Need advice on choosing a good electro-accoustic Gibson

[tsol]

Hi

 

I got used to play mostly on electric guitars (strat, lespaul, flying V, es-175) , the neck i feel the best playing at is the one i got on my ES-175. Recently, i had an in-store trade in offer for some other guitar, unfortunately the store had a limited choice of electro accoustic models and the one i have chosen was a Martin & Co DCME. ($1,700)

 

It's been now for about 2 days that i have this DCME at home, and yet i hate it . I don't want to sound like someone spitting on Martin guitars, because it is a very respectable brand and afterall, this DCME is well built and sounds amazing etc., but the what i hate is this typical folk style neck that i just can't get used to. I play mostly jazz/blues - rock, and i want to walk with my fingers on the whole neck though. It is just impossible to play easily for me the same style of jazz phrasing in the middle of the neck and descending lower etc the string action is pretty high and it is very hard to play and that's why i hate it. Further more, i don't want to have this pretty pricey guitar sitting in a closet, thats why i'm gonna take it to another store and do a trade in for another electro accoustic guitar which i will feel better playing. That's why i'm thinking of a Gibson.

 

I wan't an electro accoustic guitar from Gibson that would have a neck that plays similar to the one i have on the ES-175 and or the Flying V.

 

How about those SJ-200 Jumbo?

 

I'm thinking of that Songwriter Deluxe Modern Classic Cutaway

 

any other recommendations?

 

thanks

[Rambler]

J185 modern classic. Same size/shape as the es175 (16"w), comes with pickup & probably will find the neck more to your liking. Maple b/s. The CJ165 (15"w) would work, plus have option of mpl, rw or hog b/s. J200 at 17" would be a bear to handle by comparison. J45mc plays easier than a martin but might be a little too folkie still.

[zombywoof]

Not sure from the thread if what is bothering you most is the Martin's neck profile or action. Also not sure what you mean by a folk style neck.

 

If you have not played alot of acoustic ya might give it a bit more time. I have been playing acoustic and electric for some 40 years - mostly 50s Fender electrics and the same era Gibson acoustics - and still tend to have to take a bit of time to re-adapt going from one to the other after a while of exclusive use. Pick angle, choice of pick thickness, how hard ya strum chords are going to be different even with an electro-acoustic.

 

While as a rule of thumb, an acoustic should have a slightly higher action than an electric ya might try taking the Martin to have it setup to your specifcations. A good tech will tell ya what you can and cannot do in terms of playability.

 

But the point is, after only two days, you are just starting to get the feel of an acoustic. I would venture to guess that no matter what brand - even a Gibson, which I still feel are the finest acoustics on the face of the earth, might leave you unhappy after only a couple of days.

 

Yet another possibility is use an electric guitar style pickup. I still use an old DeArmond 210 single coil, which is essentially an electric guitar pickup. Not sure what is out there today but I am sure somebody makes a pickup for an acoustic which produced a sound when the metal strings pass over a magnet as opposed to creating sound by the guitars vibrations. Mind you though, these pickups do not produce the most acoustic sound and are not favored by alot of players (when I first got mine the DeArmond was about all that was available).

 

Good Luck/

[jefleppard]

look for one of these. i played one the other day and it reminded me of a 175. it has an electric guitar p/u in the neck position and an under bridge transducer. it also has a sweet jumbo-ish acoustic sound.

 

http://www.elderly.com/items/20U-7956.htm

[gearbasher]

I play an ES-165 Herb Ellis, basically a one pick-up 175. My choice of acoustic is the J-45. The biggest difference, to me, is string spacing. My J-45s have a wider spacing. I actually prefer that.

[tsol]

Not sure from the thread if what is bothering you most is the Martin's neck profile or action. Also not sure what you mean by a folk style neck.

 

If you have not played alot of acoustic ya might give it a bit more time. I have been playing acoustic and electric for some 40 years - mostly 50s Fender electrics and the same era Gibson acoustics - and still tend to have to take a bit of time to re-adapt going from one to the other after a while of exclusive use. Pick angle' date=' choice of pick thickness, how hard ya strum chords are going to be different even with an electro-acoustic.

 

While as a rule of thumb, an acoustic should have a slightly higher action than an electric ya might try taking the Martin to have it setup to your specifcations. A good tech will tell ya what you can and cannot do in terms of playability.

 

But the point is, after only two days, you are just starting to get the feel of an acoustic. I would venture to guess that no matter what brand - even a Gibson, which I still feel are the finest acoustics on the face of the earth, might leave you unhappy after only a couple of days.

 

Yet another possibility is use an electric guitar style pickup. I still use an old DeArmond 210 single coil, which is essentially an electric guitar pickup. Not sure what is out there today but I am sure somebody makes a pickup for an acoustic which produced a sound when the metal strings pass over a magnet as opposed to creating sound by the guitars vibrations. Mind you though, these pickups do not produce the most acoustic sound and are not favored by alot of players (when I first got mine the DeArmond was about all that was available).

 

Good Luck/ [/quote']

 

well, i visited today a few different stores, tried those Gibson as mentioned above and also a couple of Taylor, some other Martin, a Takamine, a Yamaha and one Guild. They felt a pretty much the same if not worse for some models, except the Taylor neck felt much more thinner which i didn't really like either. DOH.. Well, i think i must admit that i had a moment of panic and started out this thread for some obvious reason. Now i realize that; as you say, i must give it a bit more time, etc plus, the in-store trade in deals for my Martin to get some other guitar didn't sound good at all, and finally the Martin sounded amazing when i tried it on a good amp. So 'im gonna get the Martin set up for my needs and just give it more time. But of course, i would have preferred one of those acoustics from Gibson tho..

 

anyways , thanks for the recommendations.

[Rambler]

Glad to offer our suggestions. Those low profile (ie Taylor) necks can be a pain, ie hard on the fretting hand. Better to have some meat on it (which I presume your 175 has). Im wondering if string gauge is an issue. What are you sing [oops, strings] on your Es? Even a light acoudtic set (12s) can seem beefy if you are used to slinkys. Whatever, Im still thinking a Gibson is your best shot if only because the neck radius (12) is an easier transition from electric than Martin (& Taylors?) 16. Other Gib a/es include the Star and the LC series. Or, Archtops? Maybe a nice old L48?

[tsol]

What are you sing on your Es? Even a light acoudtic set (12s) can seem beefy if you are used to slinkys. Whatever' date=' Im still thinking a Gibson is your best shot if only because the neck radius (12) is an easier transition from electric than Martin (& Taylors?) 16. Other Gib A/es include the Star and the LC series. Or, Archtops? Maybe a nice old L48? [/quote']

 

its been not long ago i have the ES-175 (1990), the what i have put on it sounded something like "11-48 flatwound jazz strings" and it plays really amazing, its probably one of the best guitar i ever owned and its the one i feel playing the best, i will never be selling it for any price. it just tops in all aspects of quality .. and of course the tone is just amazing. btw, when i think i'm praising this ES of 1990 so much, i wonder how would feel and sound some of those +$20-30k "vintage" ones ;o)

 

here is the thread i started about my ES-175 that other day:

 

http://forums.gibson.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=2727