Been playing acoustic for about 8 months, and now i want a better one, at the moment i have a piece o crap hand me down, i need an electric acoustic, don't wanna spend heaps, just my second guitar+ need monies for more important things like PC upgrade and drums XD (been playing drums forever)

 

so if you know anything about electric acoustic guitars personal experience or friends of friends have reviews of electric acoustic (looking at you murdock) let me know other wise don't post here, spam somewhere else

got some tools? build it yourself....

 

some really nice examples and tips:

 

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/forumdisplay.php?f=98

hmmmm electric acoustic guitars............

 

firstly can you give me a more exact price range. Martin makes some

 

excellent acoustics, but they can be rather costly. A more midrange electric

 

brand would be from Cole Clark. I think they have a factory in Melbourne

 

where you might be able to pick one up for a bit cheaper. (i would have to check this im not to sure)

 

http://www.coleclarkguitars.com

 

http://www.mguitar.com

 

but for more help i do need a rough price range

 

those are the only two companies that i remember enjoying, there was one or two more i cant remember.

 

But an electric acoustic probably wont be to cheap

Edited May 11, 200915 yr by AIF LANKY

guitars are cheap compared to drum kits, only second guitar so looking for something under 500 doesn't have to be flashy just sound a little better than the current one

Dunno If you were actually looking to buy second 2nd hand one. But I have a semi acoustic Monterey that I dont play anymore... Was roughly $900 or so when I bought it bout 5 years ago.

I want a new car.

madhouse, read op.

Wouldn't bother with a cheap electric acoustic - cheap isn't very often good in the guitar world, even more so in the electronics world. It would be a better idea to buy a semi-decent second hand one and then wire it up a mic & preamp yourself. Not too hard to do, you can run the wires out the sound hole (which looks a bit rough) or you can put a jack out the base of the guitar but that requires a bit of balls and finesse. Hope this helps!

Been playing acoustic for about 8 months, and now i want a better one,

 

budget aside, youll need to shop around and play something within your budget that feels right and sounds right to you...there is plenty of crap out there. With your budget your in danger of buying crap so be careful. but there are some ok 2nd hand jobs:

 

http://www.musicswopshop.com.au

 

great 2nd hand shop. whats good about the store is that there is no pressure, they sell on commision, so you just ask for them to take down a guitar and theyll get you a lead and an amp and leave you alone for as long as you want...

 

last time i bought my electric i must have played about 6 or 7 different guitars over the course of a couple of shops. no pressure.

 

btw im prejudiced against buying stuff first hand. its just me. but i like finding good second hand stuff,

 

dont rule out getting a piezo pickup or a sound hole pickup or something later if you really like the sound of one acoustic specifically...you can get good acoustic pickups from like 100 upwards of 300/400 bucks. sometimes including installation (if that's the case)

 

personally i wouldnt recommend brands as such, because sometimes its a japanese copy that might feel and sound the best for you over a xxx brand of USA made bananabread...

Edited May 11, 200915 yr by Hambang101

ok cheers Gourmet thats good advice XD

cheap isn't very often good in the guitar world.

get some perspective. You can buy an awesome guitar for under 1k, try buying drum kit stuff, ffs pair of sticks costs more than a full set of strings and you break them all the damn time. A half decent kit is about 2500.

Also If you're buying 2nd hand, check out the bridge (the height of the strings) Alot of people once they get comfy with their guitars file down the bridge for lower strings and a slightly different sound.

 

I also would'nt worry to much bout buying a standard acoustic and placing in you're own pick up/amp set. Semi's are not very expensive over a normal guitar. The price is in the make and materials, the amplification adds little cost.

 

But the definite go for guitar buying, especially beginners (not pointing at you, but in general) is to buy a good quality second hand guitar. One that has been looked after and has a lil character, and obviously theres the potential to get a better make for less.

In the market for a second hand guitar for a beginner as well. What should I look for that is deemed good quality? Any recommendations on what is as Frenzal said 'good' and 'quality', which in my books have a tendency of not being found in the same sentence of 'second hand'. Also price range reckon under $100?

get some perspective. You can buy an awesome guitar for under 1k, try buying drum kit stuff, ffs pair of sticks costs more than a full set of strings and you break them all the damn time. A half decent kit is about 2500.

