# NEW or USED and what guitar is the best value out there?



## blaren (May 6, 2006)

OK..a little background.

I'm 47. Been playing in bars since I was twelve. Yes that's true.
Never really owned a great acoustic though.

My band Joe Public plays a lot of festivals in the spring through to the end of summer. 
There isn't much better than camping out in the performers' area and hanging out with a bunch of fellow musicians for a weekend. I like the morning campfire jams but the late night ones...I don't drink much anymore so after playing on stage late on a Saturday night I like to sit by my own camp's fire alone and just listen to all the other sites' jams going on nearby. I can sit there staring into the fire for hours just enjoying all the music.

Well, at a festival in early June, we decided to act like rockstars (idiots lol) and do a little drinking...kinda incorporate it into our show. I'm not recommending this to anyone but I drank a 26 of Jim Beam on the stage during our set. I know right? A 26 in an hour...I don't believe it either...but..I threw the cap into the audience when we started...we had a few chicks dancing on the stage with us so I passed the bottle around once but other than that...by the end of our set the bottle was empty. The drummer had a bottle of Jaeger and bassist had southern comfort...point is..I wasn't really sharing.
ANYWAY...at about 4am I found myself leading a jam around a blurry fire on buddy's Martin D35. I was blown away..mainly by it's power but also it's ability to project when playing softly and it felt nice too.
That was all it took. I decided then and there that I was finally gonna get myself a deadly acoustic.

I placed a kijiji ad and made a trip to a music store to try EVERYTHING I could get my hands on so that I could decide what kijiji unit I would try to get.

The main point so far is that...I decided to get a nice acoustic and I went to a store to try LOTS of guitars.

So I'd like to offer my advice to anyone who is in the position I was in. I was looking for a great deal on a great guitar but wanted one that I could take to the campfire. I didn't want the most bling I could afford, I wanted all my money to go into tone and playability. 

I soon learned that people with high end acoustics..or even just NICE acoustics usually take very good care of them. It isn't hard to find used guitars in mint or near mint condition. AND...when you consider that spruce tops sound better the more they are played...well a used one has already begun to be "seasoned".
I was looking for something in the $1000.00 plus range...up to like say $1500 or so.

In a NEW guitar for that price you can get really good instruments. A Martin D16 is a good example. They're like a grand new and sound like a martin. You arent paying for a bunch of fancy appointments or even a gloss finish on the back and sides which is perfect for me since I dont want to be terrified of scratching or putting a ding in my "campfire" guitar. Of course I'm not looking for a mainly campfire unit..I want a GOOD one that I CAN bring to the fire without being on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Of course our Canadian (Godin) brands are good values in this range too. You know..the Seagull (solid wood models), S&P..and you can even get great axes for under 500 bones in an A&L. 

I think the BEST value...maybe one of the best guitars all the way up to $4000 neighbourhood is a $600 Stanford Performer Series. Made in China but AWESOME solid wood finely built guitars. That's $600 NEW!! Problem is you can't get one in North America. Right now there are a couple on eBay though so you CAN get em.

If you could find a used one you'd be LAUGHING and might not ever have to buy another acoustic ever. You definitely will NOT find anything WAY better for under $3K IMHO. Of course...that is all subjective.

If you want to spend around $1500 or less I think the best deal out there is a used Stonebridge. I found a G24-SR and got it for $1200!!! MINT condition. It's a 2006. Axe tag in the case listed it at $2850.

MAN did I get lucky!! I did not find a single guitar in the store that day that beat it and I tried $8000 Martins and Taylors. The other great thing about Stonebridges...or ANY non popular brand...they carry a lower resale value than say a Martin Gibson or Taylor. People just pay more for the big names. Good for us who don't care what it says on the headstock.
I won't go into a huge description of the Stonebridge. If you're in the market you owe it to yourself to do some googling and researching the brand and reviews.

