JimiH Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I don't think I have played an acoustic that you couldn't drive a bus between the 12th fret and string. Are cheap acoustics much worse than cheap electrics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamerhead Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 The Ovations I have/had were good all the way up (more electric-like than any other I've played) and were cheap on the used market. The Taylors are that way too, just not cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I have a Korean made 12 string Breedlove Stage series that is a really good Acoustic in every way. I also have played several US made Taylor 150e 12 Strings a few years ago. They sounded, felt, and played great. They were going south of $700. I noticed Taylor & Martin over the last several years coming out with more straightforward, less blingy, models with Solid tops and laminated back and sides that people really like also. IIRC The Taylors are made in the US. Martin looks like they have some of theirs made in Mexico. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Haynie Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 High action is not necessary, but it does add a little volume. hamerhead is right about the Ovations feeling more like an electric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geowolves Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 6 hours ago, JimiH said: I don't think I have played an acoustic that you couldn't drive a bus between the 12th fret and string. Are cheap acoustics much worse than cheap electrics? The Yamaha AC3M is the best string action acoustic I have ever touched. Still have that one. Also sold a few FG Series Yamahas that were also very low action. Still have a FS 720 which also is great along with a LS16 again very nicely set up. Never had to adjust any if them. I sold the FG 730S and FG730SC as once I got the AC3M I bonded with the smaller body concert acoustic more so than a dreadnaught size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARM OF HAMER Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Alvarez has alway been really good for the money.................some of the Yari stuff is pretty spendy. I found one quite awhile back for $25.00..............no typo 25 bucks!. Lady was selling at a garage sale {AT a VERY nice residence I might add} and just wanted to get it sold.Said it WAS her daughters.........I didn't ask any questions. It did not have a case and needed new strings, I had it set up by a local pro with a new saddle and bridge pins as well. he found a new case in the back and gave it to me for $50.00.The guitar itself is in excellent condition and rings like a bell and plays like a electric,the action is that good. Here is the very same guitar being sold on REVERB, a Alvarez 5072.This one looks pretty nice as well.https://reverb.com/item/4919689-used-alvarez-1996-5072-jumbo-natural?gclid=CKihhLSI39MCFdu6wAodQ24MVQ&pla=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louhamer Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Prs SE Angelus: get one used Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantig Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 55 minutes ago, louhamer said: Prs SE Angelus: get one used The mahogany A10 and Alex Lifeson SEs are quite nice, also. The A10 was the first PRS where I tried different versions of the same model in the store and one stood out above the others. The place I was at had four, and the one I got stood out to me. Very good action all over the neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakeboy Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 My 1989 Guild D25 plays better than LOTs of electrics.. you just gotta look around and play some.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimiH Posted May 8, 2017 Author Share Posted May 8, 2017 Thanks guys, much food for thought 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucSulla Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 7 hours ago, geowolves said: The Yamaha AC3M is the best string action acoustic I have ever touched. Still have that one. Also sold a few FG Series Yamahas that were also very low action. Still have a FS 720 which also is great along with a LS16 again very nicely set up. Never had to adjust any if them. I sold the FG 730S and FG730SC as once I got the AC3M I bonded with the smaller body concert acoustic more so than a dreadnaught size. Absolutely. Yamaha's acoustics are always top quality, even their mid-line models. Don't rule out Recording King. Their higher-end guitars have solid woods and nitro finishes. The Schoenberg parlors are the shite. Used: Simon & Patrick La Patrie Larrivee Seagull USA Guilds (80s-early 2000s). Solid instruments that are often undervalued. I have a New Hartford D-55, it's a cannon. Maybe more than you'd want to spend, but good deals come up occasionally for their less-blingy models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff_hartwell Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 There are definitely bargaines to be had. And don't discount doing the simple adjustments on the ones already in your stable- Its amazing what a new set of strings, some nut sauce (ahem), and a tiny tweak of the truss rod will do to an otherwise dud. In addition to some pretty nice vintage acoustics, I have two particular "cheap" acoustics that keep showing up and showing off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disturber Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 8 hours ago, ARM OF HAMER said: Alvarez has alway been really good for the money.................some of the Yari stuff is pretty spendy. I found one quite awhile back for $25.00..............no typo 25 bucks!. Lady was selling at a garage sale {AT a VERY nice residence I might add} and just wanted to get it sold.Said it WAS her daughters.........I didn't ask any questions. It did not have a case and needed new strings, I had it set up by a local pro with a new saddle and bridge pins as well. he found a new case in the back and gave it to me for $50.00.The guitar itself is in excellent condition and rings like a bell and plays like a electric,the action is that good. Here is the very