Hey friends! I am planning on buying an acoustic-electric guitar from Sweetwater. I would like something smaller than my Takamine Dreadnought. Iām considering between a Grand Auditorium-size or a smaller Grand Concert-size. I donāt know if the Grand Auditorium is too close and similar to my Dreadnought. My customer rep says it is close, but the waist is more narrow and the depth is shorter; and that itās easier and more comfortable to play.
Iāve looked at the following:
GRAND AUDITORIUMS
*Taylor 314ce V-Class. (This is the one my Customer Rep has suggested)
*Taylor 324ce (Mahogany top, back and sides)
GRAND CONCERTS
*Taylor 312ce V- Class
*Taylor 322ce V-Class (Mahogany Top and Sides and Bottom)
*Taylor 412-ce and Taylor 412-ce-R V-Class
I also found a Gibson LG-2. I read it is a little bigger than the 00 guitars. Two options.
*One with Mahogany on top, back and sides.
*One with Spruce top and mahogany back and sides.
Iām actually steering towards a Grand Concert or equivalent, but I havenāt physically seen any of these guitars. I donāt want it to be too small. Just going by photos; and Iāve listened to lots of videos.
They say a Concert is good for Fingerstyle and singing with; and an Auditorium is good for strumming. I do both! I like warm, rich sound; but my Takamine is good for that and Iām keeping it; so my choice of a different sounding guitar could go more crisp and clean - but saying that, I still liked the deeper sound on the 412-ce-R and on the LG-2. So - should I go with one of those two or go with one of the Grand Auditoriums?
Thanks for reading all of this and I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.
But I will say the acoustic I got is sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides and neck. Iāve fell in love with itās tones so much that in a search of acoustics at the music store, I found nothing that compared with it. Tone wise or playability wise.
My acoustic also has the same nut size as my electrics. 1 5/8" I think. Neck shape is similar too with a general c shape. It feels like Iām near playing a electric when I play the acoustic. It feels right to me. So nut and neck shape may be something to consider too.
I also found a music store by chance that had a late 50ās Gibson. I canāt remember the model. Of course I liked it. In hind sight thinking about that guitar though, I think I like my acoustic better than that Gibson. Mine played better and sounded more to my liking also.
fwiw, my acoustic is a $300 (used) China Epiphone. I was really surprised I liked what I got better than that Gibson. I canāt remember the used price of the Gibson, but do remember it had a 4 digit price tag. It was expensive and a shade beat up from time too.
Perhaps you could find somewhere to play what your considering? My guess would be not since your doing the SW thing though. Still, Iāll bet them guitars are real expensive. Iād wanna play one prior to purchase and would try real hard to find somewhere that has something at least close to what I was considering. For me, to include a road trip thatās within reason.
I know, I didnāt answer your question. Just thinking there may be other criteria that is worth considering too.
Also, fwiw, I have bought one guitar sight unseen, so I do get it. It was $999, so pretty expensive (to me). While I like the guitar and have kept it for 4 years or so now. And still like it enough to not search out something else. Iād guess that if Iād have had a chance to play my guitar from square one, prior to purchase. I may have looked at something else. Closest place to play one was 400 miles from me round abouts. Figured I had no choice but to try sight unseen if thatās what I had to have. Perhaps your in the same boat. Hind sight for me is I think any future purchase for me will have to be local enough for me to play it prior to purchase. My Epiphone was 40 miles out. It was a good idea to go that minimal distance to see if āthatā guitar was something I needed. The drive time was way longer than how long it took me to decide that Epiphone was right for me. Like maybe 15min. I find it true. Ya just know pretty much from square one if what your looking at is right for you. I think if ya gotta think about what your considering, it may not be the one. Ya just know. When you play it.
Food for thought.
And good luck in your venture. I hope ya find something that fitās you, Just Right.
will you have the option to try these different models? Listening to videos might not get the real sound depending on how it was recorded and edited afterwards. But thatās only one point. It should also feel good in your hands and this can only found out by playing.
