tw2_usa Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 I've been frequenting guitar stores all over So. California for well over a year now (I drive a lot in my job and have time to kill along the way) and there's a lot of them. I've played hundreds of guitars, many priced in the $2-$4 thousand dollar range. There are very, very few fine guitars. I'm grateful that this experience has developed and trained my ear, that was the goal. Still, regardless of brand, most lack either balance, or dynamics, or character or nuance for this amount of money. I've arrived at thinking that all these guitars are overpriced. They're overbuilt too. I read in a posting here that the top makers overbuild the guitars intentionally to save on warranty issues. This I've decided is quite true. Much as I love many of the models I've played, and am partial to Gibson acoustics, for this money there is rarely a "fine" quality, regardless of the size of the retailer. I think when the time comes to invest in a fine guitar, I will most likely find a vintage for far less money than a new guitar. The only exception to this rule I've seen is the J-45TV series and the Martin D-18GE. Most of the fine ones I found were these models. Along with some of the higher end Breedloves. Why can't these majors sell lighter built guitars, with more finely tuned overtones rather than just basic fundamentals with twang. I would think anyone paying upwards of $2500 for a guitar is going to respect it enough not to turn it into a warranty case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryp58 Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Hooray for the "True Vintage" series!!!! As I've posted before, I believe that the TV series guitars are a great deal for the money. For the little higher sticker price, you get a guitar that's a "notch above" the Modern Classic line. I am in no way saying that the MC series guitars are inferior guitars. They are Gibsons "to the bone". I'm saying that the TV series is a "better" guitar, built with a little more attention to detail and specs without being overpriced to the point where stupidity comes into play. (Aaron Lewis Signature) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PickitPaul Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 I love my Southern Jumbo TV - it is really a great all around guitar. Fingerpicking, Flatpicking, every style. Bought it used, so it was not really out there. Has sitka top. Larry does your TV have sitka or adi ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Wow. Stunning. :- Forgive me if I don't throw all my worthless guitars on your fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgwoods Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Over built according to some, built to last according to others. Frankly I think a lot of boutique builders lighter hot rods, with their guarantee as long as the builder is in business, will prove to be under built. Their owners will get a few happy years bragging about their killer guitars followed by sunken tops, warped necks and no resale value at all. Fine, I suppose, if you can afford it. My J-185 TV is a fine guitar, great tone, will improve with age, and 40 years from now my son will pass it on to his kids. I like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoss Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Interesting observations re: light build. I've never measured the thickness, but I would not be surprised to find that the tops of guitars today are generally thicker than the 'great' guitars of the mid-30's. THAT SAID---- the single, lightest J45 I've ever come across was a TV from the fabled batch made a few years ago. Red spruce top. Light, light light-- it wanted to float up and away from your lap. Perhaps the top of this guitar was thicker than a vintage instrument-- who cares? It was terrific sounding; I had to rush home and play my '46 to reassure myself that I didn't 'need' that guitar. I foolishly passed on it -new- on sale for $2000. It sounded great- not vintage great- but I would bet that guitar will be amazing with 5 years of hard playing. And I am once again kicking myself. Thanks for bringing this all back to me....:- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 I like my old clunky J45RW just fine..... :- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swicket Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Ditto. I wouldn't trade my 2000 J45 for a TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suburude63 Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 The trick is "Never Pay Retail" Never! :) I have bought mint $5000 -$6000 custom very lightly built, dynamic incredible sounding guitars used for $2000. Pateince is the key. Never pay retail ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryp58 Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 I love my Southern Jumbo TV - it is really a great all around guitar. Fingerpicking' date=' Flatpicking, every style. Bought it used, so it was not really out there. Has sitka top. Larry does your TV have sitka or adi ?[/quote'] It has a beautiful Sitka top. One of the better grained Sitka tops I've seen on a guitar. Which is what you'd expect on the TV series, exceptional woods, finish, etc. I hope your SJ sounds as good as mine!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw2_usa Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 Over built according to some' date=' built to last according to others. Frankly I think a lot of boutique builders lighter hot rods, with their guarantee as long as the builder is in business, will prove to be under built. Their owners will get a few happy years bragging about their killer guitars followed by sunken tops, warped necks and no resale value at all. Fine, I suppose, if you can afford it. My J-185 TV is a fine guitar, great tone, will improve with age, and 40 years from now my son will pass it on to his kids. I like that. [/quote'] I appreciate this forum for being able to put out a viewpoint and get helpful, honest response, what with all the spin, marketing, and general BS out there these days... I've grown very skeptical of the idea of guitars opening up over time. Particularly since the lighter build guitars I've played already seem 'opened up' while the heavier ones seem tight and like I said, mainly fundamentals. But jgwoods makes a great point I think. Thanks all for keeping the dialogue going so I can continue to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterGibs Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 That is why I decided to trust my friend - a master luthier and he made for me a special custom guitar for about 1500 Euro. He is not overbuilding the top. He is according the resonance frequencies of the top and the back using this method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS8L7xPmtP0 The final result is simply amazing. This is impossible to be done in a guitar fabric where they produce series of guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.