Guild GAD-F20 or Takamine New Yorker G406S

[kats]

Hi all,

I'd like your input between the Guild GAD F-20 and the new Takamine G406S New Yorker. I currently own and enjoy my Guild F-30, but I also need a smaller bodied guitar because of neck and shoulder pain.

I'm looking for something close to a 00 size. I've watched demos on YouTube of both guitars, and they are totally different.

Here's the Guild:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE0EHD4lRz4

And now, the Tak:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWEt0Bfc5MI (jump to 1:50 to get to the playing)

Here are my other concerns/questions:
1) Is the neck carve on the GAD-F20 the same as my F-30?
2) Anyone know anything about the Tak New Yorker I'm speaking about, or have experience with other Taks. I played the Tak EF261SAN, and it was nice, but I thought overpriced. The neck on this guitar was good, but when I played a G series Tak, it was awful. So, I don't know about the neck of the Tak New Yorker???
3) The Guild, I think, is smaller, and it has a more compressed sound, as much as you can tell from a YouTube video. The Tak seems to have more sustain and "jangle," if you will.
4) There's no place where I can play either guitar locally or even within reasonable driving distance, so I'm trying to gather as much info as I can to make an intelligent decision. That's where the experience of all of you on the forum comes in.
5) I'm concerned about the string spacing on the Tak. I have played an OM Tak and found the string spacing bothersome, even though I'm mostly a strummer. So, how does the Guild compare.

Any and all info/experience you can share is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Ian]

Hi Kat's,

Dont know if I'm much help but here goes: I take it your F30 is a Tacoma with a 1 11/16 neck ? I would think the GAD F20 would have much the same neck profile. Are you looking for a slimmer or thicker neck or one much the same ?

The only F20 I've played is a Hoboken model, they are quite a bit smaller than my Martin 00. (Martin has a 1 11/16 neck, my old F30 has a 1 5/8...)

Unfortunately the best way is to play them all and see what fits best, if you think it's difficult in Ohio try Nelson New Zealand !! Maybe there might be an LTGer near you that has an F20 to play ?

Good Luck !!

Cheers, Ian

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I think that the Tak has ply sides and back and the Guild should be solid.
There are also a couple of other guitars that I would suggest looking at.
Blueridge and Epiphone both have OM sized guitars for a great price.
I had a GAD JF-48 that was a great sounding guitar but I didn't like the burst and the jumbo size was hard for me to hold.
The Guild GAD guitars are very nice, for the money.
I have not played an OM size Takamine.
You can see some Blueridge Guitars here.
http://guitarhut.net/
You may also want to look at Recording King guitars at The Guitar Hut.
They are also highly recommended.

 

[kats]

Yes, my F30 was built in Tacoma with a 1 11/16th" nut width. I'm looking for pretty much the same feel, though it doesn't have to be exact. I did notice that the GAD-F20 looks significantly smaller than the Tak.

 

[kats]

I really want smaller than an OM. Hoping to find something close to a 00.

 

[Ridgemont]

Any and all info/experience you can share is greatly appreciated.

Hi Kats,

I recently played an GAD F20 not really knowing what to think when I picked it up. It was a small OO size so I did not expect much in terms of volume. I would like to note that before I picked it up, I played some Tacoma made F40s a couple of GAD 30s, a Martin OOO 18 (regular and golden era) and a Gibson 1937 reissue L-OO. If you couldn't tell I am on the hunt for a small bodied mahogany acoustic. I have to say that the GAD F20 blew me away. I am biased because I am used to the hog sound of my D25 and am looking for something with that compressed bite. The F20 had it (at least the one they are selling at Fullers Vintage Guitar in Houston). Its sound was what I was looking for. Its trebles had a bright twangy sound and its bass was deep and loud (not like some of the GAD 30 duds I tried) It was also surprisingly loud for such a small guitar. The Martins did not have what I wanted nor did the F40s. The Gibson however had it out the wazoo with a deeper hollow dry sound in the bass. That gibby was just amazing (best guitar I played in the store for only 6x the price of the GAD F20!). My point being this: that GAD-F20 was definitely the best deal I saw. I am sorry you can't try one in person, but I would recommend the one I played to anybody looking for a good deal on a small hog body guitar. I did not get it because I am looking for something with a larger nut width. The F20 has a 1 11/16th in nut with similar to all American Guilds. The neck profile is similar to other GADs meaning a slightly more shallow C profile compared to the American guilds. It is comfortable and easy to play. The F20 does have a short scale and with its small body, it is easy to shape all cords (even barre chords) in the first position. It is a solid wood instrument with a bone nut and bone saddle (good luck finding that in other guitars in this price range)

I have to say that I am very biased towards GADs due to their quality and price range. I will admit that I have played a couple GAD 30 and GAD 30RE duds but for the most part, the GAD line is hard to beat. Of the guitars I played that day, that GAD F20 beat the other hog F40s and a couple of Martins

I really like small bodied guitars so I have played a lot of them in this price range. If a short scale is important to you, then unfortunately that omits many brands (unless you tune down a half step and capo the first fret) such as an epiphone EF 500 (OM style), Blueridge and most GADs. One brand that I would recommend looking into is Recording King. Same price range and their scale range is from 24.9-24.75 inches versus the regular scale length of 25.5 inches. Great Great Great guitars from what I have played. High end materials and quality for under $1000. Keep in mind that many of them do have 1 3/4 in nut widths. They have the troubadour like which is a Gibson like OO like the L-OO shape.

