Describe your fav acoustic

[hardheartedbill]

I'm looking to get a special acoustic, I've got up to 3k to spend but would love to spend less. I'm kinda sold on the OM body style as I've got a great dreadnaught now. Describe your fav acoustics for me, electronics are not an issue as it'll get a rare earth humbucker first thing

[sonic1974]

Hi,

I'm not sure if they are easy to find in the States. But anyway, there is a great company out of Quebec, called Boucher.

http://www.guitareboucher.com/index.php?lang=en

I have a Boucher dreadnought, with adirondack spruce top, and sapele back and sides. I love it! The sound is amazing, and it's only getting better and better. The price was $2300 Canadian. They make different sizes and shapes as well.

I discovered Boucher when doing some research, turns out they supply a lot of Adirondack Spruce to Martin for their tops. Speaking of Martin, the only guitar vaguely in the price range that could match the sweet sound fo the Boucher was a Martin HD28, but it was about $700 more.

The Bouchers are basically built like old Martins, with the scalloped x-bracing.

Actually, if you can find it in the States, I think it would be a good deal, because they're better known in Quebec and France so they are "under the radar".

I know a lot of guys here speak highly of the Breedloves, and also the new Guilds I believe are built by some of the guys working on Hamers.

Shop around and find something that really speaks to you, for $3000 you can get a beautiful guitar. Personally, I still feel you get a better "bang for your buck" buying used. But, I kind of violated my own rule and bought my acoustic new, it's my only new guitar.

I found the acoustic guitar forum had some good advice, but like any guitar forum, there's some snobisnesh going on. http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/index.php

You should also check out Martins for sure, they are super nice, but a little pricey. I wasn't too impressed with the new Gibson acoustics I tried, especially for the price, but, maybe I didn't try enough.

Edited to add: I'll try to post a pic of my Boucher

http://s649.photobucket.com/albums/uu217/s...cherBinding.jpg

[jwhitcomb3]

I'm looking to get a special acoustic, I've got up to 3k to spend but would love to spend less. I'm kinda sold on the OM body style as I've got a great dreadnaught now. Describe your fav acoustics for me, electronics are not an issue as it'll get a rare earth humbucker first thing

That's like saying "describe your favorite shoe."

Favorite for what? I love my Huss & Dalton 00-SP for fingerstyle, my Lowden 0-32 for open tunings and situations where I need power and volume, and my Gurian S3M for everything else.

You flatpicking? Fingerpicking? Hybrid? Playing jazz? rock? bluegrass? Folk? Recording? Playing live? Playing solo or with a group? If with a group, what are the other instruments?

FWIW, I own 4 acoustics, and none of 'em is a dreadnaught. Closest I have to an OM is the Gurian, which is a great instrument, but has a very narrow neck, so not wonderful for fingerstyle. On the other hand, it is great for electric players who want a familiar feeling neck.

I'm not sure if they are easy to find in the States. But anyway, there is a great company out of Quebec, called Boucher.

Not easy to find here at all, but when they do come up you can usually get a great deal. Great guitars.

-Jonathan

[sonic1974]

I'm not sure if they are easy to find in the States. But anyway, there is a great company out of Quebec, called Boucher.

Not easy to find here at all, but when they do come up you can usually get a great deal. Great guitars.

-Jonathan

Hi Jonathan,

How are you doing? I was curious what Bouchers go for in the States? Have you seen them in any shops? Thanks!

[zenmindbeginner]

Grand concert body.

3 or 5 piece maple and mahogany neck.

A nicely figured mahogany back and sides with a AAA spruce top.

Cutaway so I can reach them there high frets...

Ebony Bridge, Ebony fingerboard and Ebony headstock veneer.

Large 6 or 7mm abalone dot inlay on the fretboard.

Would it be too much to ask that the dot inlays be set with a tiny brass ring in a Parisian eye?

Abalone purfling along with some creme binding along the body.

