Guitar Purchase Questions

[Azure]

I know there are lots of old threads, but I didn't want to bump them, as I'm wondering more about specifics.

I have around a $1000 budget, give or take a few hundred bucks. I've been playing for around a year, and am looking to purchase a guitar that can help me take the next step. The one I have now is a nice beginner guitar, but I get frustrated with the crappy quality at times.

Is it worth going into a national retailer like Long and McQuade? I live in the Winnipeg area.

Any suggestions about brand? Obviously there are the popular brands like Taylor, Gibson, Martin, Seagull.....and I'm kinda leaning towards Taylor based on playing them a few times.

Any help would be appreciated.

[stang]

Acoustic?

[Azure]

Oh sorry. Yes I mean an acoustic guitar.

[TurnedTheCorner]

[PsYcNeT]

A national retailer can be just fine, though you can often find really nice guitars used, but it's not recommended to buy one used unless you have played for a long time and can tell if it's been repaired properly, maintained, has neck bow, problems with intonation, curved frets, etc.

I'm going to go ahead and assume you don't care if it has electric pickups. Keep in mind 90% of acoustics in the $700+ range have electronics.

Just to recommend a few off of long & mcquades site since you brought them up:

$999
http://www.long-mcquade.com/products...th_Cutaway.htm

Top of budget, has pickups if you want to plug it in, great action, great tone and fantastic construction. My buddy has this exact model he grabbed last year, it's absolutely rock solid.

$790
http://www.long-mcquade.com/products...Spruce_Koa.htm

Cheaper, a little worse electronically, but the body build is great. Koa fretboards are fun to play on. Martins typically are bit fat in the neck though, so if your hands aren't big it might be a bit much. Always try before you buy of course.

$720
http://www.long-mcquade.com/products...tars/DR_S1.htm

Straight dreadnought, no cutaway. Not great for performing but fun to play at home. Good solid tone, the DR S1 is an old standard. Very deep tone.

$550
http://www.long-mcquade.com/products...e_Sunburst.htm

Yamaha's are vastly underrated, typically having above average build quality and quick action. Good price for a good acoustic.

Now, take my recommendations with a grain of salt, as I personally only own 1 acoustic lead guitar being a bassist by trade, but I've played on many of them. ~800-1000 dollars is a pretty nice sweet spot for acoustics however, which is good considering the sweet spot for electrics is ~1100-1500.

[Azure]

The Taylor 214CE is actually the one I have been looking at for a long time now.

I have played it a few times and absolutely loved the sound and feel.

[Mike F]

/noncontribution

[psyang]

At $1000, you're best off playing as many different guitars as you can find, and picking the one you like the best. Almost any guitar you pick at that price range will be a great guitar - good quality materials and good sound. It's more up to personal preference - do you like the warmer sound of cedar or brighter sound of spruce? Do you prefer wider necks or narrower necks? Are you looking for really good electronics, or no electronics? Each guitarist will have their own set of preferences. And because guitars are somewhat organic, even two guitars of the same model may feel/sound different.

I have a Taylor I bought 15 years ago and still love it. Great sound and response, fun to play, and comes with a really nice case that has withstood several trips. I spent a few weeks playing many different guitars when shopping for it, and the Taylor spoke to me. It was a lot of fun - enjoy this time.

[Regulator75]

I actually just bought my very first guitar yesterday from St. John's Music.
I picked up the Fender CD-140SE All Mahogany version.

Didn't want to invest a tonne of cash for a brand new hobby.

I'm now in the process of learning some finger control and proper placement on the strings (which is painful).
My fingers just don't want to move that way. lol

[Ashartus]

As others have said, the best thing to do is go to the store and play a bunch. They'll all have slightly different sounds, and some will be easier or harder for you to play. I like Seagulls myself (Canadian-made) but I think any of the brands you suggested would be good, and at that price range it's important to pick one that sounds good and plays well for you and is compatible with your style of playing.

[speede5]

My son has a Takamine(?) that he just loves. I think it was about $1500, not sure if they have a lower priced model. It sounded great to me. haha

[Coach]

$1000 should land you a pretty damn nice acoustic almost anyway you slice it. My suggestion is know your price point and go try out a few different guitars and see what you like. Do you like the sound, how does it feel in your hands, does it feel smooth to play or is it a bit more a struggle. Guitars are very much about personal preference for feel and sound.

And as a side note, if you do eventually switch to electric, while having something like a Les Paul or Strat is nice, the real money should be spent on the amp. Because you can have the nicest guitar in the world, if your playing through crappy amp it doesn't make a lick of difference.

[Regular_John]

You may want to give Music Centre Canada a try, they have a few locations in Calgary and although they aren't as big as L&M or Guitar works I find their service is always top notch. Just really laid back & helpful folks working in the stores.

[Kswiss]

Just a heads up, from a bad lesson I learned when I bought my first "expensive" guitar. Do not underestimate the power of humidifying your guitar properly!

[blankall]

I recently purchased an electric in that range. I attempted to buy it from a smaller retailer. I found their sales reps to be either entirely commission driven, and giving me bad advice, or just not that interested. Keep in mind, this was in Vancouver.

The guys at Long and McQuade were really knowledgeable and interested in music. They were non-commission employees too. The store itself also had the widest range of guitars.

Although I've also purchased guistars from GuitarWorks in the past. They were also pretty solid. I'd try both GuitarWorks and Long & McQuade.

[troutman]

You could get good guitars starting at $500.

[normtwofinger]

Simon & Patrick

[Azure]

Well they didn't have the 214CE, but the 114CE, and the 110CE sound fabulous. I asked them to get the 214CE before I decide.

Price point is around $900 it seems, give or take a couple hundred bucks.

I absolutely love the sound on the 114CE. It sounded to me MUCH better than the $5,000 Gibsons they had.

[Matata]

Originally Posted by troutman

You could get good guitars starting at $500.

Yeah, and unless your a "heart and soul" type player, you may have a hard time noticing the difference between a $500 and $1000 guitar. It's also very possible for a cheaper guitar to be superior to a guitar several times its price. I paid $250 for my nicest acoustic and have no desire buy a more expensive instrument (I've played guitar my whole life and have been playing acoustically exclusively for several years now).

Don't cheap out on strings either, they are half the sound. A $500 guitar with nice new strings beats the pants off a $2000 guitar with cheap, year old strings.

[PsYcNeT]

Keep in mind however, that despite it sounding good, cheaper guitars often have minor imperfections that lead to needing it to be setup more often, and sometimes requiring a plane down/refretting, or bridge resets.

Not to say this never happens with more expensive guitars, it definitely does, but it's something to keep in mind.