Damn Acoustics.... Need a new one (NHC)

[bobbymack]

I had an Alvarez that I sold to David E for just over tree fitty that was a very good playing and sounding guitar, with very good electronics. You could add a transducer or other mic and blend it with the piezos, cool.

Forget the model, but I paid under $500 new w/ case, a really good acoustic gigging guitar for not too much $...

I was messing around recently with one of those black Ovations though, they are pretty nice too...

[kizanski]

+ (Acoustic setting).

[pesocaster]

+ (Acoustic setting). = Asshole that just about lost a pickup gig on Monday.. hahahaha

[hardheartedbill]

1. Under a grand

2. 25.5 (or close to) scale

3. Electronics

4. Sounds decent

5. Plays as close as possible to an electric... (VERY IMPORTANT)

I'm not saying this is the absolute best choice there is, cuz I haven't played everything out there under a grand. But I think you must at least play an Ovation 1778T Elite T Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar before parting with your long green.

You know how picky I am about tone and sound, and I find this Ovation shockingly good-sounding and playing, and can be had 'most anywhere for around $750:

As far as playing like an electric, fuhgeddaboudit. Ovation wrote the book on that.

And here's a review from GuitarOne that echoes pretty much what I thought of it, though I didn't play it plugged in. As hi-tech/synthetic as it looks, it has a surprisingly woody organic tone.

And it's black, and I think it's USA-made.

great suggestion, here's me w/ mine I LOVE it and the acoustic sound is Ovations best in a wood top IMO

[jerseydrew]

The only thing IMO that's gonna play like an electric, is an electric. Bite the bullet and get a Taylor.

[Guest galejt]

What about the Carvins?

http://www.carvin.com/products/group.php?CID=CBLTT

[JohnnyB]

The only thing IMO that's gonna play like an electric, is an electric. 

Play an Ovation 1778T Elite T and see if you still feel that way.

[jwhitcomb3]

If you can find a late 70's Guran in half decent shape, the neck feels and plays as much like an electric guitar as any I've found.

As far as electronics go, anything other than a mic sounds like rubber bands to my ears.

If you want to play something that feels like an electric, play your electric. There are plenty of gizmos out there to piezofy your electric's sound so you'll sound as shitty as an acoustic with piezo pickups. Anybody playing a guitar with built-in electronics is playing an electric guitar, no matter what it looks like.

-Jonathan

[hardheartedbill]

I agree w/ JW3 , BUT that ain't how it works, people hear w/ their eyes and acoustic means " pure and genuine" in the public perception ( discount the horrible piezo assault we hear ) so if they say acoustic they mean looks like acoustic, build some wings on your studio LOL. Ironicly, the 1778 elite T sounds best when the pickup assembly is removed and the sound escapes via the side a little bit. I'm really developing a strong attachment toward my Ovation, I use it to teach everyday and I play it more than any other guitar I own by a factor of at least 2, I'll be using graphite top by 07, wait and see

[pesocaster]

If you want to play something that feels like an electric, play your electric. There are plenty of gizmos out there to piezofy your electric's sound so you'll sound as shitty as an acoustic with piezo pickups. Anybody playing a guitar with built-in electronics is playing an electric guitar, no matter what it looks like.

I agree... but pulling that on Monday almost got me sending me and my gear home.... and I really do need an "acoustic" for pick up gigs and studio work.... I really just want something that I'm not going to fight all night.... I'm going out this weekend to play a bunch and see what sticks

[pesocaster]

What about the Carvins?

http://www.carvin.com/products/group.php?CID=CBLTT

I actually ordered one of their "Duo Tones" years ago ... that was a nightmare and will not order anything from Carvin again.....

I also ordered my current acoustic sight unseen and went by specs.... mistake.... won't do that again either... hahhaha Although I really like the sound of my Washburn.... just fight the thing everytime I pick it up......

[MCChris]

Whatever you decide, be sure to slap a Mother of Nutsack pickguard on it.

[pesocaster]

Whatever you decide, be sure to slap a Mother of Nutsack pickguard on it.

and a middle singlecoil?

DAMNIT!

[JohnnyB]

If you want to play something that feels like an electric, play your electric. ...

I agree... but pulling that on Monday almost got me sending me and my gear home.... and I really do need an "acoustic" for pick up gigs and studio work.... I really just want something that I'm not going to fight all night.... I'm going out this weekend to play a bunch and see what sticks

Hey, Peso, do you want to come up here Saturday? If you want to take more time shopping for your ideal electric-acoustic, you could borrow my Gretsch archtop with gen-you-wine Johnny Smith mini-bucker in the meantime. It looks and sounds acoustic and doesn't have the honky squawk of piezo pickups. We could go over to Guitarville, which is an Ovation and Tacoma dealer, and I'm just a few miles from (shudder) a big GC. Guitarville is where I first saw and played that Ovation 1778T Elite T.

Guitarville also has Martin, Taylor, Guild, Dean, Alvarez, Ibanez, and I dunno what all.

[pesocaster]

Hey, Peso, do you want to come up here Saturday? If you want to take more time shopping for your ideal electric-acoustic, you could borrow my Gretsch archtop with gen-you-wine Johnny Smith mini-bucker in the meantime. It looks and sounds acoustic and doesn't have the honky squawk of piezo pickups. We could go over to Guitarville, which is an Ovation and Tacoma dealer, and I'm just a few miles from (shudder) a big GC. Guitarville is where I first saw and played that Ovation 1778T Elite T.

Guitarville also has Martin, Taylor, Guild, Dean, Alvarez, Ibanez, and I dunno what all.

