My acoustic-choosing journey

crunchman

TimmyO said:

Even I (!) can feel and  hear the difference when you have in your hands 'a good strummer' and 'a good fingerpicker' - but then there seems to be a level of balanced-picker beyond that, the non-Americana inspired stuff (e.g. the Brooks and some of the Furchs as examples) - these things sound especially sweet in the hands of a picker, be they folky or modern, but these seems to be the ones that *really* don't like to be strummed.

Brook and Furch are very different.  Furch are much more US inspired.  A lot of their guitars are their takes on the classic Martin recipe but at a more friendly price.

For me, Brook seem to do smaller bodied stuff better really well.  They seem to be able to get a big tone out of a small body.  Conversely the bigger bodied stuff doesn't sound as big in comparison.  I had a Teign (dreadnought) for a while.  It didn't have anything like the low end punch of a Martin dread.  I was a lovely sounding guitar but I couldn't get on with the neck.  For what you want it might work quite well if you can get on with the shallow neck and flat fingerboard.

As others have said, the OOO / OM size is probably the best compromise, although the Martin dreadnoughts with the forward shifted bracing are a lot more responsive to finger picking and being played gently in general than the D28 style bracing.

Going back to Brook, the Tavy (small jumbo) is a good all rounder as well.

AliGorie

crunchman said:

TimmyO said:

Even I (!) can feel and  hear the difference when you have in your hands 'a good strummer' and 'a good fingerpicker' - but then there seems to be a level of balanced-picker beyond that, the non-Americana inspired stuff (e.g. the Brooks and some of the Furchs as examples) - these things sound especially sweet in the hands of a picker, be they folky or modern, but these seems to be the ones that *really* don't like to be strummed.

For me, Brook seem to do smaller bodied stuff better really well.  They seem to be able to get a big tone out of a small body.  Conversely the bigger bodied stuff doesn't sound as big in comparison.

Have to agree crunchy, played a lot down at the Brook workshop - impressed with the smaller 000 and under but not the larger.
on the point of strummers / fingerpickers guitars, I've never found they were mutually exclusive if u play 'em with the appropriate technique.

TimmyO

What is this "technique" of which you speak? Do they sell it in Andertons? 

Lewy

Definitely not mutually exclusive - Merle Travis stylised the way most people fingerpick and he did it on a D28, for example.

AliGorie

TimmyO said:

What is this "technique" of which you speak? Do they sell it in Andertons? 

nah Tim, ya acquire it, just part of the 'skill set'.
U play the instrument not 'the instrument plays u'

two guys choosing to play (with appropriate technique) what are deemed out and out ‘finger style’ guitars - Darrel Scott plays his Martin Simpson Signature Sobell (Alpine Spruce / African Blackwood).
Ross Martin chooses a Cedar topped Lowden (Hog b&sides for over a decade) to strum rhythm guitar in the band Daimh - being heard along side fiddle and pipes - they can be heard playing purely acoustically on some of their videos. I mean Cedar - what about the lack of HEADROOM - argh this is insane, u cant strum a Cedar Lowden - it's against the laws of (internet) physics - btw the Cittern is also Cedar - they get going half way in.

TimmyO

Thank you for introducing me to Darrell Scott - that was marvellous ! 

TimmyO

Oh my - if could write songs these are the songs I would write

ToneControl

AliGorie said:

TimmyO said:

What is this "technique" of which you speak? Do they sell it in Andertons? 

nah Tim, ya acquire it, just part of the 'skill set'.
U play the instrument not 'the instrument plays u'

two guys choosing to play (with appropriate technique) what are deemed out and out ‘finger style’ guitars - Darrel Scott plays his Martin Simpson Signature Sobell (Alpine Spruce / African Blackwood).
Ross Martin chooses a Cedar topped Lowden (Hog b&sides for over a decade) to strum rhythm guitar in the band Daimh - being heard along side fiddle and pipes - they can be heard playing purely acoustically on some of their videos. I mean Cedar - what about the lack of HEADROOM - argh this is insane, u cant strum a Cedar Lowden - it's against the laws of (internet) physics - btw the Cittern is also Cedar - they get going half way in.

