Re: Suggestions for a new guitar

"Robert Machado" <robmachado@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:XH0fh.28413$wP1.11992@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I second that. A Seagull S6 usually runs around $380 at Musician's
Friend. The only downside I have with this guitar is that the cedar top is
really suseptable (sp) to getting dinged and dented. Other than that,
it's been a great guitar that falls within your criteria.
<snip>

Sorry to follow up to my own post, but after this weekend, I have two more
suggestions. I hit the recently opened Guitar Center in Gilroy, CA with the
intention of trying both the Martin and Taylor "Baby" versions. I don't
remember the exact names of the two, but I believe these to be the 3/4
sized, or travel, versions of their guitars. Prices given below are
approximate because I didn't write them down before leaving the store
(emptyhanded).

The Baby Taylor was running around $350, and sounded excellent. Bright
sound, bass was not booming or muddled, and it played very well. I also
tried the Martin equivilant, but I personally didn't like the sound of it.
Seemed to be a lot mellower than the Taylor, and the price might have been a
bit over $400, but I don't remember the exact amount.

If I were to start from scratch and buy a new acoustic guitar for under
$400, the Baby Martin would be under my tree in a second. There was nothing
that I didn't like about it, although I'm trying to remember if it had two
strap buttons ot not, which would be a requirement for me.

Another alternative.: I almost walked out of the store with a Cordova
classical guitar. I think the version was a "Cadet", and this was a pretty
small guitar (I'm looking to replace my current travel sized guitar). List
price is about $250, currently on sale for about $220. Played nicely and
sounded good, and the lighter strings meant that my fingers didn't hurt at
all after about 15 minutes on this thing in their deserted acoustic room.
Since my wife and I had just spent a whole lot of money on our trip to
Austin, this wasn't the time for me to pick up a new guitar and I left
without buying anything. I did see a USA Gibson LP with a natural "worn"
finish that listed at $680, on sale for $610, and the dude said he would
have gotten me out of the store for under $600 that I really wanted, but
again, the voice of reason kicked in and I went home to look at pictures of
it on the website.

Sort of off topic but not really worthy of its own thread: I was able to
try the Epiphone 5W Valve Jr amp hooked up to a 4x12 cabinet. Being
skeptical about the amount of sound it would give out being hooked up to
such large speakers, I figured it would sound strained or twangy with such a
large cabinet. The sucker can put out some good volume! I hit a time at GC
when there weren't too many people around, so I maxed the amp out at full
volume and then lowered the guitar volume knob, and I was able to get some
of the tube distortion that everyone talks about, albeit it for less than a
minute because the amp was so incredibly loud in the quiet (it doesn't
happen too often, but it was really quiet in that store at the moment I
tried this amp out) store and I didn't want to totally embarass myself with
my rusty electric playing.

Rob



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