Can you buy a decent 70s acoustic for 300-400 quid?

lovestrat74

Looking for an acoustic with a bit of character from the 70s - well if you can't afford an electric from the decade you were born get an acoustic

What should I look out for and what should I avoid.

It will only be used at home...

bertie

Yamaha 

Tama

"some" of the early Washburns were OK 

Levin perhaps


not sure you'll find any "all solid"  for that tho

lovestrat74

bertie said:

Yamaha 

Tama

"some" of the early Washburns were OK 

Levin perhaps


not sure you'll find any "all solid"  for that tho

I am aware of the love for yamaha, but what models? There seems to be lots and also made in Japan vs Taiwan..

bertie

ok,  if you want more specifics,   what about preference for model/type   ?   ie  Dread ? OM ?   etc    back then Dreads were much much more easy to come by

lovestrat74

bertie said:

ok,  if you want more specifics,   what about preference for model/type   ?   ie  Dread ? OM ?   etc    back then Dreads were much much more easy to come by

No bigger than a dread and no 12th fret neck joins. Other than that I am pretty open. This will be just a noodler to have around the house when I get that unplugged urge.

Mellish

Epiphone  Dove? Though a 70s one may take some finding  

Andy79

@lovestrat74 I have a 1976 Yamaha FG-335 in the classifieds. If it floats your boat at all drop me a message. For a long standing fretboarder like yourself I can do it for the cost of shipping and packing 

Mellish

^^^ now *there's* a bargain!  

Andy79

In my opinion regarding the Taiwan vs Japan thing. Absolutely no difference in build or sound. It’s just a thing that has happened over the years. Japan is better blah blah
Infact I’m pretty sure they took tooling and materials from Japan to Taiwan. Same same same   

crunchman

As well as Yamaha you have brands like Kimbara and Daion that you might come across.  Some of them can be quite good.

Andy79

crunchman said:

As well as Yamaha you have brands like Kimbara and Daion that you might come across.  Some of them can be quite good.

Daion L999 yes please……..

ICBM

Eko.

Really.

No, they do not sound like a Martin or a Taylor, but they have *character*, they do sound 'good' in an old-plywood-guitar way, and most importantly they are both nearly indestructible and very easily adjusted to give a good playable action because most models have both an adjustable bridge and a bolt-on neck which can be shimmed. The only common issue to look out for is cracking of the bridge along the pin hole line - it's rarely a structural problem but can make the pins tend to pop out, and is relatively easy to fix.

Old Yamaha FGs can also sound very nice, but often have neck angle and top bellying problems which mean that getting a low action without shaving the bridge to an extreme extent can be difficult - and resetting the neck is even harder due to the type of glue used.

Many other Japanese brands also sound pretty decent if you're not expecting a detailed, responsive modern sound but just want something warm and characterful.

All of these should be well within your budget.

Stuckfast

Some of the Yairi guitars are absolutely excellent, but they are not all that common and I don't know whether you're likely to find one in your budget.

TheMadMick

Have you seen the Tanglewood dread for sale here?

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/226796/tanglewood-tw28st-acoustic-guitar-105

The reviews seem OK as does the sound on YouTube. It's only £105. Nowt about carriage. Could be worth a punt?

bertie

TheMadMick said:

. Could be worth a punt?

new in 2000 ? 

lovestrat74

Should have said that Andy and I have done a gentlemanly trade for his 76 Yam

bertie

lovestrat74 said:

Should have said that Andy and I have done a gentlemanly trade for his 76 Yam

Andy79

lovestrat74 said:

Should have said that Andy and I have done a gentlemanly trade for his 76 Yam

We will keep this going. It will be interesting to have your thoughts on weather it actually is a decent 70s guitar……

lovestrat74

Andy79 said:

lovestrat74 said:

Should have said that Andy and I have done a gentlemanly trade for his 76 Yam

We will keep this going. It will be interesting to have your thoughts on weather it actually is a decent 70s guitar……

Well I be no expert but I hope it doesn't lead me down a whole new rabbit hole 

DavidR

ICBM said:

Eko.

Really.

No, they do not sound like a Martin or a Taylor, but they have *character*, they do sound 'good' in an old-plywood-guitar way, and most importantly they are both nearly indestructible and very easily adjusted to give a good playable action because most models have both an adjustable bridge and a bolt-on neck which can be shimmed. The only common issue to look out for is cracking of the bridge along the pin hole line - it's rarely a structural problem but can make the pins tend to pop out, and is relatively easy to fix.

Old Yamaha FGs can also sound very nice, but often have neck angle and top bellying problems which mean that getting a low action without shaving the bridge to an extreme extent can be difficult - and resetting the neck is even harder due to the type of glue used.

Many other Japanese brands also sound pretty decent if you're not expecting a detailed, responsive modern sound but just want something warm and characterful.

All of these should be well within your budget.

The reason for the bellying of the top in old FG's is that the tops were relatively thin. This was a deliberate feature of the build. Later FG's corrected it. But in a 1970's FG (I had one back then), that would have given you a dreadnought which sounded nice, was cheaper than US imports and was well built. Move on 50+ years and some (not all) FG's have sort of failed. The 'weak' tops have bellied outward, as ICBM has said, due to string pressure and as a result the bridges have risen significantly above the level of the fingerboard. No amount of fiddling with the action (deepening nut slot depth, lowering bridge saddle, altering neck relief) will correct this and a rebuild is expensive as he said.

You should easily find an old FG on which the top hasn't bellied though. The world is full of old FG's. They have been one of the best-selling acoustics ever, and were/are beloved of students and older players alike.

You have to inspect an old FG before you buy it. Just looking is usually enough. Eyeball the top and the action at the 12th fret.  Look down the fingerboard from the head end so the perspective flattens. From there you will easily see the action diverging along the fretboard, the top bellying - and also any twisting of the fingerboard, less common. Play it too of course! A luthier would lay a long straight edge along the top to demonstrate the bellying but you don't usually have to do that. I have deliberately never bought an old FG because I think I would be romanticising their worth and because new FG's are still tremendous value. I have an FG830 bought in 2021 (£349 currently) and an FG5 bought in 2020 (£1,140). Both good.

Still wish I'd never sold my old FG though, knowing what I have learnt since my 'yoof'.  

Happy hunting lovestrat74  :-)

bertie

didnt some old Eko's have a bellied back ?