Unfortunately, I canāt advice on your guitars in favour, but I have an 00, all-mahogany guitar from Sigma and I love itās sound. Itās rich and warm despite the smaller size. It definitely can compete with my dreadnought in this regard, but nowadays feels more comfortable to play for me size-wise. The dreadnought is quite a stretch for the small me.
In any case, I wish you most of fun and joy purchasing your next guitar! Hope to see an NGD soon.
Thank you, Jim. Great advice. I do have a couple of locals. One is where I got my Takamine and it was like you say, I knew it when I played it. But this time, I was hoping for a Taylor or a Gibson. But I agree that others sound beautiful too. There is also another local store with a few different models. I went once, but I may need to go back again to see if I have better luck trying some out. But I still think I will purchase from Sweetwater. Iāve been advised on that part of my indecision, but itās why itās harder to decide on which one to choose.
I wouldnāt get too hung up on the thing of this size guitar is good for this and that one is good for that because unless youāre going from one extreme to another, the difference will be fairly subtle.
My Taylor is a Grand Theater which is their smallest American made model. Itās super comfortable to play but probably would struggle in some situations as it is small - not a problem for me as I have no desire to perform.
Hey Lisa! Yeah, I think I will go to my local store and see what they have now. I went once, but need to go back again. The all-mahogany seems to help on the richness and warmth of the sound. I noticed that on the all mahogany ones I listened to in comparisons on some of the videos I watched.
Oh thanks, Matt. I guess my main questions are do I want the Grand Auditorium or the Grand Concert (or Gibson); and another is do I want all mahogany or the typical spruce and mahogany.
Iām 1m72 (about 5ā8") and my Fender Hellcat is a concert sizeā¦it never felt ātoo smallā to me.
It has a solid mahogany top which is very āfocusedā to my ear.
I always found it very articulate and I really enjoyed learning fingerstyle on it.
I mostly play my Maon Messiah now because you can not compare a guitar 8 times the price rangeā¦ but when I play it, it still feels comfortable.
I happened to spend 3 hours last Saturday playing an out 9 guitars in Project Music in Exeter. They were Gibson J45, 5 Taylorās, and 3 Matons. I am trying to find a guitar with great tone and lovely to play. I tried some Matons in Aus in October and was very taken with them.
This is how it went, they range in price from Ā£1.5k to Ā£4.4k.
All the Taylors were nice to play but had a slightly bright tone, a friend was with me so I also heard him playing them. The Ā£4k Taylor was the most balanced sound of the Taylorās.
The Matons using Aus wood were slightly bright but not as much as the Taylorās, the 2 spruce tops with rosewood sides and back were the best tonaly with a lovely mid range.
The Gibson sadly was a bit heavy sounding, and its microphone when played through the amp was not great, very poor for a Ā£3k guitar. My friend has one and he upgraded his with a Ā£250 better mic.
By the way we played all acoustically first and narrows it down to 4 and then tried them through an amp.
The one I liked was the Maton classic masterbuild rosewood/spruce but expensive at Ā£4,5k, they are getting a Messiah in 2 weeks for me to compare and itās Ā£1.2k less.
Acoustic Guitars especially are a very personal choice, but I hope this helps a bit.
ooohhh, a new guitar is coming
You might have seen that I bought a Taylor grand concert a few months back - a 412ce-R. It was quite a decision for me because I always thought I already had my dream acoustic guitar (a Martin D28) so it took some time to sink in that it wasnāt necessarily the best guitar for me.
Just as Adrian @AJSki2fly says acoustic guitars are very personal and if you can try them out before buying. And if you can try the one you are going to buy - my last choice was between two 412ce-R guitars and the difference was day and night. When you know you know (and based on stats on paper I would have chosen the other one).
The only real advice I can give you here is to be more specific about what you mean when you āwant something smallerā. Consider not only body shape and size but also scale length and fretboard shape and width. The grand autitoriums have the same scale length than any dreadnought guitar out there (25.5 inches). So they might have a more comfortable body shape but will not actually feel smaller. The grand concerts on the other hand have a scale length of less than 25. It does not sound much but you do feel the difference.
