[Maddog54]

Sorry guys and gals for all the questions, but I like to have a good feel for things when I'm spending a lot of hard earned cash LOL Any input anyone can give me will be well appreciated, as I'm still new to the guitar.

First off, should I just get an acoustic since I dont plan on gigs anytime soon....OR do I get Electric Acoustic and have it just in case I decide to learn enough to pull off a few songs at church? I was talking to a salesman(and I trust sales ppl as far as I can throw them), and he said if I get electric-acoustic and play plugged in, it doesnt matter if it has a solid top or laminated top. Is that completely true?

Which brings me to my second question: Laminated Top or Solid Top? I'm of the understanding that laminated tops have lousy sound, so I've mostly been looking at all solid tops. Part two of this question is the back & sides: most I see are laminated and those that aren't seem to be way over my 200-250 price range(300 if I push it).

I did have a decent conversation with the guy who actually owns the music shop in town here and I let him know I was not happy and didnt know why I came in after the way I was treated the previous time I went in. He apologized and told me what days he was there and I could deal directly with him(nice guy). He kinda talked me into considering the Fender DG8S Value Pack (solid top acoustic). However they were out of stock so I couldn't actually see/hear it. If thats the route I go, I have to wait a few weeks until they get them back in. They deal strictly in Fender and Yamaha there( I seen a few Jackson electrics), so not much in the way of "different" guitars to try out.

Here's some of the guitars I've looked at online... again any input is greatly appreciated

Acoustics

Ibanez SGT520VS SAGE SERIES Acoustic Guitar and more 6 String Acoustic Guitars at GuitarCenter.com.

Ibanez V200S Solid Top Acoustic Guitar and more 6 String Acoustic Guitars at GuitarCenter.com.

Yamaha F345 Sycamore Top Acoustic Guitar and more 6 String Acoustic Guitars at GuitarCenter.com.

Fender DG100 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar and more 6 String Acoustic Guitars at GuitarCenter.com.

Fender DG-8S Acoustic Guitar Value Pack and more Value Packages at GuitarCenter.com.


Electric-Acoustics

Fender CD110E Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar and more 6 String Acoustic-Electric Guitars at GuitarCenter.com.

Ibanez V Series V70CE Dreadnought Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar and more 6 String Acoustic-Electric Guitars at GuitarCenter.com.

Fender CD100CE Acoustic Electric Guitar and more 6 String Acoustic-Electric Guitars at GuitarCenter.com.

[knight46]

Not sure about all of them but the Yamaha F345 does not say solid top and probably isn't. A Yamaha in the same price range with a solid top would be the FG700S and FG720S.
From what I have heard solid tops will age and laminate will not. This is not to say that a laminate will be bad. The best thing that I can suggest is to have the owner play a couple side by side and listen to differences and then handle yourself to see if one feels better than the others.

[pastorbob]

Knight is right, if it doesn't say "solid spruce top," or solid whatever, it's a laminate. Also, I was in Guitar Center recently just playing in the acoustic section, and I asked about the solid sycamore top. I thought that it might be a lesser wood, but the salesman assurred me that it wasn't (since I wasn't buying that day, he nothing to gain). He let me play a solid Sycamore top guitar (not sure what brand because I played so many that afternoon), and I remember it having a very nice tone.

If you are planning on playing in church, the acoustic-electric would be a nice choice, especially if you can get one with an XLR jack, as well as a 1/4" jack. I have that dual set up on my Ibanez A-E. The XLR allows me to play through the church sound system by hooking up a microphone jack. As long as you're not looking to run effects, it is a nice option. You don't have to sit and be mic'ed to be heard.

[karcey]

Lousy sound? Not exactly. Here's a simple test. Call up someone you know whow plays guitar (like Tommy Emmanuel) and have him or her play something for you on a laminated guitar. As you listen to the music you'll be smiling so much you won't hear any lousy sound at all. And that's the real test ... does it sound musical. Not, is it the best in the shop? I know a group who play at clubs, and they don't own anything better than cheap Chinese, and they sound brilliant.
Yes, you can hear the richer sustain in cedar compared to plywood, but I think my friend, that won't be an issue for you until you have done a lot more playing. I have several solid tops, and a few laminates ... when I practise I'm concentrating on my performance, not the guitar's, and I use my $48 genuine craftboard made in China classical replica.
You're going to buy a few guitars as you go on, I hope you realise that. The one you buy first should not be junk. You should be happy with the price, and it should be comfortable in your hands, should sound good (get someone to play it for you) and should be able to take a few knocks. It will have to be transported to and from lessons, and suffer the indignities that beginners heap on guitars as they learn to change strings, learn to balance it against the door, and show it off to their ham-fisted friends. Your second guitar ... well that's another story. You'll spend real money on that one, and never subject it to the abuse the first one gets.
Of course all the above is the rambling of an old bloke. But I don't think you'll ever regret learning first and investing later. Good luck.