I liked the Darrell Scott a lot

Lewy

TimmyO said:

Thank you for introducing me to Darrell Scott - that was marvellous ! 

His regular collaborator and all round amazing musician Tim O'Brien shows that 00s are good for more than fingerstyle too....

AliGorie

Darrell's guitar
http://www.sobellguitars.com/darrell-scott-and-martin-simpson-model-guitar-06-september-2010/

just to say - I have a (well known ) cedar topped 'finger pickers six string guitar I regularly give big lick to also a cedar topped 12 string which come in for a fair bit of 'abuse' when the need takes me - never a problem - it's HOW  ya do it.

oh dont forget another 'strummed'  who plays a fingerpickers guitar -  a Cedar / Brazilian Lowden 'O' -
same model he gave to El Clapo !

AliGorie

Lewy, nice playing by Tim on that little 00 - I like both their contribution to Trans Sessions -

Lewy

AliGorie said:

Wow. When he sings that it stays f***ing sung!

Lewy

AliGorie said:

Lewy, nice playing by Tim on that little 00 - I like both their contribution to Trans Sessions -

Yep. Now if only between them they could persuade Jerry Douglas to stop musically rubbing himself all over everything ....

AliGorie

Tim, it’s obvious the dubious advice spew'd out over the internet is for beginner to student level buyers  who have yet to develop ‘appropriate technique’ to ‘control’ the unwanted excess of complex sounding guitars . Simply palm / pick muting r/h and finger muting l/h to kill offending strings. Evident throughout these examples - the trade off is a VERY  full sounding accompaniment (and inspirational guitar to play).
Once u have a well developed and varied array of 'licks & 'chops' to express u'r music with u can explore th3qualaties of different types of instruments and make u'r own mind up as to whay can be done or used - rule braking plays it's part also.
Beware also of the 'image' some artists have to maintain, it's an important part of what their selling - e.g. imagine Clapo coming on stage with a big modern styled fan fret - like Andy McKee 'chooses' to use - nah just wouldn't work - for Clapo it's gotta be a classy, very rare, very expensive vintage retro job which can then be 'reproduced' after a fashion, with his name on it so devotees can have a bit of consumer satisfaction sitting in their lounge.
 -
Don't mention the Milk Carton Kids product / image / guitars.

- and heres another - again, a big Lowden cedar / r/wood ‘O’ - considered by some as ’THE’ Lowden in terms of huge complex sound and favoured by many finger stylists.

MH prefer this O25c for his ‘deep’ (low) tunings e.g. BbEbBbBbEbGb

enjoy




Lewy, u’r right - something to do with Jerry + Ali’s production company refer’d to as part of the ‘Celtic Mafia’
(Pelicula Films Ltd - Transatlantic Sessions musical co-directors Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas).

meltedbuzzbox

octatonic said:

rossyamaha said:

Obviously I'm gonna chime in and do my thing. 

If you're looking around that kinda price range check the the Yammy L series and A series. There are dreadnought and concert versions of each. Necks are really comfortable too. 

+1.
IMHO Yamaha make some of the best budget acoustics.

They used to. They've gone way off the boil in the last 5+ years.

I'd say faith are a better option personally

TimmyO

Anyone know what guitar this is?

Also what kind of body size/type is that - is it as big as the O size Lowdens/Avalons do you think ? 

thomasross20

Martin and Larrivee for me.
Larrivee are excellent and by far the best bang for buck.

KKJale

TimmyO said:

Anyone know what guitar this is?

That be a Kopp Trail Boss.

http://koppguitars.com/guitars/kopp-trail-boss/

TimmyO

KKJale said:

TimmyO said:

Anyone know what guitar this is?

That be a Kopp Trail Boss.

http://koppguitars.com/guitars/kopp-trail-boss/

Big jumbo then? Thanks for the link :-) 

ToneControl

thomasross20 said:

Martin and Larrivee for me.
Larrivee are excellent and by far the best bang for buck.

I agree that Larrivee are the best value mass-produced pro guitars, but you can get hand-made used Avalons  for similar prices to used Larrivees in the UK

I speak as a Larrivee fan who owned 4 or 5 at once, I still have kept my SD60, but  all my Avalons are  better, some  2 notches or more up from the SD60