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Jack79's avatar

What acoustic guitar should I get?

Asked by Jack79 (11027points) November 8th, 2014

This is a bit embarrassing…I’ve been a professional singer/songwriter for over 25 years, but I was never able to afford a decent guitar, or when I did, didn’t care enough.

I’ve had various Ovations over the years, which I still think are good value for money, but right now I have 3 (plus a Yamaha) none of which are good enough for live concerts. I love how I can change strings fast on stage when something goes wrong, the problem was that in the last few months things with my main Ovation seemed to go wrong all the time. I break an average of 2 strings per concert plus it had various unexpected problems with the sound.

So I’ve decided it’s time to finally upgrade. I haven’t found a Taylor or Martin (around the $1000 mark) that I liked, but there are a few Gibsons that I’ve had my eye on, most notably the Hummingbird and Blues King (both around $3000 or so). I’d be willing to go up to $4000 or even $5000 if I had to; after all this is a tool for my job and it will pay for itself within a few months. But I don’t want to be stuck with something I regret.

The music we play is mainstream rock, lots of blues, some country, folk, ballads, slightly harder stuff like AC/DC and slightly softer like ‘80s pop, even jazz but mainly Blues. I have an electric guitarist who does all the fiddly bits with a Les Paul and a Strat, so mine is for the main chords, some arpeggios, more background generally. I rarely play solo anymore.

So, what would you recommend? Shall I go with my gut feeling of the Hummingbird or is there something else better for what I need around the same price range?

Note: I am not able to travel to a store and try them out, this will have to be ordered online so basically I’ll be stuck with whatever I choose.

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4 Answers

janbb's avatar

@Jack79 Don’t have an answer, sorry, but great to see you here!

Strauss's avatar

@Jack79 My first impulse would be to go with the Hummingbird. Sure it is a tool, and for a tool, one needs to be concerned with the “nuts and bolts”, but it is still an artistic instrument, and with music, as with all the arts, the artist should be aesthetically comfortable with the instrument.

I saw my first Hummingbird in 1971, and I’ve played on quite a few Hummingbirds over the years (never been fortunate enough to own one). I have always been impressed with the overall tone and play-ability.

That being said, I’ve seen a couple of sixties or seventies vintage that had problems after about 10–15 years with the bridge pulling away from the saddle. One owner said he had it re-seated, with no change to quality of sound. Another person I know had this repaired twice, and said the instrument never sounded the same.

I’ve been out of circulation for a number of years, so I don’t know if this is an issue with newer models. (Maybe you can just use a lighter gauge set of strings to lessen the overall tension on the bridge.)

As for the Blues King, I’ve only seen a couple of them that I know of. I’ve never heard any reports of any structural issues with them.

I really liked the tone and action of both these models, but all things being equal I would go with the Hummingbird.

osoraro's avatar

I would love to see some YouTube links of your band playing.

If you’re going to spend that kind of money get exactly what you want.

josie's avatar

Any Guild “jumbo” series.
Everything else is a toy

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