Acoustic Question. I got permission to buy another guitar.........

[Bonhomme Richard]

Permission from my wife, LOL - surprising since I have 10.
I am playing a regular acoustic gig and want to get a decent, not crazy expensive, new acoustic. I have two different Ovations that I have been using but I'm not really satisfied with the sound I get playing through the PA. Having said that, I also have a D-18 Martin that I tried miking at last wednesdays gig and, though it did sound better it was limiting for obvious reasons and I was stuck at one volume level when doing leads so..................I am looking to get a new acoustic/electric. I am thinking about the Seagull (my partner plays), Takamine EF-360SC (my brother plays), or the Martin DCX1E which I have no experience with at all (can't even find any reviews).
What I am after is a good acoustic live sound. I figure I'll sell my ovation legend when I get the new guitar.
Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

[ProfessorGAC]

I Have The Martin DCME

The electronics on it are great. Loads of tonal flexibility. The guitar plays superbly and it's a wonderful guitar as an acoustic. Big round tone with terrific balance.

I also have a Takamine, which is the Natural series, but i don't remember the model number. It's not the Martin, but it's a whole lot cheaper. (I paid about 1/3rd the amount, but about 5 or 6 years apart, so there's going to be some inflation difference in there!)

So, i guess it depends solely on what you want to spend. At the same time, my experience with Martins is that you should ignore any reviews. You need to play a few (or more) until you find the one you like best. But, i'm guessing the electronics are the same as on mine, and i can at least confirm they're quiet, present, and flexibility.
The Professor

[Bonhomme Richard]

3. Thanks but I think the DCME is

a bit out of my range...well, my wifes range anyway.
Don't want to push my luck. I'm leaning toward the Seagull.

[ProfessorGAC]

4. Cheapstkate!!!

Just kidding! I've never played one of those. If you get it, let us know how it is!
The Professor

[ProfessorGAC]

1. Triple Post

.

[ProfessorGAC]

2. Triple Post

Sorry

[XNASA]

5. Yamaha APX5A

Semi-thinline, cutaway....really sounds great plugged in. I've gotten a lot of compliments on it.

It's made with playing onstage in mind. It doesn't sound as good as other acoustics when it's not plugged in...but there ya go.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

6. I like Seagulls

I tried one at a music store in Southern California, the 'S+6 Folk' with a cutaway. The 'Folk' designation means it has the smaller lower bout and not the wide body of a dreadnaught (although Seagull makes dreadnaughts, too). The unamplified volume was not that loud but it had a sweet tone. The tops on these guitars are solid cedar, not spruce and that might make quite a difference to some players who want a crisper, more booming sound. The top is also a bit fragile and tends to pick up scratches easily, as cedar is a very soft wood and Seagull doesn't use a very heavy coating. I own a classical guitar made by the same people, a LaPatrie also with the cedar top and it's a fine instrument for the low price, precisely made and with an adjustable truss rod (unusual for a nylon string classical). The steel string Seagull I tried in the store had good intonation and nice harmonics (I like to pluck harmonics in my playing). Another reason why I liked it was the width of the neck. I believe it's a 1 7/8 inch neck, making it wider than most (probably wider than your Ovation and wider than most Martins) but with a slim profile, making it easy to play. It also had a pretty flat neck radius, more than most steel string guitars and almost as flat as a classical guitar's fretboard radius, which I really, really like, making it faster to play single string runs. It's a good guitar for fingerstyle guitar playing as it offers enough separation between strings to be comfortable for fingerpicking. The electronics were allright and I didn't detect the piezo 'thud' that I've heard in Ovations. I believe Seagull uses a combination of a piezo crystal and a special microphone inside their guitars but I'm not sure. I didn't crank it up loud enough to really give it a good assessment as far as the amplification is concerned, though. As with all guitars that you would buy as a main player, I would find one and try it and not buy it over the Internet.

ON EDIT: The other thing about the Seagull I tried that struck me is that it is light, very light. There's something about a guitar that feels solidly made but very light that is really appealing to me. The guitar seems to have life when you play it and to me that is a plus.

[Bonhomme Richard]

9. Thanks n/t

[leftofthedial]

7. I use two Takamines on stage and love both of them

they are the most reliable, consistently great sounding instruments I've ever used live (and I started gigging in the early 70s).

So, to be accurate, you have 8 guitars and 2 Ovations . . . :evilgrin:


(I have an Ovation too. I bought it new in 1976.)

[Bonhomme Richard]

8. I'm basically torn between...............

the Takamine EF360SC and the Seagull. Now I need to play them and see which best suits my style. The only thin g that scares me about the Seagull is the cedar top. I am not the most gentle player and I think it will be all scratched up in short order as this will be a working guitar.

We'll see.

[leftofthedial]

16. One of my Taks has a cedar top

it is looking more and more like WIllie Nelson's Martin (sans the carved names)

Between the two, I think your choice would be based on whether you'll primarily play amplified (plugged in) or acoustically.

If plugged in, go with the Tak. If acoustic, go with whichever one sounds and feels better to you.

[Bonhomme Richard]

10. Well...After playing a bunch of acoustics I decided.........

to wait until I sell my Ovation Legend and then go out and get a Takamine EF341SC. To me it played and sounded the best in that price range.
Sooooo.....Now I wait. Patience is not my strongest suit.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Cool 4 U

You and me both. I'm not big on patience either. I kind of figured you might have gone Takamine. Not sure why. Just had a feeling.
The Professor

[Bonhomme Richard]

12. Update...if interested

I decided to just go ahead and get a pickup for my Martin D-18. I had a L.R. Baggs Ibeam active installed in the guitar and I couldn't be more pleased. I have been playing my gig with it for a couple of weeks and I have to tell you the guitar sounds sweet and thats just plugging it straight into the PA (Mackie 808M). They warn you that this pickup is not for trying to play with an electric band but for solo's, duets, and that sort of thing. They are right. If I try to compete with the volume that the full band plays at there is a hum caused be the wood vibration so the Ovation is the better choice. Playing out in the duet it's perfect and I think I have my combo now. I use my Ovation Legend when playing with the full band and the Martin and Ovation for the acoustic gigs.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. Just A Thought

While those pickups are ordinarily not ideal for full band, they say the same thing about the Fishman my friend has in an archtop acoustic. But, he bought the Fishman preamp/EQ thing for piezo mikes, and you would not believe the output, without feedback, you can get when running through that thing.

It works on his guitar, on my Takamine, and my Martin. So, if you decide you'd like the Martin to be a "full band" guitar, you should consider this. The thing really works. No kidding!
The Professor

[Bonhomme Richard]

14. Thanks, I guess the.............

L.R. Baggs preamp would do the same. My playing partner goes through one so I should borrow it and check it out. I think the problem with using the Ibeam pickup with a full band is due to the fact that the pickup gets a lot of its sound from the vibration of the wood in the top. I suspect that the EQ would help with that.
Baggs tells you that the acoustic should not be run through a acoustic amp because the amps boost the highs and lows and Baggs already takes care of that.

[regnaD kciN]

15. Wow...

Permission from my wife, LOL - surprising since I have 10.

...you have ten wives???

:evilgrin:

(Oh, come on...someone had to post that!)