Matthew @mattswain has mentioned the grand theater size - they have an even shorter scale but at the same time the fretboard is a teeny bit wider than on the grand concerts which is meant to make it more comfortable to play (more space between strings) but if you have smaller hands that might not actually be what you feel (I certainly find them too wide).
As I explained in my post I was out to find a guitar with a shorter scale - and I was surprised how few of them are out there - most guitars, even smaller parlour guitars, have a scale length of 25.5ā'. (or rather how few solid wood guitars because there are tons of travel guitars around of course). So settling for the grand concert was a bit of a compromise at the point of purchase, but I have not looked back. I am very happy with the guitar. I have not even clocked up 30mins on the dreadnought.
And lastly I can second some of the things others have already said: Yes the Taylors are quite bright. But they are also very precise and responsive. Yes, ignore the salespeople pitch about guitars āfor fingerstyleā and āfor strummingā - you can do both on any guitar and I am doing both on the grand concert. Yes, I have tried a few Gibsons on the road to my purchase and I didnāt like the sound of any of them. What sound you like is personal, but I also found that they seem to be ridiculously overpriced for what you get.
Hope this helps. Good luck in finding your new guitar! Please show and share once you have it!
Hey Molly! Nice to hear from you. So your 412ce-R is Spruce and Rosewood? Was the other one you tried made with different woods? In my research, Iām learning of all the different woods and how they each sound. How were the stats different?
What you said about the scale length encourages me more towards the Grand Concert size, which I was aware of that, but also need to check the dimensions, i.,e., nut, length, width and depth in comparison to one another - and for sure, the fretboard width. I wouldnāt want it any wider than my dreadnought. Wouldnāt mind it being more narrow though.
What do you know about solid/hard wood vs soft wood? I heard a comment on a video to get soft wood but after watching more videos, Iām not sure if thatās true.
yes, itās Sitka spruce and Indian rosewood; and the last two contenders were both sitka spruce+rosewood - so I would have expected them to be more similar, but the finish was different, so that must have been one reason. In the end they were both nice guitars, and it surprised me that there was more difference than cosmetic.
As for woods I am not really an expert (you could try and rope in some of the guitar builders here in the community). I go by what I like the sound of when I play the guitar - and Iāve never really liked the sound when I play a mahogany guitar, or any of the Taylor koa guitars. They are nice woods but when I pick them up and play them they sound dead to me - so your own technique also comes into play, itās not just the guitar. The same guitar sounds different when different people play it.
It takes a sidetrack when it comes to sizes.
I have their ā808ā shape, which is slightly smaller but ādeeperā.
I fell in love with that shape soon after I first played it.
Beware, exploring Matons can be a rabbithole, with subtle differences and nice characters in all price ranges. I like how mine articules without sounding āsharpā. Bass notes can still rumble, you donāt need huge guitars for that.
the āelectricsā have a preamp that combines a microphone with the piezo and you can blend their sounds. While awesome for fingerpicking, they are good strummers as well.
Sounds differ because of recording methods and settings obviously so itās hard to figure it completely before you play it yourself.
I was in the āwanting a smaller acoustic guitarā boat awhile ago and my opportunities to try different ones (mostly to feel what sizes I preferred) were extremely limited. I checked some shops around me and the non-dreadnought options were uninspiring. I had kinda wanted a solid wood guitar but quickly realized that I wasnāt getting that at my sub-$1,000 pricepoint.
So I was limited to ordering online, for the most part. I ended up choosing a Taylor GS-mini 50th anniversary model (torrefied sitka spruce/rosewood) from Sweetwater. I notice the shorter scale, but switching between it and a full-length scale isnāt an issue. The Taylor sound is polarizing, but I like the balance of it. Itās brighter than my Yamaha dreadnought, but thatās a good thing. My Yamaha definitely lacks on the brightness side. Iāve had plenty of folks comment on how big this little guitar sounds, also. It projects really well.
