# Looking for a good workhorse



## Scriptor (Jun 12, 2015)

Hello!
Excuse my english writting who need to be better...
I'm looking for a good acoustic who are solid and can face lots of live show. It have to be precise, stay sharp with a capo and alternative tunning mostly in drop D, DAGDAD.
I play fingerpick and pick strumming, so I will prefer a OM size body without cutaway but with a long scale.

For the money I want to pay less than 1200$ with the electronic.

I tried the Taylor 114e: i love the sound but not shure about the realibility....

Thanks in advance for your advices


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

From what I have seen, Takamine seems to be the go to for an electric acoustic. The EF series is likely the one in your budget range and you can do well with your budget. Here is a link for you. And don't worry about your English. It is way better than my French.

Kijiji Canada


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Yeah, ... I know


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

D-18


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## StratCat (Dec 30, 2013)

Yamaha LL16.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

Since a smaller body is desirable perhaps the Yamaha LS16... All solid, electronics, no cutaway.


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## Blind Dog (Mar 4, 2016)

I got my minty Larrivee OM-O3 Custom, used, for what you have budgeted. Boutique quality @ rack price. My main squeeze -- it hangs with the _very_ best.

Gorgeous country, Gatineau.



Enjoy your search.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

But for the budget, you would have to go on the used market.
Brand new in your range : Seagull S6 ? Seagull Performer.
Larrivee OM-05 (spruce/mahogany) are quite hard to find.
Martin OOO/OM-18 or GPCPA4
Guild F-30
Unfortunately, Eastman are hard to find and we do not know about reliability.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Make sure you look at the Simon & Patrick Showcase series. I play fingerstyle in various tunings as well as strumming with a pick and mine has held up very well.


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## tonenut (Mar 1, 2019)

Try a Seagull: a nice made in Canada guitar at a favourable price. I have a 12 string Seagull, never let me down and sounds great!


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

tonenut said:


> Try a Seagull: a nice made in Canada guitar at a favourable price. I have a 12 string Seagull, never let me down and sounds great!





bw66 said:


> Make sure you look at the Simon & Patrick Showcase series. I play fingerstyle in various tunings as well as strumming with a pick and mine has held up very well.


Yes, either of these guitars might be a good choice, The S & P Showcase and the Seagull Artist. They are similar guitars with a different headstock, obviously. The S & P has a 1.72 nut width and the Seagull a 1.8".


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Seagull and Simon & Patrick are good choices. Yamaha also makes sensational acoustics.


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## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

...another +1 for Seagull; look for the Artist series with the Baggs electronics.


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## 12 stringer (Jan 5, 2019)

Never - ever - apologize for your English skills (or lack of). Now, you may want to visit Class Axe in Kemptville which is not that far from you. They have a sweet Simon & Patrick Showcase Rosewood (solid). No cutaway, no electronics, Concert size (so, so close to OM) and gorgeous slotted head stock. You can get a Schatten HFN Passive for around $150 and they, by all accounts, are top of the line and real easy to install. The guitar is just over $1000 w/case. I was going to get that one until I came across a too-good-to-pass-up deal on kijiji. Bonne Chance!

Here's the link to it: S+P Showcase Concert Hall Rosewood


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## brucew (Dec 30, 2017)

Was in the city yesterday, had the opportunity to play both the yamaha ll16 and that new yamaha with the reverb/tremelo chip/controls.
Both, IMPO played very nice, very comfortably. The one with the chip was kinda cool, sure they'll sell tons of them.

The ll16 to my ear reminded me somewhat of the eastman 10 series? Definitely richer sound than say my fs800? Fairly bright sounding but not offensively so? All subjective of course, just trying to describe.


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

I have a Yamaha LL (not sure which one atm...but it is the original jumbo body) and personally, I would place it above the Eastman offerings, although I have only played the Eastman archtops, not the acoustics. I have jammed with a professional musician that uses a LL with electronics (not sure which model...) as his regular workhorse.
They have a crisp tone and decent neck. Excellent construction/inlay/fretwork. I'm sure mine is pre 'ART', not sure how that changes anything. The finish has yellowed to a beautiful shade, unlike lots of other cheap poly coated guitars I have owned.
The case that the LLs come in (if they are still the same), the foam filled, fur lined, ballistic cloth outside, is superior to a tolex/etc hard case, IMO. Just keep cats away from it as something about the texture they cant keep their paws off of!

