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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 29, 2021 10:13:14 GMT
Hi Everyone I have just had to sell all my electric gear to ongoing and deteriorating problems with my hearing.....getting hearing aids fitted in a couple of weeks in both ears. So, I am starting to look for an acoustic and other than the usual suspects like Lowden, Martin, Gibson etc I realise I am not that familiar with many of the smaller or less well-known builders out there. I often see really interesting acoustics for sale on the forum that I have never heard of before. So, I thought I would see if anyone might be able to point me in the right direction of a builder or brand that they have stumbled upon. I guess I'm looking for a dread, or possibly a OOO, as I really like a good bass response and crisp'ish trebles. I have have acoustics with spruce and cedar tops and I guess my preference would be for spruce. In terms of back and sides I have had cherry, mahogany and rosewood and I think rosewood is a clear favourite but did have Froggy Bottom dread back in the 90s with mahogany/spruce and that was just extraordinary. So, have an open mind in terms of woods and to an extent body size/shape too. In terms of budget I also have an open mind although can't go crazy. I would prefer to keep it under £2000 but would probably spend more for the right guitar. Thanks in advance! Guy
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Post by oustudent on Mar 29, 2021 10:24:25 GMT
I think the Martin reimagined series Dreadnaught and 000 /OM would be in your budget range, both 1/3/4" Nut Width
Second hand Collings would also be in the range, Nut is 1 11/16" standard on the Dread and 1 3/4" would be a custom but plenty about.
I would also try a Yamaha, very underrated in my opinion.
Brook Taw, OM second user is selling for about £1500.00
J
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 29, 2021 10:54:59 GMT
I think the Martin reimagined series Dreadnaught and 000 /OM would be in your budget range, both 1/3/4" Nut Width Second hand Collings would also be in the range, Nut is 1 11/16" standard on the Dread and 1 3/4" would be a custom but plenty about. I would also try a Yamaha, very underrated in my opinion. Brook Taw, OM second user is selling for about £1500.00 J Hi John I have just penned a reply but I see it is not there so must not have pressed 'create post'! Strangely I have been looking at the Martin reimagined series but was unsure if they have replaced they 'standard' series or if they are guitars that have been produced with some modern twists? Look excellent though. Have also checked out used Collings' but they all seem to be well over £3000 which is slightly outside my comfort zone. I am happy with either a 1 3/4" or 1 11/6th" nut. Never seem to see many Brook guitars around but they do look to be super quality and they are English too which is a positive. Agree totally re Yamaha......really great value for money! Guy
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on Mar 29, 2021 11:57:59 GMT
surfguy13, you could do a lot worse than contacting some of the luthiers on this 'ere forum... I know davewhite has technically retired but you never know... francis would be another who deserves a PM. Instead of searching for something that matches your requirements, ask for one to be built specifically to them
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Post by Banadog on Mar 29, 2021 12:21:32 GMT
Just a word of caution before taking the plunge. A few years ago I was fitted with hearing aids and discovered they made all my guitars sound like banjos! I was told that it would take time for my brain to adjust to hearing forgotten frequencies(I am deaf above 4hz). However I still can't stand to wear them when playing. I've also noticed I can't tell much of a difference between guitars now. So I would definitely wait until you get your hearing aids before making a decision.
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Post by grayn on Mar 29, 2021 12:32:03 GMT
You might consider the GIBSON Hummingbird Studio.
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Post by mandovark on Mar 29, 2021 13:07:06 GMT
I love Brook guitars and they do have a dread model (the Teign) which occasionally comes up for sale second hand within your budget - there was one for sale on Glenn's Guitars website recently, though I'm not sure if it's still there. The thing about Brook, though, is that their guitars really lean more to fingerpicking styles, and if you're looking for more of a classic dread sound they may not be what you want.
You might want to check out the Moon RD3 - it's a spruce/rosewood dread that they've been making for years and I think wouldn't be too far out of your price range (and again, they do come up for sale used every now and then). They're handbuilt, so you could always ask for custom options - I find Moon's standard nut widths a bit narrow, but they would make a wider one if you prefer that. Their big claim to fame is that Bryan Adams used an RD3 on a tour a few years ago - make of that what you will...
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Post by oustudent on Mar 29, 2021 13:15:34 GMT
I read a review of a Brook Dread and it wasn't very complimentary, I expect there are only a small number compared to their more popular models
J
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Post by Phil Taylor on Mar 29, 2021 13:51:04 GMT
This video features a Brook Torridge and Teign and the Teign (dread) always sounded good to me years ago when my hearing was fine. It still sounds good.....
