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Have a Few Bob, fancied my Dream Acoustic

Well John, that has me seriously tempted! After 40 odd years of trying, I'm no player. I just love guitars and the joy they give me doodling.
On looks alone I'd buy that but since it's likely to be my last, taking my time and 3K's my limit. I have a 28 year old Ibanez I would not part with ( Spruce/Ovankol)
and BIJ Alvarez (Sitka/Mahog) that almost Rocks my Boat but... :) Have serious urge for an all Mahog. Will check him out, thanks.
 
Handmade anything can command serious money.

I treated myself to an Overwater Progress 5 string bass made to my specs 25ish years ago.

I was absolutely delighted with the quality of it. But £2000 was a lot of money. But I've got something that I wanted that no one else has!

For £300/500 I could have had a Yamaha/Squire/Epiphone that would have been perfectly acceptable and a great bass for the money.

But I wanted something that would be unique and tailored to my preferences. But it cost!!

A quick calculation - £2000 in 96 is £3500 now.

As ever - you pays your money and takes your choice.

Andy
 
Si74 said:
https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/180202321816008--martin-d42-re-imagined

Well maybe not, would not wake in the morning in her indoors found out I'd spent 6.5K on a geetar!
When did guitar prices go insane? Thought a tad over a Grand would buy a serious bit of wood. Seems not.
Gibson, Martin, Taylor, good ones bad ones...Larrivee' (I wish), Sigma, Breedlove and Faith, three for the price one.Only hoping guitar salesmen in Glasgow are very patient chaps.
Shame my first serious guitar was sold for £30 and now 50 years later, would probably fetch enough to
buy something half roads serious.
So full circle back to Yamaha or hope a top of the range Crafter replicates the ludicrous value for money that any of the lower end models I've had have shown. Going to be a way harder decision than any ever hi-fi purchase. Alvarez (top of an older range) almost cuts it but thirty year old Ibanez or near ninety year old Rex Royale tend to make me leave it in the rack.
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If you think that's steep, don't even look at vintage guitars or ones with celebrity provenance. David Gilmour sold his collection for £21 million!

Andy
 
Thing is I'm not one for paying silly money for what are 'name' brands. Waited 25 years to afford a Les Paul, traveled all over Scotland price being no issue, guess what the best one
was the cheapest in my local shop, a lowly Studio. Not what I fancied but in spite of looking bland, it played best of the lot and had no obvious flaws in the workmanship (Where as my dream flame tops and black beauties did).
I tried a Maple J200 and was unimpressed, hmn will this improve in ten years. Pissed off now as it would be worth 4 times as much? Hey ho bought an Epi J200 for a couple of hundred
quid and still regret giving it to my mate for a Birthday present.
Picked up two Crafters years ago for peanuts, one was sublime from the off, the other had been butchered by some clown but was gem when my mate sorted it, sold them when skint only to find they are now selling for 2 or 3 times what I sold them for
I've played Guilds, Gibsons, no Martins and only things memorable were my first Yamaha FG 180, my mate at the times top of the range FG, a Flyde and later a mates Yiari.
I don't want a status symbol that might be a good un or a bad un and fall to bits!

Hard to tell from You Tube but thru the big rig, you can get an idea. This thing blew my mind:

Not heard many guitars where the high strings ring like a bells at the top of the neck.
 
Memory lapse.long ago, on the assumption I knew anything about guitars, some mate gave me this Maton thing from OZ to 'set up'
Methinks , sister's Eko looks better.
jEEZUS, truss rod tweaked nut checked, saddle shaved a bit, mental.
Once and only time I've ever video'd myself playing and singing.. that guitar made me do it!
Think my mate picked it from a skip in Oz.
Look at the price of them now.
 
Si74 said:
Well after much study and finding a couple of brilliant sites on the web, looks like a trip to France is in order.
Hard to tell from vids. on you tube but my mind is set on a Yiari of some description.
After watching various Gibsons, Martins, & Taylors being sawn in half to reveal all, no way am
I taking pot luck going there.
By the same token, no way am I spending 2-3K on a geetar without playing it first.

On the other hand, I might have had enough blind faith to get one shipped had not good old Brexit made that a ridiculous proposition financially!
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As you're going to France, why not give Alister Atkin in Canterbury a call. His guitars are exquisite, and he's a nice bloke. I bought mine 10 years ago in London, and it needed a bit of setting up, so I took it down to him. I was running a bit late and stopped for lunch at the Sportsman at Seasalter (try doing that now) and phoned him, he laughed and asked me if I might tell the owner, Stephen Harris, that his guitar was ready!

