What is your favourite acoustic guitar?

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,Martin Gibson
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 03:37 PM

My 1962 Gibson LG-3 bought new in 1963 at age 13

Also love my 1969 Gibson J-45 and my 1963 Harmony Sovereign

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,Guestspot
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 03:53 PM

Evenin' all... !! (Remember 'Im??)
               
Read all previous threads.. sorry people, the only one, the one and only one... is my Lowden 032. (Mind you.. just sampled Avalon jobby - hmmm....not bad..!!). Dont stop up too late arguin' the toss - such a personal thing...!
                Regards to all

                           Spot

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Amos
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 08:10 PM

I am in love with a Martin Dreadnought who is perfect for me. She's a lady with class, can be as sweet as flowers and as strong as good gospel. She never lets me down even when I have had a few cups too many. A perfect companion for my difficult self...


A

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Mooh
Date: 26 Jun 03 - 09:12 PM

Beneteau acoustic baritone, spruce top, flame maple back and sides, ebony everywhere else, Schaller tuners, jumbo body size....sometimes my favourite is another Beneteau 6 string, but I'm a guitar whore.

Sometimes my favourite is the one I'm holding at any one time.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From:
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 10:29 AM

After an exhaustive search for a high-end acoustic--I played everything from Gibsons, Martins, Taylors, Breedloves, et.al.--I discovered a Lakewood M-38 soft cutaway. I bought it on the spot. This instrument was clearly built for music, a mission explicitly articulated in its appearance (no pearl inlaid dancing lawn gnomes or exotic tiki ceremonial waterpipe wood veneers), its playability (the action is just right--not so light that you lose expressiveness, but not so heavy that you feel compelled to hitchhike to the crossroads), and most importantly its tone (balance and timbre up and down the fretboard, and plenty of punch when you want it). Best $2500 I ever spent (even including that swedish woman from my military days)

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: mooman
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 11:31 AM

Good Man scflint!

You cannot do better than a Lakewood!

Peace,

moo (resident Lakewood nerd and M-18 owner)

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,Duncan McFarlane
Date: 15 Apr 04 - 11:37 AM

Fave guitar of mine is one handmade in West Yorkshire, an 'Oakwood' (Tempest model) - the neck modified to my own specification. They made two for me - one with mahogany back and sides, the other with rosewood back and sides. Both sound well, but the rosewood model is DEFINITELY 'the one'. It stays permanently in my favoured C modal tuning (yes, I know that's not exact enough for pedants - but the term, as a description, is fairly well understood) and the mahogany one stays around standard (drop D most usually).
These Leeds instrument makers are first class - and will accomodate your every wish - well, nearly! They also made the melodeon that, sadly, was recently stolen from Spiers and Boden - what news on that front?

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Spot
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 07:48 AM

Duncan....
             Slight drift here...sorry...!! Have to agree re Oakwood stuff..I have a Teardrop Special mando that blows the socks off anything else I've EVER played..Somebody always comments about its power and I think its a beautiful piece of woodwork , to boot.Never played Martyn's guitars but would be interested...

                Regards to all....Spot

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Mark Ross
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 02:27 PM

Check out my favorite luthier. He built one for me, a OOOO-18, in 1974. It is the best, sweetest, loudest, brassiest..... I could go on for a long time. I've never found on that moved me the way this one does.

Here's his website;
http://leedsguitar.com/pages/about.html
"Ivon Schmukler began repairing guitars in 1965, was one of the first CF Martin-approved independent repairmen, and, in 1972, began making individually-hand-crafted steel-string guitars. He is one of the leading restorers of vintage Martin guitars. He has taught woodworking at the State University of New York Downstate Medical School in Brooklyn, New York."

Check him out.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 02:34 PM

I have a friend, a very good guitarist, who swears by Beneteau guitars. He has a 6 string and it's great. He is having Marc Beneteau build him another...a 12 string.

Check 'em out here:

Beneteau Guitars

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,marty31
Date: 24 Jul 04 - 07:33 AM

used to be a takamine till i tried a mid range crafter.wow i love that baby!

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 24 Jul 04 - 09:30 AM

I have owned and played loads of guitars. Sometimes i find the memory of the one night stand stays in my mind longer than the machines I have had long time working relationaships with.