From a hearing test last week my hearing loss is mild to moderate and is worse at high frequencies around 4k Hz so I basically hear too much bass and not enough highs. I laughed when I read higher up that hearing aids made a guitar sound like a banjo!! I thought they may be my saviour.....
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 29, 2021 16:43:18 GMT
surfguy13 , you could do a lot worse than contacting some of the luthiers on this 'ere forum... I know davewhite has technically retired but you never know... francis would be another who deserves a PM. Instead of searching for something that matches your requirements, ask for one to be built specifically to them That makes perfect sense, thanks for suggesting it. I guess my only slight misgiving with luthiers is that if I end up stopping playing altogether, which is possible in the next few years as I already have large arthritic lumps on my hands, resale is difficult. It's such a shame but have fallen in that hole before and am slightly reluctant to go down that road again. Money is far from everything but it does come into the equation!
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 29, 2021 16:46:20 GMT
Just a word of caution before taking the plunge. A few years ago I was fitted with hearing aids and discovered they made all my guitars sound like banjos! I was told that it would take time for my brain to adjust to hearing forgotten frequencies(I am deaf above 4hz). However I still can't stand to wear them when playing. I've also noticed I can't tell much of a difference between guitars now. So I would definitely wait until you get your hearing aids before making a decision. That is a really interesting point and I have actually just started to consider the implications. I am not adverse to removing hearing aids when playing but with the extent of hearing loss I now have I guess I need to be circumspect. Lifetime of playing electric bass and guitar and 30 years working as a chain saw operator haven't really helped a lot!!
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Post by fred7 on Mar 29, 2021 16:49:12 GMT
I would always push for Lowden or Furch. However, They tend to be wider on nut width than most so perhaps not ideal for someone who is used to electric. Lowden would be over budget anyway but Furch make some fantastic high end guitars for equally fantastic mid range prices.
Other than that I always think you can't go wrong with a Yamaha - very overlooked and under-rated by many.
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 29, 2021 16:51:58 GMT
I love Brook guitars and they do have a dread model (the Teign) which occasionally comes up for sale second hand within your budget - there was one for sale on Glenn's Guitars website recently, though I'm not sure if it's still there. The thing about Brook, though, is that their guitars really lean more to fingerpicking styles, and if you're looking for more of a classic dread sound they may not be what you want. You might want to check out the Moon RD3 - it's a spruce/rosewood dread that they've been making for years and I think wouldn't be too far out of your price range (and again, they do come up for sale used every now and then). They're handbuilt, so you could always ask for custom options - I find Moon's standard nut widths a bit narrow, but they would make a wider one if you prefer that. Their big claim to fame is that Bryan Adams used an RD3 on a tour a few years ago - make of that what you will... Bizarrely I emailed Glenn on saturday to say I was interested in the Moon RD3 that he had in stock and just got a reply to say it sold at the weekend. Why didn't I phone him instead of emailing!! I love Jimmy Moon's guitars. I think I'm really after bags of bass response as that's what I like in an acoustic and also where my hearing is best.....lower frequencies. I have looked at the range of guitars that Brook make and, as you say, the main focus seems to be smaller bodied guitars rather than larger bodies.
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 29, 2021 16:55:23 GMT
This video features a Brook Torridge and Teign and the Teign (dread) always sounded good to me years ago when my hearing was fine. It still sounds good..... From a hearing test last week my hearing loss is mild to moderate and is worse at high frequencies around 4k Hz so I basically hear too much bass and not enough highs. I laughed when I read higher up that hearing aids made a guitar sound like a banjo!! I thought they may be my saviour..... Thanks a million for the link to the video.....excellent! My hearing loss is almost identical to yours. I can, apparently, hear far lower bass frequencies than the average person, and without distortion, but high frequencies are very poor. As previously mentioned, I spent a large part of my working life as a chain saw operator and the incredibly high frequencies generated by a professional chainsaw revving high are incredibly damaging, even with decent ear protection.
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Post by surfguy13 on Mar 29, 2021 17:00:29 GMT
I would always push for Lowden or Furch. However, They tend to be wider on nut width than most so perhaps not ideal for someone who is used to electric. Lowden would be over budget anyway but Furch make some fantastic high end guitars for equally fantastic mid range prices. Other than that I always think you can't go wrong with a Yamaha - very overlooked and under-rated by many. Yes, Furch are incredible value for money as are Lakewood in my experience. Lowdens I'm not sure about......as you say, wider nut can be an issue, certainly combined with that very flat fingerboard Lowdens have, but my basses all have a wide fingerboard and quite chunky necks so it shouldn't be a massive issue. However, I did try and S series and wasn't overly impressed and although I love the O the lower bout is hugely wide. Once again, agree totally re Yamahas but I don't often see them advertised.
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