Which acoustic electric guitar is better? http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ovation...r-Acoustic-Electric-Guitar-583192-i1490515.gc or http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ovation...-Bowl-Acoustic-Electric-103574752-i1166379.gc I had another thread, but it fell of the 9 pages of older threads I can pull up. I don't have search ability either. I need to donate! If you have other recommendations for an acoustic-electric guitar, please do tell. $350 budget, preferably Ovation brand
may i ask what is appealing to you about the ovation? im personally not a big fan, so im just curious. if you are looking in the $400 range you could get a nice martin or yamaha - fender acoustics are ok too - i know a few people with them. just go up to guitar center play a bunch - dont buy an acoustic online - you should play it and hear it first - even the same model can have a slightly different tone. http://www.guitarcenter.com/6-String-Acoustic-Acoustic-Guitar,300-500,Page-1.gc?o=5&pf=6&ipp=15 also consider that for $400 you could get a really nice used guitar - search out pawn shops or craigslist. my grandpa bought me my first acoustic for christmas in 1990 in a pawnshop in san antoino for about $150 - its a 1980 ibanez - ive gone thru lots of electric guitars, but its the only acoustic guitar ive ever owned and i play pretty much every day.
I had one that I sold for $400 with a soft case and stand. I imagine you could find one for $350 if you look really hard. I upgraded to a Martin DM... which I *love*... (thanks again Otto)
It's for my bros Xmas gift. He mentioned ovation as a brand he prefers. I'm listening though. Martin dx1 seems the popular choice
I see Ovation is not that bad, but the reviews on Martin guitars are through the roof. Now my problem is finding a DX1E at around $350 (since he wanted an acoustic electric) before Christmas.
If an electric rig is a deal breaker, then you're kinda screwed. You're not going to find an electric hookup for that price unless it is after market and you totally luck out on craigslist.
If you're willing to spend more than $400, I bought a Seagull for $650 over the summer that I think sounds better than $1000 guitars that I've played. But if that's out of your budget, you really can't go wrong with a DX1. For what it's worth, Ovations are overhyped, and overpriced in my opinon.
just get a straight up acoustic and for an extra $50 or so get him a dean markley acoustic pickup. and as for ovations here is my $.02 its a gimmicky guitar. they dont have a good sound - its a combination, imo, of the back being plastic and oval shaped - they sound tinny/hollow to me - not full-bodied - the sound does not carry well - especially the low tones. the body is more plastic than wood, and it sounds like it. and the other thing is that when you are trying to play it, b/c the back is round its always sliding down towards your knee. a 'regular' guitar stays flat on your leg.
This is exactly what ended up happening. I even got that same exact pickup! I went to Guitar Center to listen to the difference. Martin was far and away better sounding. I saw the DX1 and the Guitar Center rep asked how I liked the guitar. I told him that it's a great guitar, but my bro wanted electric. He told me about audio pickups (I didn't know about these), and I ended up agreeing to buy the DX1 + the Dean Markley audio pickup (he kept emphasizing how this one had 2 microphones). Yes, despite this being out of my budget range. The guitar had a $499 sticker price, and the pickup was $50 I asked the Guitar Center rep if they had any boxed DX1s in the back. He checked, didn't have any, and ended up offering me the guitar with insurance at $379.
on a related note (haha), i bought an alvarez guitar to start learning a while back..but i never did get anywhere because the action on the guitar is kinda high. i just got discouraged from making any progress. i tried to get it adjusted but it didnt make any significant diff. i only spend like 250 bucks on it. i am willing to spend some more money to get a more quality guitar this time around. only catch is i am left handed. i saw there's a left handed DX1... MARTIN DX1. Martin's most affordable solid top acoustic. In stock. Our price $499 http://www.southpawguitars.com/martin.html thanks guys.
I'd hate being a lefty guitar player. Most of the time, the manufacturers just take a right-handed model, and turn it upside down with a few other minor changes. The bridge is still from the right-handed model, fret markets are often upside down, etc. As a vintage guitar fan, I'm particularly glad I'm not a lefty. It's much harder to find a really nice left-handed guitar than it is for a right-handed model... and once you do, they're typically much more expensive since they're going to be less common. There's an short article in the current issue of Guitar Aficianado Guitar Aficianado by George Gruhn about collecting relatively rare lefty instruments. In particular, he mentions what to watch out for with acoustic instruments. Anyway, check it out and good luck!
I leave guitar set-up to a professional guitar tech. I'm sure they could do better setting up your cheap guitar. I had a similar issue with an entry level big bowl Ovation (one of the reasons I know to avoid their entry level guitars as I made a newbie error in judgement as a beginner) years ago when i first ventured into guitar playing. My hands and fingers always got tired real fast because the action was too high. I took it in and had it set up. Then, it played much more easily and got more use. I've still got that guitar as a matter of fact. I consider it a piece of junk so it just collects dust. I've also got an older Jackson Dinky XL collecting dust. My main axes now are my Breedlove acoustic-electric and my PRS Custom 24. The Breedlove was set up pretty well out of the box. However, it could still use some tweaking. If it is one thing I hate, then it is deciding on the right guitar to buy for myself. There is one guitar I am sure I want...it is the David Gilmour Signature Fender NOS. It's only $3999.
