Adventures in acoustic buying

Moe_Zambeek

Extracted and expanded from the Gibson acoustic thread. I’ve been out and about looking for the holy grail - a do it all guitar that works well for backing up a singer, strumming, picking and fingertsyle (of sorts). Don’t need a bluegrass guitar nor do I need a Celtic wonder of DADGAD beauty, but if it can handle slack tunings a la Doughty then great. I don’t really like big bodied guitars - I find them too unwieldy.

I had a Lowden 0-23 for a few years and loved it but it was hopeless with a singer and for strumming for me, plus it was ridiculously huge, so I sold it. I bought a Martin 00-16m as a songwriting guitar in the interim and really love it, great neck, comfy, easy to play, sounds great but caves under pressure and lacks a bit of sparkle. 

So off I went to try some stuff...

Gibson:
2012 J45 - average
2010s American Eagle - liked it but it was really trebly.
2018 J45 - very good - warm and thumpy, easy to play, finished by Stevie Wonder.
2018 J35 - very good - Louder and treblier than the J45, beefy rounded neck, light and airy. Someone forgot to finish sanding the soundbhole half way round.
2018 Hummingbird AG - wet cardboard box.

I was impressed by the 2018 Gibson models sonically and from a playing point of view. There were some q.c. Issues compared to other brands - the main finish was good, it’s just the details that are poor really, gaps between headstock face and nut, sanding marks round sound hole, rough sanding on braces, poor finish where neck meets body and the like. The sunburst finish itself was quite nicely done. Really don’t like the Grovers either.

I also tried a Martin OMC-35e - sounded a bit dull,  really needed new strings; a Martin HD28 - lovely but too much boom in the bass; a D18 - nice and tight, not the best one I’ve played recently though; a DPCm thing - sounded good and felt nice, but not quite what I want in a Martin; an Atkin O-37 relic - nice guitar, didn’t like the relic finish; and a Taylor 12-fretter, which as usual with Taylors just didn’t work for my ear.

So out of them all, it was the J45 or D18 I liked the best sonically, though I still find them unwieldy, the 0-37 and American Eagle for size but they don’t really strum well, and the OMC for something in the middle and my favourite acoustic neck profile ever. 

None of them made me buy, but I’m getting closer. I think I fundamentally prefer the Martin sound to Gibson.

richardhomer

I’d certainly seek out a decent 000 or OM. You’ll lose some of the bass end of a Martin Dreadnought - but they’re much more manageable and have great balance. 

If they sound too light, you may just need to compromise of ease of handling. An older standard D28 (before they went to forward-shifted bracing) may well suit - not as boomy as the HDs. They finger pick well, too.

mgaw

I have a Benjamin JOM, which stands for Jumbo OM , which is a size he "borrowed" from a Bourgeois model...it has a bigger lower bout and the depth of a dreadnought and the comfort of an OM, needless to say it is the best all rounder i have had due to increased bass, more volume on tap if needed etc etc..

I would certainly recommend the size for anybody looking for an all-rounder but finds OM lacking a bit.

I have tried quite a few gibsons of late and i do think the OP should consider how he intends to use the guitar, if its solo/at home/live then the good ones are a great sound for accompnying the singer, in a band setting i find they get lost in the mix and i far prefer a bright sounding guitar with a lot of cut

BigLicks67

I'd try a Bourgeois JOM or a Collings OM. When I'm singing I find a Martin dread a bit overpowering, so it depends on the style and power of the singer you are accompanying. Here's a good example of the 2 guitars above with a 'softer lead vocal'.



Salsburg tends to use open tunings with his JOM.

ESBlonde

BigLicks67 said:

I'd try a Bourgeois JOM or a Collings OM. When I'm singing I find a Martin dread a bit overpowering, so it depends on the style and power of the singer you are accompanying. Here's a good example of the 2 guitars above with a 'softer lead vocal'.



Salsburg tends to use open tunings with his JOM.

Bloody Steph McGovern seems to get into everything these days!

;-)

Winny_Pooh

Tried a OO18?

Moe_Zambeek

Winny_Pooh said:

Tried a OO18?

I have, of sorts, it was a Cowboy LE with VTS and I would have bought it at its heavily discounted price if it hadn’t had a massive Cowboy and some steers painted on the front

In all honesty, though it was a nice guitar it wasnt The Answer...

brooom

The 00-18V is great, I'm considering whether to keep mine, which is a 00-18V or getting a CEO-7 which is similarly sized.

Moe_Zambeek

I should add here that there is a budget in play, and it doesn’t stretch to Bougeois or Collings, absolute tops would be 2.3k but ideally I’d like to stay under 1.5k, this needs to be a working guitar (in the sense of playing shitty gigs and open mics and the like).

That's not to say I don't appreciate the suggestions, I do - thanks all for the input!