The moral?..well..if you're going to be buying an acoustic in the near future...
Seriously consider used. A lot of the time units are in mint shape and they can be had for WAY less than the price of a new one.
IF you must get brand new and want something for less than say $1500...Seagulls are nice but you can get a Martin D16 for $1080.00. Guild probably has some decent stuff in that range but why not stick to Canadian or US made?
BUT..
IF you can get your hands on one...a Stanford Performer Series will BLOW AWAY any seagull and martin D16 etc. Reviews I have read say they'll blow the doors off even D18s and 28s and HD 18s and 28s. For around six hundred bucks...WHAT??


If you can live with used...keep your eyes open for a great price on a used Stonebridge 22,23, or 24 series. I guarantee you'll love it. Well..I suppose you might not like a 1.750" neck..or guitars that play and sound like GOD...but if you DON'T love it...I'LL buy it from you if the price is right!

SO...try as hard as you can to lay your hands on a Stanford. Good luck. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for a used Stonebridge. You will NOT be disappointed.

What I would suggest is to go to the music store, try a bunch of guitars out, figure-out what you like best then look for a used one of that model.

Good luck on the hunt.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

See drinkin' causes trouble. I always recommend an 80's higher end Yamaha for campfires... the better ones have spruce tops and rosewood back and sides ( but a plywood)


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## Grenvilleter (Dec 22, 2007)

I have a Stanford Performer and it has almost cured me of GAS. I was fortunate enough to get a hold of one (PSD-21 -Sitka over Sapele) about 2 years ago. I'm happy to say the honeymoon is not over yet and I would not part with it even if offered 3 X what I paid.
I'll admit, the top is not visually striking and has a couple pin knots however, I'm a player, not a "poser". 

All Stanfords imported into North America (quantity- 102)were 2006 models and one has to be careful when buying sight unseen. The box is lightly braced and string tension on some has shifted the body to a point where the neck angle turned out to be too shallow so if you do ever see one on e-bay or whatever, make sure there is enough saddle showing to allow future or current set-ups. Other than that, they are/were, IMO, one of the best import guitars available.

Most folks who play it think it cost me over 2k. I'd really like to come across a rosewood model sometime when I have some extra cash. They really are a true gem sound wise if you find a good one. Even one with a poorly set neck angle would be worth the cost of having it repaired if purchased at the right price.


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## Ginnie (Jul 18, 2011)

I always check out the used market first. I figure if a guitar is five, ten, twenty years old and it still feels and sounds good, then it will continue to do so in the future. 
And most of time I find new acoustics too tinny sounding - I think with age they get a deeper tone. Now mind you, I'm talking about guitars under $1000 - I couldn't afford anything more than that so usually I don't even try them out (no need to get tempted!).

When I saw my 1964 model Harmony H-74 in a used music store a few years ago I couldn't resist trying it out. I just loved that thing. THEN I asked how much is was. 
$475 the owner said. I went home grabbed my Yamaha 450 acoustic, my Squire Tele and the two cases and traded them in along with $100 for the Harmony. I've never regretted it. 
One thing I noticed about the Harmony is if you used Medium strings (or heavier) on it, it really has a cool sixties sound to it, which was near impossible to get with any other electric I've ever owned.


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## cracka (Apr 28, 2011)

If you can live with a few dings in a guitar, used is the way to go for sure. I like owning guitars from the beginning though just so when people ask me I can tell them what every scratch, ding or dent is from


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## fudb (Dec 8, 2010)

Alvarez-Yairi would be my main go-to in this category. Tough as nails, great tone, fast necks... 

I'm thinking I'm going to get a nice rosewood one soon..


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

My buddy picked up a used Martin acoustic electric with a cutaway.
He brought it over and it sounded terrific. He since changed out the strings
and said that it sounds even better now. He just got me gassing for one.

I own a Seagull acoustic electric and really like it.
It lies tonally in between my Fender Newporter, which is bassy/dark
and my Epiphone which is kind of trebly.

I'll have to keep an eye out for a Stanford, thanks for the heads up.


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