£2,000 Guitar.

McSwaggerty

Imagine - you have inherited £2,000 from your rich Uncle.

You are fed up playing shit Guitars, and you want to own a good one before you die.

What would you buy ??

Lewy

Depends what you like. If you go used then you can get a very good example of just about any kind of acoustic guitar you like with that budget.

Personally, if a couple of grand landed in my lap I'd add another couple of hundred quid to it and go looking for a good used model by one of the boutique US "variations on the Martin theme" makers like Bourgeois, Santa Cruz (would say Collings but am covered there) etc

Moe_Zambeek

I'd buy the Lowden I am selling in the classifieds

VimFuego

what lewy said, except I'd probably look at somethin like Aitkin, Lowden etc.

Trude

I'd buy my own Atkin J45, and take the missus out for a nice meal with the change.

(Except obviously I wouldn't, since I'm selling it.  But still...)

Gassage

I don't think I'd be prepared to downgrade.

TheMarlin

1999 Gretsch Setzer Hot Rod. 

Bluesman1989

Buy my nick Benjamin and have 1k change

usedtobe

I don't think I'd ever spend 2 grand on a guitar, even in the circumstances described above, but I'd probably bust my 1 grand limit for a nice Martin acoustic.

richardhomer

I'd go to store with lots of stock and try lots of brands/sizes. Martins, Gibsons, Taylors and Lowdens of similar size tend to sound 'very' different from each other. Different body styles/wood combinations also sound different.

This isn't meant to sound patronising - but if you're not used to higher end acoustics - don't be in a rush to spend your money. Spend time learning what you really like in the sound of various guitars. 

£2000 should get you a 'guitar for life' if you chose well.

Lozboy

I agree with richardhomer on this.I think getting advise from someone who actually owns a collection of nice acoustics would be an idea.Very often trying in a busy store for a short period with a sales person standing over is only one part of the equation.
  Good luck with journey.

Rocker

I would talk to Owen at SomeNeckGuitars in Dublin.  The website has all contact details.  A low cost flight to Dublin may be the answer to you prayers.  Check it out.  And good luck with your search.

crunchman

There is so much difference between different brands and styles of guitar - even between similar guitars made of different wood.  A Martin D28 sounds different from a pre-2012 D18 because of the difference between rosewood and mahogany for the back and sides.  Apart from cosmetics like binding they are essentially built exactly the same way except for the wood used.

Spruce/rosewood has a certain sound, which is different from spruce/mahogany, or spruce/koa.  If you start looking at other materials for the tops like cedar then you have yet more options, and again you can have different woods for the back and sides.  The cork sniffers get into the difference between Sitka spruce, Engelmann spruce and Adirondack spruce as well.

While the woods make a difference, the body style makes a difference.  If I use Martin body styles as a reference, a dreadnought will be loud and have big low end, an O or an OO will be quieter and possible better suited to finger pickings.  The OOO/OM will be somewhere in between and be a good allrounder.  Talking of the OOO/OM the scale length makes a difference as well.  The OOO is shorter scale (24.9" I think) where the OM is longer (25.4"?).  It does make a difference to the sound and to the feel of the guitar.

Bracing is also important. Compare a base model Martin D28 to an HD28V with scalloped pre-war style bracing and there is a significant difference.

The other thing to be aware of is neck dimensions.  I love the sound of Brook guitars but they have a shallow neck with a very flat radius which I can't get on with.  I also like Lowden but their normal necks are too wide.  You can custom order a Lowden with a narrower neck but that would be way outside the £2k budget.  Some Martins have V profiles on the necks which I quite like but others don't.

All of these factors - wood selection, body style, bracing design, plus playing comfort - combine together to make the whole.  As others have said, it's probably best to go and try a bunch until you find one you like.  Think about how you will use it. Even if you like the sound of a dreadnought or jumbo it won't be comfortable if your main use is on the sofa at home.

AliGorie

McSwag, a few yrs back I got into playing (again) after a good few yrs of being away from acoustic guitar - went out 'n tryed a lot of guitars from a few hundred £'s to £7k short answer is I bought a Chinese guitar @ 500 quid. Sure the Redwood / African Blackwood Lowden was nice as was the Collings mahogany OM and the Bourgeois 'Soloist' - superb.
My better half was all for me indulging myself but once u'r in the position that you can have what you want - you start to evaluate things differently.
I needed something I could take out and about with me and not worry about it and the kinds of places I play either they wouldn't notice the quality of others guitar, it tends to be more about the music you play.
I'm enjoying the 'freedom' this guitar allows me - allowing others to play it and leave it lying around (unattended).

McSwaggerty

Richardhomer said -

This isn't meant to sound patronising - but if you're not used to higher end acoustics - don't be in a rush to spend your money. Spend time learning what you really like in the sound of various guitars. 

I agree with this, a few years ago I was convinced I wanted a Martin D18....took me years to save up for one. Now, its a great guitar,  but I know now I am more into small bodied guitars as I am mainly into Blues fingerpicking, so I am going to sell the Martin. It was a huge learning curve, and I won't be as hasty in the future.

Thanks for all your suggestions guys, more food for thought.

jellyroll

McSwaggerty said:

Richardhomer said -

This isn't meant to sound patronising - but if you're not used to higher end acoustics - don't be in a rush to spend your money. Spend time learning what you really like in the sound of various guitars. 

