What is the most highly over-rated and under-rated acoustic guitar brand?????

[milod]

Played some Taylors and wasn't impressed. Maybe it's the bolt-on necks. I never thought of it until now, but I'm not so sure it's "electric" players who may like 'em, as much as Fender electric players. Seems like everybody I know who has a Taylor has mostly been a Strat picker getting into acoustic.

 

Don't care for Martin necks, although I've a hunch that for a lotta folks the D18 would have been a better choice than the 28 or pricier.

 

Actually the big bodies of any brand really don't do that much for me most of the time - although I have 3 of 'em - because with my physical geometry they're not that comfortable to play unless I'm mostly doing bum-shush behind a fiddler or whatever with old time/bluegrass type material.

 

Still, in terms of value, I think some of the Epis can't be beaten if they're purchased and used for specific sorts of playing and a specific player's physical geometry and style of pickin'.

 

I got an Ovation Electric Legend back fairly early in the '70s for playing country in saloons electrified and to back up fiddlers doing old-time stuff. It was one of the first real AE machines. Yeah, it slud a bit, but played high such as I did with pretty much everything I played at the time and still do, it worked marvelously if a bit heavy on the treble overtones. You could make a case that the nylon "Country Artist" AE of the same generation did its job a bit better. I actually liked, and still like the necks.

 

At the time they were the only available AE boxes. I caught static for "fiberglass guitars," but there was another factor in my purchase decision, too. I played out a lot in winter. These were far less affected than wood guitars - and there was a lot less gear to haul on icy sidewalks than with an acoustic that needed miking.

 

m

[Dave F]

My question for those naming Taylor as the most Over-rated guitar on the planet is how many of you have owned a couple of them.

 

I've owned two of their higher end models and sold both of them. Nice looking, easy playing, not to bad a sound, but I just did not care for them when compred to Gibson and Martin.

Kept the first one for about 10 years and the 2nd one about three years but I don't think I would consider them overrated. Just a matter of taste. I agree with taking the right guitar to the right venue. I would have one if I was still playing worship music.

Seems like for acoustics the preference is Gibson, Martin and Takamine. I've had a couple high end Takamine's too but felt the same about them as I did the Taylor's but I wouldn't say they're overrated either.

If I was a younger man on a budget, I'd be buying Dean's. I like a lot of their designs.

I really can't think of any guitar I think as overrated.

[BluesKing777]

I am not sure of the answer because I probably haven't played enough of them! Give me another 100 years.

 

 

Though I went in to a local huge DVD/Electrical shop that have been advertising that they have moved into musical instruments in a large way as well, and I looked around for something to love and couldn't find a single thing. I was wasting a bit of time while TOH was shoppinizing up the road and I would really have liked to stay and get into the merchandise, but wow, what a load of junk. And a real, real lot of it! Who buys all this stuff? Kids? Cheapskates? Wives? A big waste of resources.

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

 

 

[Bob Isaac]

I have a Tanglewood 28DLX that is just amazing. I bought it earlier this and was made around the '90's I think. I think it has Mahogany back and sides but can't find any information on it. The tone and sustain are amazing.

 

Bob

[frenchie1281734003]

The only real way to do this is resale value. I do not like Taylors but that does mean they are over-rated. Just means I don't like them.

 

Under-rated. I would say Guild. These are some of the best sounding and built guitars on the planet and yet lag way behind others like Gibson and Martin in terms of resale value.

 

Over-rated. In a way I think much of the stuff made by companes like Gibson, Martin and Taylor is over-rated, meaning I am confident I can find as well built and as good a sounding guitar for less money.

 

+1, and a very good point made.

 

Steve.

[frenchie1281734003]

Under rated? Every early 60's and older Xbraced Goya/Levin I've ever owned. Not being in a position to accumulate guitars though, I've had to 'Sophie's Choice' 'em all out to have my favorite old Gibson and Martin models.

 

Over-rated based on price? Gibson's Jackson Browne line.

