Acoustic guitar question- what to buy?

[gchappel]

My wife played in a folk group many years ago- like in the 70's. She has not played guitar in years, but had a ball at a recent reunion with the group.
I was thinking of picking up a decent guitar for her as a gift.
Her guitar died a horrible crushing death in a move 20 years ago.
I am looking for a warm sounding acoustic- but I know diddle about guitars.
Will spend up to a $1000 or so. I am not looking for a collectable- this will get used, but a good instrument.
I was looking at one of the Yamaha's- looked ok, but thought I would ask for guidance.
Any ideas from the braintrust here?
Thanks
Gary

[scottmandue]

A friend of mine who is a professional musician has a Taylor that sounds and plays super nice.

He was playing it Sunday and I thought to myself "dang that sounds great!"

And I'm a bit of a guitar snob.

YMMV

[JR Indy]

Musician's Friend | Your Online Music Instrument & Pro Audio Store | Best Prices, Great Service provides good reviews. Go play many at the local shop, like guitar center if they are available in your area. At that price range Martin, Taylor and Gibson are the "standards" and all are very well made. It really comes down to the sound you prefer, and if you want accoustic, or accoustic / electric if playing with a band or in large venues (Office parties, etc.) I prefer Martin for the warm sound, but also have an accoustic electric Carvin that sounds more like a Taylor. Have fun shopping, you can't go wrong with the three I listed, though like I said it is greatly a matter of sound preference.

[craigster59]

The guitar market is very soft right now. You can get good deals on used. If you're buying new I would try Seagull, Larrivee' or Takamine. Here are some on The Acoustic Guitar Forum that are good deals..
Silver Creek T-170 with K&K PU and harcase - The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Larrivee walnut/bearclaw parlor - The Acoustic Guitar Forum

[ramonesfreak]

if $1000 is your max and you want new, i would get a martin D15

if you raise your budget by $500 you will have alot more to choose from in both new and used...lower end taylor, vintage guild etc..

[gchappel]

Thanks for the input so far. I can go $1500 if it would be helpful- don't want to be dollar foolish.
I think I would try to stay new, as it is a gift.
Gary

[JR Indy]

IMHO very subtle differences above $1000, the Martin D15 listed above is a fine rythm guitar. But, I as mentioned above, I am biased toward Martins for the warm sound.

[ramonesfreak]

then go look at some Taylors. apparently they do offer some sub-$1,000 models but im not familiar with them at all, whether they are made over seas, etc...i suspect they are but i dont know.

i had an old taylor 410 and wish i never sold it.

the only sub-$1,000 taylors i am familiar with are the "Baby Taylor" models and they are very nice, though obviously not full size..which can actually be a benefit

Wildwood Guitars | Taylor Guitars | Baby Series

at $1,500 you have alot of choices and it would be best to go to a small guitar shop and not Guitar Center if you dont know what your looking for. a small shop will know the models well and give you a tour of the various differences in woods, finishes, necks, tones etc....and play them for you if you dont play.

the best thing to do really is have your wife play the guitars and choose what she likes...a guitar is a very personal thing to choose....not that i wouldnt love being surprised with one as a gift....while not the most exciting way to give the gift, the best thing to do probably is to give a gift certificate and then she can spend the day in the shop hand picking the one she loves...as a guitar player, i know that this is what i would prefer to be given

if you must buy the guitar, i would absolutely make sure that you inquire whether the guitar can be exchanged for something else if your wife doesnt like it. a small shop might do this for you, assuming its in as-new condition and returned quickly

remember, all guitars are different. taylors as i remember do have nice small, fast necks and are great for those with small hands/fingers

[ramonesfreak]

if your not a guitar player and know exactly what your looking for, stay away from used acoustic guitars...there are many structural problems/repairs you might not notice. stick with a new instrument, preferably american made

[scottmandue]

Again IMHO you get more guitar with a Taylor...

With a Martin or Gibson you are paying for the name.

If I closed my eyes when my friend plays his Taylor I could swear it was a Martin.

[pete3799]

+1 on the Martin.
Have had a D18 for 30 some odd years and love it.

[targa911S]

Taylor and Seagull are a lot for the money. Gibson and Martin make you pay that "name tax".
Look at used Guilds, very under rated quality guitars.

[daepp]

Taylor - she'll keep it for the rest of her life. It's worth the cost. 15 yers ago I bought a 510 and have never regretted it. Then it was $1500 - don't know now. Probably more - maybe go used. Acoustic guitars get better with age!

[azasadny]

My son has really enjoyed his "Taylor Big Baby" and it is not quite full size, so it's easier to handle and produces nice deep sound. The "action" is easy to get used to...

[nostatic]

While I agree about the name tax, I still am a fan of Martin. I have an OM-21 that is a great guitar. Before that I had a 00-21 for many years.

There are a couple of things to think about. How does she play the guitar? Does she finger pick or strum? Is body size an issue? I vastly prefer "auditorium" style instruments over dreadnaughts. I also prefer a wider neck for doing fingerstyle work.

A couple to ponder:

MARTIN 000-16GT GLOSS TOP GUITAR & CASE 00016GT - Elderly Instruments

If you want a pickup built in:

MARTIN OM-1E GUITAR & CASE,ONE-SERIES SOLID WOOD OM with FISHMAN PICKUP & PRESYS PLUS ONBOARD EQ OM1E - Elderly Instruments

My personal fav (within reasonable budget):

MARTIN OM-21 GUITAR & CASE OM21 - Elderly Instruments

I got my OM21 used for about $1000 iirc.

If she likes dreadnaughts, hard to go wrong with a used D-18.

[craigster59]

With $1500 as a budget, you can get a used Taylor 512 for that price as opposed to $2700 new. And as Todd said, a Martin OM-21 can be had cheaper. When you get into higher end guitars, loose braces or worn frets aren't a factor. The guitars are usually very well taken care of. Just trying to get you more bang for your buck.

[911pcars]

A musical instrument could be a personal thing. As a neophyte, your choosing may not coincide with her musical aesthetics. playing style, etc. Can you go shopping with her after surprising her with a gift certificate for a guitar?

FWIW,
Sherwood

[gchappel]

Thanks so much for the great input and direction. I will do some shopping, and now at least have some clue as to what to look at.
I really need to have a thing in a box- gift certificate would not work. Plus, she would likely settle for the $200 store special. I will use a place with a liberal return/exchange policy.
Thanks again- and I will be off to listen. Probably be a couple of weeks, but I will let you know what I end up with.
Gary

[AirKuhl]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

A musical instrument could be a personal thing. As a neophyte, your choosing may not coincide with her musical aesthetics. playing style, etc. Can you go shopping with her after surprising her with a gift certificate for a guitar?

FWIW,
Sherwood

This.

Acoustic guitars have a lot of variety even within the same model run. Let her play a bunch and pick one out that she bonds with.

[VINMAN]

While not in the same league as a Martin or Taylor, this is on eof my fave guitars ive owned.

Fender, Stratacoustic.