This friend of mine had a martin HD something or other, and when you strummed it - it sort of tickled you through the wood on the tum.

It was no good for the noisy sods i play to - having no electricity - so the relationship just remained a sweet memory.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Cindy
Date: 24 Jul 04 - 10:05 AM

A strange looking asymetrical minimalist Tacoma with the comma shaped sound hole near the top instead of behind the strings. Bought on impulse second hand in the local music store. The next person who asks me if I keep my sandwiches inside is dead.
I also love my very old battered Michael Gee classical guitar.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,Anne Croucher
Date: 24 Jul 04 - 02:05 PM

When at polytechnic in Portsmouth, (Hampshire England) I was able to buy from a friend of a friend a Framus Texan, due to a fine that needed paying next day or end up in gaol - never knew the owners name, but I was delighted to find my little hand fits around the neck.
The only other guitar I have been able to play easily was the very first guitar I owned. It was an odd thing like a small cello with long s or f shapes holes. It was killed by a man called Adrian Bell who claimed to be the fifth Spinner, and that he could mend it after an accident on the Underground in London. I said no but he went ahead anyway. Even the young me knew you don't mend guitars with Araldite two part epoxy.

So I remain faithful to my ol'guitar My ol'guitar, handiest friend I ever had by far - I wonder if that song is in the DT

Anne

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,Vic at work
Date: 24 Jul 04 - 03:13 PM

Any instrument with an A on the headstock, its an Armstrong -Buy, steal, trade in your children but get one.
I still love to hit a note and "watch" it walk round the room and sustain to die for.
Rob Armstrong, Coventry Uk. He is also a long time performer and jolly good egg.
Vic.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Sep 04 - 03:29 PM

Has anyone any information on a Yamaha G70D , great sound

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,Grenvilleter
Date: 10 Sep 04 - 12:15 AM

I've owned & played a Beneteau (Marc)dreadnaught since 1985. I'll never part with it. So far I have only found 1 guitar that sounds superior and a few which is it's equal. The one that sounded better was a old beat up 1957 Martin D-28. Guitars of the calibre of the '57 Martin in question are very rare indeed even among other Martin's, (including other exact same models).
My friend bought a 1985 D-28 herringbone Special Edition Vintage Martin at about the same time as I purchased my Beneteau. Neither of us can tell the difference in the tone of the herringbone or the Beneteau when strung with identical strings. I could go into great detail on the many reasons why I like the Beneteau (tone, sound projection, neck width, and it dosn't crap out when pounding it like many other axes I've played). Many will argue that the Beneteau will not appreciate like a Martin, and this is true however it only applies to instruments to which one buys to resell and not to play for keeps.

I also know a couple of other Canadian builders who build 1st class guitars and I would be proud to own an axe built by James Spooner of Athens, Ontario or a Timberline guitar built in Killaloe, Ontario by Kevin Hall. Both are first rate builders and take exceptional pride in thier work.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,tony
Date: 10 Sep 04 - 01:24 AM

OK. I have 2 favorites now.

My first love is my Collings D2H. Those who don't agree with me about the way she sounds - are only jealous cause they don't have one. It doesn't matter how hard or soft I play, she will always play the song sweeter than I can sing it. It has real presence.

Now my #2 choice is sure to generate comments. I recently bought a CA Legacy AE - beautiful Tobacco Sunburst finish. Well balanced voice and very clean. Don't make mistakes - she'll tell on you. She sounds better than 90% of the guitars I've heard through the years. She can't shout as loud as the Collings on her own. But she is equipped with Fishman electronics - so when it's needed I can give her a bigger voice. The electronics do a faithful job of keeping the acoustic guitar sounding like and acoustic guitar.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 10 Sep 04 - 04:52 AM

Alhambra 9f peghead
Granados 7f peghead
Rafael Morales peghead
Yamaha CG171SF
Manuel Lopes peghead

There, have you ever seen such a glorious fleet of flamenco guitars? And they are all mine!Ha!
             flamenco, the true path
                   el ted
                  Beverley

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: mooman
Date: 10 Sep 04 - 05:27 AM

Actually, while I still love my Lakewood custom M-18 as mentioned below, the guitar I play almost all of the time now and am inseparable from is, surprisingly, a mid-price Czech-made Regal steel-bodied resonator. This guitar rocks like no other acoustic I've ever played and sounds better to me than some old Dobros and Nationals.

