Budget piezo-equipped electro acoustic - decent options?

Floof

An ex pediment with a friends electro acoustic and an iPhone with an Impulse Response loader sounded pretty good to me, so I'm in the market for a budget electro to take to open mics.

A piezo pickup will be best as the IR expects that clanky tone to do its magic on. 

I'd like something that plays really well, and which is svelte enough for live use (ie not a dreadnaught-depth, or jumbo type of thing, but not a parlour either)

I am skinty mcskintface - but if I prepare myself for the spousal backlash might be able to push up toward £250 (although typing that number causes me physical pain...) 

Used is fine, if anyone knows of things that might come up used.

But yeah, any suggestions? 

thanks!

crunchman

I bought an Epiphone for our church a few years back that sounds very good plugged in.  Can't remember which model.  That was around £200.

There are a lot of pretty decent budget guitars these days.

I'd just go to a decent shop and try a few.  They should let you plug it in to an acoustic amp, or powered PA speaker to try it out.

Floof

Yes will try when I can - means a schlep somewhere is all - nothing suitable nearby 

ICBM

One of the smaller-bodied Crafters, Turners or Tanglewoods would probably be top of my look-out-for list in that price range, but there are plenty of other brands too. The quality of cheaper guitars coming out of Korea, China and Indonesia these days is remarkable.

Floof

Cheers - will see what I can find on that front

What about the cheaper end of Ovation?

And Sigma?

ICBM

Floof said:

What about the cheaper end of Ovation?

And Sigma?

Ovations are *very* much an acquired taste - for the body shape as much as the tone. They also tend to have complex preamps, which is probably not what you want for a clean signal to drive your IRs - keep it as simple as possible.

Sigma is a good choice, if you can find one in that price range.

Floof

ICBM said:

 They also tend to have complex preamps, which is probably not what you want for a clean signal to drive your IRs - keep it as simple as possible.

Sigma is a good choice, if you can find one in that price range.

Thanks

Floof

I was unexpectedly in a town with a guitar shop and grabbed half an hour out. Was able to try a Tanglewood (279) that sounded awful unplugged but had a B-Band pickup system (didn’t get to plug in)

and a Yamaha APX-500 III that was discounted to 249 that soUnded better (again, unplugged) and had a pickup system too

ICBM

That must have been a particularly terrible Tanglewood if an APX sounded better unplugged!

Having been reminded of it - avoid B-Band pickup systems anyway, they're unreliable. Worse than usual for electro-acoustics.

Floof

ICBM said:

That must have been a particularly terrible Tanglewood if an APX sounded better unplugged!

Having been reminded of it - avoid B-Band pickup systems anyway, they're unreliable. Worse than usual for electro-acoustics.

yes it was proper shit! (played fine though) 

ta for the b-band warning.

I just want something that will plug in and I don't mind bouncing off the corner of a pub table at an open mic. I have a nice pure-acoustic for home.