Does a better guitar force you to up your playing?

maxr

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Yea, they really are fabulous guitars, just too light and if there is such a thing, too resonant for me. And I wouldn't expect most people to understand that, but you do. :)

West
Unlike your PRS, you'd never accuse an all maple Guild JF30-12 like mine of being too light - so I'm OK there :) I don't know that there is a heavier acoustic guitar (unless it's a Guild 612). My boy says it's not an issue - but he plays a 12lb 1970s Les Paul...
 

Roland

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How would you define better in this context? Better built, better set up, better cared for, I mean, better really is a broad description.
 

twocorgis

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Yea, they really are fabulous guitars, just too light and if there is such a thing, too resonant for me. And I wouldn't expect most people to understand that, but you do. :)

West
Jim, I don't think there is such a thing, unless it gets in the way of durability. My Martin D18 David Crosby might be guilty of that, having already had some structural issues that required a neck reset and new frets/fretboard planing, which is probably a bit premature in a guitar that was less than 20 years old when the work was done.

As an aside, not long after I bought my D18DC, there was a Martin D18 Authentic 1937 that was languishing at the Guitar Center near my office, and I used to play it pretty regularly. I knew the store manager that was there at the time pretty well (they've probably been through twenty of them since), and after lowering the price a couple of times with no takers, I got a call from him one day. He told me that corporate had told him to lower the price to $3,000 (an insane price for a guitar like this that was more than double that new), and he said he would rather see me get it than someone who would likely just flip it.

I went the next day and brought my D18DC with me with a fresh set of EJ16s, and did the same with the Authentic. After A/B'ing for a while, I finally decided to just stick with the D18DC, largely because it had an adjustable truss rod (and it was paid for). On the scale they had, the Authentic weighed just over four pounds, probably the lightest dread I've ever encountered, and a few ounces lighter than the DC. I second guessed myself for many years on that decision, but the other thing that swayed me was the forward shifted bracing on the Authentic made it almost a little too bass-heavy, and the baseball bat sized neck was a wee bit too big for me as well. But the guitar still stuck in my craw, because it really was that good.

Fast forward to a few years ago, and I had the opportunity to try the then new D18 Authentic 1939, which was based an a D18 with a smaller neck, and rear shifted bracing for a bit less bass. Its similar to the difference between the D28 Authentic 1937, and its 1941 counterpart. This particular guitar just blew me away, and to this day is probably the only mahogany dreadnought I've played that I liked better than my Crosby. And just as light as the 1937 that was at Guitar Center. But then there was the $6K+ price...

Well lo and behold, a D18 Authentic 1939 just came up for sale for an almost too good to be true price, and I bought it. It won't be here until the end of next week all going well, but if it's anything like the other one I played, it's going to disrupt my herd a bit. And hopefully inspire me to play a lot more guitar. I've been pretty busy with bands lately, and have been mostly playing bass.
 
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West R Lee

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Jim, I don't think there is such a thing, unless it gets in the way of durability. My Martin D18 David Crosby might be guilty of that, having already had some structural issues that required a neck reset and new frets/fretboard planing, which is probably a bit premature in a guitar that was less than 20 years old when the work was done.

As an aside, not long after I bought my D18DC, there was a Martin D18 Authentic 1937 that was languishing at the Guitar Center near my office, and I used to play it pretty regularly. I knew the store manager that was there at the time pretty well (they've probably been through twenty of them since), and after lowering the price a couple of times with no takers, I got a call from him one day. He told me that corporate had told him to lower the price to $3,000 (an insane price for a guitar like this that was more than double that new), and he said he would rather see me get it than someone who would likely just flip it.

I went the next day and brought my D18DC with me with a fresh set of EJ16s, and did the same with the Authentic. After A/B'ing for a while, I finally decided to just stick with the D18DC, largely because it had an adjustable truss rod (and it was paid for). On the scale they had, the Authentic weighed just over four pounds, probably the lightest dread I've ever encountered, and a few ounces lighter than the DC. I second guessed myself for many years on that decision, but the other thing that swayed me was the forward shifted bracing on the Authentic made it almost a little too bass-heavy, and the baseball bat sized neck was a wee bit too big for me as well. But the guitar still stuck in my craw, because it really was that good.

Fast forward to a few years ago, and I had the opportunity to try the then new D18 Authentic 1939, which was based an a D18 with a smaller neck, and rear shifted bracing for a bit less bass. Its similar to the difference between the D28 Authentic 1937, and its 1941 counterpart. This particular guitar just blew me away, and to this day is probably the only mahogany dreadnought I've played that I liked better than my Crosby. And just as light as the 1937 that was at Guitar Center. But then there was the $6K+ price...

Well lo and behold, a D18 Authentic 1939 just came up for sale for an almost too good to be true price, and I bought it. It won't be here until the end of next week all going well, but if it's anything like the other one I played, it's going to disrupt my herd a bit. And hopefully inspire me to play a lot more guitar. I've been pretty busy with bands lately, and have been mostly playing bass.
Bass overtones overwhelmed the mids and highs Sandy. When are you going to open that DV72 Sandy, you're killin' me!

West
 

West R Lee

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So to answer your question, YES!! I have some fairly decent guitars. I'm not a great guitar player, so when things don't sound right or sound good, I know it's me. Forces me to bring my A game, as much as a hack like I am can.
You've got some fantastic guitars Tom. And I'm no Leo Kottke either, but at our age, if we can own something, at least for a while, that brings a smile to our face, that we love to play, and that doesn't force us into a second mortgage :) , that's what these waning years are all about in my opinion.

West
 

Westerly Wood

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You've got some fantastic guitars Tom. And I'm no Leo Kottke either, but at our age, if we can own something, at least for a while, that brings a smile to our face, that we love to play, and that doesn't force us into a second mortgage :) , that's what these waning years are all about in my opinion.

West
 

Nuuska

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What song is on that video - not visible here - thx
 

Westerly Wood

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My favorite for absolute acoustic perfection.



West

Yeah, that guy is a mastermind at acoustic guitar. And I like how his string action is set super low ( I hear he does this on purpose) so there is a tiny bit of cool sting buzz...
 

Nuuska

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Busted Bicycle, off his incredible and incomparable 6 and 12 String Guitar, produced and recorded by John Fahey on his Tomato label.

The song is about a bicycle Fahey owned that was in really bad shape lol

Yup - a good one - C-tuning according to his handwriting . . .

IMG_5666.jpg
 
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