[Stratrat]

Originally Posted by karcey

...Of course all the above is the rambling of an old bloke....

Rambling? Hardly. Excellent post, Karcey.

[moley]

First off, should I just get an acoustic since I dont plan on gigs anytime soon....OR do I get Electric Acoustic and have it just in case I decide to learn enough to pull off a few songs at church?

- just in case? Of course you will!

This is exactly what I have done. The electric acoustic option is nice because you can easily plug in and control your volume and tone within the mix of the other players. Plus, church is a really safe environment to start public playing as the crowd tend to be a bit more forgiving than most!

Finally, because I am a bit biased, CORT have an extensive range that are worth a look.

[Maddog54]

You guys are GREAT! I knew there was a reason I keep coming in here in most of my free time (maybe I should half that and spend more time playing LOL)

Pastorbob(are you really a pastor? cause my dad is also and his name is bob LOL..either a small world or the old man has a hobby I dont know about). Either way my friend, thanks for the info, I'm going to look into that XLR jack if for nothing else future reference. The church I'm thinking about possibly playing in is pretty small, so I may be able to pull it off without either, but what the hey.

And Karcey....ramble on amigo I read every word and waiting for more I actually might go ahead and get that Fender DG8S package deal since I will be saving for another guitar once I get whichever I end up with this time(what did I get myself into here? I never put that much into the hotrods I ran 10 years ago..LOL)

Rest of you that posted....thanks a bunch! While I havent made up my mind, I definitely have a better feel which direction I'm heading now. I think the electric-acoustic will be on the horizon in the forseeable future, but right now I just want a good solidtop I can continue to learn on. I like my electric, and I play it everyday, but I'm getting burned out already with digging it out of the case, hooking up, making the wife mad because its loud, etc....half the time I dont even plug it in anymore. But I'm definitely not upset that I have it. For a starter pack, and me being a newbie, I really dont think its a bad guitar.

I'll still be lookin for more input/advice but a big THANK YOU to all you guys.

oh, and Moley, I checked out the CORT website...nobody around my area carries them....cool stuff though, might be worth a look when I get a wild hair to drive 100 miles or so

[billywhitebread]

check the pawn shops around your area too...i play in church and trust me you will want to plug in sooner than later...you can pick up some pretty good guitars at pawn shops, some are better than others but usually you get a quality deal....what music are you playing at church and i can get you chord sheets

[Maddog54]

I like the pawnshop idea, problem is 1) I wouldn't know if its junk or a needle in a haystack; and 2) there's only one in my area and the one's i've seen there are mostly cheap electric guitars that are missing strings, have more rust on them than a 50 year old pickup truck, and they still want at least $150 for models even I know dont sell for that brand new. They do have some amps there, but even they are way over priced and a new one might cost another 50 cents or a dollar.

Today I started leaning back toward elec-acoustic and looked at a Fender solid top electric that was a bit out of my price range, but I got a birthday coming here in a few weeks

[Maddog54]

well, I've narrowed it down to this:

Fender CD140S (solid top acoustic)

or

Fender CD140SCE(solid top acoustic-electric)

of course the DG8S(solid top acoustic value pack) isnt completely out of the question, just out of stock at the local shop until at least June(apparently something about a buy-in with Fender to get the pricing they want, otherwise its gonna cost me about $50 more).

Question I have is this... If I get the electric-acoustic I'll most likely be playing unplugged until I can afford a decent amp to go with it, so how different is the sound between a cut-away and a "normal" dreadnaught? I'm convinced every little detail plays a part in the sound. I'm confident my playing will improve, which is why I want the most sound I can get. Of course Fender could have made it real easy by making a solid top acoustic-electric that isnt a cutaway(for some reason it just doesnt appeal to me). I know looks shouldn't matter, but if I don't like the way it looks, why get it?

Anymore input before I have it ordered? I've played the non-electric about a week ago and it seemed to fit with me, then again it sounded the same as the seagull I played right after it and the Mitchell($119.99 job) that I played before I picked it up. I'm just not trained enough to recognize the difference yet I suppose. By the way, the Mitchell would be a very decent beginner(solid top and I thought it was great, and I'm a beginner ).

[starsailor]

Hi Maddog, Couldn't find any reviews for the Fender dreadnaught but if you liked the way it played and felt then that's a good start, here are some reviews for the electro- acoustic, it is a bit of an issue if you don't like looking at it, so you have to consider that as you're going to play it every day, I have an electro acoustic only a cheap one but it sounds just as good unplugged may need the opinions of a few other guys though as I haven't played a fender, have they got one at GC worth having a go if you can. hope this helps a little bit.

Fender CD140SCE: Harmony Central User Reviews