 

I used to own a sunburst 62 Levin LM-26 "Goliath" that was a lovely old thing, it had such character, but I swear it used to take 10 minutes to warm up every time I played it, before it would bloom. However, they were prone to getting high actions, although the bolt on necks made resets pretty straight forward.

 

I was very fond of the Levin, but couldn`t get on with the flat fingerboard, and thin frets, so ended up swapping it for my truly wonderful 94 Gibson J-100 Xtra. I have no regrets.

 

 

Steve.

 

Steve.

[ParlourMan]

Over-rated. In a way I think much of the stuff made by companes like Gibson, Martin and Taylor is over-rated, meaning I am confident I can find as well built and as good a sounding guitar for less money.

 

Very good point, undoubtedly there is a premium on the brands mentioned given the legacy, infamy, notoriety etc... I do agree with your point though, you can find as well built a guitar with high quality materials for less especially if you're looking for a Martinesque model/sound, they do seem to be the template for the majority of the industry. Some even have the look down to a tee, perhaps this is where Gibson fares better in that they tend to look a lot better than their copies/clones/tributes.

 

But you can get perfectly good and even great instruments outside of 2-3 American builders... Some of the Japanese Gretsch stuff is ridiculously good for the archtop fans, some European acoustic makers can rival anything from the big three but can't charge anywhere near as much. ...and again, it's only going to be as good as what you do with it, whiffy skills, whiffy sounding guitar no matter what the headstock or price-tag says.

[flatbaroque]

"whiffy skills, whiffy sounding guitar no matter what the headstock or price-tag says. '......hahah..Mel Bay's "Whiffy Skills for the Intermediate Guitarist' is one of my favourite how to books!

[Rambler]

"The only real way to do this is resale value." I dunno. Some brands, 'historic' brands, if you will, have a rep because of who they have been, even if some of what they are putting on the market falls short of the 'golden era,' so the price point on those tends to rock steady. Not to mention that guitar prices (high end, anyhow) seem impervious to the general economy.

[ballcorner]

In general I agree with the posts saying Taylor is the most overrated. But, I would also state that Martins, in their current incarnations, fit the same opinion. The current ownership/management team has taken Martin from making good guitars to just making lots of guitars. Laminate necks, overseas production (Sigma) and other choices have really devalued the brand. As the company has grown, Martin's standard series guitars have become lower quality instruments. I had an HD28V that needed a neck reset after nine months.

 

Underrated is a big topic. Breedlove made an American Series including a 12-fret 00 made in Bend, Oregon that was only $1000 ($1250 here in Canada). I don't think enough people really know about Collings. Sure, they are 1.6 times or 2.2 times as much as an equivalent Gibson, but when you get a Collings it is the only guitar you really need. They are consistently amazing. I also think Epiphone Master Built guitars deserve a mention here along with certain Seagull models. The S6 Seagull was mentioned earlier, and there is no way you can shut down the value of this amazing model. My personal favourite sleeper is the Epiphone L-00 which can be purchased used for as little as $150 with a solid sitka top and Grover tuners.

 

Still, I think the truly most underrated guitar in the world is an Ibanez nylon string with a pickup. I secretly stored one of these in my collection for many years - deadly tone in a PA system, performed on it extensively. $400 and I left pre-war Martin/Gibson guitars at home in lieu many times when I went to a jam.

[kidblast]

I don't think anyone but you said anything about hating Taylors.

 

 

Nope.. Nobody did Larry, I was just kidding.

[zombywoof]

I never get my panties in a wad over what others think of my taste in guitars. Nobody on this forum could poke more fun of some of the instruments I cherish than my friends do. It has become kinda a local joke - some abused el cheapo instrument shows up that nobody wants but somebody will shout out - hey call Woof, he will love it.

 

Our problem is we tend to tie the over-rated and under-rated thing to price tag. While the Jackson Browne guitar may be a flippin' great instrument in all respects, I find it hard to see anything that warrants a $5K+ price sticker. That price tag brings you into at least late 1940s J-45 or Walker and Kopp territory. As such in comparison you could say The JB is over-rated. And I dare say if Taylors were in the price range of Eastmans - you would be seeing a whole lot more folks praising them as the most under-rated guitars in history.

