Exception?

Antney

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Is finding a full, balanced, sweet sounding acoustic becoming the exception rather than the norm in high end guitars? Today I walked into my local boutique guitar store and he had just taken in earlier in the week a 98 jf30-12 (maple) and a martin 1931 vintage om28. Both were set up with new strings. The guild ($1100) was thin and soft, and the martin ($4795) was dull and quiet. I was disappointed. Perhaps I can only compare the tone to my d50, which I honestly think is an exceptional instrument. Maybe I'm just getting old but I can't imagine someone putting down that much coin for either of those guitars.

Gotta go...my depends is full.
 

Kitarkus

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Is finding a full, balanced, sweet sounding acoustic becoming the exception rather than the norm in high end guitars? Today I walked into my local boutique guitar store and he had just taken in earlier in the week a 98 jf30-12 (maple) and a martin 1931 vintage om28. Both were set up with new strings. The guild ($1100) was thin and soft, and the martin ($4795) was dull and quiet. I was disappointed. Perhaps I can only compare the tone to my d50, which I honestly think is an exceptional instrument. Maybe I'm just getting old but I can't imagine someone putting down that much coin for either of those guitars.

Gotta go...my depends is full.

Oh this made me laugh....."gotta go....my depends is full".

I mean this with all due respect....but given that you are a "senior member" and your diaper is full....um.....how are your ears doing these days?
 

Antney

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Oh this made me laugh....."gotta go....my depends is full".

I mean this with all due respect....but given that you are a "senior member" and your diaper is full....um.....how are your ears doing these days?

My ears are great...just shaved and trimmed them on Wednesday
 

dreadnut

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OK you guys reminded me of this story:

Old boy goes to the doctor, says "Doc, I can't hear for squat out of my left ear!"

Doc looks in his ear, says "Well no stinkin' wonder you can't hear out of that ear; looks like there's a suppository stuck in there!"

Old boy says "Hey, I bet I know where my hearing aid is now!"
 

Rayk

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Is finding a full, balanced, sweet sounding acoustic becoming the exception rather than the norm in high end guitars? Today I walked into my local boutique guitar store and he had just taken in earlier in the week a 98 jf30-12 (maple) and a martin 1931 vintage om28. Both were set up with new strings. The guild ($1100) was thin and soft, and the martin ($4795) was dull and quiet. I was disappointed. Perhaps I can only compare the tone to my d50, which I honestly think is an exceptional instrument. Maybe I'm just getting old but I can't imagine someone putting down that much coin for either of those guitars.

Gotta go...my depends is full.

Well there are duds out there and maple to me is not always ebbing put richness but ... nah I dint got nothing that depends thing is just screamed .... CUT !
 

chazmo

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OK you guys reminded me of this story:

Old boy goes to the doctor, says "Doc, I can't hear for squat out of my left ear!"

Doc looks in his ear, says "Well no stinkin' wonder you can't hear out of that ear; looks like there's a suppository stuck in there!"

Old boy says "Hey, I bet I know where my hearing aid is now!"
Groan... :)
 

fronobulax

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My dealer refuses to stock a maple instrument that he can not personally play first. He got stuck with a few duds and took a financial bath. He loves maple but there is a lot of variability. When they are good, they are very, very good but when they are bad he can't sell them. So you may have just gotten one of the ones my dealer would rather not have in his shop.

As for "balanced and sweet sounding" that too is a matter of opinion and circumstance. I have heard people call the same instrument, played by the same player, "balanced" and "bass is too boomy". I have also heard vastly different descriptions of an instrument based upon whether the observer was playing it ("behind") or listening to someone else play it.

You also need to be aware just how high the bar is for comparison if your benchmark is your D50 :)

As a thought exercise, would you pay that kind of coin for your D50?
 

swiveltung

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I think there are a lot of duds out there, but always have been. Of course one person may love one and another hate it. Thinking about my guitars that are keepers... at least 80% of them were purchased after playing. The on line purchases often go away. This is not by design, but looking at the guitars I have and realizing that is the situation. I was very surprised a few years back how warm and full bottom end a flame maple F47 was when I purchased it online and got it. Seems like I always hear a maple guitar is bright. It had a warm mid range tone that was cool. Unfortunately it had a really narrow nut which I hadn't realized when I bought it.
 

Rayk

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I’m not sure if I should mention this but for me in my learning my ever learning curve on acoustics , the one thing that’s more important then anything is remain open minded .

Going off kilter here fir a sec , I enjoy operating heavy equipment one thing that I always do is always think of ways to improve mine and the equipments operation find new ways to make it do things most would not think of .

The point is I think the same for the tonal differences of acoustics . They all have their sound and or tone as a player one needs to have time to listen and hear it then find it a place within your style .

Yeah again there will always be duds that just scream DUD ! But some just get stuck on a certain tone and base everything off of that .

You all know I love my Blueridge dread and she’s is sweet as all get out but one thing that stopped me from getting a orchestra model was fear of a similar tone but here I am buying guilds some what left and right and finding the tones varied and enjoyable in most cases , now if I could love it and not have to return it haha I would in complete tonal bliss .
I will have my blueridge in time :)
 

NEONMOONY

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Frono said:
As for "balanced and sweet sounding" that too is a matter of opinion and circumstance. I have heard people call the same instrument, played by the same player, "balanced" and "bass is too boomy". I have also heard vastly different descriptions of an instrument based upon whether the observer was playing it ("behind") or listening to someone else play it.
At an open mic last Thursday, I heard someone ask the sound man to turn down the bass on his acoustic which was already sounding thin and icy to my ears. To each his own.
 
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