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Post by solidtop on Dec 27, 2015 20:58:19 GMT
As some of you may know, my wife recently said I could get a new guitar. Out of the guitars available I had settled on a freshman Apollo 20c. I really wanted the fa400ga but didn't have the budget.
well along comes Xmas day and what turns up with my parents courtesy of the wife? Only the fa400ga!
This is guitar is amazing! It retails for £799 but I got it a lot cheaper as my mate owns the shop. It is all solid wood, pretty sure the nut and saddle are bone or synthetic bone. It sustains for ever, came with .12s I believe but it's easier to play than my ozark with .11s!
The sound is rich and balanced and the strings ring clear as a bell all the way up the neck and even with a capo on. The fret work is faultless and there is no buzzing at all unless I get it wrong.
One thing I have noticed which I assume is normal for the higher grade guitars. With all the extra sensitivity to dynamics and the general fact that they guitar is nicer to play. This guitar is less forgiving of mistakes. If you don't quite fret a note properly or hold a chord right, it will still play the chord / note but it won't sound as good as it should in sustain and overall tonality. It's hard to put my finger on it (no pun intended) but if you are playing a tune and it's all ringing super clear as it should then any duff notes stand out like a nob at a nude lesbian convention.
My brother noticed it right away and stated "you can tell it's an amazing guitar, but it's well out of my league and I don't think I should play it until I'm better as I make it sound like shit."
Photos coming bing shortly but if you are in the market for an upper mid priced guitar, try one of these.
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Post by solidtop on Dec 27, 2015 21:30:59 GMT
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Dec 27, 2015 23:02:44 GMT
Nice one, solidtop  What a lovely surprise getting the guitar you actually wanted after all, and it looks a cracker  |
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Dec 28, 2015 0:41:46 GMT
Congrats solidtop ! What a lovely surprise - hope you'll be very happy together. And yes, I'm sure you're right about decently responsive guitars being less forgiving of slight misfingerings. But remember that is mostly because they sound so much better on all the other notes!! Keith |
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Post by vikingblues on Dec 28, 2015 8:01:05 GMT
Congrats on the new guitar and what a nice surprise for you! I'd say you're spot on with your analysis of higher grade guitars. The highlighting of mistakes is the payback for the high quality of the notes that do sound right. I think it is fair to say that the higher grade guitar puts more responsibility on the player to play it well. If you can it's a big reward and well worth trying for!  Mark |
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Post by missclarktree on Dec 28, 2015 10:09:33 GMT
Congrats solidtop. What a lovely birthday surprise! I think you're right about a better guitar showing up faults. I found the same thing when I got my Alhambra classical when I was used to a student model. On the positive side, it forces you to improve your playing, whether you want to or not. |
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doc
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Post by doc on Dec 28, 2015 15:24:47 GMT
Congratulations. Enjoy.
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Post by solidtop on Dec 28, 2015 22:38:51 GMT
cheers guys. Its really the only guitar i have played in that price range so my experience on this quality of guitar is limited to literally 1!
I am glad it's not just me that has found that the player needs to catch up to what the guitar can offer. I don't often hit a dud note on this thing so i guess that just means my dad was right about me needing a better quality guitar to get to the next level.
Im getting used to the dynamic range and my playing has already gotten more expressive because of the responsiveness of the instrument. Even my in laws picked up on how "professional" it sounded when i showed it off to them and when i played to a couple of tracks this afternoon, i managed to get the guitar to sound exactly like the recordings which is something i've never been able to do before, i just couldn't work out why!
I have found my other "life partner" in this guitar i think lol
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Post by andyhowell on Jan 2, 2016 10:29:27 GMT
Congrats solidtop ! What a lovely surprise - hope you'll be very happy together. And yes, I'm sure you're right about decently responsive guitars being less forgiving of slight misfingerings. But remember that is mostly because they sound so much better on all the other notes!! Keith Well said Keith. Stress the positives! |
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Post by Andy P on Jan 2, 2016 11:43:25 GMT
but I got it a lot cheaper as my mate owns the shop. Would he/she like to be my mate too?  Were the space toys thrown as part of the deal? There's nothing like a new guitar for getting your playing hours up and with that will come the improvements you seek. |
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Post by solidtop on Jan 9, 2016 22:11:33 GMT
but I got it a lot cheaper as my mate owns the shop. Would he/she like to be my mate too? Were the space toys thrown as part of the deal? There's nothing like a new guitar for getting your playing hours up and with that will come the improvements you seek. Na they were additional to the guitar lol I finally managed to get a (crude) recording on my phone though it's a quick demo of nothing else matters, still learning the instrument but it sounds ok if you excuse the weird noises where i don't think the phone could handle the sound. https%3A//soundcloud.com/beginner_guitarist/freshman-fg400a-demo |
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Post by Martin on Jan 21, 2016 15:28:01 GMT
Lovely playing solidtop and I really liked your version of a Metallica 'ballad'   |
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Post by solidtop on Jan 22, 2016 22:05:43 GMT
Thanks this guitar really is so nice to play with fingers and picks, it's amazing what a bit of nice wood does.
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Post by thejamsinger on Jan 26, 2016 19:03:02 GMT
Congratulations on your new guitar Solidtop. As for not being not good enough to play it don't put yourself down. I don't know of any music store that makes you do a test before you buy?  |
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Post by solidtop on Jan 31, 2016 7:56:11 GMT
Lol, true but the way it responds to dynamics and how you fret the notes has meant I have to sharpen up and learn how to play it in its own right. The normal bread and butter type songs are ok but the more intricate stuff needs real precision to sound good. But I do love it.
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Were the space toys thrown as part of the deal?
Jo whoever he is.
