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Author Topic: trying out an axe?
SD

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Post trying out an axe?
on: July 17, 2013, 08:23
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My first post. Hope it's not too pedestrian. I love the blog BTW.

So I am looking at getting a "budget"-ish acoustic - I am mostly an electric player but need something quiet & off the grid to keep my chops from atrophying further. (I suppose I could practice electric unplugged, but somehow it doesn't work for me)
It's been a LONG time since I bought a new axe, acoustic or electric. It occurred to me as I was trying out a few guitars the other day that I know a little about the things to look for technically, but I found that in playing a new instrument - I sometimes feel unsure if an instrument (especially a lower end one) is speaking to me.

I'm interested in people's thoughts, opinions, and wisdom on techniques for trying out guitars, acoustic or electric. Has anybody found a particular technique for finding out hidden awesomeness or hidden drek on an axe that you are trying out? I have a suspicion that there is a wealth of experience lurking here...

Steve D
smgear

Posts: 170
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Post Re: trying out an axe?
on: July 17, 2013, 08:59
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That's a great question! But my opinion is probably extremely unhelpful. I play a lot of different instruments and therefore have cycled through a ridiculous number of instruments over the years. I guess I have 3 groupings of classifications. 1. I don't really like playing it. 2. It works for X style/genre/whatever 3. I have a connection with it. I don't bother with the 1s. I buy and hold onto the 2s if the price is right and I have a current need, but I'm happy to get rid of them when I no longer need them for X. I buy the 3's when we first meet and I hold on to them forever (or until they die). There's no defining why the 3's are perfect fits, but they just are.You'll know it when you play them. If you're in a store and you find one, then buy the display model that you're playing - don't get a new one out of the back. It won't be the same. For what it's worth, my 'special' instruments were never bought new. They were all either dinged up display models or unidentifiable old instruments without labels or histories (100+ years old in the case of my favorite violin which I paid almost nothing for in Portugal and has since replaced my 'valuable' ones). One of my special guitars cost me $13 in a street market in Bangkok. I wrote a couple hundred tunes on it before it warped itself to death. There have been a couple that I wanted, but couldn't afford. It didn't bother me much to leave them behind. It's one thing if you want an instrument to sound a particular way live or recorded, but if you're primarily concerned with playing, then you don't have to bother explicitly searching for a specific set of physical characteristics. So, my advice is to just demo as many local new and used in your price range as you can. When one of them particularly excites you or uniquely responds to your style of playing, then buy it. If you're having trouble deciding between two or three different ones, then don't buy any of them because clearly none of them was particularly special.

On the other hand, it's better to have something to play than to be forever searching for 'the one'. In that case, just buy something that works and 'love the one you're with'....
mwseniff

Posts: 149
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Post Re: trying out an axe?
on: July 17, 2013, 18:36
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Check with Sweetwater Music they are blowing out the remaining Wechter guitars as Wechter is discontinuing them. They are superb acoustics they have all been pleked and play fantastically well, intonation is amazing. They may already be gone but check them out I love mine and I never thought I would say that being a dedicated electric player. Action is as low as most electrics. I can't recommend them enough.
Oinkus

Posts: 236
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Post Re: trying out an axe?
on: July 18, 2013, 04:34
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I generally play every single note on the fretboard first (bottom to top chromatically) to determine factory setup. Gives me an idea of how much work I will need to do on it to make it play the way i want. If a guitar feels good, sounds good and plays good then it should meet the "keeper" requirements.If you have a specific need for a certain build of guitar you should do the whole research,test hands on and ask around (friends,forums and music stores) There are people that only play so-called crappy guitars and make them sound great , it is amazing and makes no sense. If you want an acoustic my vote is for a Mcpherson ,oh wait none of us can afford one of those!I have a mid range Korean made Alvarez acoustic/electric sounds decent , plays OK 500 bucks or so.Budget acoustic are hit and miss , I bought a MusicYo acoustic for 80 bucks was a fine beater after a fret leveling. Entry level Taylors have ebony fretboards at $799. Guitar Center is a great place to touch and feel things if you are on a budget, Musicians Friend will take back a guitar you don't like (shipping may cost you) and has many low priced ones .Buying a guitar sight unseen over the internet is not for the weak at heart.Good luck with the search !
SD

