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Favorite acoustic guitars?


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I love the sound of my 414 Taylor, but the mid-'70s Ovation is more fun to play. The round back can be a pain, though.

I'd trade them both (and a kidney) for a McPherson. Played like a -insert favorite guitar here-  and sounded like a Steinway. It was the first acoustic of any type to truly knock my socks off.

https://mcphersonguitars.com/

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So a few years ago I wanted a "lifetime acoustic" to celebrate getting through some stuff and still being alive.  Wound up with a lightly used Collings OM1.  My other acoustic is a Martin 000-15.  I like the 000/OM sizes, I suppose.

 

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Alvarez Yairi for me.  Just bought a burled mahogany body cutaway with a cedar top (DY-62C).  Had it re-fretted.  Just killer tone acoustically and amplified.  I love Yairi DY models.  The cedar top and mahogany body produces a really warm sound. 

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4 hours ago, The Shark said:

Alvarez Yairi for me.  Just bought a burled mahogany body cutaway with a cedar top (DY-62C).  Had it re-fretted.  Just killer tone acoustically and amplified.  I love Yairi DY models.  The cedar top and mahogany body produces a really warm sound. 

Same here. I love everything about my DY-62C! Mine's a '96 with the traditional looking bridge. I have a Bedell spruce top (all solid wood top, sides and back) for a different sound but hardly pick it up with the Alvarez - Yairi around.

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4 hours ago, 0054 said:

Dale Fairbanks builds amazing Gibson replica types. Great dude too.

 

Yikes!  For the prices he charges, I'd rather just buy a Gibson J-200!  At least I know I could resell it and not lose any money.

A J-180 or J-200 would be my ideal acoustic, but I'm partial to the 000 and Parlor styles lately.

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I am playing an early 1970s Alvarez Gibson Dove copy. Pretty okay acoustic. I don't play acoustic that often, so it's good enough. I'd love an old Levin though. Keeping my eyes our for something parlour like.

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8 hours ago, cmatthes said:

Yikes!  For the prices he charges, I'd rather just buy a Gibson J-200!  At least I know I could resell it and not lose any money.

A J-180 or J-200 would be my ideal acoustic, but I'm partial to the 000 and Parlor styles lately.

He builds em amazingly.

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On 5/21/2020 at 11:33 AM, velorush said:

Ten or twelve years ago Taylor came out with a Grand Symphony series.  There were four at the time, GS5, GS6, GS7 and GS8, with each designating a different combination of top and side/back woods.  The only time I've been tempted to pay real money (around $2,500 IIRC) for an acoustic guitar.  I used to sit in the Memphis Guitar Center acoustic room (where it was nicely quiet compared to the sales floor) and play them until my wife called to collect her from the mall.

The (marketing) theory was a large lower bout for bass and a smaller upper bout for detail.  All I know is they sounded amazing - but apparently I was in the minority as they are no longer in production.

Here's an internet photo of a GS6, for example:

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The GS is still in production.  In typical Taylor style, once the design was accepted by the market, it was assigned a model number.  In the case of the Grand Symphony, it became an x16 series.  Body wood number goes before  the series, so the 316 (Sapele or, more recently, Tasmanian Blackwood), 416 (Ovangkol), 516 (Mahogany), 616 (Maple), 716/816/916 (Indian Rosewood with varying bling levels).  They are killer instruments!

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On 5/21/2020 at 6:39 AM, JGale said:

Breedlove Revival OM-R. NAMM proto. BCR Music. Plekked with a bone nut installed.

OM-R2a.jpg

Hey - I've got one of those too!  Adi top, milk chocolate colored rosewood back.  Great player, but the Waverly tuners had seized up by the time I got it, so they were replaced with Gotoh open backs.  Fine instrument, indeed...

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Acoustics are my primary instrument.  Too many hanging around the house from a variety of builders (Taylor, Gibson, Yamaha, Pono).  Nothing against Martin - Just don't have one in the herd right now.  As for current fave, I would say it's a toss-up between a Gibby J45 (Mahogany/Sitka) or a Breedlove Revival OM Deluxe (Adirondack/Rosewood).  Although it doesn't get played nearly enough, I have an '06 Taylor K65ce All Koa 12 string that sounds absolutely incredible.  Downside is the jumbo body feels bigger every time I play it...

