Help / Suggestions - Guitar for my Old Man for Xmas - Finger Style .

AlexO

As the title says -

I'm going to get my old fella a new acoustic guitar for Christmas.

I've got a budget of £400-£600 max.

He plays Tommy Emmanuel / solo finger style but without the percussive bussiness.

He's a decent player but has no interest in gear. I.e he thinks I'm a idiot who hides behind pedals and expensive gear (he's not wrong) so the name on the headstock doesn't matter to him.

He's been playing his battered Japanese Martin copy since the 70s and it's almost unplayable these days.

I'm not very clued up when it comes to acoustics, I've been looking at the Sigma https://guitarvillage.co.uk/products/sigma-lm-sg00-vintage-sunburst  - but could do with some more suggestions / advice for this sort of thing. 

Would also need to be able to plug it in for live playing.

Cheers chaps

Kilgore

In that budget range Sigma is a very good bet. I have a Sigma 000 mahogany which is great for fingerstyle.

munckee

I have a simon and patrick sp6 cedar which they now call a woodland, £439 in Gak, I'm not much of an acoustic player but I really like mine and there is some pretty good review.  Sons of the Godin chap I believe.  Also make Seagull guitars.  made in Canada.

LuttiS

Faith guitars make some really great stuff.. 

https://www.andertons.co.uk/faith-naked-venus-cut-electro-acoustic-in-black-spruce-mahogany-satin-fkvbk

or

https://www.andertons.co.uk/faith-naked-series-neptune-electro-acoustic-faithfkne

I've got a naked venus, sounds amazing, feels great to play.

BigLicks67

A Yamaha LS16 or LS6 would be very similar in style and shape to Emmanuel's Maton.

Phil_aka_Pip

Faith FTW

richardhomer

Every Sigma I’ve played has been superb.

Nitefly

Ref the S&P / Seagull guitars - I don't know how they are these days, but my two from the 90's have really wide necks.  It suits me, but might not suit your dad, depending on what he's used to...

Chris_J

Anyone know what the Martins are like in that price bracket? 

Think the dreadnought junior is close to the top end of your budget and I'm sure I remember people raving about that... 

fields5069

Nitefly said:

Ref the S&P / Seagull guitars - I don't know how they are these days, but my two from the 90's have really wide necks.  It suits me, but might not suit your dad, depending on what he's used to...

My S&P Woodland Pro folk is 43mm I think, so not wide at all. The OP may be able to get one for £600 and it's a fine guitar. Mine is all mahogany, all solid. I'm actually trying to sell mine at the mo', but only locally (South Wales) so no good I guess.

AlexO

Nitefly said:

Ref the S&P / Seagull guitars - I don't know how they are these days, but my two from the 90's have really wide necks.  It suits me, but might not suit your dad, depending on what he's used to...

The old Jap guitar he plays has a baseball and then he also plays a nylon string which has the most ridiculous wide neck I've ever played so not a issue.

He's oldschool, he thinks electric guitars are cheating as they too easy to play 

crunchman

Chris_J said:

Anyone know what the Martins are like in that price bracket? 

Think the dreadnought junior is close to the top end of your budget and I'm sure I remember people raving about that... 

I've got an OOO X1AE.  I really like it.  Some people don't like the unfinished look and non-traditional materials, but it's a really good guitar.  I did have more money to spend when I bought that but I thought it sounded better than other guitars that were close to twice the price.  It's not as good as my HD28V, but that is in a very different price bracket.

Plugged in it does benefit from a TC Bodyrez pedal, but that probably goes for all the guitars in this price range.  The pickups are likely to be a bog standard undersaddle.