I've got it in my head to buy another guitar (I owned a decent 1970 Yamaha FG300 10 years ago). I could spend up to 1K? Pawnshops and ebay can be a good source, but you need to know what you are looking at and not be in a hurry. Probably like a OO size rather than something like a southern jumbo.

Is there a forum where I could inquire and learn more. Of course, you guys could try and talk me out of it. Do I need to deflect my attention away from my accordion playing? I should put the money towards buying a new D box.

I'd recommend a low-end Martin. You can get one for under $1000.

I have a Martin HD-28 and a Gibson J-45, both of which were a little pricey. I love them, though. The Gibson has a nice dry sound that's beautifully suited to roots music.

As for the new accordion, you may get more mileage out of a new guitar.

FYI Seagulls are an excellent value. You could get one around $600 that would sound great!

Martin and Gibson are very good sounding guitars, but I know somebody who played a Taylor.
That guitar sounds also realy great, but is not cheap, I believe.

A guitar would be more welcome in the house at home. It would expand my musical interests quite a lot. Lots and lots of guitarists here in Austin and **** few Cajun accordion players. Everyone seems quite interested when they see and hear my box though.

A used shop here in Austin has a very nice OO size Taylor (forget the exact model) for $1400. It sounds great.

I am not in a hurry to get a D box. I think my LeCapitaine in C will carry me a long long way. In fact, unless I want to play in a band, why do it? Maybe a Hohner 114 in D would be better. I also have a Hohner three reed pre-Corso two row in G/C with the accidentals on the top keys that is nice for general folk (french etc.) I'm set up for quite a few things. I also play harmonicas and Irish penny whistle. A guitar would fit in with all of the above.

John,

I have a C and Bb box and 4 guitars . These range from an old 1980+ Morris 12 string, fitted with a Fishman sound hole pick up, which has a RICH FULL sound, to a copy Fender Strat ( now converted for slide ) and an Ibanez Electric Tremolo hollow body ( excellent Jazz and Rockabilly guitar ).

But my last purchase was a BREEDLOVE 6 string Acoustic Electric..., this guitar is brilliant.

Bright, yet controllable, with excellent Fishman Classic 4T onboard controls. I tried Martins, Matons, Cole Clarkes,Yamahas, Ibanez,Epihone,Fender, etc etc and , for my ear and requirements, this one narrowly beat 'em all. ( Breedlove made mostly in Oregon I believe. Check out their website. ).

BTW..I gather you aren't playing in a band. I find that for solo practice and song composition purposes ( I play in a ZydeCajun/ Country style band ) I generally use my guitars as backing rhythm playing thru an amp onto a mini disc recorder. I then play back that rhythm ( and Drum machine beat if necessary) and do accordion playing to that backing sound....it's also great for working on your lead guitar riffs and breaks.

So..unless you can sing along comfortably in A or D to a D box , then I'd suggest another guitar that's different in sound and presentation to your current guitar, then find a way ( as above )to use both of them to assist your ' man out in front' accordion playing...which will only improve if you have that backing sound keeping you honest..and it's much more satisfying to play accordion to a backing!

My 2 cents worth.

( I think D boxes are bright and bouncy..dancers love them... and would probably be the next key accordion I'd get, but only if I, and others I'd be supporting with my playing, could manage the keys vocally ....THEN go talk to fellow Brave, Jude Moreau...he's a top accordion maker in Groves, Texas and he knows LOTS about D boxes....)

Darryl, Australia.

I'd recommend a low-end Martin. You can get one for under $1000.

I have a Martin HD-28 and a Gibson J-45, both of which were a little pricey. I love them, though. The Gibson has a nice dry sound that's beautifully suited to roots music.

As for the new accordion, you may get more mileage out of a new guitar.

FYI Seagulls are an excellent value. You could get one for around $600 that would sound great!

It depends, John. I understand the need to be accepted by other instrumental forums. It's tough explaining to strangers that you play an accordion, only to retract your statement by attempting to interpret you aren't playing a "real" accordion, but it's a 10-row diatonic melodeon. But if you're struggling with doing the right thing, there's an easy, mathematical solution... Everything can be solved through math...

When it comes to accordions, simply add the number of accordions you currently own and divide that by the number of accordions you currently own. The sum of this equation will determine how many more accordions you should purchase.

Guitars require a different formula. Add the number of guitars you current own and multiply that by the number of guitars you hear on the radio on any given day. NOTE: You can also factor in the number of people you have heard talking about some awesome guitarist in some really awesome popular band or some kickace muddahuggie who plays just like Jimmy Page or can play faster than Jeremy Barnes. This counts equally as having "heard" the guitar play as it has taken precious seconds off of your life to have sat through -- or simply to have overheard such an insipid conversation.

