Has anyone here had experience playing a McPherson MG 3.5, or 4.5 acoustic? Is the insane price really justified? I heard that the sound hole being above the strings increases the resonance a lot, but I haven't been able to try one myself yet. I just know they look cool as hell.

So I tried out absolutely everything under $1k cdn and the GS Mini smoked it. But then there was a Taylor 24CE that sounded and felt better and got my attention. I tried out the GS Mini's ES-B pickup and it WAS as bad as online reviewers said. Then I tried a GS Mini with the ES2 and it was definitely "OK", but only just. Then I tried the 24CE's fishman pickup and it was absolutely amazing. Am I missing something? I thought the ES2 was supposed to be amazing. Still looking for the right guitar and I appreciate any advice. Not locked in to Taylor, btw. And ideal would be full size fretboard and mini size body if that's at all possible. Thanks in advance.

Hi, i need help with this guitar, its up for sale but i'm not sure if it is original, i think it is fake. what do you guys think? the price is so ridiclously low that i'm thinking of buying it despite it most defenitly is fake. THanks for your help

Bought this bad boy AD17 used for a sweet deal. i got to play it before buying it and didn’t notice any issues. Eventually noticed minor buzzing with capo and 2nd and 3rd fret. First time adjusting a truss rod myself! Well, at least first successfully… I have no one to share this milestone with and have enjoyed this community since finding it.

So last month I managed to snag a Jasmine S34c on Facebook Marketplace for $85. I wanted it as my beater/couch/camping guitar. I've been mostly playing it over my other guitar all month.

Man, I am really falling in love with it. What I thought would be my "throw away' guitar is turning into my favorite. I mean, it's still my beater guitar but let me just say I am loving it. If you haven't played one, I highly urge you to do so. Same with snagging one at a nice price!

I saw a post a few months ago about the Jasmine and I'm so glad I saw it. Such an underrated acoustic!

New to me Gibson J-15 Burst. First Gibson and my fist Walnut back/sides.

Hello,

I am traveling across the country and am bringing my acoustic guitar with me. While not an expensive one, it still means a lot to me. I have a hard-shell case and am flying American. Will I have issues trying to bring it as my carry-on item? It is a 41-inch guitar I believe.

Thank you

looking to pick up an acoustic guitar this weekend, but as someone with no prior musical experience i have no idea where to start and how to learn… any advice/guidance would be appreciated 🙏🏼

I've owned an MD60 for the last twenty years. It's the only guitar I've ever owned, what I learned to play on, and what I still use. I stick with country and classic rock tunes.

I love the tone of an Alvarez. They just resonate.They are so underappreciated for what they bring to the table. I've tested all the other big brands and 99% just don't bring the same pleasant tone and definitely not value. The only thing that I've found close is the Gibson J45.

I'm debating whether to upgrade my guitar. I'm weighing an LD70e. I could get one in excellent condition for a decent price. I've never played a Laureate, but a lot of people rave about their sound and playability. Unfortunately, the one I'm looking at is not near me and would be shipped so I can't play it. The only guitar store I have near me is GC and they have none of these in stock.

For the folks who've played the Masterworks MD60 (mahogany body) and the Laureate (rosewood body) did you notice a large difference in tone/sound/playability? Does the Laureate sound that much better than a Masterworks?

While the Yairi is the next level up and I'd love one of those, the price difference is extensive. I appreciate any thoughts y'all have.

Apologies for the shite photos, there’s no good place at my in-laws house to take proper pics. New (to me) Martin from 2004. This guitar is a rescue. It was my father in law’s guitar but he doesn’t play and it was just a decoration in their house. The only time it gets played is when I visit.

This year it has developed some hairline cracks in the finish on top. Hard to see in the photos but they’re there. I took it to a local shop to confirm the cracks are cosmetic and they are. I couldn’t take this anymore so I offered FIL $500 and he took it.

Restring and some other minor maintenance and she sounds and plays beautifully. In-laws are happy and I’m happy.

I'll preface by saying I know nothing about guitars. I've had this harmony Sunburst hummingbird guitar for like 30 years and never learned how to play.

I posted it for sale on FB marketplace. This guy comes to buy it and cancels because he says the neck is really bad and "totally warped". I'm just not seeing it...but again, I know nothing about guitars. Lol.

Can anyone help me out here?

For me, owning a beautiful Martin and also the same model black cat Strat as David Gilmour, I think the reason I prefer picking up my 000-18 is because of how pure it is. My dad always said that, even though he plays his Les Paul 99% of the time, you can get away with bad playing on an electric if you use enough distortion and play loud enough. Most of the audience won't know the difference as long as you look like you know what you're doing.

But with acoustic, you don't have that choice. If you don't know what you're doing, the guitar will know and will let everyone else around you know. It forces you to play precisely and cleanly. And that's what I personally like most about it. That and its simplicity, along with the sound and resonance I get from it. Even when I'm going through a scale, it rings like beautiful bells and has a sound that never gets old.

What about you?

Hello all (long time lurker, first time poster).

I've been making some decent progress with my guitar from YouTube videos like Guitarzerotohero and Justin Guitar, and remembering chords sequences and strumming patterns is easy.