Perhaps my move towards a more blues-based repertoire is influencing me..?

Peace

moo

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: ThreeSheds
Date: 10 Sep 04 - 09:54 AM

Go on Ted whats a 7F guitar and how does it differ from a 9F guitar
(Am I alone in predicting the answer)

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 10 Sep 04 - 09:58 AM

Actually Andy, the answer is quite sensible. It's price range. 1 being the cheapest, 9 being the most expensive.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: ThreeSheds
Date: 10 Sep 04 - 10:04 AM

Ted
Thats very sensible indeed, I cant understand why it didnt occur to me that f stood for fsetas or should it be furos

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Midchuck
Date: 10 Sep 04 - 10:10 AM

I recently bought a CA Legacy AE - beautiful Tobacco Sunburst finish. Well balanced voice and very clean. Don't make mistakes - she'll tell on you. She sounds better than 90% of the guitars I've heard through the years.

Guest Tony, you make me feel like a very clever fellow...I just nailed one (if all goes well) last night.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2385&item=3746343357&rd=1

Peter.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Peace
Date: 10 Sep 04 - 10:35 AM

Martin D-28. I've had it for 38 years. Love it.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,dbgrate
Date: 11 Sep 04 - 12:10 AM

Used to be a very nice Martin D28....until I heard a McIlroy...3 months ago bought a McIlroy A20(spruce&walnut)...what sounds!!

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,Zee
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 04:45 PM

Although hard to find, L Benito makes a guitar out of Alerce - which is a 3,000 year old wood - that is the most amazing sounding guitar I have ever played. I collect Martins and the Jumbo L Benito blew my just about everything in my collection away!

Check out www.LBenito.com

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: UncleToad
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 05:20 PM

How about my favorite...a 1965 Grammer G10...plays well for a oversized dreadnaught...projects without a mike.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Dan Keding
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 11:15 PM

I have three Larrivees. I have a rose wood six and a rose wood twelve string that are about twenty years old. I also have a dreadnought six with maple sides and back. They all play easy and sound great but the best is that they fit my voice - they don't get lost underneath me nor do they over power me. i doubt if I'll ever buy another guitar unless I lose one of these.

Dan K

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Oct 04 - 11:37 PM

Three Larrivees are more than enough to keep anyone happy, I would think. They're great guitars. I've never owned one yet for some reason, but I like them.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Justa Picker
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 09:19 AM

The best (non-Martin) acoustic guitar I've played in the last 5 years was a Brazilian rosewood Schoenberg Soloist cutaway.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Midchuck
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 11:00 AM

As of this moment:

For less-than-ideal singing/playing situations, unmiked:

CA Legacy Vintage

For ideal singing/playing situations, unmiked:

Froggy Bottom H12

For miked gigs:

Collings 000-2H

Subject to change next week

Peter.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,Mr Sooze
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 11:31 AM

Lowden O12 (1997) & Lowden S330cx- nooo question ! Hand built quality

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,cumbrian
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 11:47 AM

I own an embarrassing number of guitars ( which do get played from time to time ), but I am currently, and shall be for some time to come, very much enjoying a Fylde 30th Anniversary Model.
There was initially a limited run of 6 of these, I wound up with the 7th.
It wraps up so many things into one instrument that I like from various other guitars I use.
I have just started to use this guitar on gigs and am delighted to find it to be an incredibly comfortable instrument to play live as well as sounding beautiful either acoustic or through the installed Headway pick up.
Having bought this guitar direct from Fylde, I must add that Roger Bucknall and the rest of the Fylde people are great to deal with.
It had to be the most expensive impulse purchase I have, or hopefully will make in the future, while killing time wandering round a festival site.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: webfolk
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 04:46 PM

another plug for Roger Bucknall, I have a Fylde Goodfellow, small body, and I love it... nuff said!

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Lanfranc
Date: 13 Oct 04 - 07:07 PM

My favourite guitar is always the latest that I have acquired. Today it's a Zephyr - a Japanese copy of a Zemaitis acoustic. It's big (about the same size as a J200), red (solid mahogany throughout, apart from ebony fingerboard and bridge), elaborate (broad, Stella-like purfling and mop hearts inlaid on the bridge and around the heart-shaped soundhole, engraved aluminium plates on the peghead) and both loud and mellow. Not only that, it's nice to play, too.