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I got a Yamaha LS6 ARE (small body) on a GC blowout for $399 with HSC a few years back. It's amazing. Perfect guitar for around the house.

Most of my acoustic time is spent on 12 string-I have a kinda beat up Taylor 454CE that plays and sounds great. I'm not one of those Taylor 

disciples, but their 12 strings are the easiest playing I have found.

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3 hours ago, Teh said:

The GS is still in production.  In typical Taylor style, once the design was accepted by the market, it was assigned a model number.  In the case of the Grand Symphony, it became an x16 series.  Body wood number goes before  the series, so the 316 (Sapele or, more recently, Tasmanian Blackwood), 416 (Ovangkol), 516 (Mahogany), 616 (Maple), 716/816/916 (Indian Rosewood with varying bling levels).  They are killer instruments!

So what happened to the GC series? I once tried a GC7 that was truly glorious. Damn near bought it!

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My sole acoustic is a close friend...a 1989 Westerly Guild D25 that was my sole guitar for a solid decade. I actually wore divots into the rosewood fingerboard...yet somehow the frets are still good. Fast neck, great tone and even if I don’t touch it for 6 months, the minute I pick it up it just feels right. Sitka spruce top over mahogany. Arched back. I love that guitar. I pulled it out to record with it just yesterday.....needed to clumsily fingerpick a country blues...

 

I would love a parlor size though. They just look so cool.

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                                                        What the hell I'll Include this one as well ,but it is of course a acoustic/electric and this one was a PAWN SHOP score, $400.00 with the OHSC. Guitar was in excellent condition [Case too] and beautiful but..................... it did have some of the dreaded finish cloudy/fogging stuff that some Yamaha guitars had .................you can see it faintly  on the back. But this played and sounded really nice. Rare model too with the D= Deep Body.All the electronics worked [Which was not always the case as I understand it,] great and it was a cool guitar. Yamaha APX  20-D ALiAjfS.jpglqCVkoN.jpgqVCR3mR.jpgrXNoTEo.jpgM6tYCN9.jpgM6tYCN9.jpg

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On 5/25/2020 at 1:06 AM, ZR said:

Same here. I love everything about my DY-62C! Mine's a '96 with the traditional looking bridge. I have a Bedell spruce top (all solid wood top, sides and back) for a different sound but hardly pick it up with the Alvarez - Yairi around.

Alvarez Yairi DY1TS at my house. Red cedar top, mahogany neck, rosewood sides and back, dreadnought with cutaway, electronics. I sold my Taylor to partially fund it and haven't looked back.

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4 hours ago, killerteddybear said:

So what happened to the GC series? I once tried a GC7 that was truly glorious. Damn near bought it!

GC (Grand Concert) would be the x12 series.  What's interesting here is they offer GC's in a 12 fret to the body (24.9" scale, I think) or a 14 fret 25.5" design.  It's easy to tell as the 12 fret is a slot head design and the 14 fret is a standard paddle headstock.

The 12 fret is a treat to play, with a little less tension on the strings to make it easier on the fretting hand.  It also moves the bridge deeper into the lower bout to give that small body a bit more low end depth.  

The 712, depending on the year or whether it's a limited run, could have a Red Cedar, Lutz Spruce, Engelmann Spruce or Sitka Spruce top.

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2000 J160e.

I got this from Bizarre Guitar/Guns in Reno. It has a, "Gibson Custom" decal on the back of the headstock, but I don't think it's a CS model. This run differs from a vintage J160e due to a solid spruce top, X-bracing, bone saddle and a P100 stacked single coil. It's wired (aftermarket) in stereo, with the second knob controlling volume for a B-band UST. With a mono cable, only the UST is in use.

It took about 5 years of beating on it for it to open up. Now, it has good volume/projection and the warm sound of a Southern Jumbo. Its electric voice is pure Mersey Beat, but I suppose nickel flatwounds would be the way to go for that sound?

J160e3.jpgJ160e2.jpg

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