What are some good acoustic/electric guitars to consider in the $1K range used? It needs to sound really good plugged-in and have a cutaway. One other consideration, I do alot of bending when I play so it would be nice if it palyed easily in that respect. Thx, Ken
Larrivee. I'm not familiar with thier cutaways or electronics, but the guitars themselves are bang for the buck big time. i have a OM-9, and i can honestly say i have never had a acoustic with a neck that can play like an electric till this one. It doesn't feel like you are playing an electric neck, but it allows you to play like it is one, IE: solos and all. Tonally it's the best acoustic i ever owned, the last one before it being a Gibson J-45. Price-wise they compete with higher priced guitars. like i said i don't know about the ones with electronics and cutaways, but i do know Larrivee is one of those companies that earned thier name on extremely good products at more than reasonable price. My OM is 10 years old and has improved greatly and does not have a single finish crack of blemish. They also have a unique bracing pattern that keeps the top from pulling up in back of the bridge as all other acoustics do. And thier lower line models are nearly as good as the higher ones aside from the cosmetics.
Takamine TF341DLX.......Cool Tube pre-amp $600.00 Shipped and PayPal'd. Stage bump on the neck, but it doesn't affect play. I played it this morning.....great easy playing guitar.
My favorite is my PRS HollowBody with the Piezo option. But is probabally above the price point. Had a Taylor 414-CE... Nice Guitar!!
this may sound weird but when you have to plug in, sometimes it's better to play an acoustic that ain't so acoustic. it depends. sounds like you solo a lot. for that type of playing it's especially important. if i have a gig that is pretty much strumming, i take my killer gibson. really great acoustic guitar. if i need to to solo, play heads ect., i take my ovation with a good external pre-amp. dimeola modals are good. the godin steel strings are kinda cool, not my cup of tea but cool. larrivee. taylors- good strummy high-mids, cut. soloing, notes die. some cheaper guitars work pretty well ala takamine. i know these things cuz i've played a lot, lot of these kinds of gigs with other guitar players who bring their santa-cruz, martin, taylor etc. great acoustic guitars, most of them the next time show up with ovations. if you can mic your killer acoustic with good monitors, than that's a different story.
Bang for the buck,to use for a live setting,Takamine is hard to beat.I used to own one,that was a D-18 knock-off with a solid spruce top,while I had it,it was the go to acoustic for everything live.Plugging it in was the big bonus,live.It had a geat tone with the built in pre,which had a parametric EQ to notch out feedback.
I too am a little curious about the statement that seagulls aren't good. they may not be top line, but they ARE good, and at the price they are stupid good. One thing to note is that they can get way better after a few years. And i mean WAYYYYY better. A friend has one that literally sounds like one of the best acoustics i've palyed. It's about 12 years old and when new it was ok but nothing great. It improved probably 5000%. It's a d@mn fine acoustic ! But i would suggest a used one if you can find one. They are a bit hefty and i think thats why they sound so much better when they dry out. But in any case they Can and do sound great once they open up.
If you can pick up a Taylor T-5 used for around a grand, it would be a sweet find... I have one and love it! Not so much for the acoustic sound - but it is rigged for electric/ acoustic, with a body sensor as well as a couple other interesting pick-ups - the electronics were co-designed by Mr. Rupert Neve (he of Neve recording console fame!) and the guitars are very light - 5#'s - nice access to the upper register and really nicely finished. They come strung with 11's and an unwound 3rd, but I have been advised that you can put whatever strings you want on it! It has a slightly shorter scale, so 11's feel more like 10's or 10.5's. Check 'em out!!! You likey...