I hope this helps and good luck with your hunt.

-Ridgemont

 

[kats]

Thank you. This is very helpful. I think the Guild GAD-F20 has a 13 3/4" lower bout, and the Tak is 14 3/4", which may be closer to an OM size than I want. I have played the GAD-30 series (OM models) in the past, and I wasn't impressed, so it's helpful to hear you find a difference between the GAD-F20 and the 30's.

 

[Russell Letson]

If physical comfort is playing a major part in your search, you're going to have to actually play the guitars--no amount of testimony from other players will be as useful as seeing how an instrument's geometry fits yours. It's even possible for instruments with, say, the same fingerboard width at the nut to feel very different--string spacing and height at the nut and neck profile will affect the feel and playability for the size and condition of your hands.

 

[Ian]

Hi Kats,

Just to add to the confusion. It's also going to make a difference where you play the Guitar. My 00 Martin is very comfortable if I'm lounging on the sofa or in a soft chair, but after about 20 min of playing on one of the usual hard backed chairs, my left shoulder and neck are really sore. There's not actually that much difference in size between my guitars (apart from the D55), but an inch here or there makes a world of difference. Might pay to get a home trial if you can ?

Cheers, Ian

 

[kats]

I went with the Tak New Yorker, in part because that was the limit of my money and also because I was able to obtain accurate specs, which made my final decision. I was most concerned about a solid top, which this Tak has. The lower bout is 14". Body depth at end pin is 4 1/4" and at the heel it's 3 3/4". The scale length is pretty standard. I'll let you know when I get it.

 

[spiderman]

Kats
Sorry this is late, I'm way behind on a lot of things. It is important to remember that other than my classicals, my small guitars are dreadnoughts.

I have played a couple of Tak New Yorkers, first was about 6 months ago, a pure acoustic. I think three piece backs are neat so I fiddled with it at a local shop. Both my daughter and I were not overly fond of the sound, to our ears a bit thin, and action seemed a tad high. Thursday I tried a Hoboken F20 a the Mass Street Music customer appreciation evening (see my topic a few lines down in this thread). Hard to say about the sound quality although it was mellower than the Tak, of course it had 40+ years to mellow. Definitely a project. Today I passed the shop that had the first Tak, they had an acoustic/electric New Yorker, and it played better and sounded a bit better to my ears.
As most have said, find something that suits you and then you will be happy. Something that speaks to you, my GAD JF30 definitely had that quality when I picked it up, and in a short time knew I was taking it home.

Harmony H-173 bought in 1960 (retired)
Alvarez AC60S 2008
Eastman AC320ce 2008 BOOKMATCHING BOOKMATCHING WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING BOOKMATCHING!
http://www.massstreetmusic.com/store/sh ... id-Cutaway
GAD-JF30E(blonde) 2008
JF55 1997
D25M 1974

 

[kats]

The Tak has gone back. I couldn't live with the chip on the headstock and craftsmanship issues. I now look to the GAD-F20 as an option.

 

[Ian]

Hi Kats,

Sorry to hear about your Tak. Good luck with the F20, I've played Coasties Hoboken one and that sounded great !!

Let us know how you get on...

 

[Ridgemont]

Hi Kats,

I'm also sorry to hear the Tak didn't work out. With my few encounters with the brand at GC, I have to say that I was never really impressed with their quality control. I hope the GAD fits the bill. As I said before, the GAD F20 I played was really impressive. I guess if all else fails, then you would look at a Martin 0 series, but I think that would have to increase your budget. How about a Larrivee parlour? The scale length is really short at 24" but its nut is 1 3/4. They will be about twice the price of the GAD (I think). Just a thought.

 

[kats]

I should have known better than to go with Takamine because the ones I've played have never impressed me either. I've always thought they are overpriced for what you get. I guess I hoped the New Yorker would be different, but I was wrong. I think what Takamine has done is made a flashy, asthetically appealing guitar at the cost of quality.

I've had a Larrivee Parlor in the past, but it's a bit too small, and sounded boxy to me. The GAD-F20 has specs that are just about perfect for what I want. It amazes me how the GAD's use a bone nut and saddle, and all solid wood for that price. The guy I talked to at the Podium said they're all machine made, so this probably saves a lot in the cost of production. But it's also what makes them consistent.

I talked to a guy at The Podium about the F20. This is a high end store, and he said the only reason they carry the GAD series is because of their quality. I've also heard this from Artisan guitars, another high end shop.

A Martin would be nice, but it's way outside my budget.