Lots of people are down on Yamaha, but my campfire guitar, my loaner guitar (aex-520) and one of my main acoustics (the LL..) are yamahas. All excellent guitars and excellent value, IMO of course. I would sell my Martin before my Yamaha.

C


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## brucew (Dec 30, 2017)

Trying the ll16 was a large part of the trip for me(maybe interested in an LS16)
Nice playing Solid wood guitar at that price point? That's a Lot of guitar for the money IMO.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

brucew said:


> Trying the ll16 was a large part of the trip for me(maybe interested in an LS16)
> Nice playing Solid wood guitar at that price point? * That's a Lot of guitar for the money IMO*.


I am with you on that. I've never heard another guitar ring out like that. There is something in that design that Yamaha has nailed.



brucew said:


> The ll16 to my ear reminded me somewhat of the eastman 10 series? Definitely richer sound than say my fs800? Fairly bright sounding but not offensively so? All subjective of course, just trying to describe.


In the ones I have played I feel your assessment is pretty close to what I experienced. I like a little more bass than the Yamaha provided so it didn't come home with me. It was superb on all other counts.


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## Scriptor (Jun 12, 2015)

Wow!
Thanks for all the answers. You guy's gave me some issues that I did not think about like Yamaha LL series for example. I'm a slow buyer but i defetly gave you a feed back of my researchs.

By the way, i own a seagull entourage dread with cutaway with a cedar top. I will defenetly concider this brand too for the realability. It followed on a ciment floor once (thanks to my drummer) but the guitar survived with no problem, only a scratch on a tuning key. The only things i hate is the neck is a little bit too wide and they godin pickup system.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Scriptor said:


> Wow!
> Thanks for all the answers. You guy's gave me some issues that I did not think about like Yamaha LL series for example. I'm a slow buyer but i defetly gave you a feed back of my researchs.
> 
> By the way, i own a seagull entourage dread with cutaway with a cedar top. I will defenetly concider this brand too for the realability. It followed on a ciment floor once (thanks to my drummer) but the guitar survived with no problem, only a scratch on a tuning key. The only things i hate is the neck is a little bit too wide and they godin pickup system.



Seagull makes some models with normal width necks. I believe the info is available on their website as a chart in .pdf form which lists specs for all of their guitars so that you can see them all at once.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

brucew said:


> The ll16 to my ear reminded me somewhat of the eastman 10 series? Definitely richer sound than say my fs800? Fairly bright sounding but not offensively so? All subjective of course, just trying to describe.



I'm not familiar with the Eastmans. I wish I was because I have an LL6 (same as the LL16 but with laminate back and sides because I cannot be trusted to care for an all wood acoustic) and am curious about the comparison you made.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Cardamonfrost said:


> I have a Yamaha LL (not sure which one atm...but it is the original jumbo body) and personally, I would place it above the Eastman offerings, although I have only played the Eastman archtops, not the acoustics. I have jammed with a professional musician that uses a LL with electronics (not sure which model...) as his regular workhorse.
> They have a crisp tone and decent neck. Excellent construction/inlay/fretwork. I'm sure mine is pre 'ART', not sure how that changes anything. The finish has yellowed to a beautiful shade, unlike lots of other cheap poly coated guitars I have owned.
> The case that the LLs come in (if they are still the same), the foam filled, fur lined, ballistic cloth outside, is superior to a tolex/etc hard case, IMO. Just keep cats away from it as something about the texture they cant keep their paws off of!
> 
> ...



I used to be down on Yamahas, probably because of their cheaper models. Actually I wasn't even down on them, I simply paid them no notice as if they didn't exist. Then I bought my LL6 and that stupid prejudice went right out the window.


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## Cardamonfrost (Dec 12, 2018)

colchar said:


> I used to be down on Yamahas, probably because of their cheaper models. Actually I wasn't even down on them, I simply paid them no notice as if they didn't exist. Then I bought my LL6 and that stupid prejudice went right out the window.


Yup, same here. I bought my AEX-520 because I thought it looked cool and the place that had it was going out of business so I got it at cost. I was 16-17? I had no idea until years later how good it actually was when I started playing a lot of guitars (that were WAY more expensive).

C


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## sitka.bc (Apr 14, 2018)

Gibson J-45 is the de facto "workhorse".


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