Example:

Own 2 guitars.
Heard 1,078.

Hence, 2 X 1078 = 2156

Then divide this sum by the total, (2156/2156). The sum of this equation will determine the number of guitars you require. Conversely, this guitar formula's sum can be used to determine the number of accordions you currently need.

Math is amazing...

Good luck,

R!CK

Now that brings me down to earth, but then there are the differences between "need" and "want" and "insanity". Which is the better path?

I ask the little red guy on my left shoulder this question all time. His response is:

None of the above. It's a burning desire whose flame needs to be constantly protected regardless of the costs or outcome.

It's the pursuit of material happiness. There are side-effects to this form of happiness, which many females consider a sign of insanity or a burnout at midlife. But who cares. I see it as a sign of prosperity and joy. It's cool to have cool stuff. People will love you. There is nothing wrong with wanting. Allow this "want" to drive you forward, distilling it into "need" where nothing will stop you from getting [it]. Do it John... do it...



R!CK

Marc Silber seems to have excellent (pinger picking) accordions and some (vintage) other stuff.

If I come to the US once, I would visit him.
Not difficult to find on the net.

Gus

I have never ever regretted buying a quality instrument, be it an accordion or guitar. For instance, my A accoridon, which I use less than I had originally hoped, is still a joy to pick up. I still haven't found the ideal use for it yet but I do know it'll happen.

I'm toying with the idea of going down to South La and recording an all-original all-Cajun album. Something tells me that A box will come in handy.

Either way, you can't go wrong if you buy something quality.

Johnson makes the Carolina Series II guitars with either mahogany or rosewood back and sides, and Englemann spruce top -- all solid woods. This series has been getting lots of "bang for the buck" attention for over a year. I accompanied a local guitar player (Lafayette) as she tried a few out. She shopped around and finally paid under $600, including hard case and tax from Savoy Music Center in Eunice. She's very happy with her Carolina II JD-27, and has gotten very positive responses from Sam Broussard and Brazos Huval (both guitarist with Steve Riley and Mamou Playboys) on the guitar. In addition to the dreadnaught models (JD-26 and JD-27), I think the Carolina II series also includes a 000 size, which is smaller than a dreadnaught but slightly larger than the 00 size you are considering.

I have no connection with Johnson -- in fact, I play Martin and Bourgeois guitars -- but you might want to check out the Johnsons given your price range.

Dale

Yes...I have recommended those guitar to a number of people; however if you are interested in one, don't wait. Now is the time. The company that imports them and distributes them under the Johnson brand has decided to move them to another brand. All of the "Carolina" models are now being offered under the "Recording King" brand with corresponding number...RD15, RD16, etc. There are still a lot of Carolinas out there, but I suspect once they are officially discontinued, you will be able to pick one up dirt cheap.

By the way, the 16 and 17 models are solid tops with laminate sides with a street price around $300-$400. The 26 and 27 models are solid wood all the way around for $500-$600. The three digit models such as 126, 127 are up above $1000.

John, You don't need to spend $1000 to get a very good quality guitar. IMHO, the best value you can get for between $500 & $1000 is from a company based in a small Quebec town called La Patrie called "Guitares Godin". http://www.godinguitars.com/ Godin produces four lines of acoustic guitars (Simon & Patrick, Norman, Art & Lutherie and Seagull). See links above, plus this one http://www.seagullguitars.com/intro.htm). Most of these guitars are priced between $300 and $1000. They are all built by the same people in the same village with the highest standards of craftmanship, consistency and pride and good work quality. They are known to age well, being well built and to produce good sound quality. Between my dad, two of my brothers, and myself, we own an Art & Lutherie (cedar top), a Simon & Patrick (cedar top), and two Norman cutaways. Last month, I bought a pre-owned small parlour Art & Lutherie for my 15 yr-old daughter (http://montreal.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-VENDUE-Guitare-bleue-Art-Lutherie-Ami-Cedar-W0QQAdIdZ33142510 ) at an incredible deal ($120 with the bag!). Anyway, as you can see, I am an inconditional fan of Godin guitars.
But seriously, you should check these out. If you are ready to spend up to $1K, the Simon & Patrick line is the higher-end line, followed by Norman, Art & Lutherie and Seagull. But again, you know with guitars, every guitar is unique, so you kind have to feel it to see if you like it. Another well known Canadian guitar is Larivée built in Vancouver, but they are a little more pricy. Let me know if you'd like some specific examples of new and pre-owned. I'll post a few links. Besides all that, I also own an old Washburn spruce top that I had bought about 25 years ago for $340 that I love and would never depart from. It has aged really well.

I saw a nice Art & Lutherie at a pawn shop priced less than $200. Didn't know what it was...thanks.

J

From all the helpful comments above, I think I could set my budget at $600 or less.