A few years in, Iāve encountered folks with several different versions of the GS-mini. The only one I like as much as mine is the Koa version. Itās a bit warmer/less bright but still sounds wonderful. I also feel like my little guitar holds up well with a lot of more expensive guitars.
I wouldnāt worry about the volume from any of the models you mention. Nor would I worry about whether one is āgood for fingerpicking/strummingā or not (according to the salesperson). Mine has the ES-2 pickup in it. When Iāve plugged it into my amp, I think it sounds plenty good. Eventually Iām going to perform at an open mic and Iāll have no qualms about using the pickup on it (thatās why I got one with a pickup). But Iāve also noticed that just about everybody whoās serious about the pickup in their acoustic guitar replaces the stock pickup with whatever they prefer. So if thatās you, it almost seems like a better idea to get a guitar without a pickup so you donāt have double the hardware in your guitar or worry about removing something that might not come out so cleanly.
Playing the models you are talking about before buying can certainly help. I bought a boutique guitar that I really like, what I noticed was with itās jumbo body I had to stop using a thumb pick on many songs as it was just too booming with it. I didnāt really notice this during the hour or more I played it before buying.
I like the Taylors a lot, have owned a couple. For me the wider nut makes playing noticably easier.
If you like rich and warm sound have a look at the yamaha red label guitars. They sound and play way above there price point. The FS3 or fs5 are concert/om sized but sound and play way bigger. The fsx3 or 5 are the same but with electronics build in.
Note the typo . . . Maton Messiah. Justin plays them and you may also have seen JK play one in an OM (I think there are performances with his)
My Fender is a spruce top and rosewood back and sides. I love the sound, which I find has the warmth I like.
And as you and others have said, I think playing an acoustic is almost essential. I guess you could try and then buy from SW (though personally if a salesperson has been super helpful I kind of feel obliged to buy from them . . . assuming super helpful as not all are)
@lievenDV Very nice Maton Messiah. If I see one locally I will have to try it. Seeing the video reminded me of another decision I need to make, which is cutaway vs non-cutaway.
@mustela Iām glad you are enjoying your GS-mini. Gives me encouragement to try some of the Taylorās Iām interested in before I buy - if I can find one locally.
You mention the pickups. That is something I need an education on. I know nothing about them.
Thanks @tony for the good vote on the Taylorās and advice to try before I buy . OH, and I didnāt realize the difference in the nut sizes between the Taylorās Iām interested in and my Takamine. So thanks for calling that to my attention.
@nikohmr. While Iām looking around, I can certainly give the Yamahas a try. Thank you.
@DavidP Hey David! Thanks for stopping by. Like your Fender, my Takamine has the Spruce top, but it has Mahogany back and sides. It too, has the pleasing sound that I really like.
Yes, that is why I havenāt done that because of the guilt factor and that itās good to support your local shops. But I hear good things about Sweetwater and @Lbro has told me there is a return policy for 30 days, and if I like the looks of, the specks, etc., that I canāt go wrong - other than the disappointing effort of returning it because I wasnāt satisfied.
I wouldnāt worry too much about the pickups. I think if youāre primarily just a home player and might only rarely use the pickup at an open mic or for the occasional recording, then you can be totally fine with any OEM pickup that comes on the guitar you like. Iāll be honest, I liked that my GS Mini came with Taylorās fancier pickup system. Less because of how it sounds and more because of the fact that it sits pretty unobtrusively on the guitar, instead of being a big box on the upper bout.
If youāre home recording, you donāt even need a pickup. Use a condenser mic and you can pick up the instrument as well as your vocals reasonably well. When I record my acoustic, I usually donāt bother plugging it into my audio interface. I do the condenser mic thing and it works well.
If you think you might get serious about performing (I would say beyond open mics - like if youāre getting paid gigs), thatās when you might want to pay more attention to your pickup.