I agree with this, a few years ago I was convinced I wanted a Martin D18....took me years to save up for one. Now, its a great guitar,  but I know now I am more into small bodied guitars as I am mainly into Blues fingerpicking, so I am going to sell the Martin. It was a huge learning curve, and I won't be as hasty in the future.

Thanks for all your suggestions guys, more food for thought.

We've all bought guitars and then "moved on" from them. It's only by spending time with individual instruments that we get to realize what we like and don't like. Plus, our preferences change over time.

Best way to think about the £££s is to assess how much you'll lose on resale and then consider whether that loss is a price you are willing to pay for 1/2/5/10 years of experiencing playing that guitar. You're paying for the experience, not the product.

(Plus, you'll realize that an apparent loss of a grand on a high end guitar might be no more costly than buying 2 or 3 cheapos with no re-sale value).

artiebear

jellyroll said:

McSwaggerty said:

Richardhomer said -

This isn't meant to sound patronising - but if you're not used to higher end acoustics - don't be in a rush to spend your money. Spend time learning what you really like in the sound of various guitars. 

I agree with this, a few years ago I was convinced I wanted a Martin D18....took me years to save up for one. Now, its a great guitar,  but I know now I am more into small bodied guitars as I am mainly into Blues fingerpicking, so I am going to sell the Martin. It was a huge learning curve, and I won't be as hasty in the future.

Thanks for all your suggestions guys, more food for thought.

We've all bought guitars and then "moved on" from them. It's only by spending time with individual instruments that we get to realize what we like and don't like. Plus, our preferences change over time.

Best way to think about the £££s is to assess how much you'll lose on resale and then consider whether that loss is a price you are willing to pay for 1/2/5/10 years of experiencing playing that guitar. You're paying for the experience, not the product.

(Plus, you'll realize that an apparent loss of a grand on a high end guitar might be no more costly than buying 2 or 3 cheapos with no re-sale value).

A great deal of wisdom in your post @jellyroll . I've been lucky enough to accumulate a lot of nice guitars over the years and been even more lucky to manage to add to what I have rather than buying and selling ( couldn't have afforded to do that at one stage ) . During my playing life I've discovered that according to what I'm working on, changes in technique and in taste, as well as just needing the new challenge/experience of playing a new instrument, I have set guitars to one side because they didn't fit only to come back to that guitar and fall in love all over again.  A case in point, I bought a Collings OM with Koa back and sides about 11years ago used it for a while then due to a custom built Fylde and  a Sobell coming in, it got cased and left for a while. A few years later I thought about selling the Collings, got it out , gave it a good set up etc. and ended up taking it on the road for the next 2 years. The guitar was great when i bought it and still,is  but it was me that was changing I guess .

Strangely, though I love electric instruments as well, I never feel quite the personal attachment developing that I can with an acoustic guitar. 

McSwaggerty

artiebear said:

jellyroll said:

McSwaggerty said:

Richardhomer said -

This isn't meant to sound patronising - but if you're not used to higher end acoustics - don't be in a rush to spend your money. Spend time learning what you really like in the sound of various guitars. 

I agree with this, a few years ago I was convinced I wanted a Martin D18....took me years to save up for one. Now, its a great guitar,  but I know now I am more into small bodied guitars as I am mainly into Blues fingerpicking, so I am going to sell the Martin. It was a huge learning curve, and I won't be as hasty in the future.

Thanks for all your suggestions guys, more food for thought.

We've all bought guitars and then "moved on" from them. It's only by spending time with individual instruments that we get to realize what we like and don't like. Plus, our preferences change over time.

Best way to think about the £££s is to assess how much you'll lose on resale and then consider whether that loss is a price you are willing to pay for 1/2/5/10 years of experiencing playing that guitar. You're paying for the experience, not the product.

(Plus, you'll realize that an apparent loss of a grand on a high end guitar might be no more costly than buying 2 or 3 cheapos with no re-sale value).

A great deal of wisdom in your post @jellyroll . I've been lucky enough to accumulate a lot of nice guitars over the years and been even more lucky to manage to add to what I have rather than buying and selling ( couldn't have afforded to do that at one stage ) . During my playing life I've discovered that according to what I'm working on, changes in technique and in taste, as well as just needing the new challenge/experience of playing a new instrument, I have set guitars to one side because they didn't fit only to come back to that guitar and fall in love all over again.  A case in point, I bought a Collings OM with Koa back and sides about 11years ago used it for a while then due to a custom built Fylde and  a Sobell coming in, it got cased and left for a while. A few years later I thought about selling the Collings, got it out , gave it a good set up etc. and ended up taking it on the road for the next 2 years. The guitar was great when i bought it and still,is  but it was me that was changing I guess .

Strangely, though I love electric instruments as well, I never feel quite the personal attachment developing that I can with an acoustic guitar. 

You guys are both so 'bang on' with what you are saying......a year or so ago, l had a total of 17 guitars in the house....just plain ridiculous. I got my first at 14 years old and just kept going into my now ancient years. They ranged from cheapo Classical guitars, to Resonators to higher end Dreadnoughts. I have sold most of them on now, but as you both say, at least l have had some really good times with every single one of them . However l have now decided one or two guitars is enough.....well maybe 3.......or four..... 
I have always fancied a Banjo !

jellyroll

Baritone ukulele - it's tuned like a guitar!

McSwaggerty

jellyroll said:

Baritone ukulele - it's tuned like a guitar!

Really ?....... Right, l'm off to check them out ! 

Evilmags

Second hand Lowden.