A guitar shop owner here in Austin carries the Recording King line as says it is a very good value. He would recommend them over any other in the price range. Another I have tried is a "Blueridge" guitar, solid wood (spruce top, mahogany back and sides etc). About the same price as the Recording Kings.

Then again, there is this early "80's Taylor OM size he has for $1450.

J

John, with the Art & Lutherie & Seagull, just make sure you're getting one with a solid top (spruce, ceder or cherrywood). At the bottom of the end, some models are not solid top, and while the guitar is still very well built, without the solid top, the sound is not the same in terms of depth and richness.
$200 for a solid top would be good value assuming the body is in good condition.

I hear a cedar top is softer, but will have better tone right from the start. A spruce top often needs to age (from playing).

The Johnson Carolina JO models and the Blueridge OOO's also look good.

Thanks so much. I have dealers in Austin that carry The Art & Lutherie, Blueridge, and the Johnson guitars. I need to go try some out first. Looks like I couldn't go wrong with any of them.

Well, I bought an Art & Lutherie guitar on Ebay (see link #3 above) at a good price. I like the color (I'm not too much of a fan of blond guitars)

I'm sure it will get me started just fine. Save my money for a better guitar when my playing gets up to speed.

Thanks for the tips.

Check out the Breedlove Atlas series guitars. Your local Guitar Center should have some or look at the link above. They are made in Korea and then inspected and setup at the Breedlove custom shop in Oregon. I have an Atlas AD/20 SR Plus. It has a solid spruce top, solid rosewood back, and rosewood laminate sides. I went shopping for a lower end Martin and found this guitar for right under $1,000. To me it sounds and plays a lot better than the lower end Martins. Breedloves have a unique balanced sound due to their design, I tend to describe it as being between a Martin and a Taylor. Just shop around and find the guitar you like. Don't get trapped in the gotta have a Martin for the sake of it being a Martin. There are a lot of great imported guitars for under $1,000 right now. The Breedlove Atlas series, Blueridge guitars, Carolinas, the Guild GADs, the Epiphone Masterbuilts are just some of them. I do have to admit though that one day I will plunk down a couple of grand on a real good Martin or a Bourgeois. But until then, I really like my Breedlove.

I've tried the Blueridge and they are pretty nice. I'm kind of a Gibson fan as well as older Epiphones their vintage guitars can be as good as anything else (pre-Gibson buy-out). I'm still wanting to find a very nice OOO size, perhaps vintage, and put down some real money. The Art & Lutherie will hold me for now.

Enough for now, this is an accordion forum after all, but it is nice to see so much enthusiasm for guitars here.
J

Brent,
Refer my previous Post above.

Yep..these Breedloves are a bit special.Good to hear that I have another Breedlove partner out there.

I have the Breedlove Black Cutaway AC25/CM Plus . Said I'd never get a black guitar..bit like a black car..look great when they're cleaned and polished BUT...always cleaning finger and dust marks off of the high gloss black finish.

Anyway...this one sounded and looked too good to resist with that Abalone inlay and all.. Excellent brightness and sustain with an ability to mellow it out readily. The Fishman Pick Up has plenty of 'grunt' but has a brilliance slide control and inbuilt tuner......fantastic flexibility.

I was disappointed with the Martins...I tried about 8 different models...thought the lower end ones were quite good but nothin' special...and the high end ones overpriced to blazes.
Seems to me you'd have to be a hot shot guitar soloist to get the most out of your financial outlay.If you used a high priced Martin in a regular 'Wired for Sound' type Band I think they'd sound like ANY other guitar amongst the sound outputs around you..
Different strokes for different folks I guess....

Darryl.

I'll chime-in with a recommendation for Larrivee guitars. If you can find any used ones, Larrivee makes a number of models that you should be able to snag (< $1k) including an OM model that is a smaller body (narrow waist) with plenty of thump. I agree with Nick as Seagull's are worth a look as well. There are a lot of terrific guitars on the market right now. Some of the new Guilds being made at the Tacoma factory (both now owed by Fender) are really nice. If you have someplace local where you can walk-in and play a bunch of 'em, then take cash with you can deal with the sales staff. Money talks and cash really says it loud. Also, if you have the time/patience, check out local Craigslist.com listings.

Rob K.



"I'm in the monkey business and business is booming" - Webb Wilder.

Rob knows! Pawnshops, Craigslist and cash!

Nippon Gakkis are some of my favorites that urge hit me last fall. I found a '05 000-15 for $550 off Craigslist. I had to go by the downtown vintage guitar store and pinch myself to believe it.

Janet

John, I think you made a good deal on your 5-yr old (sitting in the closet) Cherry Wood solid top Art & Lutherie at $177. Did you get the case with it? Let us know when you get it and how it plays.
Cheers...:-)

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