Acoustics that feel and play like electrics

xmrchi · June 2014

I have to agree with the waldens they are amazing guitars for the price, and the playability is that of a guitar twice the price I owned one before falling in love with my vintage guild, also the tangle wood rosewood reserves are great, they also play like butter and have a good sound.

TheDarkLord · June 2014

Just got one of these. Perfect for an electric player like me:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/91866150@N00/sets/72157644908528040/

http://eedev.takamine.com/archive/acoustic_electric/eg568c

strtdv · June 2014

They sound awful acoustically, and "different" plugged in, but an Ovation (especially the newer ones with the contour on the back) plays very like an electric.

The sound is a love it or hate it thing though

Phil_aka_Pip · June 2014

IMO if you want something that plays & feels like an electric, get an electric. If you want an acoustic sound out of an electric, get a piezo-loaded bridge or a Boss Acoustic Simulator pedal. If you want a genuine acoustic sound, man up and get an acoustic.

Travisthedog · June 2014

Phil_aka_Pip said:

IMO if you want something that plays & feels like an electric, get an electric. If you want an acoustic sound out of an electric, get a piezo-loaded bridge or a Boss Acoustic Simulator pedal. If you want a genuine acoustic sound, man up and get an acoustic.

Helpful

Thanks

)

ICBM · June 2014

I like things that are halfway between the two, both feel- and sound-wise.

I like electrics to sound and feel like acoustics and acoustics to sound and feel like electrics

.

welshboyo · June 2014

shame, I had a lovely Tanglewood premium line jobby that played like an electric, sold it to someone on the old MR forum
:P

Phil_aka_Pip · June 2014

ICBM said:

I like things that are halfway between the two, both feel- and sound-wise.

I like electrics to sound and feel like acoustics and acoustics to sound and feel like electrics .

You'd like my Washburn SBF-80 then. IMO it doesn't really play like an electric neither does it really play like an acoustic, it's kinda halfway. Sounds wise I think it's very nicely in the acoustic camp.

EDIT I didn't mention it before as I didn't think it would fit the OP's spec.

ICBM · June 2014

Phil_aka_Pip said:

ICBM said:

I like things that are halfway between the two, both feel- and sound-wise.

I like electrics to sound and feel like acoustics and acoustics to sound and feel like electrics .

You'd like my Washburn SBF-80 then. IMO it doesn't really play like an electric neither does it really play like an acoustic, it's kinda halfway. Sounds wise I think it's very nicely in the acoustic camp.

I quite like those, but they need a magnetic pickup as well. At that point they would become very similar to the Fender HMT Tele, which is the best-sounding 'solid acoustic' I've played. I owned one for a while but I couldn't get on with the wide/flat neck and jumbo frets - a hangover from the original version of the HMT (Heavy Metal Telecaster) which used the same neck but on a two-humbucker body. Confused yet?

You need a mix of piezo and magnetic to get the best *acoustic* sound in my opinion - although that does also mean that it can do much better electric ones too. The key is that piezo and magnetic pickups are out of phase with each other - not completely like reversing one of two magnetic pickups, but 90º or 'halfway'. This is much more like the way the top of an acoustic guitar vibrates than any single pickup is.

I possibly should have changed the neck on my HMT for a more traditional Tele or Strat one (the original has a Strat-type head shape), but it was the odd offset neckplate design which made it difficult to find something suitable.

boogieman · July 2014

strtdv said:

They sound awful acoustically, and "different" plugged in, but an Ovation (especially the newer ones with the contour on the back) plays very like an electric.
The sound is a love it or hate it thing though

Ovations have really nice necks. A mate owned a Custom model and it had one of the nicest necks I've ever played; perfect width, perfect fretting and a comfortable soft V. Shame they sound so shit.

FelineGuitars · July 2014

My Alvarez acoustic feels a lot like an electric - mainly because of having been refretted with super jumbo wire

I also added an Earvana nut and some Maltese Cross inlays.

Selling this for £399 if interested

Travisthedog · July 2014

Want

siraxeman · July 2014

ICBM said:

The bad news is that you may have to pay slightly more than you'd like to for one that plays that well *and* sounds good. For example Yamaha APXs sound terrible (both acoustically and in my opinion plugged in), even though they play easily.

I generally agree the acoustic sound of the APX's sound not great...but the top of the range sounds noticeably sweeter than the rest of the pack I found. The APX1000 sounded acceptable unplugged...but the APX1200 sounded quite sweet. Still you can't get away from the limitations of a small acoustic body size at least for unplugged nekkid sounds. Plugged in tho they're fine at least to my ears.

jellyroll · July 2014

I've always wondered about the Godin Multiacs (I think they're called)...the ones like a thin acoustic without a sound hole that need to be plugged in. What are they for?

ICBM · July 2014

jellyroll said:

I've always wondered about the Godin Multiacs (I think they're called)...the ones like a thin acoustic without a sound hole that need to be plugged in. What are they for?