 

Take Gibson LGs for example. They are well-built and great sounding guitars. Heck, I own one. But if you add in the price tag I would say they were over-rated. I will swear all day long that my little early 1930s ladder braced, red spruce top Stella (which cost me 1/3 what the LG did), is louder, with a deeper low end and a crisper upper end than any LG 2/3 I have ever played. So why do I keep the lG-2 when I could sell it and buy more Stellas. Only one reason. I like the LG-2 and in that sense the money thing just does not really enter into it.

[milod]

For what it's worth, 80 percent of the time my "go to" to take out to a solo gig will be my least expensive instrument, an Epi PR5e. It plays very nicely, sounds very nice plugged in which is how I use it, and most of all, it's comfortable.

 

Others... well, the three dreads ain't been outa the house in close to two years. All are double or more the price tag of the Epi. I did use a Gretsch archtop, plugged in, for one solo gig where I wanted a little more "electric" sound with its mag pup. I've used a semi a cupla times. Otherwise... that little Epi, the least expensive of my 16-18 batch.

 

So... I think "value" sometimes is a matter of what and how and where you play. "Quality" as an AE of that little Epi - figure the hard case cost 1/3 as much as the instrument itself - is very high in terms of what it can do for me for what I mostly do.

 

I wish it were short scale, but even so, it handles "Last Steam Engine Train," cowboy songs or "Misty" fingerpicked quite nicely on stage. Yeah, it's plywood, small, and acoustically with light strings sounds "boxy." But "out," it's always plugged in. So...

 

I'd say that "rating" should include how one relates to his or her instrument. If it helps you play and feels like an old pair of jeans or boots so you don't think about it... it's of value. Now would "bling" make it better? I think not, so... Yes to shorter scale, yes to solid wood but... were that little box broken, it'd be replaced as fast as possible as long as it's still available somehow.

 

<grin>

 

m

[bobouz]

My question for those naming Taylor as the most Over-rated guitar on the planet is how many of you have owned a couple of them.

Ownership is not a factor.

Why would anyone buy a guitar they've played & don't like?

 

There are plenty of Taylors out there to be sampled.

I've never owned one, but have played many,

and can clearly say they do nothing for me.

 

Imho:

Overrated > Taylor.

Underrated > Guilds from the '70s.

[zombywoof]

Ownership is not a factor.

Why would anyone buy a guitar they've played & don't like?

 

 

 

It is not about like or dislike.

 

So you go up to Friend A and say you know I am thinking of buying a 1957 Triumph TR-3. He says, I have seen them on the streets, read about them in vintage car magazines, and even taken a ride in one and I think they are just fantastic cars. Then you go to Friend B and he says, boy I owned one of those suckers for 10 years. Great cars once you get the hang of the handling which can be, to say the least, "interesting" at higher speeds and keep up with the routine maintenance like lubing the front trunnions every 100 miles. And while you are at it you had better dig of a manual to figure out the Lucas wiring system. They do not call Joseph Lucas the "Pince of Darkness" for nothing.

[Murph]

For what it's worth, 80 percent of the time my "go to" to take out to a solo gig will be my least expensive instrument

 

I'm the opposite. I almost always take my best stuff. I figure that's why I bought it.

[MissouriPicker]

Same here. Almost all of my indoor gigs, especially nice eating establishments are places I take my Gibsons. I'll also take them to outdoor parties if the weather is dry and not too hot/cold. The rest of the time I take a beater. Some of which are pretty nice instruments.

[milod]

I think it's a matter of size/shape for me, plus the AE thing.

 

I wish the little Epi had real wood and, frankly, the shorter scale. The name on the head is kinda irrelevant in ways.

 

In terms of "what's best," for me it's playability and purpose.

 

For years for me it was the 175. This works better year-round where I live for most of the occasional gigs I play.

 

The price tag wasn't considered - just playability and purpose.

 

"Feel" wise, it's kinda a 175 feel with an AE/small flattop sound for a fingerpicker, which is what I use it for.