Sounds cool..... let me see if that is do-able.... might need to stick closer to the south side of the Sound.... oh and A# is also a good one to hit as well ..... Hmmmmmm I'm supposed to hook up with Jim for lunch over the weekend maybe I can drag him out as well.... Hmmmm it IS about time for a Guitar-Geek Saturday...

[JohnnyB]

Sounds cool..... let me see if that is do-able.... might need to stick closer to the south side of the Sound....  oh and A# is also a good one to hit as well ..... Hmmmmmm I'm supposed to hook up with Jim for lunch over the weekend maybe I can drag him out as well.... Hmmmm it IS about time for a Guitar-Geek Saturday...

If you came up here, there are not only plenty of guits to look at and try out that are close by, if you're undecided you can borrow the Gretsch to get you through until you have more time to decide.

And of course I'd like to play some music or DVD on the big rig since you heard it the last time. I've made a few "improvements."

[JohnnyB]

As far as electronics go, anything other than a mic sounds like rubber bands to my ears.

...There are plenty of gizmos out there to piezofy your electric's sound so you'll sound as shitty as an acoustic with piezo pickups.

One of the worst-kept secrets in acoustic performance is that the run-of-the-mill piezo acoustic sounds squawky, honky, and brittle when amplified and EQ'd wrong.

One of the best-kept secrets is that a floating Johnny Smith "New York" mini-humbucker sounds like an acoustic, never mind that it's a magnetic pickup. I can't believe how naturally acoustic my little maple ply Gretsch sounds since I put the Johnny Smith on it. No squawk, no brittleness, just smooth, robust, airy, woody acoustical sound. Of course you can juice it up to sound like an amplified jazz box, but if you maintain plenty of headroom and keep the midrange EQ under control, it sounds surprisingly natural.

[Buzzy Fretts]

Another consideration is to go with either the Ovation or the Duotone and add a Boss Acoustic simulator pedal inline. Its does mildly good with an electric's input. But it really makes a difference with piezo pups on thinline acoustics.

[wgarces]

Call this guy...

What craftsmanship! What tone! What quality! What a piece of shit!

[elduave]

One of the best-kept secrets is that a floating Johnny Smith "New York" mini-humbucker sounds like an acoustic, never mind that it's a magnetic pickup. I can't believe how naturally acoustic my little maple ply Gretsch sounds since I put the Johnny Smith on it. No squawk, no brittleness, just smooth, robust, airy, woody acoustical sound.

JB crushing with info! When we played as a band acoustic last week, I was surprised how good a *lead* sound my cuz wuz getting with a floating hum in the hole. That sounds funny (insert Beavis/Butthead laugh).

My main worry there is feedback.

[JohnnyB]

JB crushing with info! When we played as a band acoustic last week, I was surprised how good a *lead* sound my cuz wuz getting with a floating hum in the hole.

The guitar I'm using is an MIK Gretsch Synchromatic from their historic series. laminated maple body and top, but with a fully floating top -- pickup is hung from the fretboard and the tone/vol controls are on the floating pickguard. Floating bridge and tailpiece. All that floating design to what, let that laminated top resonate?

The weird thing in all this is I knew a folk trio in the '70s who played Martins and Guilds . They started using a magnetic pickup that clipped into the soundhole--something like a Markley, but maybe a Dunlop or Armstrong. Anyway, the weird thing was, here are these organic folkies playing a Guild and a Martin D-35, running the pickup signal into a Shure VocalMaster, and yet it sounded like they were playing electric guitars. Solidbodies. Yet my Gretsch sounds like a miked acoustic.

Go figure.

[pesocaster]

Played a BUNCH of boxes today... All were priced between $750 and $1500

In a nutshell: (and to be fair I played at least 2 of the same model each brand)

Tacoma ... No.. Fealt cheap and sounded cheap

New Guild.... No.. not my vibe.. but sounded nice

Martin.... No... fought the things... nice sound though

Washburn... No.. been there done that...

Breedlove Atlas series... Wanted to like this but didn't...

Taylor ... played a few... nice but out of the price range for the model I reall liked...

That Damn Black Ovation that I didn't want to like ..... Likely my next Acoustic....

[mudshark]

For the price and features you seek, you just might want to try a Takamine.

[LordOfTheThighs]

I owned an Ovation Custom Legend about 7 or 8 years ago.

When I went to buy it, my eyes were knocked out by

it's beautiful black finish, and sleek look. It played decent.

I played at home for about a week, only to realize that it

didn't come close to sounding as good as my old

Yamaha 12 stringer. Side by side, the Ovation, unplugged, sounded

very thin and almost like a cheap kid's guitar. The old Yamaha, while

not a great sounding guitar but very adaquate for me, "smoked"

the Ovation in tone. Additionally, I found the round back to be

a nuisance. I don't have a very bit gut, (at least not at that time ), and

found myself having to cinch it back into my lap constantly.

Now plugged in, the Ovation sounded very nice. But I didn't buy

an acoustic to plug it in. So I wound up selling it, and fortunately I didn't

lose any money on it.

Just throwing my experience out there. Many ppl love Ovations

and more power to them. But I had one of their top models, and was

disappointed with its sound.

Good Luck on the "acoustic quest".

[pesocaster]

I actually did try Tak's and they played to "acoustic" for what I'm looking for...

As far as Ovations... I did try a few... one being a top of the line Legend... this goofy black one sounded worlds better... whatever they did they hit "magic" with this one... I've tried Ovation before and was not too impressed... this is the only one I've liked.... and it was loads easier to play... which is 90% of why I'm even looking.... granted it didn't sound close to as good as the Taylor... But the Taylor was WAY out of my price range..... So I think this may be my "happy medium"...

But untill I have the dough I'll keep trying stuff... but as of now the Ovation wins for what I need....