Making an awful pseudo-acoustic sound. Or playing power ballads in MTV rock bands. Which may be the same thing.

They made two basic models as far as I know, the Acousticaster (Tele shaped) and the A6 (ugly shaped). The Acousticaster was supposedly the better one and was built more like an acoustic guitar, with a sort of resonance unit inside the body, and the A6 was more of a conventional chambered solidbody I think. They had wide, thin necks - my least favourite.

The Ovation for the grunge generation really.

Although one of my musical heroes (Heather Nova) used an A6 briefly, so they can't be *all* bad…

The Multiac is the one shaped like an ugly thing that's been hit by a big stick and is covered in pickups, slider controls, switches, guitar synth gubbins and can sound boring in more ways than you can possibly imagine.

richardhomer · July 2014

ICBM;288374" said:
The Multiac is the one shaped like an ugly thing that's been hit by a big stick and is covered in pickups, slider controls, switches, guitar synth gubbins and can sound boring in more ways than you can possibly imagine.

I take the endorsement deal didn't go ahead then?

ICBM · July 2014

richardhomer said:
I take the endorsement deal didn't go ahead then?

lol

Actually having checked, there are different versions of the Multiac and not all of them have been hit by the stick as well

. I thought it had a magnetic pickup too, but it appears not (and they did a nylon-string version anyway).

I've never played a Godin I've liked though, with the possible exception of the Radiator, and even that was less interesting than it looked.

Jeremiah · July 2014

What about the Ibanez Talman - Ibanez describe it as the 'acoustic guitar for electric guitarists.'

Never played one myself but someone I used to be in a band with bought one and says it's great.

AuldReekie · July 2014

Had a Godin Acousitcaster for a few years. Even amplified in a band situation, did not sound really sound convincing and sound lacked any depth or character. Wasnt sorry to see it go in the end

thecolourbox · July 2014

I have a Fender Telecoustic, got it second hand cheap as chips, it sounds alright plugged in but very quiet when not as it's so small. It's basically a Tele shaped acoustic, though definitely at the cheaper end of things. It does play like a Tele style guitar to me, though not necessarily an "excellent" Tele! It's small, great for picking up and strumming or finger picking (I use the Martin folk strings which are nice and soft), no rib cramps as it's small.

I understand some people have trouble when playing it standing up, that it rocks forward if not being held as the neck is heavy compared to the dubious material the body is made of!

They do a Stratacoustic as well I think

All in all, like some others mentioned above, whilst it does play like an electric, and looks like an electric, you sacrifice some tone. It's not going to sound like a higher end one, it does sound nicer plugged in with onboard electrics or with a Woody pup.You won't be heard f you play alongside anybody else unplugged either, unless they are playing a ukelele...

nickp · July 2014

at the risk of repeating others @travisthedog - the answer is to go to a good dealer and start trying acoustics until you find one that works - and then pay a new price for it

there are acoustics well set up, with the right string gauge that will feel fantastic - don't worry about price initially just play lots of them until you reach for your wallet. I did and it was a budget instrument at £250. A little bright sounding perhaps but you can shred and fret tap on it and it is great for fingerstyle!

IMHO buying second hand if just a route to buying another guitar that doesn't feel right - at least initially until you can be sure of what you want

Monkeybone · July 2014

Is the plan to play plugged in every time? Because if not, another option could be a Crafter SA, basically Crafter's take on the Taylor T5 (I actually prefer the look of the Crafter personally). LR baggs piezo and a lipstick pickup by the neck and you can blend the two. Tis very quiet when not plugged in but I quite like the plugged in sound.

Travisthedog · July 2014

Just to conclude this thread - Well I found what I wanted.

Early 1970's Epiphone "Texan" beautiful neck and fretboard radius, wide at the nut, loud, a beautiful tone unplugged and loads of character

Yes it needs a pick up of some sort but that's ok beacause it cost me the princely sum of £75!!!!

ICBM · July 2014

Travisthedog said:

Just to conclude this thread - Well I found what I wanted.

Early 1970's Epiphone "Texan" beautiful neck and fretboard radius, wide at the nut, loud, a beautiful tone unplugged and loads of character

Yes it needs a pick up of some sort but that's ok beacause it cost me the princely sum of £75!!!!

Fantastic!

You definitely want some sort of soundhole pickup for that - it will be more in keeping with the age and character of the guitar, as well as sounding better than a piezo.

Travisthedog · July 2014

I was thinking a rare earth ??

ICBM · July 2014

Travisthedog said:

I was thinking a rare earth ??

Or LR Baggs M1A.

Travisthedog · July 2014

Oooo i forgot about those

Gassage · July 2014

I just sold an APX1000 on here...they're really nice and the SRT system is great.

However, Taylor rule in this space IMO.

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Acoustics that feel and play like electrics

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