Creme binding on the neck with large 3mm abalone side dot inlay.

A gorgeous inlaid rosette with the associated matching abalone purfling.

Kluson style tuners with creme knobs.

I'm not sure about a slotted bridge or a traditional one with the bridge plate. If it was a traditional bridge, then a hard rock maple bridgeplate with a brass platemate ('cause I'm anal about bridgeplate wear and tear) and brass slotted pins.

Throw in an unbleached bone saddle and nut and we're essentially done.

[sonic1974]

Grand concert body.

3 or 5 piece maple and mahogany neck.

A nicely figured mahogany back and sides with a AAA spruce top.

Cutaway so I can reach them there high frets...

Ebony Bridge, Ebony fingerboard and Ebony headstock veneer.

Large 6 or 7mm abalone dot inlay on the fretboard.

Would it be too much to ask that the dot inlays be set with a tiny brass ring in a Parisian eye?

Abalone purfling along with some creme binding along the body.

Creme binding on the neck with large 3mm abalone side dot inlay.

A gorgeous inlaid rosette with the associated matching abalone purfling.

Kluson style tuners with creme knobs.

I'm not sure about a slotted bridge or a traditional one with the bridge plate. If it was a traditional bridge, then a hard rock maple bridgeplate with a brass platemate ('cause I'm anal about bridgeplate wear and tear) and brass slotted pins.

Throw in an unbleached bone saddle and nut and we're essentially done.

Are you describing a guitar that you have, or the ideal type that you'd want? Anyway, sounds like a cool guitar!

[jwhitcomb3]

I was curious what Bouchers go for in the States? Have you seen them in any shops? Thanks!

I haven't seen them in any shops, just a couple on ebay. A Walnut Goose dreadnaught was going for $1200 US, which I thought was a screaming deal. For the purposes of this thread, I think the likelihood of coming across a Boucher OM for sale in the US to be very small.

I hope the world is treating you well!

[sonic1974]

I was curious what Bouchers go for in the States? Have you seen them in any shops? Thanks!

I haven't seen them in any shops, just a couple on ebay. A Walnut Goose dreadnaught was going for $1200 US, which I thought was a screaming deal. For the purposes of this thread, I think the likelihood of coming across a Boucher OM for sale in the US to be very small.

I hope the world is treating you well!

Yep, the world is treating me very well indeed. A Walnut Goose for $1200 wow! If I ever get another Boucher, forget my local shop, I'll check out E-Bay first.

[G Man]

I'll play.

Consider a Martin OM-21. One of the great sleepers of the Martin lineup. Although it is a EIR/Sitka guitar, it has a sunnier disposition than, say a 000-28, or even an OM-28. Very lightly appointed, tort. binding, no purfling, small dots on fretboard. Full Nitro finish. 1 3/4" neck is great for fingerpicking, but don't let that fool you, this guitar strums very well and can even hold its own in the flatpicking department. Swap out the stock tuners for some decent open backs and your in business. And the best part, is they go for around $1200-1300 used and right around $2K new, so your seeing substantial savings over your quoted $3K.

[harry65]

finest acoustic i ever played was a usa made breedlove some years back , it was a jaw hits the floor moment , that was about 8 years ago and it was about 3 grand then , probqbly more now , still remember that moment when i strummed an open string G chord.....................

[cynic]

I'd recommend trying a few in the Alvarez Yairi line. You can get them relatively cheap used, and while not as popular as Taylor and Martin they're more bang for your buck in my opinion.

[hamertek98]

Great thread!