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Post Re: trying out an axe?
on: July 18, 2013, 07:21
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Those are some great replies - thanks! Plenty to chew on there... For me I want a guitar that I don't have to fight to play. I have a feeling after trying several that it's hard to find that in a budget acoustic. So far I've tried a few Yamaha solidtops, A couple used Greg Bennet Samicks, a Seagull, a mystery brand called Sierra, and a couple of the fender budgets. Each had something I liked - but in general if I liked the sound, then the playability felt bad, and if I liked the way it played, then it sounded like crap. So far the Yamahas were in the lead for the money. Some perspective - I have an old beat Silvertone f-hole archtop that is my porch guitar - and I love it, but I always feel like I'm fighting when I play it - it's SO hard to play clean on it and my technique sucks already. I've written a boatload of songs on it - but I always feel I have to limit my technique on it for stuff to sound good so I end up exploring less. It can sound good, but it's a struggle. I have a friend with a small 68 Martin where the music just pours out of it (it's really kind of ridiculous). It's strange and wonderful how instruments can have such personality like that. I once was at a piano tuning convention (probably one of the best places to find a great playing piano) and had an opportunity to play a Bosendorfer. Now I studied piano but was never great. When I just ran up and down a scale on that thing it was like there was no impedance between what I was trying to do and what I was doing! It was really pretty incredible - of course it also points out the likelihood that I'm on a fool's quest. It seems likely you really have to pay some $$$ for an instrument that lets the music to pour out without much effort.

smgear

Posts: 170
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Post Re: trying out an axe?
on: July 18, 2013, 08:41
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check out the Taylor GS Mini line - especially the mahogany. I've actually got a Baby Taylor that the music 'just pours out of''. You can reach anything on that short scale and it's incredibly responsive. I look ridiculous playing it, but the sound is awesome and the 'fun-to-play' factor is very high.
Double D

Posts: 195
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Post Re: trying out an axe?
on: July 18, 2013, 09:12
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Larivee parlour guitars are a pretty unbelievable value - certainly the only candidate I've played in the five-hundred-dollar-max zone that plays and sounds excellent. My sole acoustic is an (also made in Canada) Art and Lutherie parlour which I payed $150 for new. It does not play itself or gush sound. It does sound really groovy, though.
Best of luck in the hunt! It never hurts to play EVERYTHING you can find to try out as you search; it helps to establish parameters. Oh, and remember to distrust those big acoustic rooms in the guitar stores; any guitar is going to sound pretty rich when there's fifty other guitars ringing sympathetically in the room.
Oinkus

Posts: 236
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Post Re: trying out an axe?
on: July 18, 2013, 10:41
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Friend has a Taylor mini its pretty spiffy,plays nice& sounds good. Yamahas are a good bang for the buck guitar. A little work will make a cheap guitar much better,new nut,machines saddle and fretjob will fix the playability isssues. Improving the sound a little bit these upgrades can be done slowly when you can afford them.
soggybag

Posts: 84
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Post Re: trying out an axe?
on: August 17, 2013, 21:57
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This may or may not be helpful to you, but here goes. Most often when you go into a shop and try a guitar, it will play like poo. I'm talking nice guitars, cheap guitars, everything. Guitars in shops have been sitting around for a while, the strings are corroded and dusty. Worst of all, most shops do not even provide much if any set up for guitars hanging on the wall.

For me this means that if I like something, and it doesn't play that great, I can have it set and play great later. Of course this will add to the cost later. I look for the feel of the neck and the general sound. I'm not too worried about the action. Even a cheap guitar can be setup to play great. Things like the shape of the neck, the weight, feel of the body, color etc. are very difficult to change.

Oinkus

Posts: 236
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Post Re: trying out an axe?
on: August 18, 2013, 03:47
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I just did a Alvarez RD17CE Regent Series Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Cutaway Guitar was on sale at Musicians friend for 149 Bucks. Satin finish smooth neck sounds decent, a little tinny/brightish . It has some basic issues,the tuners are awful replaced with Planet Waves Trim Lock 60 bucks , nut is cheap plastic gonna spend 15 bucks for Tusq XL nut from Graphtech and change that next week.Saddle is fully compensated and comes with an extra one so I am leaving that for now. Took about an 1/8 inch off the saddle height it plays nice now,strung it with Cleartone 10s extra light for a beginner/kid so all in all about 250 bucks and it is a decent guitar he will get a lot of use out of.Built in tuner is just always great and it has an easy read green light feature that is nice.If you have about 1/10 of a drop of patience you can do everything I did just by watching some how to videos plenty of info on places like Stewmac.com or Premier Guitar. Youtube has tons of info just be careful and compare and examine what they are saying,try and find actual professionals not hacks like me to help you.
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