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UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45
Jumbo recommendations, por favor
Never had one... and think it's high time I did. Mostly for strumming with a pick but needs to be dynamic and respond well to quick, syncopated and muted rhythm playing (as such I'm leaning towards maple). Will be used to accompany voice, both solo and with a 40-strong pop/R&B/soul choir. Long sets with lots of barre chord action.
95% of it's use will be amplified and I'd either fit a Trance Amulet MV or a Baggs Anthem if there's no stock electronics.
Gibson J200's - not keen on how they look and the few I've played have felt remarkably dead and lifeless! Haven't ruled them out entirely.
Taylor X18 - I played an 818e (rosewood) in a shop yesterday and was very impressed. One of the nicest necks I've tried.. felt like I could play it all day without fatigue. Incredibly responsive with a huge dynamic range, taking both the lightest picking and aggressive strumming like a champ. A tad 'nasally' perhaps with compressed mids. Unfortunately there was no 618's (maple) in stock to try. Not sure I'm a fan of the ES2 system.
Guild F55 - From online demos this seems to be the ideal, tone-wise. Can't find a shop with one in stock to try though, and I'm slightly put off by the 1 11/16 nut width, being accustomed to a 1 3/4 nut. Although it may mean less fatigue with thumb-over chording.
I know Eastman offer a jumbo but can't find one to try. Anything else worth looking at?
95% of it's use will be amplified and I'd either fit a Trance Amulet MV or a Baggs Anthem if there's no stock electronics.
Gibson J200's - not keen on how they look and the few I've played have felt remarkably dead and lifeless! Haven't ruled them out entirely.
Taylor X18 - I played an 818e (rosewood) in a shop yesterday and was very impressed. One of the nicest necks I've tried.. felt like I could play it all day without fatigue. Incredibly responsive with a huge dynamic range, taking both the lightest picking and aggressive strumming like a champ. A tad 'nasally' perhaps with compressed mids. Unfortunately there was no 618's (maple) in stock to try. Not sure I'm a fan of the ES2 system.
Guild F55 - From online demos this seems to be the ideal, tone-wise. Can't find a shop with one in stock to try though, and I'm slightly put off by the 1 11/16 nut width, being accustomed to a 1 3/4 nut. Although it may mean less fatigue with thumb-over chording.
I know Eastman offer a jumbo but can't find one to try. Anything else worth looking at?
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Comments
2004 Yamaha LL-500
1995 Yamaha LA-8
That's not gonna be cheap - believe me.
I hadn't really considered a Lowden for a strumming guitar but an O22, for example, cost about the same as the guitars I've been looking at so far. I'll try one out next I pass Guitarguitar.
I've always played acoustics, and I much prefer the upmarket famous builders (Goodall, Avalon, Lowden, Bourgeois, Santa Cruz, etc) for the sound - and they play well for acoustic-style stuff, but would be harder work for lots of barre chords than an electric
I thought that Taylors were the default brand for Live amplified stage work and more electric-like necks. I don't think they are generally as good acoustically as those brands I mentioned, but you need an instrument you can play comfortably, that is focused more on working with a PA
The two things which help reduce fatigue for me on longer sets are a rounded/full neck profile and a responsive top. Tanks that need medium gauge strings and full driving force to really come alive are a no go.
I've used a D28 which never sounded quite right to me with light strings, plus the 'bloom' of it's tonal character was unsuited to the quick and snappy syncopated grooves. The neck itself I found very comfortable.
Had a Hummingbird for a while which responded better to the repertoire but I didn't get along so much with the slim taper neck profile and short scale. Not being a fan of the aesthetics either, I couldn't bond with it.
I'm currently using a Maton SRS70C, which was an experiment for me in prioritising the amplified sound above all else. The plugged-in tone is great but the feel, looks, and acoustic tone are uninspiring to me - I never feel compelled to play it at home for the sheer joy of it.