 

Again, I used it at a cowboy music gig that had some Brit music vid pros doing some recording, and they didn't have a clue to the price tag and said the guitar sounded great. Again, it was plugged through the board. I think it's a bit boxy sounding unplugged, but then, so are most smaller guitars with light strings.

 

m

[rsqdvr]

I saw the Seagull S-6 in here, Underrated? I don't believe that, I have always read very good reviews about it, So I tried, Liked and bought myself one.

 

Epi"s underrated? yep I agree with that... Taylor?? well I have a DN-3 I think this one is underrated, I really like mine although my Gibson gets more play time.

 

I think overrated could be any of the big names depending on what forum you ask, But for me the Boutique guitars are over priced thus to me overrated.

[MissouriPicker]

1000% agreement on the boutique guitars. In my view, they're easily the most over-rated guitars----No guitar is worth $6000+ to me unless I can immediately sell it and make money on it. Any Taylor, Gibson, Martin, or guitar made by some guy who only makes two guitars per year, or a guitar made by God that sells for much over 3000 is over-rated. There is absolutely no way that a $5000 J200 (whatever tv, custom, etc) is nearly $3000 better than my J150. Not in sound. Not in wood. Not in inlay. Not in craftsmanship. They're over-priced and over-rated.

[bobouz]

It is not about like or dislike.

 

So you go up to Friend A and say you know I am thinking of buying a 1957 Triumph TR-3. He says, I have seen them on the streets, read about them in vintage car magazines, and even taken a ride in one and I think they are just fantastic cars. Then you go to Friend B and he says, boy I owned one of those suckers for 10 years. Great cars once you get the hang of the handling which can be, to say the least, "interesting" at higher speeds and keep up with the routine maintenance like lubing the front trunnions every 100 miles. And while you are at it you had better dig of a manual to figure out the Lucas wiring system. They do not call Joseph Lucas the "Pince of Darkness" for nothing.

Well, I understand what you're saying when you apply it to a Triumph car (or motorcycle). Still struggling when tying the analogy to a Taylor guitar, as I don't think ownership would reveal a whole lot more where it matters (tone & playability), unless it had, oh maybe a Lucas onboard preamp. Now there's a dark thought!

[zombywoof]

Well, I understand what you're saying when you apply it to a Triumph car (or motorcycle). Still struggling when tying the analogy to a Taylor guitar, as I don't think ownership would reveal a whole lot more where it matters (tone & playability), unless it had, oh maybe a Lucas onboard preamp. Now there's a dark thought!

 

I rode a Triumph motorcyle for a couple of decades and the first thing you learn to do is to dump the Lucas wiring system and replace it with a Bosch wiring harness.

 

With guitars, it generally takes me a while to figure them out. I tried to settle in with a Guild-D25 - an early one with the mahogany top and flat back - not once but twice. Really nice sounding guitars and I enjoyed playing them (although the neck was a bit slim). But when I finally got around to taking it out of the house I found it did not have the presence or oomph to cut through the mix and would just get drowned out when other guitars were in the room.

[bobouz]

With guitars, it generally takes me a while to figure them out. I tried to settle in with a Guild-D25 - an early one with the mahogany top and flat back - not once but twice. Really nice sounding guitars and I enjoyed playing them (although the neck was a bit slim). But when I finally got around to taking it out of the house I found it did not have the presence or oomph to cut through the mix and would just get drowned out when other guitars were in the room.

Okay, I definitely get that!

[Ovation12]

Hey,

 

I think Martins are quite Over-priced and over-rated, and Yamaha and Ovations are Under-rated.

[EuroAussie]

Hey,

 

I think Martins are quite Over-priced and over-rated, and Yamaha and Ovations are Under-rated.

 

You missed the boat by three years on this thread .... although I think Ovations are utter rubbish.

 

I think Eastman is possibly under rated, but not much as they do get a lot of praise. Cort's Earth series are fantastic guitar in the $300 range and dont get enough appreciation. I think Martin is significantly over rated and Taylor .... dont even start me on those metrosexual devices.