wonderful. what a great community…
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This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by
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If I’m not mistaken you did say you are used to a classical guitar correct? From what I have been told classical guitars have a wider string spacing, going to a steel string guitar you might want to be careful of a nut wide of 1 11/16ths or smaller, it might be quite the adjustment, I would shoot for a nut width of 1 3/4″.
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@sahardellamorady Hello Sahar;
People were wondering your price range, but I thought you gave a fairly good idea of that when you said “Martins are good guitar, but out of your price range”.
Ok, so we’re under $1000, and if we can get under $500, even better.
Some of the best guitar manufacturers at the lower price points are:
Epiphone
Ibanez
Alvarez
Yamaha
Washburn
In the lower price range, everyone beats the big names, with the exception of Taylor’s GS Mini. For the money, that is a truly remarkable guitar. However, it’s gone up and you may not want a small bodied guitar with a short scale length.
So, what do you want? Since you are new to the game of picking out guitars, you must get to a store and pick up guitars and spend as much time as you can playing them. What size and shape do you want the guitar body to be? And how long (scale length) do you want the neck to be. And how wide do you want the nut (top of the neck) to be. You will only be able to answer these questions by picking up some guitars.
After that, you must like the price and the looks and the sound. Everything after that is unimportant. You must like it, hopefully love it. The looks, the feel and the sound. And yeah, that might be the correct order, because it’s the looks that will get you to pick your guitar up. Then, no matter how much you love the sound, if the guitar hurts your shoulders or your fingers or your wrists, or whatever, you can’t play it.
So I’ll say it again: you must like, hopefully love, the looks, the feel and the sound. And you must be able to afford it. Don’t pick up guitars you can’t afford. Big mistake.
MG 😀
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Thank you very much for this super informative message and your attention. I will review it and make best use.
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You are very welcome, @sahardellamorady , please let us know how you are doing in your guitar journey and how the search for a new guitar goes. And especially let us know what guitar you end up getting.
MG 😀
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