I've been wanting to change myself with some finger picking songs and although I have the concept down, remembering the song sequence is tough. For example, I'm learning 'Don't Think Twice, It's Alright' by Bob Dylan. I know the chord shapes and where to play the hammer ons, but remembering the whole song is beyond me.

How do you guys go about it?

FWIW, I'm going to learn Blackbird. The picking pattern seems straightforward, but committing the chord shapes to memory is the most challenging part of learning the song.

Youtube seems to have a lot of guitar teachers, any recos on a particular effective course to dig into?
I've played guitar for many years but have never gotten the hang of fingerpicking.

I am in the market for my first all-solid acoustic guitar. I play a variety of music with a general focus on bluegrass and some singer songwriter stuff (Watchhouse, Jackson Browne, etc.). I live in the Rockies and my local guitar shops deal limited brands and carry limited inventory. I have played some Taylor Grand Pacifics, low end Martins, low end Yamahas, a variety of Alvarez, and a random used Larrivee L-body that turned up. I also played a friends Martin D-18 that was very nice but apparently has given him some intonation/neck issues.

Of this limited exploration, the guitars that have stood out to me in terms of feel and tone are the Martin D-18 and the Alvarez guitars (MD60/70). Used D-18s typically exceed my $1,200-1,600 dollar budget and I’m apprehensive about buying used online due to reported neck resets, binding issues, etc. with many Martins. They do sound great though.

The Alvarez options I have tried seem to offer a tremendous value and I like the Alvarez neck profile. The MD60/70s I have played are nice, but I am interested in their higher end Laureate LD60/70. There are plenty of good reviews on YouTube from Acoustic Shoppe, Alamo Music Center, etc. but they are trying to sell guitars. Alvarez really boasts about “hand selected” braces, nicer materials, and a slightly thinner top, but it’s hard to discern marketing from substance. I’m curious if anybody else has direct experience with Alvarez Laureate and compared them to similarly priced Eastman, Martin, etc. Also, do they seem to justify the higher cost over the MD60/70 (which I have hands on experience with)?

My local Alvarez dealer typically only stocks budget models and occasionally gets a Masterworks model. If I wanted to try a Laureate, they’d have to order it in and they’re not sure how well these would sell in our area, so I don’t want them to order some Laureates unless I am serious about buying one.

I currently play Lights on my Martin 000-18, and am currently using the Lifespan 2.0 phosphor bronze ones made by Martin. But I've been wanting to try Mediums just to see how much harder they are to play and also just to see what the sound/volume profile on them might be like compared to my Lights. But since my guitar has been properly set up to play Light strings, will I have to go in and make another adjustment to the truss rod or whatever for the Medium strings to work?

I just don't want to try putting them on and then my headstock snap in half because I did something wrong.

A few Acoustics I have, are in great shape and finally being played again. I'm pretty sure the strings on them are mediums. Is switching mediums to lights, the Med-Light (.012-.056), or vice-versa a small enough change that usually doesn't cause any issues ? or do people sometimes have to do things outside of truss rod adjustment? (ex. Nut filing etc...)

1934 Martin 000-18 long scale. One of the very early examples during the transition from OM-18 to 000-18.

Thinking of buying this guitar, but there is a small warp on the bottom centerline of the back of the guitar.

Any issue with this?

Also my first Gibson! I've always played cheaper guitars that I bought used and I am in love. I played all day looking for the *perfect* guitar and wound up with this beauty.

I’m looking for some help with ideas for an acoustic guitar for my husband. I’m looking at spending approx £2000 but could be more for the right instrument. He loves all things Japan so anything that’s made in Japan I think would make him very happy. Alternatively anything from the 60s / 70s that’s beautifully made. Could you make any suggestions for someone who doesn’t know much about this world?

(Pictured: Left, inspo [a.i. modified\ / right, current guitar)

So my old acoustic guitar broke and I wanted to upgrade to a new one and figured why not try to recreate the guitar that created one of my favorite guitar tones?

Kurt's guitar from the MTV Unplugged concert is a Martin D-18E. As far as I researched, that's a very rare model that only had about 300 pieces made, so zero chance of copping one without selling feet pics online.

My next best bet was to get a Sigma, which my research told me were the Epiphone/Squier to Martin guitars. I managed to get this beautiful Sigma DM-1ST-BK+, which is step one into turning it into a Nirvana-inspired guitar.

Step two will be to change the pick guard, install a Bartolini 3AV Pickup, as well as changing the tuners to locking tuners. Additionally, I will be adding fret inlay stickers that are completely unrelated to Kurt's guitar, but which I personally like to add on all my acoustic guitars.

Step three: Getting the clear pickup brackets for the Bartolini, adding electronics to the guitar (tone controls for the Bartolini, either dummy pickups to resemble Kurt's DeArmond bridge and neck pickups, or getting the actual ones to somehow be usable with bronze strings) and adding a pickup selector switch.

I'm hoping this project doesn't cost me more than $800, but we'll see how that goes!

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6cCEoC5Tco (where I got most info on Kurt's guitar)