Ultimately, I just want two 'lifetime' acoustics. I have a smaller bodied, wide-neck guitar for fingerpicking which I'm satisfied with. Just need to find the right strummer/flat picker to grow old(er) with which ticks all the boxes. If it doesn't have an inspiring acoustic tone, I'll undoubtably want to change it before long. Amplified tone is the least of my concerns really as that is easy to rectify on most guitars - not so much on an ES2-equipped Taylor without leaving holes.
here's one in Coda if that's any use !?!?
https://reverb.com/uk/item/29700986-brook-okement
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
I've chopped and changed a bit for sure but it's been enlightening and has helped me identify what I like and don't like from a large-bodied acoustic - I can't afford to keep a collection of them.
I've never really chosen an instrument based on it's value or level of decoration; a plain or cheaper instrument is fine as long as it's inspiring and sounds, feels and plays right for me.
Not maple but looks a lot of guitar.
2004 Yamaha LL-500
1995 Yamaha LA-8
My ear is definitely drawn to more expensive guitars, to a point. I appreciate quality and well-finished instruments but I'm not one for ornate decoration and bling. It's more how they sound and feel.
I popped into Guitarguitar again this morning and tried a few more for reference:
Taylor Custom GO Spruce/Maple - sterile, totally devoid of bass/warmth, neck felt awful. Put it down after 2 strummed chords.
Lowden O22 Cedar/Mahogany - Incredibly light, balanced and responsive guitar, did not want to put it down. Sounded surprisingly good strummed with a pick but not really the sound I'm after to be honest, although it shall be on my mind for a while. Neck seemed a little thin for my liking and I can imagine long sets of chording might get a bit tiring.
Gibson J-185 EC Walnut - Good snappy response to quick, syncopated rhythms but a little bright/brash and a slim taper neck/short scale is just not for me. Fit and finish was awful - glue everywhere, battery bag flopping around freely and scratchy fret ends. I can safely rule J-185's out.
Gibson SJ-200 Studio Rosewood - I had to get past my aversion to the silly moustache bridge and give one a try. They had no Maple standards in stock. Annoyingly, I loved it! The 1 3/4 nut and full-ish neck profile (advanced response?!) felt like home to my hands. Long scale, of course. Finish was far better than the J-185. I didn't think rosewood was what I needed/wanted, yet it responded beautifully to all manner and tempo of strumming and flat-picking, without feeling like I was fighting any 'bloom'. Hmmm.
I'm gonna have to find a few maple standards to try, but the rosewood studio is a serious contender so far!
The nearest maple Guild F55 to me is in Wales I believe, so I'll be making the journey over soon before I get impulsive.
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
Edit: Intersound in Dursley isn't too far for my next day off, I'll call them and see what they have in stock.
Steve, Denver and the guys are great - very accommodating - I bought my Furch from them a while back.
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
I went to over to Express Music in Coventry to try a 2016 Taylor 618e. Beautiful-looking guitar but definitely lacking in bass department. Felt and sounded very precise but at the expense of character. Didn't sound as bad as I expected plugged-in but still a little synthetic with metallic upper mids. Not for me.
They had Atkins in stock - having never played one I had to have a go. J43 was fantastic. Then I tried a secondhand D37 (essentially a D-28) with an LR Baggs Anthem installed. It's like the frickin' heavens opened. Everything I originally hoped for but didn't get when I bought my Martin. Richness, depth and responsiveness in spades. My Martin needed 13's and a firm touch to really sing - this one was strung with Elixir 12's and sounded better, even strummed lightly, than anything else I've tried so far. That includes Martins worth £6k. Responded well to all styles I threw at it. Neck profile suited me well despite the nut being 1 11/16 and the thing looks stunning. The guitar felt like an old friend and needless to say... it came home with me.
Set out to find a maple jumbo, ended up with a bloody rosewood dread! To be honest I'm glad I wasn't tempted down the route of an obscenely priced SJ-200 standard. Would still like to try a maple Guild jumbo one day if there's ever one close. For now though, I'm happy... and a nice little bonus that both my serious acoustics are UK made.
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
of course, its a big birthday, and you are getting it at a short time huge massive discount offer never to be repeated........................ aren't you ?
just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
We’ll come on then let’s see it