Moe_Zambeek

richardhomer said:

I’d certainly seek out a decent 000 or OM. You’ll lose some of the bass end of a Martin Dreadnought - but they’re much more manageable and have great balance. 

If they sound too light, you may just need to compromise of ease of handling. An older standard D28 (before they went to forward-shifted bracing) may well suit - not as boomy as the HDs. They finger pick well, too.

Interesting - the HD is more boomy? I thought they were meant to be better all round but that matches my experience. I much prefer D18s to D28s it seems in any case. At least in real life, in online demos I find D28s sound equally as good. Probably my fingers!

jellyroll

I bought an HD28 last week. It is boomy - but I'm hoping to tame it with string choice.

danishbacon

See if you can find any higher end Furch OM guitars near you. Worthwhile trying one out.

richardhomer

Moe_Zambeek said:

Interesting - the HD is more boomy? I thought they were meant to be better all round but that matches my experience. I much prefer D18s to D28s it seems in any case. At least in real life, in online demos I find D28s sound equally as good. Probably my fingers!

Absolutely my experience - lots of highs, lots of deep lows - but not what you’d really call ‘balanced’. I much prefer the (old) standard model.

Lewy

jellyroll said:

I bought an HD28 last week. It is boomy - but I'm hoping to tame it with string choice.

80/20 bronze probably a good place to start...

Wazmeister

Interesting thread mate, and as you may have guessed from my recent threads, I’m about to embark on it again...

I previously went down this route and purchased a lovely Collings OM1 Custom; nonetheless, it never lost it’s ‘stiff’ feel and i sold it on.

A fellow recent band member has had a simple £550 Taylor 12E, and it sounds mega through the PA....

Makes you think 

AliGorie

Hmm - Moez ya seem all at sea on this - or so it seems though  in u'r favor there is a lot of choice, just to confuse.

I have  a Bourgie JOM - modified OM shape with Dread depth, which sits nicely between an OM and a Dread and covers the variety of style I play in.

I'm interested in that (some) guitars u tried were 'overpowering' - surely that's down to u'r technique - ?.

I also detect that u seem to be focusing on the 'big names' - E.G. - go try a Furch or Lakewood etc v/good instruments.

rustneversleeps

If you can find one sounds like a Martin M36 could be the “one”.Ive had one for years and found it great in all situations.Its not too boomy and a great all rounder.

Moe_Zambeek

Wazmeister said:

Interesting thread mate, and as you may have guessed from my recent threads, I’m about to embark on it again...

I previously went down this route and purchased a lovely Collings OM1 Custom; nonetheless, it never lost it’s ‘stiff’ feel and i sold it on.

A fellow recent band member has had a simple £550 Taylor 12E, and it sounds mega through the PA....

Makes you think 

The use case question is a good one, if you only want it for live use then how it sounds through the PA is the main thing, maybe....

Feel free to add to this thread if you’re having adventures in acoustic buying too! Surprised you didn’t like the Collings but I can also see where you’re coming from, having tried a few in the past (dreads only though). 

rustneversleeps said:

If you can find one sounds like a Martin M36 could be the “one”.Ive had one for years and found it great in all situations.Its not too boomy and a great all rounder.

These have been mentioned a few times elsewhere - I must try to find one to try.

rustneversleeps

Moe_Zambeek said:

Wazmeister said:

Interesting thread mate, and as you may have guessed from my recent threads, I’m about to embark on it again...

I previously went down this route and purchased a lovely Collings OM1 Custom; nonetheless, it never lost it’s ‘stiff’ feel and i sold it on.

A fellow recent band member has had a simple £550 Taylor 12E, and it sounds mega through the PA....

Makes you think 

The use case question is a good one, if you only want it for live use then how it sounds through the PA is the main thing, maybe....

Feel free to add to this thread if you’re having adventures in acoustic buying too! Surprised you didn’t like the Collings but I can also see where you’re coming from, having tried a few in the past (dreads only though). 

rustneversleeps said:

If you can find one sounds like a Martin M36 could be the “one”.Ive had one for years and found it great in all situations.Its not too boomy and a great all rounder.

These have been mentioned a few times elsewhere - I must try to find one to try.

I will interested once you try one .I was a bit like you when looking I went through the full menu.As I stopped playing as much and gigging I foolishly sold it.A guy come from France to buy it .He was a professional session man.They really are great if not a bit “uncool”

TimmyO

I tried an M36 when I was on a buying/looking spree once. I *really* liked it but kind of passed it over as you just don't hear of people playing them or talking about them (silly of me I know) - that plus when I thought about it again I only knew of one shop in London stocking so couldn't easily go back and check it out 

uncledick

danishbacon said:

See if you can find any higher end Furch OM guitars near you. Worthwhile trying one out.

Beat me to it...

The best I've played under £1500.