same guitar being sold on REVERB, a Alvarez 5072.This one looks pretty nice as well.https://reverb.com/item/4919689-used-alvarez-1996-5072-jumbo-natural?gclid=CKihhLSI39MCFdu6wAodQ24MVQ&pla=1 Love Alvarez. I have a late 60's or early 70's one with solid sitka spruce top and beautifyl laminated rosewood back and sides, (laminted rosewood on rosewood). That one on Reverb has laminated spruce top though. Laminated sides are debated as being just as good as solid wood for tone, if it's a high quality laminate (which they almost always use in Japan). But I would try to find a solid spruce top. It is considered better for tone. And usually means higher quality over all. There are many great 70's and 80's Alvarez and Yamaha guitars out there at great prices. Here is a really nice Yamaha. Solid spruce top, x-bracing etc. https://reverb.com/item/4203712-yamaha-fg-450sa-dreadnought-style-acoustic-guitar-89-94-solid-spruce-top-great-cond-w-hsc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polara Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Like any guitar, it's setup. You or a tech can get truss rod, nut, bridge saddle, string gauge set up so you like it. I set up my very nice Alvarez-Yairi and my travel-beater-cheap Ovation to play well with 10s, so it doesn't feel like an alien instrument switching from electric, even if I lose a little volume or boom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARM OF HAMER Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 Speaking of Yamaha acoustics I got this one back 5 years ago or so for $500.00.it had all the good stuff and it was the rarer D=Deep Body, OHSC as well. it played and sounded marvelous.Yamaha APX 20D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhuber Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 I have one China guitar in all 14 or so. It's a Yamaha LL6 with no pickup. I bought it new about 5 years ago. The action is great and the guitar sounds good. The guitar works perfect for what I bought it for. Features Body Type: Dreadnought Body Wood: Rosewood Top: Solid Engelmann Spruce Scale Length: 650mm (25-9/16") Neck Joint: Dovetail Neck Wood: Mahogany/ Rosewood (3 ply) Fretboard: Ebony Frets: 20 Nut Width: 44mm (1-3/4") Bridge: Ebony Tuners: Die-cast Hardware color: Gold Finish: Hi-Gloss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSII x 2 Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 My wife's Larrivee has action similar to an electric, and it's strung with .13-.56! Man, that guitar is crushing loud too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveL Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 If you can roll with that body style and tone, I like late 90's 2000-'s Ovations, but the nicer ones, elites, legends, custom legends, saw a nice 2000-ish legend cutaway at my local gc, played awesome. you can sometimes find them cheap (under $500) but then again, keep an eye on the fretwear. I think they compete pretty well for say a used taylor (114ce, 214ce which have laminate backs anyway) in that same range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geowolves Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 18 hours ago, dhuber said: I have one China guitar in all 14 or so. It's a Yamaha LL6 with no pickup. I bought it new about 5 years ago. The action is great and the guitar sounds good. The guitar works perfect for what I bought it for. Features Body Type: Dreadnought Body Wood: Rosewood Top: Solid Engelmann Spruce Scale Length: 650mm (25-9/16") Neck Joint: Dovetail Neck Wood: Mahogany/ Rosewood (3 ply) Fretboard: Ebony Frets: 20 Nut Width: 44mm (1-3/4") Bridge: Ebony Tuners: Die-cast Hardware color: Gold Finish: Hi-Gloss These rock! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geowolves Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Yeah there is not much of a difference between the LL6 guitar,and the LLl6 the pickup and sold wood versus laminate back and sides. That being said from what I read people that have tried both say not much difference in sound. A winner either way! Spend a few more dollars, your choice! Love mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwhitcomb3 Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 While there is a good deal of brand loyalty here between New Hartford stablemates Hamer and Ovation, I cringe when I hear Ovation recommended as an acoustic guitar. While they have their uses, an Ovation does not play, feel, or sound like an acoustic guitar, for a simple reason: wood. Hamer fans have long appreciated that while the import Hamers were a great bang-for-the-buck, the USA made Hamers were still a better instrument. Time marches on, and in 2017, I see no reason to look to a USA made acoustic guitar over a Chinese made one if your top concern is the quality of instrument you end up with for your dollar over the name on the headstock. Brands worth considering include Eastman, Blue Ridge, Recording King, and Teton. I have four China made Bedell acoustic guitars (Bedell owns Breedlove), and have no regrets selling my Lowden and Huss & Dalton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Haynie Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 No one said that an Ovation sounds like an all wood guitar. Ovations do sound good in their own way. For someone wanting to play Heart or Rush songs Ovation has the correct tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polara Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 6 hours ago, Steve Haynie said: No one said that an Ovation sounds like an all wood guitar. Ovations do sound good in their own way. For someone wanting to play Heart or Rush songs Ovation has the correct tone. Yes. There are lots of "sounds like an acoustic guitar" from Macaferris to nylon-strings to D-28s to little parlor guitars to Rainsongs. I like my brother's Gibson Hummingbird or my Alvarez-Yairi more than I like my Ovation, but it's still a fun guitar and works well amplified in particular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louhamer Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 Ovations are their own thing: Al Dimeola Adrian Legg Kaki King Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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