Problem is, I can't find anything at all about the maker. I have always fancied a proper Zemaitis, but they go for silly prices (Clapton's auctioned for over $250,000), so this will have to be as close as I'm likely to get.

I'm currently having it set up by my friend Doug Parry at John Alvey Turner. Nothing radical, but it is obvious that its previous owner just had it as wall candy.

Alan

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: chris nightbird childs
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 02:04 AM

I love my 1970 Ventura 12-string!!

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: ThreeSheds
Date: 14 Oct 04 - 09:19 PM

I'd love to have a go on a Avalon 12 string they are supposed to exist but where (see Avalon thread)

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST,kari
Date: 04 Nov 04 - 12:55 AM

Hands down, my 20th anniversary edition Seagull, great sound, easy to play,affordable and with the flame maple veneer and high gloss it is a beautiful guitar. It also came with a kickin' Fort case.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Hand-Pulled Boy
Date: 26 Nov 04 - 12:11 PM

1965 Levin LT-18. Don't tell the burglars!

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: number 6
Date: 27 Nov 04 - 01:33 AM

My Taylor 310. It has great range and clarity. It's a sweet guitar, period. I must say that I also have a Seagull S6 that I seem to play more often than not. As mentioned previously it's articulation is suprisingly superb (for a rather cheap guitar).

So Jack, being a Newfoundlander have you played a Garrison yet?

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: victor
Date: 10 Jan 05 - 01:22 PM

my favorite is my present, a guitar made by walter lipton of orford, nh. (Euphonon Co.)and was made in "83". frets mag. did an eval. on one back in april,85. i made the mistake of selling it 12 years ago and as a result bought another a few years later and then recently was able to buy the original back. they both have great tonal quality, are surprisingly loud and ballanced. also very beautiful inlays.
any one else out there have one?

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 01:00 AM

Maton - without a doubt


Cheers


Bugsy

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Wesley S
Date: 11 Jan 05 - 01:27 PM

Today my favorite guitar is my Collings OM2 with a German spruce top. I just got it back in October. It's more guitar than I'll ever need. I could search forever to find the perfect guitar but I'm not sure that it would be that much better than the one I already have. So I think I'll stop looking for the "holy grail". However I'm still going to hang onto my first good guitar. A 1967 Martin D-18. It's a bit brused and battered - but then so am I. Now I just need to find the perfect mandolin.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 16 Aug 05 - 02:21 PM

Three equal: the Tommy Steele model that I got for Christmas in about 1957 - look for a Martin or Gibson made with that particular shade of light blue plastic and I guarantee you'll not find one - the Dean SP resonator which I currently use to cut through the noise of revelry in the pub - embodies a chrome disc which can double as a Datsun hubcap - and my favourite of all, the Gibson J45 that I want to buy next.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Lowden Jameswright
Date: 17 Aug 05 - 08:42 AM

"Now I just need to find the perfect mandolin."

Paul Shippey or Paul Hathway

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: number 6
Date: 17 Aug 05 - 11:14 PM

Rusty Dobro .... have you played a Gibson Working Man 45. It's a slightly cheaper, less ornate version of the J45. I played one about 3 months ago ... it certainly was one of the finest guitars I tried in a long time.

sIx

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Hand-Pulled Boy
Date: 19 Aug 05 - 05:32 AM

Gibson J185 Blues King. Very nice.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 12:49 PM

number 6: thanks for that. No, I haven't tried one yet, but read good things on internet reviews, and will make the effort to seek one out. I tried a Yamaha GSX/GTO/M25/DHSS turbo or something the other day: beautiful woods, inlaid with precious gems, solid gold Grovers and more electronics than the Space Shuttle, and it sounded really good, but I just couldn't face turning up at the pub with that and sitting down next to the battered Martins and Gibsons. I think the WM would be much more my style.

Subject: RE: What is your favourite acoustic guitar?
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 23 Aug 05 - 12:56 PM

Wow, just read back to 16 April 04:

"He has taught woodworking at the State University of New York Downstate Medical School in Brooklyn, New York."

Woodwork at a Medical School?? What are they making you people out of these days?