 

I'm quite offended by that actually.

 

To give you some perspective, i've been playing for a shade over 9 years now, have owned several guitars (and a bass) and played with a great deal more.

 

However there is a pretty decent correlation between price of a guitar and quality but as soon as you add stuff like electronics to the deal it gets a bit more blurred. To give a bit of perspective a guitar with a set of electronics will cost a disproportionately of a lot more than the same quality of guitar + electronics fitted. Thats all i'm saying

 

You get what you pay for, in my opinion be prepared to pay 1000-1500 for a electric acoustic that will play nicely, hold its value and sound great. I wouldn't bother though - I recently got a new guitar (Martin 000-28EC) and every time I need to amplify it I just mic it up.

 

Regards,

Sam

Also If you're buying 2nd hand, check out the bridge (the height of the strings) Alot of people once they get comfy with their guitars file down the bridge for lower strings and a slightly different sound.

 

But the definite go for guitar buying, especially beginners (not pointing at you, but in general) is to buy a good quality second hand guitar. One that has been looked after and has a lil character, and obviously theres the potential to get a better make for less.

 

+1 on this advice. Check the bridge and the wood around the bridge for significant warping.

In the market for a second hand guitar for a beginner as well. What should I look for that is deemed good quality? Any recommendations on what is as Frenzal said 'good' and 'quality', which in my books have a tendency of not being found in the same sentence of 'second hand'. Also price range reckon under $100?

 

First of all, tough questions!

 

Hmm, I personally started on a classical guitar which has nylon strings instead of steel strings. Because of this the tension is understandably a lot less than a steel string. The strings are easier (in my opinion) to play on as they require less force to get a note out of.

 

I wouldn't bother with a cheap steel string. They are, more often than not, awfully difficult to play and have a really flat and empty tone without much sustain.

 

Your best bet is to find someone in your area who has been playing for quite some time and ask them to go shopping with you.

A second hand nylon classical guitar would be your best bet.

 

Terms like good and quality are subjective and you could argue until the cows came home. Generally the level of build is indicative of the quality but this would be hard for a newbie to spot.

 

A few things to look for:

 

* scuff marks and other minor physical damage. (if its been taken care of essentially)

* quality of detail and finish

* badly finished frets (uneven or with sharp edges, etc)

* the height of the strings above the fretboard.

* buzzing noises when notes are fretted on a particular strings

 

Other than that, just have a play on a range of guitars and see which feels the best for you.

 

Hope this helps.

Sam

I agree with Sam on the above post. Definitely start on a classical guitar (If you have any tolerance for the music). Nylon stinged classical guitars generally have a wider neck, and whilst learning you will gain those stronger fingers and better reach quicker than learner on a more electric style. Also learning classical music is a great way to develop technique and finger picking for the later days when you wanna shred out a good solo

 

which in my books have a tendency of not being found in the same sentence of 'second hand'.

Arguably I think you will find there are quite a few second hand guitars out there that are actually in very good nick. Alot of guitarists who stick with it will always look after their instruments quite well.

I'm quite offended by that actually.

 

sorry didn't mean to offend, only meant that in comparison to drumming, playing guitar is very cheap.

I have an Ibanez with solid spruce top.

 

Sounds great and has a good action.

 

They sell new for about $650 - $700

 

I know someone who is looking to sell his Maton. Light as a feather but $2000 ...

Point proved!

found one on ebay $140 posted, second hand, not fantastic, but it's pretty much exactly what i was after, i don't need an expensive awesome one yet, and i'm bad at waiting for stuff, so i bought this one

 

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380123281217

found one on ebay $140 posted, second hand, not fantastic, but it's pretty much exactly what i was after, i don't need an expensive awesome one yet, and i'm bad at waiting for stuff, so i bought this one

 

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380123281217

 

happiness is found in many ways...hope it sounds and plays allright for what you need...

XD spanks gourmet, i was worried people were gonna come on here and slam how ****e it was:P i hope so too, if not, no big loss