I really like my 00 size guitar. I recently picked up a parlor (0) size and love it. It was a little atypical in shape though. OMs are pretty good (000) for me as well, but I like the 00 better. I have not liked the Dreadnaughts or Jumbos, although I once tried a “small jumbo” guild f30 and it was so fantastic, I still wish I had bought it. I think “small Jumbo” is a little like a “grand orchestra” close to a classical guitar size maybe?
I am 5’6” (ok, maybe I was 30 years ago) and very medium hands for my size. Oh, and bad shoulders.
I like smaller bodied guitars, too. My favorite acoustics include an OM Martin, a Parlor Alvarez, a Parlor Cordoba (classical), and a Dreadnought Alvarez-Yairi, so three out of the four are smaller.
For anyone looking at mid-priced acoustics that are all high quality and all solid wood, I’d suggest checking out the Yamaha Red Label series and the Alvarez Masterworks series. There’s a lot of value for money in those two product lines.
Yamaha Red Label are awesome, I liked them when trying them. Not sure how much they are where you are but here in Australia they’re definitely in the premium price range (around $2k AUD) and the gear snob in me couldn’t pay that much for a guitar with Yamaha on the headstock.
Not much, it’s more cosmetic than anything else. I love the asymmetric look of a cutaway ^^
First time I heard of this; sounds like a fad?
The top is the most significant part indeed. The type of wood of the top does a lot for the sound. The sides less and the back also has less impact than the top.
The way it’s cut is indeed more important as it makes up a part of the “setup”.
Don’t worry about it now, if you prefer something else later, it’s a basic upgrade.
Size does a lot to me. The obvious one is sound of course but size has a lot to do with comfort and balance with your voice as well. “auditorium” size always felt like a good comporise and my Mator is “808”, something Maton specific: small but deep.
I’d rank size just as important as your woods and superior to those other criteria
Hi Trish.
You got a lot of very good advices here. I too has had a decent amount of acoustics in quite a short time.
And i just want to advocate what Paul and JK said further up… you have too really love it, if not dont bother
size is the most important, you dont want to have an guitar that dont fit you. Both in tickness and body size. Neck feel is also important, too long scale or too short… too tick or too thin. So size and neck is important. And there is quite a difference in sound between an spruce top or mahogny top and so on… All other things does not really matter that much.
So if you find one that fits you in size and the neck feels good. And it also speaks too you in some way… well, there you go
Would love to try one of those red labels… 3 series is a bit «cheaper» than the 5 series.
The 3 are not all solid and is made outside Japan. The 5 is quite a lot more expensive. Its made in japan, all solid and with a hardcase as well
Edit: Sorry, they are both solid. Its made in China vs Japan. Doubt its worth the price difference…
Yeah, the 3 series Red Labels are definitely all solid. While I still pay attention to country of manufacture I don’t think it’s as quite impactful as it used to be (since CNC, et cetera, became ubiquitous). I’d consider that Red Label FS3 to be a very good bang for the buck.
As I mentioned up-thread, I also think the Alvarez Masterworks line are good guitars for the money. I bought an all solid Alvarez Masterworks A66 Parlor (with electronics) for $830 (from Sweetwater); it’s a great guitar that I enjoy a lot.
Here’s my 10 cents. I completely understand the joy of acoustics but to be honest electrics are more forgiving for learning. I’ve a couple of electrics and a couple of acoustics, I’m not sure I’ve yet found an acoustic that I’m comfortable with, size and fit are really important. I’ve had parlour guitars but the short fret size doesn’t suit me. Guitar shops can be intimidating places but they are your best bet for avoiding serial purchases of guitars. (Not that that’s a bad thing )
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I do like Eastmans/Yamahas/Alvarez guitars a lot. The Taylor academy series that was recommend I found pretty comfy to play as well. I’ve actually played a few $200 Yamahas I thought sounded better than the few $750-1000 Martins I’ve tried. I will have to keep trying guitars until one “sings” to me . Will definitely do a post when I find it.
I like the guitar I’m playing now, and feel like it has some personality (belonged to my grandfather who passed in October, so definitely keeping it even if I get a very expensive guitar. It’s not an heirloom by any means, something he picked up used in his 80s when he started learning), so I’m not in a rush to replace it. Not sure if this format will let you zoom in, but you can see it has chips and cracks (some just in the finish, some in the wood).
)
. Will definitely do a post when I find it.