https://atkinguitars.com/

http://www.thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk/
 
Si74 said:
Well John, that has me seriously tempted! After 40 odd years of trying, I'm no player. I just love guitars and the joy they give me doodling.
On looks alone I'd buy that but since it's likely to be my last, taking my time and 3K's my limit. I have a 28 year old Ibanez I would not part with ( Spruce/Ovankol)
and BIJ Alvarez (Sitka/Mahog) that almost Rocks my Boat but... :) Have serious urge for an all Mahog. Will check him out, thanks.
Click to expand...
To be fair, I don’t know his prices now but I’d expect him to be swimming in the £5k+ per commission pool, but absolutely exquisite instruments…
 
eternumviti said:
As you're going to France, why not give Alister Atkin in Canterbury a call. His guitars are exquisite, and he's a nice bloke. I bought mine 10 years ago in London, and it needed a bit of setting up, so I took it down to him. I was running a bit late and stopped for lunch at the Sportsman at Seasalter (try doing that now) and phoned him, he laughed and asked me if I might tell the owner, Stephen Harris, that his guitar was ready!

https://atkinguitars.com/

http://www.thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk/
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Nice place the Sportsman. My cycling and band mates went to school with Steve, still could not get a walk-in lunch.
 
Had a few and misread that, looking for Tartan Guitars pulled up a few surprises? Taran guitars. Well has me wondering, my dream Maserati (an old one) or a Taran geetar? Seems I have till mid 2026 to make up my mind if I can blow 11K+ on a guitar. Don't get me wrong, after looking and listening, one Lottery win later I'd be chapping his door but just a tad out of my budget at the moment. So back to the search for a Yiari. Or decide it would be wasted on my doodling and get the car,lol.
 
On a serious note, my 28 year old Ibanez should be killed by the $2000+ Alvarez, not as nice to play as I prefer the shorter scale, much nicer neck and wider nut of the Alvarez but sound wise?
Ovangol bright, sure is but not a bad thing when the Alvarez seems so heavily braced, the sustain is missing. Hopefully given the thinner tops and forward moved bracing, a couple of current Alvarez might make me see/hear sense.. but far as I can gather, the FG 180 I bought for £47 is still going strong 47 years later so Gibsons, Martins,Taylors, Collings etc are of my Radar.
 
If you want the most perfectly executed take on any number of classic designs, then Dave King is your man. Guitars executed with reserve and a mind boggling attention to detail. He will, of course, inlay an abalone lizard into your fretboard if you ask him, but why would you?

https://www.daveking-acoustics.com/

I also notice that @JTC is selling my old j45 with cocobolo fretboard and bone nut, saddle and pegs if you want to spend a bit less on a REALLY nice j45.
 
Gibson,no thanks! Down to a Bob Weir Yairi, another nice Yairi Dreadnought with an obvious bad spacing on the lower E, or 4K on a 25 year old top of the line Larrivee. Distance being the only problem as no way I,m parting with that without 'trying> to play it:)
 
foxwelljsly said:
If you want the most perfectly executed take on any number of classic designs, then Dave King is your man. Guitars executed with reserve and a mind boggling attention to detail. He will, of course, inlay an abalone lizard into your fretboard if you ask him, but why would you?

https://www.daveking-acoustics.com/
https://www.daveking-acoustics.com/
I also notice that @JTC is selling my old j45 with cocobolo fretboard and bone nut, saddle and pegs if you want to spend a bit less on a REALLY nice j45.
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re your wee,whatever, maybe have a look at the inlays on the Larrivee site and wonder
 
For me it would be an Ernie Ball Earthwood bass. Brian Ritchie from Violent Femmes plays one (he owns a few of them). They look like a guitarrón and are huge and have a beautiful sound. Only about 1500 of them made in the 70s. They go for about €5000 if you can find one. I have to make do with a Takamine in the meantime till I can convince my wife that I ‘need’ to get a copy of one made. I can dream can’t I?
 
Si74 said:
On a serious note, my 28 year old Ibanez should be killed by the $2000+ Alvarez, not as nice to play as I prefer the shorter scale, much nicer neck and wider nut of the Alvarez but sound wise?
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Acoustic guitars get better sonically with age. Annoyingly everything else about them tends to get worse, usually eventually requiring a neck reset!

PS Never underestimate Japanese guitars, the better ones are as good as anything anywhere IMHO.
 
Strangely enough, logic says buy a Taylor, bolt on neck, easy fix for a neck reset. However they appear overpriced assembly line tho nice enough.
My 28 year old built in Korea Ibanez is good as new, my 2K built in Japan Avlvarez is nearly nice
Lusting for Yairi or Larrivee but usually to far away to pay that kind of money without playing. Probably just buy another 3 Alvarez but
since it will be my last, I want something special.
 
I have four different acoustics and have played many more, including mega-priced US Collings, and some absolutely top-notch custom ones. Of the latter , my favourite is definitely the Taran range made up here in Scotland. However, they is both a huge price ticket and a long waiting list.

But there is also a superb range of amazing value guitars made by Brook Guitars down in Devon. See https://www.brookguitars.com
I have one of their Tamar 12-strings. Superb construction, great sound and really smooth actions.

Typically made to order*, but a few shops have stock. I'm pretty sure one of these would do the business for you:
https://www.projectmusic.net/brook-guitars-340-c.asp

There's a nice range of differing sizes and scale lengths there

*And well worth a visit to their wonderful premises in deepest mid-Devon - 'Hobbit country'. The Brook guys are lovely people as well. PM for more info if interested.
 
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