[Teh]

That's a tough one. An OM/Grand Auditorium is a great general purpose body size. Light to medium strumming and fingerstyle both work great. As for wood combinations, that really depends on your ear and what you want to hear. This link will walk you through the variety of body and top woods commonly available and their impact on tone:

http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/features/woods/

Personally, I'm a nut for Cocobolo. It's a Central American Rosewood that has very similar tonal properties to Brazilian, is absolutely beautiful to look at and comes in at a fraction of the price of Brazilian. It pairs up exceptionally well with Sitka, Engelmann and Western Red Cedar. I have a custom Grand Auditorium in Cocobolo and Sitka that is absolutely killer in the tone department and very comfortable to play. There are three other Cocobolo acoustics hanging on my office wall in different body shapes (Grand Concert w/Engelmann top, Dread w/Figured Redwood top, and a SJ/Grand Symphony with an Engelmann top). I like it over East Indian Rosewood in that I hear a bit tighter bass with Cocobolo and very clean, bell-like overtones as compared to EIR. Just an outstanding tonewood.

However, I'll play Devil's advocate here and argue that I also have a Mahogany & Cedar SJ/Grand Symphony that is one of the sweetest strummers I've ever laid my hands on. The bass is tight and focused, the top is shimmering but also has a warmth to it that Sitka doesn't have. Koa, when you find a good one, is amazing. It has the best of both worlds -- Midrange push like Mahogany, but with more depth. Personally, I've never been a fan of Walnut but your ear may be different.

Builder? Again, it depends on your ear. I'm a Taylor/Breedlove/Larrivee guy with the focus on Taylor. My ear goes for the more balanced tone with the shimmer on the highs and more controlled bass. Nothing against Martin - When you find a good one, it's really good. There was an OMC28-LJ Laurence Juber sig model (EIR/Adirindack) that I had and am still kicking myself for selling it. Other guys (Collings, Santa Cruz, Huss & Dalton, Froggy Bottom, etc) are great builders, but on the high end or beyond your budget. There are skads of one man shops out there that will blow your mind with the quality they producing. Problem is, their prices don't fall into your budget. Personally, I think Gibson acoustics sound like overpriced cardboard boxes. Absolutely no life to them. There are plenty of folks out there that would disagree with me, and that's what makes the world of acoustics so much fun - There's something out there for everybody to enjoy.

My favorite? Esteban....

[Steve Haynie]

The best sounding acoustics I heard have had either a great tone or a great player finding great tones. By that I mean that some of them jumped out with a sound like magic as the guitar was toyed with in a store while others just sounded great because someone had a playing style that brought out the best in what they had in their hands.

The Martin Golden Era line has different bracing that makes them sound better than their modern counterparts. They sound significantly better and list for an extra $1000, too. There are sizes other than dreadnoughts in the Golden Era series. Trying a 50's Martin OO changed my opinion of smaller bodied guitars. It was great.

Someone around here who was/is a Michael Hedges devotee played a large bodied Lowden that was supremely beautiful sounding.

I have heard a high dollar Breedlove that sounded worth the bucks.

Way back when the local store sold Bourgeois they were extremely expensive and also magical sounding. They had a "belly" on the tops that was supposed to be a normal part of the design. One guy who was more of a country and bluegrass player had half a dozen high end acoustics and felt that the Bourgeois was the best sounding of them all.

Of all the brands mentioned above, you should be able to find one used for $3000 or less.

As everyone mentions, different woods and designs make these guitars suitable to different tonal ranges. As Jonathan asks, what are you planning on playing? You might find that an Ovation long neck is going to suit you best.

[Russ]

I've only got mediocre acoustics (sufficient for their purpose), but, there have been two acoustics

that I've touched over the years that have "awed" me...

One was a '71 HD-35 (this was like 2 years ago). It was a "HOLY CRAP!" moment as the open E chord

seemed to shake the walls.

The other was a late 60's Guild Jumbo 12 String...Words are likely not necessary, but, "a choir of angels" comes close.

I try to stay away from current "cool" stuff, as I seem to have this GAS issue, and if I were to touch a US Breedlove or similar, it would haunt me until it came home with me.

[burningyen]

For that kind of money, I would hold out for something old if you can. My favorite would be my friend's '70s (I think) Martin D-28.

[sirDaniel]

gets the job done...always