Buying an acoustic-electric guitar

[SandInMyShoes]

I'm wanting to buy a new guitar, and after browsing on MusiciansFriend the Martin DCXE (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/...s-Cutaway-AcousticElectric?sku=514833) caught my eye. It has great reviews on MusiciansFriend, and I really like the idea of not having to worry about humidity since it's not made of wood. I'm a bit concerned about the tone, and how it will compare to real-wood bodies in that price range; not sure if I can trust the reviews at MusiciansFriend or not.

Has anyone played the DCXE or DCX1E? How about some other recommendations? My price range is < $1000. I value a low/smooth/easy action more than anything else, but tone (especially plugged in, as I don't like the sound of most acoustic-electrics I've heard when plugged in) is important to me too.

 

[biggestmuff]

don't just cold-buy a guitar off of the internet. get to a store and play several of them to get a feel for playability and sound between the various makes and models.

 

[CptObvious]

I played the lower-end Martins with the composite sides/back, and thought they sounded good and played well. If you plan to play outside a lot it might be a good choice.

If playability and electric tone are your 2 main criteria, have you considered Ovation? They sound pretty fake unplugged IMO, but their necks are fairly thin and easy to play and their electric tone is decent.

 

[Fritzo]

Don't do it. It's shameful that Martin would make a laminate guitar. Laminates wear down over time and you'll end up with a dead sounding guitar. Anything Martin sells with an X in the model name is laminate.

My uncle came in from California bragging about his "New Martin!". We sat on the couch and started strumming. I have a D-15 and he had a DX-1. His DX had no sustain at all- in fact it sounded like he had 3 year old strings on the thing.

It would be better to get something like a Yamaha that's all wood than to get a low end guitar from a high end maker.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
don't just cold-buy a guitar off of the internet. get to a store and play several of them to get a feel for playability and sound between the various makes and models.

good advice here, doubly so if its your 1st.

 

[Platypus]

What the others have said, never order a guitar without playing it and don't get a Martin with an X in the name

For under 1k you can get a much better guitar than that.. look at Breedlove and Laravee

 

[SandInMyShoes]

Hmm, I didn't know that laminates wear down. My guitar and I live in a very uncontrolled environment; nothing like a rainy day a few inches outside the open window to kill the tone in a wood body! I'll be adding a wood stove to the trailer this winter, which means it'll get dry enough to cause skin to start cracking. Not good for tonewoods, I don't think. That's why I was looking at laminates in the first place.

I didn't mean to say that unplugged tone isn't important, just that many A/Es meet my standards for unplugged tone, while few meet it when plugged in. Ovations, however, fall far below my unplugged standard.

If it wasn't for the uncontrolled environment, I'd spring for a nice Guild; I love the action and tone on every Guild I've touched. I really think I'd better stay away from good tonewoods right now, though, it'll just get ruined.

I certainly plan to play before buying, if I can find one in stock at a local store; I don't have any good guitar stores nearby. Last time I went into the best one, they had one Martin in stock under $1000, a couple of Guilds, and several Taylors. Not much else to be found in the $500-$1000 range.

 

[biggestmuff]

If you live in a trailer, I'd start looking at the $200 Epiphones. Save that other cash for a downpayment on a house, buddy!

 

[SandInMyShoes]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
If you live in a trailer, I'd start looking at the $200 Epiphones. Save that other cash for a downpayment on a house, buddy!

Point taken and rejected. I like my mobility

I should note that I'm UPGRADING from a Takamine G240 that I've been playing for quite a while.

 

[Fritzo]

I've owned 37 guitars in my life and have been playing since 1984...yes laminates to break down. They peel around the seems, warp, and if you're afraid of wood getting wet, consider laminate is just like solidified cardboard. Laminates also get brittle with age, so you'll get a guitar that sounds good at first and gets worse and worse over time. The laquers they put on wood makes the outside fairly moisture resistant, but water isn't going to be good for a guitar no mater what it's made of (which is why God invented gig bags- what kind of idiot is going to listen to you play in the rain anyway?).

You might want to look into an Ovation Celebrity series. Plastic backs and wood top- should be fairly water resistant (still don't get the need for water resistance- but I'm just trying to help you with what you want ). You can get a decent tone out of Ovations by using medium gauge strings.

 

[SandInMyShoes]

I'm not talking about direct contact with water, just 90-100% relative humidity for up to days at a time. This is going to be torture on any good wood, right?

I quite honestly can't stand the Ovation Celebrities. My fingers like light strings, and I can't stand the tone anyhow. Oh, maybe it's not THAT bad, but ehh.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
don't just cold-buy a guitar off of the internet. get to a store and play several of them to get a feel for playability and sound between the various makes and models.

QFT. Don't buy a guitar online. Go play some, get a good feel on some of them and how they play.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: SandInMyShoes
I'm not talking about direct contact with water, just 90-100% relative humidity for up to days at a time. This is going to be torture on any good wood, right?

I quite honestly can't stand the Ovation Celebrities. My fingers like light strings, and I can't stand the tone anyhow. Oh, maybe it's not THAT bad, but ehh.

Actually no. LACK of humidity will ruin wood. If it's humid, just hang your guitar on the wall by it's neck to prevent warping and it'll last forever. They actually make soundhole humidifiers for wood guitars to keep them moist

On the other hand, humidity is what causes laminates to peel.

 

[SandInMyShoes]

Hrm, I didn't know that soundhole humidifiers existed. That makes things easier. I was hoping to keep the thing on a rack year-round, otherwise I just don't play enough. Is a soundhole humidifier effective when the guitar is in open air?

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: SandInMyShoes
Hrm, I didn't know that soundhole humidifiers existed. That makes things easier. I was hoping to keep the thing on a rack year-round, otherwise I just don't play enough. Is a soundhole humidifier effective when the guitar is in open air?

Sure it does.

 

[TechBoyJK]

BUY A CARVIN. carvin ftw

 

[SandInMyShoes]

Many thanks to Platypus for mentioning Breedlove. Last weekend I went to Guitar Center, and fell in love with the Breedlove AD25 SR Plus. To my ears, it sounded as good as any Martin below $1800, and better than any other guitar in the store save for the Gibson Hummingbird or Songwriter. I liked the action better than any other acoustic there. I found that the cutaway allowed me to easily play two frets higher than most of the other cutaways. It's the first time I've heard Fishman electronics, but they more than meet my requirements. The integrated tuner is nice. It comes with a great case. All for just $1000. I'm sold, I just don't have the money. This baby is mine when I do

 

[drum]

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK
BUY A CARVIN. carvin ftw

you can play it 10 days and send it back if you don't like it.

Carvin and Taylor FTW

 

[ThePresence]

Taylor's are great bang for the buck.
They play well and have tremendous sound.
I love them.
And as someone else said, Ovation's plugged in are nice.

 

[fishmonger12]

http://prsguitars.com/showcase/current/hollowtwo.html